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I had been climbing towards consciousness ever since I had gone under. Each time I was within reach though, I lost my hold on reality and fell, fell, fell, plunging into a sea of memories and happier times.

Occasionally voices reached me, and I listened intently for as long as I could.

"How is she doing?" A vaguely familiar voice asked.

"The herbs are doing their job. She'll remain unconscious until we stop the dosage. Her stab wound is healing nicely, however, she lost a lot of blood. Obviously you know the risks that brings."

"Better than most," the first man agreed. I lost interest and drifted off again.

I awoke in a place that was not a normal hospital. There was no machinary beeping meticulously in the background and the scent wasn't the nose burning smell of sterile cleanliness. It smelled like my mother's greenhouse.

I opened my eyes, one at a time, squinting into the bright light.

There was a large window and view of a garden outside. The room was painted colorfully with green walls. I turned my head to look on the other side of the room and smiled. 

On the table next to my bed was a vase full of Belladonna. The tiny white flowers covered the stems. If they had not been picked, they soon would have turned into toxic berries. My mother's favorite herb.

"So you like them?" A deep voice asked from the corner of the room. I glanced up, startled. My father was sitting in a chair staring at me intently. "The flowers," he continued. "They were your mother's favorites. That's why she named you after them."

"I know," I replied.

"I suppose you don't know who I am. I saved you from the man who stabbed you. I'm your..."

"Father," I interrupted him. "I know."

He looked surprised. "You remember?"

"I saw it.... when I picked up the man's dagger."

His eyebrows drew together. "I should have expected as much. Your mother also had the uncanny ability of premonition."

I stared at him, not even bothering to argue with him about how insane that was.

"May I ask what triggered your vision?"

My eyes drifted away. "The symbols on the knife and tattooed on the man's neck. I didn't know what they were, but I knew what they meant," I answered, incredulous that I was actually saying this out loud. "The symbols meant......" I struggled to remember. "'Power', 'strength', 'speed', and 'knowledge'. One in particular is what caused it I think. 'Awaken'."

He looked troubled.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You were in grave danger so your powers awoke early and by themselves, due to the trigger of seeing a rune. They aren't complete, though. You must go through the entire awakening ritual, and soon."

"'Awakening ritual'?"

"The awakening of your powers must be completed during the 16th year. It makes it so you can use all of your abilites when you want to."

"What if I don't want 'abilities'? What if I refuse to do this 'awakening'?" I asked sharply.

"You have no choice," he said simply.

"'No choice'? Like Hell."

"You misunderstand me." He smiled then. "You are just like your mother. If the awakening isn't performed before the 17th year, the being goes insane. The powers are a part of you, and if they are refused you cannot live. Your mind breaks."

"You say 'powers' as if I should know what you're talking about."

"Tanya never told you?" He asked, shocked.

"Told me what?" I asked, irritated.

"I guess it's time we had a talk."

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah. I think us having a 'talk' is long over due." My voice was hard.

His eyes narrowed too. "I left to protect you and your mother."

"Yeah, and a lot of good that did. She's dead."

Pain crossed his features. "I know."

I glared. "Like you care. If you loved her you wouldn't have left."

The pain in his expression was replaced by anger. "I don't like little girls who think they know everything."

"And I don't like men who make my mother beg."

Understanding dawned on his face. "So that's what you saw."

"Yeah."

"You're right. This talk is long over due."