C h a p t e r F i v e

The first thing I felt were the thick ropes that wrapped tightly around my body, their scratchy surface looping around my chest and hands in a strong, unbreakable hold. My mind sluggedly emerged into consciousness as feminine voices filled the air. Where was I?

On impulse, I turned my head, and a shoot of pain traveled through my skull, evoking a groan.

The voices stopped.

An unnerving silence followed, making my heartbeat accelerate in dread. There was creak, a brushing of feet, and the unmistakable sound of a weapon being drawn. Oh God.

I struggled indignantly to open my eyes, but it felt like I was sliding my lids across sandpaper. I could feel them around me, their silent breathing just barely audible in the silence, their bodies tense and ready for action. A dagger pressed down along my throat, and my pulse skyrocketed. Finally succeeding in prying my eyes open, I watched as four blurry faces took shape, hovering above me.

"Speak. Are you Emma? Or are you someone else?"

"Why are you asking her that? Of course she's going to lie to you."

The previous voice growled. "You got a better idea?"

My eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light as they hissed at each other. Wait...I knew that voice.

"Alexia?" I croaked. Immediately, the attention turned back on me.

"You know me?"

I tried to focus on the face that spoke, and slowly her features began to take sharpen. I found myself staring at a girl around my age, her brown eyes fixed on me with guarded hope under the shadows of her straight, black hair.

"Yes."

A squeal of delight sounded from another and, looking about the room, my heart lept in excitement as I began to recognize the other faces. The girls began to rush towards me, but Alexia held them back with a hand.

"Tell us who we are." she demanded.

I executed a pained nod, raising my hand only to be stopped by the bindings.

"Umm...could you untie my--"

"No."

"Okay," I replied, a bit offended by her hostility. "The one to your right with the dark curls is Kat, the girl with joy plastered all over her face is Suzan, and the lovely person holding a knife to my throat - which is truly an unnecessary precaution - is Megan. Are you happy now?"

It seemed my test proved perfectly accurate, as Alexia's hard composure melted away into blubbering, tear-streaked joy. As the knife left my throat (thank God) she launched herself toward me - as did the others - and I soon found myself crushed under the weight of a huge, multiple-body bear hug. Despite the smothering sensation, it felt nice - more than nice. I felt loved, cherished, and absolutely valued for who I was. I felt beautiful.

Tears began to form in my eyes as I thought to myself: Thank goodness I came back.

Came back... I gasped as my memories rushed forward, toppling one over the other in an overwhelming jumble of urgency.

The girls seemed to sense the change, and Suzan spoke out. "Emma?"

"Untie me. I need to tell you."

"Tell us what?" Megan questioned as she slowly sat back on the bed.

I pointed my chin towards the knife strapped around her hips, indicating for her to cut the ropes. Her hazel eyes blinked for a moment, but then she complied and began sawing through the coarse material around my hands. After several seconds my body was free, and I rubbed my wrists gratefully. Then I took a breath, meeting the inquisitive stares of my female companions.

"Everything."

"Wait," Suzan projected, interrupting the end of my story. "So...you're telling us that you traveled through your own memories, met the opposite you, and then got transported by a bunch of petals that are actually not petals but rays of light."

"Yes," I replied, watching as her face twisted in bafflement.

"And Derin betrayed you!?" Alexia's words sent a twist of pain in my heart, but I nodded. She had been my closest confidant during the period of Derin's pursuit, that time when I had been overwhelmed with the new feelings of love and hope he had aroused inside of me.

"But he was not himself when he did it. Back there, in the scary world with the garden, I had begun to give up, and I remember the other Emma saying that we would join Derin in 'suffering through the pain of our eternal hell'. I believe that, somehow, Derin was poisoned before I was, but - unlike me - succumbed to his other self."

I had always suspected it, but now that I had said it out loud, the magnitude of the situation pressed down on me like a boulder. The room was silent.

"Is there any way we can get him back?" Kat voiced, her words filled with mature sympathy as she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know." My voice cracked. I shifted on the couch, readjusting the warm blanket draped around my shoulders. "Any news from the authorities?"

Alexia shook her head. "The Organization has not contacted us since our encounter last month with one of It's henchmen. We attempted to request aid for when you were poisoned, but no message came back. I honestly feel they are swamped with reports of enemy spottings... " She paused, gripping the mug of tea held between her fingers. "Emma, that poison...it was It's poison--"

"I know," I replied, trying to keep the hopelessness from my voice. "It has grown strong, already gaining more slaves to It's side - including Derin."

The crackling of the fire grew loud in the oppressive silence as my friends withdrew into their plagued thoughts. My mind wandered to Derin. What was he going through right now? Could he remember what had happened?

I moaned, my fingers traveling through my dirty-blonde locks. When he had presented the cup of poison that almost killed me, did he know what he was doing? The image of his chocolate brown eyes staring coldly through my face, his broad muscular frame extending to give me the poison, flashed through my mind. What if I couldn't get him back? What if he was stuck in that hell forever while--

Suddenly the slam of a mug on the wooden table snapped me back, and I found Megan had stood up, her eyes ablaze in fierce determination.

"Who the hell needs the Organization? We have operated perfectly before we joined them - and we can do so now. I, for one, am not going to mope around like a constipated coward waiting for someone else to take action! I say we go find Derin, knock some sense into him, defeat It's plan, and then get Emma to marry the bloody man so we can have lots of cute kids in the mix. Now who's with me?"

The others chuckled as a furious blush heated my face.

"I'm in," Alexia said, standing up from her chair.

"So am I!" chirped Suzan, and immediately began gathering the mugs and blankets. Kat watched with a smile as the others flurried into action, beginning to pack for the journey ahead. Then, ever so gracefully, she lifted the blanket from my body. I shivered in the winter's chill.

"It seems your friends are fully ready for this. Are you?"

A lump formed in my throat, and I choked out: "I don't know what I would do without you guys."

Her eyes softened, and then she giggled, purposely putting on an ugly face for my entertainment.

"You'll never have to," she whispered.

I smiled, warmth overflowing in my chest as she theatrically offered her hand to help me up. As I began to make my way towards my room, Kat called my name.

"Yes?" I stopped, turning towards her.

"Derin was not able to defeat his other self.... So what happened that made you able to defeat yours?"

An intake of breath sounded from my lips, and a slow smile formed before I answered in an almost dreamy voice:

"The Giver of Light."

Her face took on one of confusion, but I was too distracted by the sudden joy of the Voice to give her any explanation. Leaving what was probably to her the most indiscernible expression, I floated up the staircase, into my bedroom, and to the closet to begin packing. The Voice's last words seemed cover me with a blanket of wondrous anticipation.

Seek, and you will find me.

I had no idea what the days ahead would bring, or what hardships we would face. But I knew for certain, that one:

We would find Derin and defeat It's evil power.

And two:

I would find my Giver of Light.

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*sounds of soft whimpering and the munching of comfort food in the background*

We are doonnneee, that was the last chapter of "To INSANITY and Back" DX I really fell in love with this story - and so, depending on your feedback and my inspiration, I might actually pick it up again some time in the future - but for now, all I can say is:

1) thank you for going on this journey with me and

2) If you enjoyed this story, check out my dark romance/fantasy/thriller work titled "Murder of the Sun"! You will DEFINITELY love it :D

More stories like "Romance Me "and "Saving Tommy" are also available on my profile, and soon I'll be posting my first historical romance novel on Wattpad as well--so keep an eye out for that!

but for now, my lovely readers: adieu!

<3 Ruth XD