She remembers a sharp pain near her chest and she was coughing up blood. She fell to the floor as screams rang out. The next thing she knew, she was being lifted and carried away. She thought it was Roy but the scent of pine, gunpowder and men`s aftershave wasn`t something he usually wore.
She opened her eyes to see that it was Tristan carrying her. His eyes were creased and full of fear and worry. She could distantly hear Roy yelling and his friends' trying to push people out of the way.
How did it come to this? The day started out as normal as it could get. She woke up early, had a shower, ate breakfast before she was rushed into a ship where Roy sat waiting for her. They were both flown over to a Hotel where several other Debutants were getting ready for the Festival. She was put in a Penthouse suite and was assisted by a team of hair plus makeup artists and a team from Madam Eleanor who would be assisting her into her gowns.
When she was finally dressed, she was fed little pieces of fruit and whisked away into another ship where she was surprised to see Dylan, Chase and Tristan sitting in the Ship, all dressed in black suits.
"They`re here for extra assistance," Roy had said when she asked. "Don't worry, they're very good at stealth. Ravenpoint Guards won`t even see them."
And that was another thing worried her at the time. If the police force of the kingdom couldn't catch three Knights in training, then what hope did she had in the protection.
At the venue, she was escorted by Roy to the front and asked to wait until the Master of Ceremony announced her. She checked her phone and still nothing from her father. Roy held her hand and smiled at her so she believed that it would be fine. It would just like the Exhibition.
How wrong she was.
The pain had started not a moment too soon after she finished the first line of her speech and now she was being carried out, bleeding red into her dress.
"Roy, poison," she gasped and bit she lip to stop herself from crying out loud.
The bullets went right through her and it wasn`t an ordinary bullet. She could tell that as she recalled a conversation from when she was ten. She was with her Uncle Nikolai inside the Elites Armory where he was showing her a new Sniper Rifle that was made to take down target and make them bleed out.
"These Rifles are very cool but very dangerous It can shoot two nasty bullet in single round," Nikolai had said as Jia leaned closer and scan the rifle. "The bullets are poison laced so they will release a hard to detect toxin that can kill the target if the bullets don`t the job. It`ll hurt like a lot and victim can tell by the pain."
Jia had glanced up at her uncle with a frown," The pain? How?"
"It won`t be focused on one area, it will spread to all the parts of the body," Nicolai said as he moved to sit near her and pointed to a magazine full of bullets near the rifle," The doctors will be focused on the bullets that they won`t notice the toxin until it's too late."
"But we can right?"
Nikolai nodded, "Yes little one, we have antidotes for those bullets. Your uncle Dalton made sure of that when he made arrangements for these guns to be bought for us."
"What are they called?" Jia asked.
"Mill 1 Rifles, Illian made," Nikolai revealed and Jia whispered, "Wow."
"Roy!" Jia struggled to yell as Tristan moved to put her down on the floor of the tent hidden away from any aerial view. People were still screaming and pushing each other hysterically but there were guards surrounding her so she couldn`t see them.
"I`m here! I`m here Jia! Just hang on! "Roy yelled as he put his hands over her wound and put pressure on it.
The world was spinning and her vision was starting to go dark around the edges,"Listen,"she coughed and tasted blood.
"Goddess! "she heard Chase yelled, "Call for Healers! Now!"
"The bullets are from..." she sobbed as the pain began to spread, "Mill 1 Rifle. "
"What?!" Roy yelled.
Tristan cursed, "They're laced with toxin, man!"
And that was the last thing she heard before she went under. Darkness surrounded her until a single light lit up in front of her. Jia felt someone brush their hand across her left cheek. When she opened her eyes, she was confused as she was now standing in her mother`s Green House back at Castle Paravel. The place smelled like flowers and the sound of water running could be heard.
"Jia!"
She gasped and spun around wildly.
"Mama?"
"Come here, Jia darling, "her mother called out again.
Jia started to sob, "Where are you!?"
"I`m over here."
