“I –” Lucy went to speak, but her stomach suddenly turned. She took a deep breath, her hand moving to her belly. “Sorry… my stomach.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no,” she laughed, as the strange sensation left her. “It must have been something I ate earlier.” She shook her head to dismiss it. “Now, where were –” Again, her stomach turned, and again she had to move her hand to her belly as if to tame it. “That is…” It continued to turn now, as if something had come alive inside of her.
“Lucy…”
“I…” Lucy’s body suddenly turned warm… too warm. Sweat started to bead on her forehead and the light from the window shone so brightly it burned her eyes. “I do not know… something is…”
“What is happening?” Amelia took her hand. “Are you feeling unwell?”
Lucy’s head turned… or was that the room? Her stomach played havoc with her, sweat poured from her skin, and it was all she could do to stay seated because the energy in her body fled from her so that she started to feel terribly sleepy.
“I… my head…” Her eyes started to close. “I need to sit down.”
“You are sitting down.”
“I am… I am fine…” Her body slumped. “I just need… just need…” Her eyelids closed, the final vestiges of energy left her body, and before Lucy could do or say anything else, she fell from her chair.
“Lucy!” Amelia cried. “Lucy! Help, somebody, help!”
Lucy barely heard her stepsister screaming. On the ground now, eyes closed, darkness took her, and it was the type of darkness from which there was no escape…
