RAINA'S POV

"For my own safety ?!" I yelled as I stepped away from my father. I stared at him with tears started running down my cheeks. I'd never felt more infuriated in my life. He has been keeping me locked up and away from the world for almost half of my life. Why won't he just let me live my life the way I wanted to ? What is he so afraid of ? I thought to myself. I watched him paralyzed by my reaction. He just stood there, too stunned to even say a word to me.

"You've kept me locked up in this place for eight years while all the other children at my age were running free, playing, having the best childhood and the only thing that you could say about it is that it's for my safety ?!" I snapped. I gritted my teeth as my eyes were stung by the flowing tears. "You said so yourself, on the day that I was borned, that I will be fullfilling a great responsibility for my people, that I will be the new Guardian. And yet, here I am having another argument with you about me sneaking out into the woods to do a new spell."

"I may not be able to have fun like the other children do but I've never complained about it. I know my duty. I've been training for years trying to make myself stronger and more powerful so that I will be the Guardian that you and mom had hoped for," I saw him flinched when I'd mentioned my mother to him. "That's right, dad. I still remember her. You know why ?" I paused for a moment and saw him stiffen. I didn't budge from where I was standing. I took a deep breath before I continued.

"Because you're not the only one who wakes up in the middle of the night, crying and screaming from a dream about her," I paused as I recalled a few nights ago.

*FLASHBACK*

I woke up from my slumber after I had another dream about my mother. In that dream, I was only 5 years old. I was playing hide and seek in the garden with her. As she was busy counting, I hid myself behind the tree and heard her calling out to me. I couldn't help myself  from giggling when I heard her coming closer. Her voice, calling out to me, was getting closer and closer. I stopped my giggle and tried to make a run for it when suddenly, she came from behind the tree and lifted me into the air. "There you are," she said as we both burst out laughing. 

She brought me down and held me against her as I burried my small face in her chest. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a long kiss on the head. "I love you so much, my little Raina," she whispered softly. Unfortunately, the dream ended when I suddenly woke up and felt tears running down my cheeks. I slowly tossed myself to face the ceiling as I reached for my locket. This locket was the last gift that I received from my mother before she died. I flicked it open revealing a picture of my parents and me when I was a baby. On the opposite side of the picture was a carving of words in Latin. "Est in perpetuum" that means "love is forever". I closed the locket and kissed it. "I love you too, mom" I whispered as tears ran down at the side of my face.

*FLASHBACK OVER*

I was holding on to the locket around my neck as I looked down on the floor. Snapping myself back to reality, I lifted my head and looked him in the eyes. I took another deep breath. "I miss her too, you know," I whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"I know that you're only doing this because you're afraid that I might end up like her. But death is always around us. There's nothing that we could do to prevent it from happening. It's been 8 years, dad. I know that you miss her but nothing that you do or say is ever going to bring her back. She's gone," I said in a softer tone. I could see tears forming up in his eyes when I said it.

"She's gone, dad. And she's not coming back," I said as I stepped closer to him. I was now standing right in front of him. I held my hand out to grab his. "You have to let her go. You have to let me go," I stressed at the 'me' part. Tears had finally ran down his cheeks as I said it. I lifted my other free hand and wiped his tears away. I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned my head against his chest. "Please, daddy." I whispered to him. After awhile, he hugged me back and landed his chin on my head. Eventhough the thought of letting her go had sent a seering pain inside both of us, but it was the right thing to do. We have to move on. He has to move on.

******

I was already on my way back to my room. I slowly openned the door and saw him still unconscious under the covers. I entered the room and closed the door behind me. Suddenly, my eyes caught the sight of a tray of food on the bedside table. I took a quick scan of the room and turned back to the food. Stella must've brought it in here, I thought since I couldn't find her anywhere in the room. Sadly, I wasn't really hungry so I just left it for him when he wakes up. If he wakes up.

I went into the bathroom and came back with a basin of water and a clean cloth in my hands. I set it down gently next to him and soaked the cloth. I wiped his forehead and the right side of his face then down to his jaw. Suddenly, a hand had softly gripped on mine that was still at his jaw. Stunned, I shifted my gaze and looked at his eyes. I gasped when I saw that they were finally openned. Filled with excitement, I didn't realized that he was staring at me.

"You're awake. How are you feeling ?" I asked him softly. He was still holding my right hand. Without answering my question, he slowly tried to get up. He winced a little as I helped him into a sitting position. He leaned himself back as he scanned the room with narrowed eyes. "Where am I ? How long was I out ?" he asked me. He had a deep husky voice that, at some point, had made me melt on the inside. I snapped myself out of it as his eyes had finally landed on me.

"All day. I saved you in the woods last night. You were badly injured so I brought you here. You're safe now in Carvus Hall (the name of the castle)," I answered him. "Carvus Hall ?" he narrowed his eyes again as he repeated the word.

"Yes. My home. I'm Raina, by the way," I introduced myself. His expression soften a little as I asked for his name. "It's Kai. Thank you for saving me," he said with a gentle smile on his face. I felt my self flushed a little as I noded my head. "You're welcome," I said shyly.

yay, Kai is finally awake. I wonder what they're going to do next. hehe.... stick around and find out soon.

oh, here's the picture of Raina's locket.