Mercy Chapter 10

Talia rushed into Faith’s room and held her tight.

“It’s okay, sweetie. It’s okay.” she said.

“Ta...Ta ... Talia?”

“I got you, hon. It’s okay.”

“Talia I ... had this dream ...”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Huh? How?”

“Hon, because of our friendship, you ... broadcasted to me. That’s how I knew you were in trouble.”

“Why would I dream of ... that?”

“Well, if I were to make a guess, I’d say it’s because you’re about to start your period. Same thing happens to me just before my period starts.”

“P ... period? Oh God I’m not ready for that ...”

“Sorry, hon. Listen, maybe you want to do something for a bit to take your mind off things? Some of the students have organized a little flying tournament.”

Just then Faith felt a wave a comfort from within. She took a deep breath, and said to Talia, “Yeah.. I think that’s a good idea.”

Faith quickly got dressed, and the two girls went to a building where training simulations were held.

“We aren’t using the building where I took my flying evaluation?” Faith asked.

“No, because this exercise will include some ... obstacles.” Talia said.

“Obstacles?”

“You’ll see.”

The two girls went inside, and found a group of flyers being separated into teams of two. Faith got partnered with a girl named Ivy who went by the codename “Flygirl”.

Then the flying instructor said, “Okay. Saphira here is going to use her dragon form and start flying. After ten minutes, the first team will take off, and then every five minutes after a new team will be allowed to fly. There will be obstacles that you can fly over, under, around, or even through, and you will get points for being successful, and lose points if you fail. As well, Talia here will be firing paintballs, and if you get hit, that will cost you points as well. Finally, if anybody can tag Saphira, they will get bonus points. Any questions?”

There were no questions, and then Saphira took off, changing into a nine-foot long dragon as she flew.

After a few teams had taken off, it was Faith and her partner’s turn, and Faith leapt into the sky, forgetting in her joy about the dream she had experienced the night before.

She swooped, dove, and spun, going up, down, and through rings that would suddenly appear in front of her. She dodged the paintballs being fired by Talia, and giggled whenever one of the other flyers took a hit, getting splattered with pink paint.

Her partner, Ivy (or Flygirl) seemed to turn into a kind of rocket, capable of great speed and pretty darn good maneuvering skills.

Finally, the instructor called the game, and everyone flew back down. Faith and her partner Ivy ended up finishing fourth overall, and Ivy thanked Faith for being such a good player.

Faith thanked Ivy, and promised to go flying with her again when she could.

Once Faith had taken a shower, she felt a “pull” inside of her, and excused herself to go back to her room to figure out what was going on.

Once there, she sat on the bed, took a breath, and closed her eyes ...

Faith found herself outside the dwelling she had seen in her dreams, and she entered, and saw ...

“Mom?”

Faith’s mother rushed over, and gave Faith a hug.

“Goodness, it feels good to be able to do that.”

“But how are you here?”

“This place is at an intersection point, between the spiritual realm and the Dreamspace. So with the help of Ava here, I was able to cross over, so to speak, and now I can be here for you.”

“That’s fantastic, mom. I take it you were the one who calmed me down when I started freaking out over my dream and the fact I might be starting a period?”

“Yes, dear. And there is no ‘might’ about it. Your cycle is about to start.”

“Oh God ...”

“It will be okay, hon. But you should let me show you a few things about how to take care of yourself when it’s your time of the month.”

Faith cringed, but realized she needed to know how to handle her period, so she allowed her mother to show her some tricks. After her mother finished, Ava said, “I have some other things to teach you. Do you understand why you have two fairy-like women alongside the tattoo of the book on your back?”

“No, actually. Tell me.”

“They are us. Your mother and I. If you wish, you can now summon us into the physical plane in the form of a fairy. It will cost you essence, so I wouldn’t do it casually, but should you need us beyond our ability to give you advice in this place, we will be there for you.”

“I ... cant even begin to thank you for what you’ve done for me, especially for bringing my mom here. And now you’re offering to help me in the real world to? I ...”

“I am the one who owes you, dear. Without you, the Book would have no guardian, and all we sacrificed would have been for nothing.”

Faith started to cry, and both her mother and Ava hugged her until she felt better.

“Oh, I have one other thing to show you.” Eva said, and whistled.

From another room came Fido, who bounded over to Faith and gave her a triple-lick.

“You’re here too?” Faith said with a laugh.

“Yes, mistress.” The three-headed dog mentally replied.

Faith’s mother said, “We’ll take care of ... Fido for you until you need him.”

“Thank ... thank you.” Faith said, and then the three of them hugged again, joined by Fido.

After a while, Ava said, “You should return to the physical plane. Next time you come, we can begin your lessons on the Book.”

“Okay.” Faith said, and closed her eyes.

When she opened them, she was back in her room on her bed, but before she could process all she had learned there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” She said.

Mrs. Carson came in, and said, “So, Faith, how are you doing?”

“Good, Mrs. Carson. Thank you so much for all you’ve done for me.”

“You’re welcome, dear. But I have some news for you. It seems that you and Brand may not be the last of your kind. I am going to interview a young woman who seems to be very much like you, except perhaps more ... aggressive, from what I have heard.”

Faith looked at Mrs. Carson in shock ...

To be continued ...