Page 4

When Ismena woke, she felt hazy and very tired. But at the same time, she felt...good.

Not sick, not choking on grief, not suffocating with heartbreak. She just felt better. What the hell happened?

A soft grunt tore from her mouth as she made effort to sit up from the bed. Still feeling dizzy, she placed a hand on her head to steady herself.

"Oh, my God! Sandraaaaaa!!!? She's awake!" That was Eline's voice coming from the sitting room.

Within seconds, the door burst open. Eline and Sandra hurried into the bedroom like their asses were on fire.

"Thank God, thanks holy Jesus. Damn, I'm definitely going back to church on Sunday!" Sandra's voice was loud as she hurried closer and climbed into bed with her, followed by Eline. "Jesus, Mena, how do you feel now?"

"Great... But tired..." She moaned, tasting the metallic tang of blood on her lips. Or maybe, she was mistaken. "What happened? "

" What happened!? You almost DIED on our asses, that's what happened! How dare you, Ismena Cranes, how dare you!?" The passionately spoken words were followed by a crushing hug.

Ismena tried to get her fuzzy head to work while Sandra hugged her like her very own life depended on it. Die? She almost died?

Ismena would have thought her best friend was joking if not the tremors pouring out of Sandra's body which was plastered to her naked one. And Eline's eyes was shiny with tears.

Sandra was still scolding her. "How dare you scare us like that!

? You had no right, Ismena, did you hear me!

? So what if what happened was too much for you?

You don't have the right to take the easy way out!

We are all here for you and your family is out there in Oklahoma for you, you don't get to DIE ON US, DO YOU HEAR ME! ?"

"I'm so sorry, Sandy... It was never my intention..." Ismena hugged her friend back tightly. Her eyes found Eline's, "I'm so sorry, Eline."

Eline's arms went around the both of them so that the three of them were rolled together in a ball of hugs.

"Oh dear lord," Sandra sniffled, coating Ismena's shoulder with tears, "Thank you so much, Mena, thank you so much for coming back to us. Thank you so much...!"

"I'm so happy that you're alright. You had no idea how badly you scared us..." Eline injected softly.

The three of them stayed that way for a while before they untangled from the hug to give Ismena space. She told them she needed a bath and Sandra happily agreed to run one for her .

It was late afternoon, Ismena felt better than she did in the morning when she'd woken up. Eline had filled her in on what happened; how she'd been sick for four days and how her sickness had migrated to something worse that almost killed her.

"Crave Shock..." She said the words again for the umpteenth time as she stood outside the backyard of Eline's house, overlooking the small lake that was there.

Eline had explained everything about those words to her but she was still finding it hard to believe that those words almost killed her the night before. Or that Wolfaraine stayed with her all night.

God, it feels so good to perceive the freshness of Naturiah's air on her body.

It had taken some convincing on her part, to get Eline to allow her walk out of the house even though she was just at the backyard.

To them, she needed more bed rest but for her, Ismena thinks she'll go crazy if she spends any more minute on that bed.

Wolfaraine was here the night before. He and Eline saved her life.

The longing and pain that always rises whenever she thinks about Wolfaraine rose again, but she closed her eyes and took deep breaths to force them down.

When Eline and Sandra were giving her the rundown of what happened, flickers of memories had assaulted her brain. They were all hazy but as time passed some of them were becoming clearer.

She remembered Eline holding her and crying in her ears. She remembered feeling him wrapped around her like a safety blanket. He'd said words to her. So many words.

She couldn't remember any of it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? "

Sandra's voice behind her made her turn slightly to see her friend walking up to her, holding two glass cups. She nodded as she turned and faced the lake again.

"After that lake is a forest that has the most beautiful view and there's even several pine trees. You know how I love those trees, my camera was always filled with them when I first started working as a Journalist. Have you actually explored the back of this place?" Sandra handed her a glass.

Ismena thanked her and took a sip of the tea, "I have explored this place and yes, I know all about your obsession with pine because you get worse when it's Christmas time." A smile touched her lips at the memories.

