Reflection

Sophia and Nick are really cute!

I seem to like the name Nick, recently Yeah, they are cute. I really like him.

Same

Chapter 3 - Reality

His answering grin was bright and infectious, and she couldn't help but smile back, even as she wondered if she was insane for offering.

"What do I do?" she asked quietly.

"Do?"

"To help you, here," she nodded. Even though she'd agreed, it was still far too vast for her to be able to imagine or picture it wholly.

He was silent for a while, obviously considering his answer, and she began to laugh as she realised why.

"You didn't even think that part through, didn't you?" she murmured, grinning again. "You just thought you'd call, and see if anyone would turn up... and that everything would just be fixed miraculously. That simple."

He nodded.

"I wish," he smiled wistfully. That sobered her. It reminded her, again, of how large the task she'd offered to undertake had to be.

As she glanced backwards towards the way she'd come, Sophia considered for a moment going back there, and admitting her agreement to all of those men. She shuddered. It'd be overwhelming. This strange new inner peace she'd found was fragile; she knew it. It could only face one person's hope and pressure, for now.

"Where do I stay, while I'm here?" she asked softly. Nick volunteered a space in his own lodgings for her, and led her there. Almost as soon as she stopped, her fatigue fully hit her, and she struggled to keep her eyes open. He watched, smiling softly, as she faded away.

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Lifting her head, she realised that her neck ached. Really, her entire body ached. Wincing, she raised herself off the ground, and wondered what the hell had she been doing collapsed out on the floor, before the memories struck her like lightning. Seeing the face in the mirror.... the call..... answering it. The ruined, war-torn city. All those people, the men with their faces filled with pain and despair, fighting a losing war which would kill them all. There was just one face which held anything else, and that was because of her. Nick.

She shook her head, grimacing. What was she thinking? Surely it had to have been some freaky dream; there was no other explanation. No other logical explanation, anyway. She wasn't a witch, and she hadn't been tugged into some weird parallel universe.....

But she knew she had.

Try as she might to deny it, and cling to rationality - reality - she knew it had been real, too. That knowledge was burning and aching within her. She could remember crystal clear her sudden decision to volunteer her aid, without even knowing what she was saying. She'd meant it. She still did. Throughout the day, the reality of the life which now surrounded her seemed a little fainter, a little less meaningful, as she kept remembering that other life. She knew without any doubt that she would find a way to return there; her doubts had all been forced away, already.

The thought of returning had almost become a mantra, driving her through her day. It was almost consuming her. When the night finally came, she knew where she'd find herself floating to, and her mind was filled with thoughts of the place as she drifted off.

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When she opened her eyes again, she was proved right.

"Hi," she whispered quietly, finding Nick's eyes watching her just as they had been when she'd vanished, as if he hadn't even moved.

"Hi," he replied, an echo of her voice.

"I returned, then.... I wasn't sure if I could...."

"You always will, as long as you're willing," he answered. She shifted uncomfortably, finding the same pressure and expectation in that tone of his, but still her smile reflected his. It was some eerie effect he seemed to have.

"It seemed real, this place," she admitted suddenly. She wasn't sure what had made her say it. The words seemed to even be spilling off her lips without her control. "It seemed real.... even when I was back.... back wherever.... "

"It is real," he smirked. "As far as we understand, the witches fled to another world; that's where you live, where you were born and raised. But both worlds are just as real as each other."

Mutely, she just stared at him as she was told that she'd apparently travelled to a different world - twice, now! And he was mentioning it so casually, too, as if the existence of these worlds and the capacity to pass between them was common knowledge.

"I'm sorry," he murmured then. "All of this, it's still overwhelming you, isn't it?"

She nodded.

"I'd probably be the same if I was a witch," he continued. "But I'm stuck as just plain human...never mind that. You want answers, right? I might know someone who could offer them. "

"Who?" she asked at once, almost demanding.

"I'm not sure if he'll know or not," he warned her. "He's an old man, old friend of my dad's. He's the nearest thing to a witch expert we have. Even remembers meeting some as a kid. If anyone can help you, it's him."

