Welcome to Gaia! ::

The warm breeze tousled the raevan’s wine red hair gently as she glided through the neighbourhood. It was such a nice day, summer was fast approaching and Ethan had suggested that the shadowy rose should take a stroll in the sun and appreciate the pleasant weather.

The pale girl had actually been quite content ‘cooped up’ in her bedroom with a good Japanese novel (since returning from Japan she’d picked up the habit of trying to further her reading skills) but after donning a pair of newly acquired sunglasses and delicate Victorian looking hat she was actually enjoying the feel of the sun’s warmth on her fair exterior. Something in the recesses of her mind remembered an incident during her infection where she had fed off the sun’s light... She wasn’t feeding now, that was for sure, but she was certainly benefitting from the exposure to the good weather even if it was just a lift to her mood.

Unusually Thorn was not with her on this little stroll. Though usually every walk taken outside the house the dog accompanied her, today he was at the hairdressers. His black coat was beginning to get a bit unruly and considering the increasing warmth of the weather it was best for him to have it cropped so that he didn’t overate. It was a shame, the little pug would’ve enjoyed this walk. Not only was the weather nice, but there was plenty that the dog would’ve enjoyed. No doubt the new growth of plants would provide an abundance of scents for the dog to investigate... Front gardens were home to plenty of sun-loving figures and children were bounding around having a whale of a time!

In fact, they were indulging in such a fun game that Vyn paused mid-float to regard their childish antics. Each of the children was armed with what appeared on first sight to be colourful guns. Of course, this would probably bring alarm to a naive mind like the rose frei’s... But before she could really process what they were doing great arcs of water were spurting from the nozzles of the guns, soaking each other prompting plenty of yelps and giggles from those hit. Vyn’s delicate mouth curved into a smile as she watched the strange battle. It looked quite enjoyable and she imagined that the splash of water would be quite refreshing.

However, as she continued to observe the antics of the human youths her pleasant smile soured to an appalled frown. At first the squirting of the guns had seemed to be random, perhaps it had been, but as the children coordinated themselves a victim began to emerge: a small boy, smaller than the rest by a head at the very least, with flaming red hair was being absolutely soaked. The others were dancing round him, weapons in the hands, and remorselessly pumping litres of water at the squealing boy. Although a fair distance away Vyn could tell that he was not enjoying it – he was calling out for them to stop, but every time he opened his mouth the jets of cruel water would spray his face.

Part of the shadow wanted to interfere, to charge at the boy’s assailants and scare them off. She knew she could do it – one glare from her ‘freaky’ eyes would most likely send them running back to her parents... But she’d spent most of her early life as a frei hating the fact that every human child baulked away from her looks, to use them to do exactly that now would almost be hypocritical...

Fortunately her dilemma over whether to intervene or not was solved. The mean children gave one last cackle of laughter, clonking the boy on the head with their now emptied guns, before running away. Reduced to tears the ginger child collapsed to the pavement, head in his small hands, chest heaving violently with his pitiful sobs.

Her half formed heart clenched painfully. He really hadn’t stood a chance...

“Hello... Are you alright?”

The child’s head whipped up and bearly red eyes mournfully examined Vyn’s face. For a moment he was confused and then a fearful glaze entered his expression.

“Wh-who are you?!”

Wincing Vyn drew back, she supposed the fact that she was looming over him (wings, dark hat and glasses probably forming an imposing figure) was not aiding the situation. “I’m Vyn.” She reached up to remove her glasses, folding the arms and blinking in the bright light – hopefully the boy would not flee at the sight of her eyes... “I saw what those other children did to you... Why did they do that?”

At first the boy did seem as though he was going to make a run for it. As the dark lenses were removed from the rose’s face his already intimidated expression intensified and he reached backwards almost scrabbling away from her. However, as her concerned tone registered and he realised that she was concerned about his welfare he spoke through quivering lips; “It’s... because I have red hair..”