She spun around to her left and saw her mother sitting on a bench near the fountain. She was in her usual clothes. Jeans, white blouse and boots. She was wearing the clothes, the very same clothes that she wore on the day she was taken from her.
"Mama," Jia gasped as tears were starting to fall from her eyes. She put her hands over her mouth and sobbed.
"Hello, my little Bolt," Marina said as she raised a hand and beckoned her daughter to come closer.
Jia slowly walked over to her mother before collapsing into her arms.
"I missed you so much," Jia sobbed into her shirt and hugged her tightly.
"I missed you too, darling, more than you ever know, "Marina replied as she ran a hand through her daughter`s hair before kissing it.
"Papa missed you too," Jia added with a sob.
She felt her mother`s body shake with laughter, "I missed him too. Every day, I missed him so much."
She pulled back and scanned her mother`s face as she wiped her tears away, "Am I dead?"
Marina shook her head, "No, you`re not dead. It isn`t your time. It isn`t any of our time."
"But you`re here." Jia reasoned and looked around before coming back to her mother," And I`m here with you."
Marina held her daughter face and kissed her forehead, "This isn`t the Afterlife. This is something else."
"I don`t understand, if this isn't the Afterlife, and I`m not dead then…"
"Goddess willing, you`ll figure it out my darling."
A bell rang and Marina looked around sadly," I thought it would longer this time."
"What`s going on? Mama?" Jia asked, the garden was starting got crumble away like a dream.
Marina made her face her, "I don't have much time, Jia, listen to me, today won`t be the first time. The Emperor won`t stop. He will never stop."
"What are you talking about?"
"Connect the dots, my attack, they thought that it would enough because you hadn`t shown any signs of your magic." Marina explained.
"My magic? "Jia repeated and shook her head, feeling more frustrated and confused than ever," Mama, you're not making sense."
"Listen to me, the dagger, the dagger they used, it is the only thing that can help you now."
Jia`s eyes widened slightly. The dagger the assassin used on Marina.
"Papa has that locked away in his study." Jia spluttered.
"Get it. Use it. The Guard needs to be assembled and Lightning Twice must be used to destroy him. Not seal but destroy, they nearly succeeded last time but it didn`t work. It was the wrong time. This time it will work." Marina assured her.
"But…"
"Don`t forget Jia," Marina reminded her as she hugged her.
"Mama?"
The darkness took over again and she found herself clutching nothing but air. She cried and clutched her chest. It both hurt and made her feel happy to see her mother. Marina hadn`t aged but she did look tired and slightly fatigued. Like she was fighting to stay awake just to talk to her. Why? She drifted quietly in the darkness for a very long time. She didn`t care but image of her mother`s face played over and over again.
When she came to, she could hear muffled shouting.
"Jia," Brad whispered.
She turned slowly and smiled at her uncle who instantly burst into tears. Behind him stood his aunt Jasmin, Uncle Nikolai, Aunt Helena, Aunt Iris and Uncle Dalton. All of them looked tired but relived and they were crying.
"Thank the Goddess, "Dalton whispered he went around to sit on the other side of her bed. Jia looked around and saw that she was back home. In her room in Castle Paravel.
"You`re finally awake, "Iris cried out loud and moved to lean past Dalton to kiss her forehead. She moved so Dalton reached forward and helped her to sit up.
"What`s going on? How long was I out?" The place looked bright but a few of the lights were on. Judging from that, she deduced that it was late at noon.
"Two days." Her Aunt Helena answered with a wince.
Jia `s jaw dropped, "It's Tuesday already!"
Her room door suddenly swung open and she saw her papa with her grandparents behind her with her aunt Camila.
"Papa!" Jia exclaimed and her father quickly walked over and Dalton moved to allow the scared father to embrace his daughter.
He hugged her but took care not to bump her bandages where the stiches had been sewed over the new wound his daughter had.
Two minutes pasted by before he leaned back to run a hand over her face.
"How are you feeling? "Marcellus asked softly.
