109. Ring

Callista.

With a gasp, I open my eyes to the waking world.

The jitters, the shock, and the disconnect is the same as before when I wake up from an episode. But this time, there is a glaring difference.

This time, I remember what happened. I remember the orchard, I remember seeing Farris. I remember the blackness.

And I remember hearing Theon’s voice. I remember the rope.

The chanting had stopped, and so had the storm. The Headmistress crouches next to me, her arm on my shoulder. She peers at me with those deep grey eyes.

"Callista," she says. "You held on until the very last moment. But suddenly your concentration broke.'

"I remember," I tell her, "I remember the episode."

Her eyes widen, and she looks at the round candle table. There, near the edge, one single candle had gone out. And half of it is pitch black colored.

The Headmistress gets up to walk towards the candle. She picks it up from the white end and tries to touch the dark part. But upon contact, she hisses and draws her f