Confused the rose tilted her head; because he had red hair? To her his hair was far from red, it was more orange than anything else. Twirling a finger into her own locks she frowned. Even if his hair colour was slightly luminous compared to most muddy tones found on human’s heads, it shouldn’t be a reason for being picked on in such a cruel and unnecessary manner. “They pick on you because of how you look..?” She sighed as he nodded, knowing all too well how it felt to be alienated because of appearance. “I used to suffer from that a little bit.” Upon hearing this confession the boy, who had softened slightly after the initial shock of seeing the raevan’s more unusual features, scooted in closer.

“Used to?” He asked, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Vyn nodded, “People used to be scared of my looks all the time. Sometimes I’d just be outside and children would cry and their mums would glare at me...” She sunk lower, her rune dimming slightly as she moved into a ‘seated’ position on the edge of the curb next to the child. “It used to make me feel really bad. I couldn’t help being so scary to those people... But over time I grew up a bit. I got more friends who were like me and I started to think differently.” At this point she smiled at the boy who was firmly wrapped up in her little tale. “If they’re frightened by me.. It’s not my fault. I live my own life and any nasty looks or comments have to be ignored and eventually they stop coming altogether.”

At this the boy nodded furiously, clapping his hands together. “My Mum says that all the time.. I try to ignore them but they get me anyway and then I end up upset.” He pouted, leaning heavily on his scraped and knobbly knees. “If only I could teach them a lesson... Maybe then they’d leave me alone...”

Hesitantly the rose extended a hand towards the boy... “I might be able to help... We have to talk to some of my friends first though...”

When she looked in the mirror it felt as though an entirely different person was looking out. Never before had she dressed so smartly! However, this event – the dinner party that Ethan was taking her along to – was going to be playing host to perhaps the richest men in the whole of Gaia. Ethan had named a few of them but they were not well known as far as Vyn was concerned... They were probably the men behind the scenes, the gods who communally had ties to every single area of business yet due to their exceedingly large amount of wealth they were completely and utterly cloaked from the public eye. Compared to some of them even Ethan was small fry...

Thus it was absolutely essential that she gave a good impression. Normally businessmen didn’t take their family along to this kind of thing but apparently the host had asked for her especially – he wanted to meet Ethan’s infamous floating daughter... Apparently word had spread that the previously childless man had started speaking of an adopted daughter and it had piqued the interest of several men in post-boardroom meetings. In one way she felt a little unnerved by this; she wasn’t some kind of pet to be paraded around... Yet on the other hand she knew full well that Ethan didn’t see her like that and if it would make her father proud she would only be too willing to attend.

To meet the formal requirements of the meal she had preened herself to perfection. Earlier in the day she had gone to a hairdressers, trimming her unruly hair into a more orderly cut, had her nails professionally done, and had spent an hour or so with a professional shopper constructing the best possible outfit for the night. In the end they had settled on a tailored black jacket. It was designer, of course, and Ethan had even shelled out the required funds to have a member of the exclusive fashion house to customise it – making room for the rose’s wings and cinching it in to give the impression of a waist where in fact there was none.

Brushing her hands down the front Vyn felt a mixture of excitement and nerves... Seemingly sensing this discontent in his mistress Thorn trotted over, pawing affectionately at her wild ribbon as if to say “what’s the matter?”

“It’s ok Thorn.. It’s just that this is a very important occasion for Ethan. I want to do him proud.” She responded, ‘kneeling’ and rubbing him softly between the ears. He nuzzled her back and made to be embraced. The shadow shook her head however... “I can’t hold you right now. I know what you’re like, you’ll drool all over me.” As if to prove her point she cupped his head in her slender hands, lightly pressing her fingers against his chops. This resulted in the squashed face having a forced and comical smile – dripping with even more amusing saliva. Laughing gently she leant forward and planted a kiss on his squat nose.

Rising again she left the room, rinsed her hand in the bathroom sink, and checked the time. They had about twenty minutes before they were due to arrive at the restaurant... It wasn’t that far away but Vyn assume that it would be good to announce to Ethan that she was ready whenever he was. She found him in his room, adjusting his tie. At first she did not announce her presence and shifted silently into the back of the airy chamber regarding him with her black inquisitive eyes. She had never seen him in such a state, he was knotting the tie over and over, tweaking it constantly before becoming disgruntled unknotting it and putting it back on his tie rack – only to select another and repeat the process.