Sandra smiled too, "Oh, good 'ol days. I can't wait for this year's Christmas. If I'm still here, Eline will love the decorations I'll put on with those trees all over the house."

"Love? That woman will have a fit. If you're unlucky, she'll set the cougar loose on your ass for turning her house into a beautiful forest like you've always done mine and then, my family's house."

Sandra smiled wider, "Your mother looooved those decors, even your father did. You and Tina are just two bunch of losers without a good taste of decorations."

Her smile faltered at the mention of her father. It took Sandra a moment to get the reason and when she did, her own smile died too. "I'm so sorry for your father, Mena."

Ismena had no idea if she was sorry because her father was a doctor in those labs or because her father died, but she didn't ask. "It's okay, Sandy."

"Your father was a good man, Mena. He didn't voluntarily go to those people to work for them and he did want to leave but he couldn't. They would have killed him if he did.

Yes, he worked in those labs but he still made amends the best way he could.

Never beat yourself up for your father and don't hold back your grief.

Do not throw his memories away either. Mr. Cranes was a good man and he deserves to be remembered as one. "

Ismena wiped the stray tears from her eyes and sniffled, "You're right.

I don't hate my father, Sandy. I did before.

..when I found out everything. But now, I don't. I forgive him.

I really wish he was alive so I can tell him to his face that I forgive him.

He... He wanted so bad to hear those words before he died, I saw the very hunger in his eyes for our forgiveness.

But, we were h-hurting and none of us got to g-give it.

I know my mom is in as much pain as I am over this too, I wished—"

"It wasn't your fault, Mena." Sandra patted her shoulders, "It's okay, I understand. And I know, that wherever your father is, he will be happy because he got all that guilt off his chest before he died."

She nodded repeatedly, wiping her cheeks again with the back of her hand, "I'm sure he is also happy that I'm not joining him anytime soon either. To actually think that I almost joined him the night before..."

"Crave Shock," Sandra shuddered.

Ismena forced a smile, patting her friend's shoulder, "Don't worry, honey. It's going to take more than that to kill your homegirl. My heart disease has been trying for a while and I'm still—"

She cut off suddenly when she realized what she just said and who she was saying them to. Her sickness, her three months to live and the main reason for her To-Do list was a secret she'd kept from Sandra, and to blurt it out like this...

"It's okay, Ismena, stop freaking out. I already know everything. Although, it did hurt that you never told me about it but I know all the same. "

Sandra's words surprised the hell out of her. Ismena turned to her best friend, looking as shocked as she felt. "You know...? But how...?"

"I do. Eline slipped one-day when she was educating me about mating and mated couples.

She was telling me that if two mates are compatible enough, sexual intimacy between them can heal some deadly illnesses even if it does take time for that illness to heal completely.

She blurted out that you had three months to live somewhere between the words of that teaching and I was floored.

" Sandra smiled sadly, as if she was remembering that day.

Ismena looked away guiltily.

"She tried to make me believe that I heard wrong of course, but you know me. I put down my feet and refused to let go of that slip of tongue until she told me everything."

"I'm so sorry, Sandy. I didn't keep the secret because I didn't trust you but I didn't want you to worry about me. It was the same reason why I never told my family about it either."

"That's just like you, always trying to protect the people around you.

I understand, Ismena. Besides, it's no longer relevant because I was very glad to hear that you were sleeping with the Alpha King and the both of you are very compatible too.

That Crave Shock bastard was also a very good proof of how highly compatible you both are and judging the way Eline phrased her words when she was telling me that you both were fucking like rabbits," Sandra grinned wickedly, "I'll say that even if you both never had sex again, you've gained more than a few more years to your health. Around thirty more years or so..."

"Stop it!" Ismena hit her arm, her cheeks going warm even as she fought the pain that rose to her chest, "You and Eline seems to be doing more gossip than two old women spying on couples in their neighborhood. "

Sandra giggled, "What can I say? A woman's gotta have fun in any way she can. If she can't roll the hay with sexy men, she might as well put her mouth and ears to work."

