Epilogue

I sit here.
Night and day.
Just here.
Amongst the others.
Its just a long pointless space.
Of nothing.
The others, clawing at me.
I feel nothing.
Emotionless.
Cold.

Chapter 20

I just lay there, in the sheets, gazing up to the ceiling.
I knew I would die soon, I could feel it in my body, my life would be over, the light at the end of the tunnel.
Ha.
There wasn't a single whisper in my room.
Not a single movement, just peace.
Me.
Something moved in the shadows.
I didn't even bother looking.
A hysterical madness bubbled inside me, the world started slipping away.
Something moved again, I felt something on my chest.
The world slid away, out of my grasp, like when you try to hold a handful of sand on the beach.
The grains slipped away.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
Then the blackness came.
A huge, wave of peace.
At last I would be at rest.

Chapter 19

"What do you want?" I whispered.
"Nothing. I have come just to tell." His voice was sincere. His eyes glazed over. "She is watching you. She will avenge. On the 2nd night, she will come." He rocked slowly on his heels. "Oak. Oak. Oak. Oak. Oak. Oak. Oak. Oak." He repeated over and over and over again.
"Go away!" I screamed.
He blinked suddenly and his eyes widened with horror.
"No! NO! She's coming for me! Me! ME!" He sobbed hysterically, his fingers twiddling with my duvet.
I screamed so loud, probably so ear-splittingly big that people could hear me in China or America.
There was a flash of light and Cykoa was gone, leaving just a dent in to cotton sheet.
THUD THUD THUD
My door burst open dramatically and Mum, Steve and Mitchell burst in.
Mum was manically gazing around my room, then swiftly ran over to me and put her hand on my arm.
"It's OK darling - everythings gonna be OK." She whispered to me softly.
"Dione." Steve walked over and placed a hand on Mum's arm.
"Hello." She blinked. "Had a nice day at work?" Still stroking my hair.
"Yes." He said plainly and tapped me affectionatly on the shoulder. "I'll make tea tonight yeah? Pizza?" Trying to tempt me into eating something.

Chapter 18

For the second time that day Mum came in, holding a tray piled high with all my favourite things, cheese pizza with small rounded tomatoes; a large can of coke, glistening with condensation; a bowl of spaghetti bolegenese, roasted veggies sticking out at angles; a small currant bun, its delicious smell seeping into every nook and cranny; a bowl of wobbly jelly, its red perfection looking dangerously like it was about to topple over.
"Hungry darling?" Mum asked cheerily, her smile to wide it looked like her face was about to split.
She set the tray down in front of me.
Wearily, I picked the veggies out of the spag bol, had a miniscule bite of pizza and had a tiny sip of Coke.
Mum's smile slowly disintergrated as I shoved the tray away from my lap and lay back.
"I'll leave the here yeah? Call me if you need anything." She said unhappily and she walked out.
"I need to eat something." I mumbled, my words incoherent.
With painful slowness I dipped my finger in the jelly.
I slowly placed my finger in my mouth.
I shivered in its disgusting sweetness.
Tap tap
I jumped, knocking the jelly flying onto the floor.
My eyes were wide with fear.
Oh god.
Was she back?
Trembling I hid under the covers, goosebumps prickling my skin.
The crunch of the window being opened.
"Hello?"
It's voice rang out like velvet, deep and mellow - different from Cynthanie's tinkling bell.
Trembling like a I'd just come off a rollercoaster, I came out from underneath the duvet.
It smiled cheerfully at me.
"I'm Cykoa." It pointed out.
I realised it was a boy.
He had a oval shaped face - rather like an upsidown almond - with large brown, chocolatey eyes, accompanied with thick, dark eyelashes.
His hair was chestnut, with twinges of dark blonde, and he wore a ocean blue suit - really- small cut offs, and a minute over coat, on top of a crisp white shirt.
His wings were extraordinarily beautiful - they were not like Cythanie's and Cyrena's fragile, papery colourful wings, they were like a moth you saw fluttering in the sky in summer, a mixture of browns, and blacks, and whites.
He bowed slowly, obviously anxious at my staring eyes.

Chapter 17

I twisted and turned amongst the thick tangle of blankets, my mouth pursed tightly, my eyes clamped shut.
"Kat are you OK?" Mum asked, the worry showing quite clearly in her strangled voice.
My eyes fluttered open.
I gasped in pain.
"Its ok darling! You're home! Everythings safe!" Mum flustered, tidying my scrunched sheets.
I felt weak and sweat poured down my face.
"I had a bad dream." I whispered.
Mum's face crumpled.
"Are you OK now darling? Mitchell's at school - everythings fine." She smiled, er eyes full of sorrow.
"Yes...." I frowned.
"What was it about?" She asked polietly.
"Can't remember." I lied softly. "There was a lion....I think..."
She looked like she genuinly believed me, I was pretty thrilled.
"Well everything's fine now." She murmured.
Witha flourish she got up.
"I've got some things to do...you stay in bed. Would you like anything to eat? Drink? I'm afraid I can't offer you any company, Steve is at work." She babbled.
I managed to catch the basics of what she said.
"A drink and something to eat would be fab." I mananged to say.
She grinned.
"Ok."


"Hi Mummy!" Mitchell called from downstairs.
I glanced at the clock
Wow, school was over already.