"Sore and my throat is dry," Jia answered as Marcellus winced.
"Here," Iris said as she handed over a glass of water. Jia took it with a nod and drank from it tentatively. Once she was sure that her throat felt better, she put the cup on her night stand and cracked her knuckles before the door to her room burst open.
A woman with brown hair and a green dress walked in with a tea tray.
"Oh she`s awake! Thank goodness, I've brought some tea for her." the woman said as she went to leave the tray on her study table before coming over to stand behind her papa. Jia didn't like her. She wanted her out.
"Who are you?" Jia asked with an arched brow.
"Oh, I`m Lady Grace of House Lorelie. I`m a friend of your aunt Camilla." Grace said as she curtseyed. Jia glanced at her other relatives to see that they looked very angry and annoyed by the woman. The only one who didn`t was her aunt Camilla.
"And why are you here?"
Grace explained as she stepped closer to her father, who shuffled uncomfortably, "Well your father was nice enough to rescue my cousin last week so I thought I`d stay here and repay him by helping out around here. This place does need a woman`s touch after all."
Jia stared at the woman like she was crazy and everyone inside the room felt the temperature drop some several degrees low.
"Stuffs about to go down," Dalton said with smirk
"Finally, I`ve wanting to throw her out since yesterday morning when she moved her bags into the guest room." Brad said with a huff," Lucky for her, we`re changed gentleman and wouldn`t lay a hand on another woman."
"Do you have any idea where you are right now?" Jia asked.
"In Castle Paravel." Grace answered curtly.
"Exactly, "Jia said as she forced herself up from her bed. Her father moved to help her up when she held u a hand to stop him," I will deal with you later."
"Ouch," Nikolai whispered and her aunt elbowed him sharply.
"This is Castle Paravel, home of the Commanding Officer of the Elites and my home. It was built for Marina, my mother, for her child to be safe from creatures and nosy nobles." Jia said as she stood in front of the tall brunette and tried very hard not to electrocute the woman, "I understand my father recently helped your family with a recuse effort thanks to my aunt Camellia."
"Yes, and I have been so thankful to her." Grace said as she smiled at Camellia who nodded in approval.
"Great! You can move yourself into her Mansion and try to get together with her husband," Jia said.
"Jia!" her grandparents yelled and everyone`s jaw dropped.
"This is my mother`s home and I will not allow free loaders to live within these walls. Now leave!"
The door swung open and her uncle Willow came rushing in with her uncle Elias close behind her.
"Jia! We just heard that you`re awake and I – "Willow paused and scanned Grace up and down. "Who in the fifteen kingdoms are you?"
Her uncle looked even more annoyed and slapped his forehead while Willow glided over to stand in front of Grace.
"I`m- "
The woman was starting to see that it wasn`t a warm reception for her.
"She`s the air breather who thinks she can take my mother`s place." Jia tattled.
"Jia of House Norvel!" Camellia shrieked as she stood to full height and marched over to her niece, "You will not insult your aunt friend's any longer!"
"Oh honey, you`re in the wrong Castle and wrong family." Willow said as she went over to grab Camilla and Grace before leading them to the door and tossing them out.
"Marcellus is going to die a widower because he and Marina are soulmates which means they`ll die and meet each other in the Afterlife and have a wonderful life there. Now get!"
Jia and her other uncles and Aunts clapped as her Aunt Willow slammed the door in front of Camilla and Grace`s face.
"Never send a man to do a woman`s job." Willow muttered furiously before uttering an apology to Jia`s grandparents for man handling their youngest daughter.
"Thank for that Willow." Marcellus said.
"My absolute pleasure!" She said as she pretended to dust her hand before matching over to stand near her niece," How are you, darling?"
"I`m feeling better."
"Good! What were you thinking?!" Willow said as she burst in to tears and Jia winced, "I have half a mind to lock you away for life after what just happened!"
"I know and I wouldn`t blame you." Jia said as she moved back to her bed where her father adjusted her pillows so she could sit in bed.