She nodded. Even if the hope was a frail one, she knew that she would have to take the opportunity, if this truly was real for her. She asked Nick to bring her to him.

Good chapter Can't wait to get some answers

You're getting them in tiny little hints already Like you didn't know before that she'd travelled to another world

I guess But I want them ALLLL!

That's no fun

Maybe not for you

Don't worry, I'm going to stick as many explanations as I can think of into the next chapter or 2 chapters, depending on how long they end up being.

AWESOME

And of course, more question triggers

Because what would life be without them?

Exactly

I think I'll make it one longer chapter instead of 2 halves, it flows more easily. Plus I wouldn't have a title for the second half

Chapter 4 - The Return

"It's this way," he grinned, leading her along. The route was short and yet complicated and hidden at the same time, reminding her of her first journey in this place. Were they all the same? Did they have to be? Was the threat facing these people so great that they couldn't even travel openly throughout their hometown? He led her through shadowed alleys, past building after building each of which looked as crumbling and haunted as its inhabitants.

He finally slowed down, and turned to face a doorway, knocking once on the wood. She waited with him. In a few minutes, the door opened fractionally, cautiously, and a face peered outwards.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Aston? It's Nick here, John's boy. Can I come in?"

"Sure.... who's your guest?"

Nick smiled proudly as he answered.

"Well, that's why we're both here to talk to you.... her name's Sophia, and she's a witch."

Even in ignorance, Sophia could see the effect that one single word had on him. His eyes widened, visibly so, and his disbelief was written on his face. More than disbelief.... was it regret? Pain? Slowly, he shook his head.

"If she is, boy, then you've been playing with powers you can barely comprehend."

"What does that mean?" she demanded at once. He just shook his head.

"Look, that's the reason we've come here," Nick interjected. "We need answers, explanations, ones only you can give. Can we come in?"

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Minutes later, the three were sitting in his living room, awaiting answers, while Sophia was doing her best to try to ignore the half-regretful, half-reproachful looks Mr. Aston kept throwing at her.

"What d'you want to know, then?" he asked, his tone sharp.

"Everything you can tell us, really," Nick answered.

"Well, I guess I should start with the origin of witches.... much as anyone knows. Cause no one knows for real, see? They look human, act human, almost as if they're a part of us.... but there's something different there. My guess'd be that they were human once, and some freak mutation happened, one generation. But they first appeared here, oh, about 3 or 4 centuries ago? They'd travelled from some other land, but they didn't say where that was. Apparently that place was filled with witches. Ran by them. Some had just decided to leave and explore the world. And poor them for choosing that, I'd say, even with the life-saving use they were for us."

She just listed, growing more and more overwhelmed with every sentence. Apparently she wasn't fully human?! What?!

"That doesn't mean there's something wrong with you," he added hastily, seeing her expression. "Not at all. Whatever they say."

Nick nodded, he too eager to reassure her of that. It seemed that they found this belief one of the main distinctions between them and their enemies.

"Why did they - we - leave?" she asked next, urging him to continue. The question made him sigh deeply.

"We never asked them to be massacred on our behalf. We never asked them to stay, or to fight. They volunteered..... but then the soldiers targeted them specifically, and over the years, the price began to become too steep. It's not like they're immortal."

Hearing the melancholy tone which was seeping into his words, Sophia shuddered.

"They didn't abandon us," he finished. "They left because that was the only way they had to save their entire race. Their children, even."

"You say that.... does that mean it's hereditary? That'd all my family are like that?"

Even as she spoke, her disbelief of that showed. Her family were so.... so normal. But then, wasn't she? She'd never shown any sign or hint of all this before the previous day.

Mr. Aston nodded.

"Yes, it's hereditary. They'd all have to be descendants of the witches who fled from here, a century ago. But if you claim that you had no clue of this, perhaps they buried the secret in order to protect themselves further?"

"Could be," she shrugged. "But carry on. What else do you know about us? What about what I could do?"

He smiled wryly at that question.

"I can't really answer that one....because the answer's truly too branching and large. Some even believe that everything is possible for a witch."

