The mood in the room fell from light to dark in a second. Darin came closer to the bed. "What do you mean, Rowan?" he asked, his eyes full of curiosity and sympathy.

I looked down at my hands. I felt embarrassed to have shared that information with strangers. It just felt that, for the first time in forever,like someone actually cared about me and genuinely wanted to hear what I had to say.

"Rowan?" Darin said. I cleared my throat and lifted my head to meet their concerned gazes. Like they actually cared. "Oh, sorry, um," I cleared my throat again," So, when I was a baby, my parents both died in car crash, and I didn't have any other relatives to live with, so they put me in an orphanage. I guess at the time it was in really good shape, but after a couple of years it got worse. They lost funding which meant no warm food and no electricity. The people who worked there were kind enough to use their own savings to keep caring for us," I finished.

I looked away, pretending to be preoccupied with an imaginary stain on the blankets. "Oh my goodness, Rowan, I am so sorry you had to live like that for so long. How many years have you been there?" Kinliegh said, her voice full of sympathy. She walked over and enveloped me in a tight hug.

"About 13 years, so that would make me almost 18, because my birthday is in a month, on October 19th," I replied. I wrapped my arms around Kinliegh, giving a tight squeeze before I let go." But I'm perfectly fine now, see?"

Kinliegh pulled back and squinted one eye. "Sure, ok. If you say so, "she said. She turned towards Darin, who had been quietly starting to sneak out the door since Kinliegh had hugged me. "Go get Kora and tell her Rowan's awake."

He nodded and looked at me with his beautiful green eyes. "I'm so sorry, Rowan," he said. I nodded and smiled and he left.

Kinliegh turned back towards me. "Are you sure you're ok? After all those years of not getting enough of literally anything, I would expect that you would be less than fine," she said.

I shook my head. "Nah. The orphanage was really close to the forest, so I sometimes took some kitchen knives and made myself a little bow and arrow and went hunting. As it turns out, I'm pretty good at throwing knives and shooting arrows without missing half the time," I explained.

She raised her eyebrows. "The girl's got a killer instinct, too. Pretty awesome," she said.

I blushed. "Thanks," I said.

"Where is she? Let me see her," a smooth, female voice said. That voice seems familiar.

"She's in here," Darin responded. He walked through the doorway, a small figure following him. Darin stepped aside to reveal a woman wearing a worn red shirt and jeans. She was busy looking down at something on a clipboard.

"Ok, how is our patient today?" she said. "Has she eaten all her food?"

Kinliegh stood up. "Yes, she has eaten all her food."

"Ok, good," the lady said. "What is your name, child?"

"Me? Oh, um, Rowan. My name is Rowan," I responded.

The lady paused and shook her head. "My name is Koraline. You can call me Kora." She finally looked up from her clipboard. A small o formed on her lips.

The lady-Kora's violet eyes struck me. A memory of me as a child playing in a meadow arose from the dark corners of my mind. A woman called to me and I turned around to see those violet eyes again. Kora smiled. "Don't go too far, Rara,"she called to me. The younger version of me smiled back and responded. "Yes, Aunt Kora." I continued to frolic in the wild flowers.

The memory faded away and I was brought back to the present. My eyes came into focus.

"Rowan? Are you okay?" I heard Kinliegh ask. I didn't reply.

"Aunt Kora?" I said unsurely.

Aunt Kora took a step forward, her face filled with disbelief. "Rara?" she whispered.

Darin sucked in a sharp breath."Rara," he repeated.

I put a hand to my forehead. "I remember...I was playing in a meadow...and...You told me, don't go too far, and I answered, Yes, Aunt Kora," I whispered the last part and looked at Aunt Kora, who was almost to tears. She nodded her head.

"I remember that," she said, her voice breaking.

Suddenly I felt faint. "Can I take a rain check?" I asked before the room caved in on me and I passed out, falling back onto the pillow behind me.

Hey guys! First, I would like to thank you guys for reading my book, and thank you all for being patient with me. I know, I know, too much fainting. I promise it will get better and the chapters will get more exciting. Who knows what'll happen in the next chapter! Can you guys make any guesses? As always, don't forget to remember to read, comment, and vote please!!

DFTBA- AH who can figure out what that one means? Until next time...

~ChancebyCandor~