Such an unusual show of nerves made Vyn feel even more uncomfortable. Ethan always seemed so assured... The fact that even he was nervous about this meal proved that it really was a big deal. Breaking her silence she coughed into her hand and floated towards him. The moment he realised she had been lurking behind him he ran a hand through his neatly cropped hair (he had also visited a barber’s) and forced a smile on his slightly creased face. “Hello Vyn. Nearly ready.” He plucked a crimson thin tie from the rack and held it up for her inspection. “What do you think of this?”

The frei nodded, allowing a ghost of a smile onto her face. It was almost amusing to see her guardian in such a flap. “It looks fine.” She murmured. She moved a little closer and floated higher. Breaking conventions she usually held strongly about personal space she slipped the silken necktie from his hand, flicked up the collar of his clean white shirt and slid the sash of red around his neck. Embarrassed Ethan’s aged cheeks flushed a similar colour but Vyn continued to tie the knot despite this. When she was down she bobbed backwards. “You look fine Ethan. We’ll be late if we take much longer. The chauffeur is waiting...”

Obviously flustered at the notion of being late Ethan nodded and offered the crook of his arm to the blossoming girl. “Shall we go?” It was odd for Ethan to come across so unsure of himself and as she took his arm and moved with him to the exit of the penthouse she asked him directly; “What is the matter? You’re acting... strange.”

“Oh... It’s nothing at all for you to fret about Vyn.” He returned, yet her arched brow and expectant face forced a straight answer out of him. “It’s just that a few of the men we’ll be seeing have been putting increasing pressure on my companies. Competition within the market so to say... Nothing of serious threat – they’d never be able to topple me, I’m not stupid enough to let them, and they’re fully aware of that. I just don’t want them to soil the evening. A few of my primary investors will be present... And... Well, a few foul remarks can go a long way with certain individuals. If I’m honest I’m glad you’ve been invited along. It’ll ideally keep the conversation off business for a little while at least.” He gave her an apologetic smile as he called the elevator. “You understand don’t you?”

Stepping into the sleek metal box full of mirrors Vyn’s face, reflected on all sides, split into an understanding smile. “Yes.” A relaxed hum signalled that they were descending and Vyn felt Ethan relaxing. Half the stress would no doubt be the apprehension beforehand. Now that they were on their way it was as though he was settling down. He didn’t have to worry so much; he just had to take things as they came. The shadow was sure he could handle the situation perfectly.

Ping!

Striding out into the marble floored reception Ethan nodded to the receptionist. “Your chauffeur is just outside sir. I hope you have an enjoyable evening.” Together the raevan and human glided through the entranceway and outside. The crisp autumnal air struck Vyn’s face and she could feel a flush of heat react to the chill in her cheeks. It seemed as though the seasons had slipped past so quickly... Summer and autumn had gone past quite uneventfully and now winter’s touch was clinging to the ground and threatening to n** at the earth contintually causing plant life to shrivel away. Needless to say she would miss the warmth and being able to take pleasantly warm night strolls with Thorn and her guardian but those would roll back around again.

Meeting them at the car was a crisply dressed man with boots so perfectly polished that when Vyn glanced at them she could see the whole world looking back out of the inky surface. She was used to luxury and being driven around by chauffeurs but she knew that this particular time the car must be the highest quality and the service impeccable in order to appear absolutely top notch in the eyes of their expensive company. “Sir, ma’am..” The man opened the door and spoke in a clipped British accent. “Your destination is Le Petit Amant. If you would care to enter?”

Doing so Vyn settled into the interior of the vehicle that quite literally smelt of opulence and richness. Tiny bottles of vintage champagne were available alongside crystal cut glasses. Classical music filtered through hidden speakers and the tinted nature of the windows meant that she could almost forget that they had entered a car. Instead it felt that they had entered a pod designed for relaxation of the most expensive variety. Even as the engine started and they pulled away there was barely a quiver of movement in the back. Needless to say the raevan was awed...