Her eyes widened at that. Everything?! When Nick had briefly described her potential when he'd first explained, it'd seemed a lot.... but everything?! Was she even strong enough to tear the sun from the sky? It was beginning to sound like that.

"You'll have to test and develop your limits for yourself, I'm afraid."

"What about how she arrived here?" Nick asked. "I don't fully understand that myself."

"The mirror or her projection?"

"Both?" he asked.

"Well, I explained the mirror before.... it was something they left behind, and I stored it. A communications device. It'd only draw in a witch, and a witch who'd be willing to help on top of that. As for the projection.... it's travelling between worlds. Throwing your consciousness across the void which divides them, and forming a temporary new body in the second. It can only last when you're conscious though, and you have to out of it back home. If you stayed long enough, it'd become real.... that's how they left this world before."

"And.... what did you mean before, when we first appeared?" she asked hesitantly, her final question. She wanted to ask how she was meant to cope with all of this, but she knew that it wouldn't get an answer, and that she'd have to work that out herself. "When you said it'd been a mistake...?"

Predictably, the old man shook his head before she'd even finished asking.

"I'm sorry, that's something else I can't speak of," he apologised. She wasn't sure if she bought it or not.

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After that, she realised that there was little more he could tell her, and it wasn't long before they both left. Her mind was elsewhere as they exited the building, lost in the information she'd gained, and the new questions which had been raised. What exactly was she? What was her potential? And what was the secret, unspeakable threat or danger which had terrified him so much when she'd first appeared before him?

These musings were only broken by a sudden gunshot noise. It startled and frightened her so much that she forgot to breathe for a second. She span around, looking desperately to see where it'd come from, where it'd struck at the same time.... it took her what felt like forever to realise that she hadn't been hit, and that was when she'd breathed again.

Then she saw it.

The crimson stain, rapidly growing against her arm. Its colour even more stark against her pale skin.

"Nick?!" she almost screamed, alarmed. She got no clear answer. That frightened her more. Almost against her will, her eyes moved ruthlessly sideways, looking at him. Looking at the ragged, gory red hole torn straight through his torso.

"Nick!!!" she screamed. Could she do something?" Surely she had to.... she was a witch, for God's sake!! She was meant to have endless potential!! Ignoring how he was struggling and growing weaker with every passing second, she lowered him to the ground and knelt beside him. Only then did she realise that she didn't have a clue of what to really do. Her hands were trembling as she put them next to his, and tried to just force him to heal.

Seconds later, she was thrown backwards, and the onslaught of pain made her black out for a moment. Grimacing and gritting her teeth, she tried to regain her grip on this reality. All she could sense was the burning pain. It felt like her entire body had been torn through. She could feel the blood pouring out of her with every pulse beat.... she tried to force that away, focus on Nick. He'd been hurt first, he was hurt worse too. He needed her help. She tried to fight against her own pain and focus on trying to heal him, but it was in vain. The shadows were gathering in the corners of her eyes, and they inevitably got to her.

Great chapter!! Sorry it took so long for me to read it

That's fine, and thanks I was wondering if the ending would shock you out of any questions

Maybe

Any guesses for what'll happen next?

I hoping, she learns to heal?

That'd be convenient

It would be good

Chapter 5 - Power

The bright light suddenly streaming across her eyes was disorientating and almost blinding. For a second, confused, she had no clue of where she was, what she was doing or what should have happened to her. Groggily, she moved her hand to her shoulder, dimly missing the sensation of pain. It was only when she moved her hand away that she realised she'd half-expected to feel the warm stickiness of blood.

What had happened? She darted upwards, all the confusion gone in a moment. She remembered.... being with Nick, leaving and going out to the small shadowy street, the shootings.... trying to heal him, then her own. She should have been shot. She should have been hurt. But she wasn't.... she was back here now, back home in her own bed. What had happened? Did that mean it'd been nothing more than a dream? But it hadn't felt like a dream, and the memories didn't, even now.