After about an hour after Mitchell had come home, when the sky was a dusky black, the doorbell rang.
I heard someone dash to get it and a small murmur of voices.
There were several thumpings up the stairs, followed by a gentle pad.
Zara and Heidi burst into the room, quickly abandoning their school bags by the door.
"Hi Kat! Are you OK?" They gabbled.
For several minutes we chatted but suddenly Zara's mobile beeped.
She glanced at the screen.
Her face fell.
"Sorry Kat - we've got to go....see you soon.... Mum want's us back for tea - Heidi's coming over tonight you see." Zara burbled apologetically.
I smiled wanly as they padded out, and lay down.
Just as I was drifting off for a snooze the door opened again.
I wearily glanced over.
Dreadlock Boy - It...
I gasped, sat up and gathered the covers protectivly around me.
"Get out!" I squealed.
He frowned but advanced towards me.
"Please...Please...Please..." I begged, starting to sob.
He cocked his head and frowned again.
"Don't turn into that." I sobbed.
Realisation dawned on his face.
"Twas'nt me." He said plainly.
I felt anger bubbled up inside me.
"Well who was it then?" I wailed.
"Me." He replied.
I felt a pang of hysterical hilarity.
"But you said it wasn't. Who was it then?" I giggled through my tears.
"Me."

Chapter 16

She heard the trundle of a small trolley rattling against the hard stone floor.
With painful slowness Kat opened her eyes and sat up slowly, her bones aching and creaking at every slight movement.
A jolly nurse dressed in a crisp dusty blue blouse and skirt, with a starched white apron and a tight bun clipped back briskly at the back of her head was coming towards her, with her trolley full of steaming packages.
"What's this?" Kat managed to ask.
"Dinner! I came to you first because you're in a Private Room, I heard on a grapevine you'll be out in a couple of days!" She smiled falsely.
"Oh." Kat replied quietly, and watched silently as she brought a small tray with a bottle of water and a steaming box of pasta and a sickly red dyed tomato sauce on top.
She grimaced - but concealed it quickly.
"Thanks." She replied hoarsly, trying not to let her disgust at this slop show in her voice.
"Do you want anything? A wash? Some company? A game?" She asked kindly, as she handed Kat to frail plastic knife, fork and a slim knapkin.
Slowly, Kat slowly spooned some of the mess in her mouth.
Mmm. Not bad.
"No thanks." She spluttered.
The Nurse smiled hugely and trotted out - scraping her trolley along the floor.
Kat finished off the pasta, and sunk down in the bed, leaving to bowl quivering ontop of the tray.
"I feel much better...In fact I should go home right this minute." She muttered vaguely and fell into a much needed sleep.


Light danced through the paned windows and the stuffy heat pounded at my chest.
I turned around and examined the place.
It was a church - of sorts.
With paned windows and...something else - something else I couldn't quite see.
I felt like a fairy.
I could feel an invisible wind whipping my hair, swirling my white, fresh dress.
I danced in the small space between pews, feeling as light as a feather twirling, whirling.
There was a defeaning crash and the church seemed to darken.
The light through the windows dissolved and I became just a small pale speck in a sea of darkness.
Slowly - creeping through the shadows came Cythanie.
She wore a veil of black netting, thick and in many layers, which trailed down past her slender feet and several centimetres of trailing material.
Her eyes burned a viscious red, her full red lips pulled tightly together.
She leaped high in the air - I felt a brush of cold air, and suddenly everything turned white.

Chapter 15

He was reduced to a dark, evil mist, his ruby red eyes glinting in the dusky evening, claws ripping through the thick fog.
She stepped back slowly, feeling slowly behind her.
He hissed slowly, and Kat tripped and fell head over heels into the deep, dark, engulfing pit of the Pool.
Water pounded her ears, her nose.
She could hear the slow beat of her heart - turning into a fast jerk as painfully she struggled amongst the thick water.
Kat's eyes were stinging with the effort to see, her nose was tingling, her mouth was dry, her ears were painfull and blocked, her body weighed down with the water.
Her lungs were bursting, and lights appeared in front of her eyes.
Kat struggled up and up, trying to break through to the surface.
There was a slight break in the water - not a splash - and the mist was above her.
Painfully, she tried to swim away but it came close and Kat suddenly seemed to freeze.
She felt the last of her breath dissolve in the water and everything went black.


She heard voices above her head, and lots of beeping, everything felt heavy and sluggish.
"Mummy!" Mitchell's lispy gasp.
Kat heard the slap of her Mum'd flip-flops on a hard concrete floor.
"Kat? Darling? Mummy's here, and Mitchell, and Steve." She coaxed quietly.
Kat struggled, but she half-opened her eyes.
A large, over enthusiastic grin met her eyes.
"Hello sweetie! Look, close your eyes and rest, I'll be here for a long time." Her Mum whispered.
Kat, slowly, closed her eyes, and sunk lower in the bed.
"C'mon Mitchy! Lets go and leave Mummy and Kat for a bit. We'll get a ice cream yeah?" Steve asked kindly to Mitchell.
"Yeah!" He squealed.
Kat felt a someone lean close to her.
"Bye Kat." He whispered, his breath smelling like jam and custard creams.
There was a slam of a door and the room went quiet.
Slowly, Kat felt a bit of my strength returning.
Painfully, she opened her crusty eyes fully.
Her head felt locked in position, so she gazed straight at the ceiling.
"What happened?" She croaked.
She felt her Mum tense.
"Well honey...Steve found you in the pond, you were unconsciouse and very near dead. We phoned the ambulance, and the doctor's found out that you had severely damaged your lungs. They had to do some complicated procedures... In fact, according to them, it was a pure miracle you were alive. They worked out you were in the pond for over 5 minutes, normally.... You where really lucky." She paused. "Most people would be dead. We were worried you wouldn't wake up, you hadn't moved for 2 days, just sleeping, but of course the heart monitor told us you were breathing but still...."