“Ethan...” She folded her hands in her lap... “What should I talk about with these people we’re going to meet?” She didn’t want to worry him... But she didn’t feel like she was an exceedingly good conversationalist even at the best of times. When there was this much pressure the weight of their wealth crushing down on top of her she imagined that her social skills would quickly run down till she was barely more than the shadow she was born from. The businessman didn’t seem too worried however and he waved a dismissive hand. “You’re like nothing they’ve ever seen before Vyn. You forget how special you are. I imagine they’ll want to know all about Raevans and the like... If they’re half as enamoured with you as I was first time I saw you many would be content with listening to you speak about complete nonsense.” He laughed and his familiar chuckle helped to ease the tension Vyn was feeling. Her taught wings softened and she nodded. That didn’t seem to bad then...

When they arrived they were met by another incredibly smartly dressed man. However, this individual was not employed by Ethan – he had been sent outside by the restaurant to greet them. “’Ello Mister Blake and Mademoiselle Rose, I am ‘ere to escort you to your seat for zee evening. I ‘ope that you will enjoy Le Petit Amant’s splendid cuisine.” Vyn felt a curve of a smile on her face as he referred to her by the posh sounding French title and gave her the surname of rose... He must have been told to call her that by whoever had organised the meal... They knew about her heritage presumably.

Obediently, with their arms linked together, the human and the raevan followed their French escort. Le Petit Amant was just outside of Gambino... A spacious modern building half suspended upon jutting wooden legs over the beach and half nestled amongst the sand dunes. It was a romantic looking establishment and with the setting sun over the sea the impressive ocean views would have most certainly been witness to many upper class proposals. Leading up to the entranceway palms had been planted and the path was marked with great stone slabs, completely clear of any trace of sand. Considering the restaurant’s positioning (where a stray puff of wind could easily scatter sand across the pathway) a full time flock of staff would have had to have been employed to keep everything in such pristine condition... It reeked of the perfection that its several culinary awards denoted.

The inside of the restaurant was warm compared to the chilled sea breeze and the porcelain cheeks of the rose were instantly flushed. Ethan’s grip on her arm tightened; he could see their company for the evening – they were on a long table, all suited like dark card cut-outs against the wash of colour reflecting off the ocean behind them. Imposing to say the least Vyn felt her heart jump into her throat. Nearly all seats at the long glass table were taken. She counted them with rising dread… There were fourteen seats and twelve people there – they had somehow managed to arrive last.: Exactly the wrong impression that Ethan had desired to make. Never the less they both stitched smiles onto their faces as they slipped into their seats and greeted the others whose eyes were all trained on the dark frei.

“Hello, my apologies. We are not late are we?” Ethan made a show of looking at the bright steel watch affixed to his wrist.

The man opposite them, with long black hair tied into a neat ponytail, circular black rimmed glasses and an imposing air, grinned revealing too white teeth. “Oh, no. Perfect timing Ethan. We just met a tad earlier to discuss a certain matter. Please make yourself comfortable. Wine?” He moved a hand towards the crystalline glasses in front of them. His fingers were perfectly manicured and Vyn could not help but notice how unnaturally slender and effeminate they were… Already Vyn was unsettled by his highly groomed yet unpleasant appearance. And why was he the only person making an effort to talk? The other businessmen were occasionally passing words between each other but besides a cursory glance at her unusual features they were not making any effort to speak to Ethan. Was it really the case that compared to their fortunes Ethan was small fry? Before she could dwell on the matter much longer Ethan’s and her glasses were filled with a deep burgundy wine and the man was speaking to her.

“You must be Vyn? It’s a pleasure to have such a beautiful woman our table for once. As you can see we’re all old gentlemen tonight.” He chuckled, but Vyn couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved by his compliment. It just came across slightly lecherous. This impression was backed up as he continued. “And when a businesswoman does come along they’re usually so old and butch that they’re simply a sore on the eye! You on the other hand… Well, I can see why Ethan likes you around him.”