No, it'd been real.... all of it. And if she was back here, it only meant that she'd left Nick, abandoned him just when he'd needed her most, just like her ancestors had done. A sensation of panic ran through her at that thought. She couldn't have; she couldn't face the idea. She had to go back, somehow, but she didn't even know how she'd gotten here, or how she'd travelled there the two times before. She'd been asleep..... and she'd fallen unconscious from the gunshot.... was that the connection? Suddenly, she remembered the old man's words before, describing her travelling as throwing her consciousness across the void. She'd have to be out of it in the other world to do so. That meant she'd have to force herself to sleep now.... somehow..... getting her mind to rest enough proved to be predictably impossible, though, and it was hours before she faded away again.

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Immediately, she was thrown back into her kneeling position beside Nick's prone body. He'd worsened in her absence, and was unconscious now, a pall of fever crossing his face. Her hands were trembling as she pressed them against the wound. She wasn't sure what she was trying to do. Trying to staunch it even though she could see it was too late for that; trying to force some strange power to rise miraculously from within her just when it'd be needed.

"Please, Nick...." she whispered. Her eyes were burning with the threat of tears.

"Bring him in here."

She leapt at the sudden voice, shaking off the hand on her other shoulder which she hadn't even felt, as she'd been so caught up in her fears. Nothing was happening.... she couldn't heal him. Maybe she'd been too late, even though she could see him breathing forcefully; maybe her own weakness in vanishing away meant he was beyond healing by the time she'd truly tried.

"You need to have your own wound tended to," he added, seeing her hesitation.

"Can you.... can you help him?"

This time, it was his hesitation which was visible, and she knew the true meaning of his answer even though he eventually said that he'd do what he could. It wasn't likely. She followed him inside, though, watching as he carried Nick through, unable to do anything else. She couldn't bear to watch as they tried to patch him up, and just waited. Nothing more could be done. She sat there silently as they stitched up her own shoulder, knowing that her involuntary absence would have made the difference between their cases.

"How is he?" she whispered, glancing over at where Nick was lying, having practically been left there by now. The man just shook his head.

"It isn't good?"

She got no answer, but didn't need one really. She'd just been hoping in vain for a positive answer. Rising to her feet, she shoved her own attendant aside as she headed to sit beside Nick. He was unconscious by now, and gave no sign of knowing she was even there.

"Please, Nick..." she whispered."Please.... can't you just get better, somehow? Or let me help? It didn't work before, but you said I ought to be capable of it.... anything, you said. Anything I wanted."

No reply. No response at all.

"Please.... you can't go and die on me now.... I need you here..."

She winced even as she spoke, moving closer to him. The gunshot wound had been completely bandaged over, but he was deathly white. Trembling, she again put her hands against his arm, trying to force some sort of healing to work, just something. She'd really meant what she'd said. She needed him if she was here... she didn't have a clue of how she'd cope without someone who seemed to connect with her.

Her eyes were closed, then. She'd looked away, unable to watch anymore. So she didn't notice as the colour began to bleed back into his skin, and the wounds beneath the bandaging healed up completely. She only noticed when he began to move, the sound of his coughing catching her attention.

"Nick?!!" she exclaimed. "But how...?"

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"You must have healed me," he explained later, after he'd changed out of his bloodied clothing, borrowing a shirt from their current hosts. "That's the only explanation. You healed me.... you saved my life. Thanks..."

"No problem," she grinned, looking away, slightly embarrassed. After all, she couldn't have done anything else, and she still didn't really know how she'd done it when the same attempt had failed before. She was glad he didn't seem to have heard her, though. Her pleading now seemed more embarrassing.

"How can you say that?" he muttered, shaking his head. "I owe you, now.... I've a feeling that it won't be long before we all do."

"That's what you called me here for, isn't it?"

He shrugged, though nodding. It had been the reason he'd called for someone, but still, he did owe her.

"Thank you, my lady," he grinned. She frowned. Where did that title come from? Seeing her confusion, he chuckled.

"Witches are called lords and ladies, here. And you really are one; you healed me, and we all saw it. No one can deny your power now."

I was welling up writing the middle part, I'm ridiculous She was originally going to heal him immediately when she returned but then I remembered that she needed to prove her power