"Jesus Christ, Sandra." Ismena found herself giggling too. "You're still a trashy talker. Nothing has changed since high school, nothing at all. I think I'm the only one that did the growing thing."

"My breasts and ass begs to differ, honey." Her best friend deadpanned.

Ismena burst out laughing, unable to help herself. God, it feels so good to laugh again.

"What are you humans laughing about like children playing Docks under the moonlight?" Eline's voice came through from behind them.

They turned and waved at her excitedly. Eline waved right back, a smile on her lips as she saw how happy Ismena looked, which was in high contrast of how she's been for the past week.

"Ismena, you have been giving me the I-want-out-of-the-house talk since morning.

" Eline raised her voice from where she was so they'll hear her, "Well, I just heard that there's a trade show going at Furry Market.

The crowd won't be much because it's a very prestigious market where mostly mates to Alphas, Betas and more-than-average changelings shop, so I think it'll be the perfect evening walk. Besides, I wanna buy some things."

"Count me in! Yayyy!!!" Sandra cheered.

"Count me in too. Anything for a walk right now. I think I'll go insane with all the staying-at-home-getting-some-rest-thing going on." Ismena injected too.

Eline grinned, "It's settled then. "

An hour later, they were stepping into one of the tradeshow environments. A big space at the Heart of Naturiah that was always empty was suddenly filled with all kinds of changelings. Some were selling, some were buying.

"I thought you said there wouldn't be a crowd?" Sandra, who was positively giddy with excitement, asked Eline with her brows arched.

"Well, by Naturiah standard, this isn't exactly a crowd, but I'll have to admit that there are more people than I thought." Eline admitted.

"Why? Because of segregation? The poor ain't allowed or what?"

Eline snorted at Sandra's ridiculous thinking, "Of course not. It's just because anything Furry Market is way more expensive than other markets, so people generally prefer to avoid it."

"Ahh..." Sandra nodded in understanding, plucking a flower in excitement as she walked.

Her excitement is contagious, Ismena found herself almost as giddy as her friend. "Why are there so many males here? I thought this is a woman's thing?"

"Not exactly. A lot of things are being traded here, some which will be of interest to males. Also, most of these males are just passing through. These paths leads to more than a few clans; the reptile clans, the rat clan, the elephant clan, etc."

Ismena was listening absentmindedly because her eyes was pinned to a very beautiful hair ribbon on display at one the shops at the left side of the tradeshow. "Holy damn, I gotta check that out."

"Okay, we'll go with you." Eline responded .

Sandra looked positively horrified. "Go with Ismena to try out hair pins and ribbons? It's like you don't want us to get any shopping done today. She's a total slut for those ribbons, she can be there for hours!"

"Really?" Eline's eyes bobbed out as she stared at Ismena who couldn't stop the smile that crossed her face.

"I think you and Sandra, The Witch, should continue your exploration without me, I'll catch up with you both later. Unlike what Sandra, The Exaggerator, said I won't take that much time at all."

Eline sighed, "Alright, we'll wait for you at the clothes session. It's less crowded there so you'll be able to see us."

Ismena nodded and wandered off.

A grin splintered her cheeks as she checked out the ribbon and many other ribbons like that one.

"Can I try them on?" She asked hopefully.

"Go ahead, female. They will look so good on you." The female trader smiled kindly at her.

"Thank you," She tried out a few of them and they all looked very good on her. But when she inquired about the price and was given a response, her smile fell a little. They were expensive. Even after the woman has given her a discount, they were still expensive which left her at an impasse.

She can decide to buy just one of them, instead of all the four she wanted in the first place.

There were a few other changeling females around there, but as she was contemplating her choices, she felt a presence behind her. A presence that causes a shiver down her spine .

Before she could pull her thoughts away from her ribbons to consider why her body was singling out one presence to feel when she was surrounded by people, the presence spoke behind her.

"We will take all ten ribbons she tried out, Bennie." Came the deep, familiar voice behind her of Wolfaraine.