“Thank you…” Normally she would be inclined to return the kind words with a pleasant comment of her own, but with this man she could find little to remark positively on so she waited for him to speak and ask some questions as Ethan had said he would…. And ask he did. Every aspect of her being was explored by the other, her physical appearance; her rune, the flowers twined into her hair… Her powers, what could she do? Could she demonstrate it? All eyes were on her for a few minutes as she, embarrassed, contorted shadows and made small shadowy vines dance along the floor. Her efforts were rewarded by much warmth and applause but she sat down afterwards she felt more like a performing monkey strung up in mocking human clothes. The evening continued in this manner until the shadow felt socially exhausted – the businessman must have known every fact about her through his relentless yet somehow seemingly casual questioning. The only respite she gained was through the food arriving; yet even then they were minimalist portions artistically put together but with no substance, so no sooner had the men picked up their cutlery they were putting them down again and the inquisition would start again.

By the time that all was said and done and the tiny china cups of strong black coffee had all been returned to their saucers with a musical chime at the end of the meal the shadow was utterly exhausted. As Ethan and she rose from their seats the man who she had been talking to also rose – though none of the others seemed to notice once again. He escorted them to the door and shook first Ethan’s hand and then took the raevan’s into his pale hold and carefully planted the whisper of his lips against her smooth skin. A forced smile had to be displayed at this… Vyn simply wanted to get home away from the man. Yet he still had something to say to Ethan.

“Ethan! It’s been a delight, honestly. Vyn here is a wonderful girl and a credit to you. It’s been so nice not talking about work, don’t you think? Of course we’ll need to find a way to persuade you ton let go of that little niche in the market somehow… We can’t allow you to hold up vital progress forever! But I am sure that can be dealt with another way. Enjoy your evening. Have a safe journey home!”

To this the guardian simply gave a curt nod, took Vyn by the hand and left the door; not even pausing to give a kind word to the staff poised to aid him and the beautiful lady on his arm. Vyn was glad, of course, but she pondered what had resulted in this change of attitude. Suddenly her carer was so abrupt… Then out of earshot he spoke with bitterness laced like a toxin in his voice. “That man is a piece of work. I am sorry you had to endure that Vyn… The way he looked at you, eyes on one thing alone – a filthy animal. I hope you listened to none of what he had to say! And that last comment about business… I thought I would mind more if he simply dug at me all evening but I admit, that last strike, it’s a niggling annoyance I can’t shift. Of course, it’s nonsense. They cannot make me do anything. It’ll have to be over my dead body that I allow them the space I occupy.”

Unaware of the business dealings that her adopted father was involved in the rose simply nodded. However, despite the intricacies of the matter eluding her she still shared the same opinion – the poor impression she’d gained of the odd man was enough for her to believe every word that Ethan said and be glad about it. She already couldn’t stand the thought of that longhaired creepy man benefitting off Ethan and she murmured her agreement as they stepped into the car.

Unfortunately the meal had left the pair of them in a poor mood and the journey home was conducted in awkward tense silence, only occasionally interjected with the light tapping of Ethan’s fingers upon the expensive personal organiser – no doubt informing various important members of his companies to ensure everything was in order; the bother caused by those parting words clear to read on his creased face. Usually he was a difficult man to read, that was why he was such a successful businessman, but now with his guard down every twitch of discomfort, every momentary pang of worry was plain to see and it made Vyn’s finger coil into tight balls of worry. She moved her slender hand to touch his knee gently – comfortingly – but he batted her away with a sigh, muttering something along the lines of “I’m too busy.”

Disheartened she folded her hands and stared out of the window. If he were in that sort of mood it would most likely be easiest to let him stew over it and deal with it in his own unique manner. It was unsettling having him so on edge and apparently irritable, but if there was nothing she could do there seemed to be little point in trying and consequently winding him up further.

When they got home Ethan went straight to his office and the raven in his cage greeted him with a rally of excited squawks, exercising it’s limited vocabulary of hello’s and welcomes over and over. Usually this would not bother the businessman; a friendly finger extended through the bars of the cage to be momentarily pecked softly at was sufficient to quieten him… But this evening Ethan rattled the bars with an angered hand, causing Vyn – who was walking past to get to her room and greet her own rose born bird – to peer inside and gawp momentarily at this vastly out of character behaviour. Ethan was never unnecessarily cruel and sensing her shock and apparent aghast nature he grunted an apology to the shaken white critter before slumping in his chair. Vyn lingered long enough at the doorway to see him slip his head into his hands and groan. The stress must’ve given him quite a headache to be in this fouler mood.

Trying to put the whole evening out of her mind the rose slipped into her room. Thorn was sitting like a velveteen cushion. His ears pricked as the door opened and by the time her rune was past the threshold he was on his feet, his stumpy tale furiously wagging. “Hello Thorn..” She cooed, taking his head in her hands and rubbing the short black scruff. “It was a really bad evening…” She sighed, floating over the end of the bed before swinging her elevated body horizontally round so that she was laying down the bed with the dog cupped in her arms. She wasn’t tired – glancing at the clock revealed the time being around 9:00pm – and to unwind she decided to listen to her faithful music player. When she had first been taken into Ethan’s care it had been brand spanking now but now it was worn with wear and the scroll wheel’s symbols were practically erased due to the thousands of loving caresses shifting tracks. Slipping headphones into her ears she closed her eyes – content.

It was only the aging device’s flaws that saved the evening from going from unpleasant to life shatteringly awful. About two hours after settling down the device began to play up – the volume was swing wildly from low to high then back to barely anything. Irked the raevan removed the headphones from her sloped ears… It was annoying but… It was getting late and she supposed that making a start towards her sleeping preparations would be wise. Thorn had already fallen asleep and his wheezy little breathes rasped against the duvet. However as she rose quietly so as not to disturb her pet and exit to the bathroom to splash warm cleansing water on her face she clocked a barely audible voice.

“Vyyyynnnnn… Vynnn.”

Instantaneously a shiver of worry raised the hairs on the back of her neck. It was such a pitiful wail. Quite strange considering the only possible source of it… Yet she knew for sure of whom the moan of distress originated from.

Ethan.

A sick sensation swirling round her rune, she left her room with strong wing beats and moved hastily to the office in which she had last seen Ethan. The moment that she entered she knew that something was grievously wrong. Rather than the clean scent lightly toned with roses – courtesy of the rose crow – there was the acrid scent of vomit. She was shocked… It was disgusting and though she had no stomach from which to hurl from, she gagged none the less. “Ethan? Ethan!” He was slumped at his desk and a trail of grotesque khaki liquid dripped off the edge of the glass surface. His face was deathly white and as she rushed towards him she was horrified to discover his lips were a shade of blue – as were the tips of his fingers clasping at the chest of his ruined shirt.

“Vyn… Ring for…. Help…” And with that his body seemed to sink for a moment before every muscle was overtaken with tiny twitches. Terrified Vyn spent a good few seconds with her mouth open watching her fitting guardian. However his words finally sunk into her like lacerating knife wounds. Ring for help.

Barely thinking she sped to her room.

The phone was in her hand without her even thinking about picking it up.

It was ringing.

“Emergency services. Which service do you require?”

Waking up was like trying to swim to the surface of a deep pool, only rather than water the liquid in which he was suspended in was thick and gelatinous. Each expansive sweep of his arm drained his energy and yet he persisted. Each desperate stroke dragged painfully slowly through the sluggish depths gradually upwards; nearer to the light, shining down through the gloom of this underwater atmosphere; nearer to consciousness. There was a deep reverberation pulsating throughout the mass in which he was struggling again. Rhythmic and bone shuddering in its coordinated striking it shuddered throughout his whole body. His heartbeat: A lifeline that he clung too in the depths of his unwanted slumber. Hand over hand he struggled along this rope through the gloom and as he got closer to the promise of normality other senses began to seep into his awareness and smother the images and sensations produced by his wandering mind. The raw instinctive sensation of his mortal ties was gradually replaced by the harsh electronic bleeping of the machines monitoring him, the swathes of translucent goop that he was struggling against became plush white sheets and finally the light above the unspeakable water became the hints of the outside world barely viewable beneath his closed eyelids. Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was in reality about twenty hours, his grey eyes reopened and a groan croaked from his sore throat.

“Where am.. I?”

Almost out of reflex his well groomed fingers curled to clasp the slender hand that was resting on his palm. It responded energetically, squeezing and holding onto him as though he was about to be wrenched away, despite its owner appearing haggard with deep set dark rings about her midnight sun eyes. With a muttered sigh of relief penetrating his baffled and admittedly quite concerned expression Ethan greeted his daughter. “Vyn. What happened?” He craned his neck to look at his condition; bed bound and hooked up to a multitude of different monitoring systems. “Why am I... in hospital?”

It took a few moments before the rose could construct an answer. Whereas there was a pain in Ethan’s throat due to the tubes used to pump his stomach not long after his admittance into the specialist ward, Vyn’s throat hurt due to the tremendous lump of relief that was lodged there. She had to swallow several times and blink back the formation of tears from her weary eyes before haphazardly opening her mouth to recount what had happened.

“We were at the meal then we went home... Then after a few hours you started being ill and... Fitting. It was terrifying Ethan. I had to phone for an ambulance and then you stopped fitting and that was even scarier because I thought you had.. And we got to hospital and they took you away and I tried to go with you but it wasn’t for a little while that I was allowed to sit beside you and then the doctors told me that you had got some sort of poison in you and that they didn’t know when you would wake up because you were in a sort of coma. Oh Ethan! I am so, so glad you are alright!” With that she flung herself over him, hugging his newly awakened body like a small child clinging to a well treasured parent – her rune flaring alongside her whirlwind emotions.

A handful of hours later several tests had been run upon the newly awakened businessman and he was propped, not cheerfully but not in a depressed state either, up against the headboard of the bed. Still clasping his pale hand was his saviour and even as the nurses had busied themselves around him; taking blood, reading the cardiogram and so on, the bond between them had not been severed. It was not even as though they had been spilling words of relieved emotions upon each other... They had simply been content to cling, hand in hand, and savour the knowledge that it appeared as though Ethan had weathered out the storm and things were on track for getting better.

However, their idyllic status inevitably had to come to an end. To accurately assess the state of Ethan’s body there were still more tests that needed to be done and Vyn’s presence was unfortunately hindering them. The poor nurses needed urine samples and it seemed improper to ask the parent to urinate in the presence of his elegant looking daughter. He needed a cat scan. In all honesty he should have had one already but they had put it off for the meanwhile whilst the pair had acclimatised slightly to the situation. There could be no more waiting however and with a round of apologetic smiles and warm directions to the cafe at which she could wait if she so desired they began to usher the rose out of the room.

A little defensively the wild flower curled her fingers tighter into Ethan’s, but the uncurling of his digits made her glance worriedly at his expression for fear that somehow – due to the stress of her leaving perhaps – he was slipping into a deathly sleep once again. However, her worried expression was countered with a calm upwards curling of the lips. “I’m fine Vyn... They know what they’re doing here. Please... Rest. It’ll but my mind at rest if you went home and slept. If anything happens one of these ladies will phone you and you know the speed dial for the private taxi, they’ll get you to me as soon as humanly possible.” One of the uniformed women nodded in reassurance; they would make a special note to keep her informed of all the test results as they came in if she really wanted – the private ward that Ethan was housed in offered more than the norm by any standards.

Reluctantly peeling herself away from her bedridden father, Vyn allowed a friendly nurse to guide her out of the room. It hurt to leave him, but she could tell from the tone of his voice that he really wanted her to go home and get some rest – even in his current state he displayed a heart-warming paternal flare... Vyn was lucky to have him... As she stood at the exit, the drizzling rain sighing over the carpark, she twisted her exhausted fingers into knots. Maybe a sleep would be quite nice... Ethan would be fine. Her taxi didn’t take long to arrive and as she trundled through the midday traffic her lids began to feel heavier and heavier, threatening to close over her inky eyes and ferry her into sleep. By the time she’d returned back home she was yawning widely and getting into the lift and going upwards was barely a conscious process.

Functioning almost completely on auto-pilot as she drifted through the flat there was only one thing that broke the glazed expression on her face. Before going to bed she needed to feed and change Thorn’s water – the maid had been doing so in her absence but it needed to be done now as Thorn was pawing needily at her – and in the kitchen, flashing on the modern display of the oven... six numbers.

24/01/11.

It was her birthday...

“Happy Birthday Vyn...” She whispered, a glaze of water forming over her eyes... What a way to start the firth year of her life. Biting her lip she set down Thorn’s food bowl with a clang. Atleast things couldn’t get worse.