Hey guys! I'm FINALLY here with chapter one! I hope you guys think it's worth the wait!
Just for informational purposes, a picture of Borivus is at the end of this post. THANK YOU MELISSA FOR YOUR AWESOMETASTIC ARTWORK!
Enjoy guys!
Chapter One
Nick awoke from his fall in a large cushy bed. Pulling the sheets up to his chin he rolled over and sighed, gingerly touching the bump on the back of his head. He was still in a sleepy haze, but his eyes were adjusting to his surroundings. Sitting up slowly, he glanced around from side to side. He was in a small cabin, the smell of food wafting from the kitchen. The windows were of stained glass, creating a portrait of a strange animal that Nick couldn’t identify. Wondering where his parents were he got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen.
The sight his eyes met when he walked into the kitchen shocked him. Instead of seeing his parents, brothers, or even a human for that matter, he saw the animal he couldn’t name in the stained glass window stirring a pot of what appeared to be oatmeal.
Nick’s gasp must have been audible, as the nameless creature turned towards him with a smile. “Hello young sir.” he said, acknowledging his presence before turning back to the pot. “Nasty trip you had there. How is your head?”
Nick, not knowing whether to faint or scream, just nodded his head. Either he hit his head a little too hard on the concrete or he’d gone crazy. “I-it’s fine.” He muttered, looking at the creature. It had the shape of a bear, but a pig’s snout took the place of a regular nose. His fur was an icy blue, and he had a small mane of green fur on his chest. He looked extremely friendly and welcoming, but still Nick was nervous and unsure of what was going on.
“That’s good to hear,” the creature said, pouring the oatmeal into a bowl and offering it to Nick. “I’m
Borivus, guide of Melren.”
Borivus? Melren? What kind of names were those? Giving up on making any sense out of the situation; chalking it up to a dream, he decided to go with whatever was happening, realizing he’d wake up should anything get too odd. “I’m Nick,” he said, diving into the oatmeal with fervor. After eating a few hearty bites, he looked up to see Borivus’ crystal blue eyes looking at him with humor.
“What an odd name.” Borivus said, repeating Nick’s name. “Nick. How strange.”
“It’s actually normal where I’m from,” Nick said, wondering when exactly he’d wake up. “Your name is a funny one to me.”
“I’ll have you know Borivus is an honorable name to have here in Melren. Before the change, the name Borivus used to have significance.”
Nick noticed Borivus’ face darken at the mention of “the change,” but didn’t ask any questions. He finished his bowl of oatmeal and thanked Borivus for his hospitality.
“I really should get going,” Nick said, standing and walking towards the small door that would lead him outside. “I need to find my family.” With a pang of guilt, he realized just how horrible he’d been lately, but shrugged it off, thinking that he had a right to be angry at times.
“Where is your family?” Borivus asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. “We don’t see many of your kind around here. I can help get you to where they are.”
Nick paused, thinking back to the venue they were scheduled to be playing at. “Um…Georgia?” He said after a few moments of contemplation. “Atlanta, Georgia.”
“Never heard of it,” Borivus said, looking at Nick oddly. “But Wagden might. Let’s go see him!” Before Nick could mutter a word, Borivus was nudging Nick along to a small house atop a hill. Nick was shocked to find that there was no sun, only the reddish gold of a would-be sunset. It was truly an odd occurrence, but Nick pushed the thought aside as Borivus knocked on Wagden’s door. “Wagden knows everything.” Borivus assured Nick. “If anyone can tell you how to get back to Atlanta, Georgia, it’ll be him.”
Nick could only hope the strange creature Borivus was right.
“It’s a diabetic coma.” The doctor said to an anxious Jonas family. After Nick’s fall he’d been rushed to the hospital where intensive tests had been run. The family had not been allowed to see him while under testing and hearing the word “coma” wasn’t very reassuring.
“But that’s impossible.” Denise Jonas managed to say before collapsing into the cold plastic chair beneath her. “He has his Omnipod, he knows to check it.”
“Be that as it may, it seems that he has indeed either forgotten to check it or refused to, because his insulin levels fell to a level too low for his body to function without it, and until he reaches that level he will be in a coma.”
Denise was in tears by then, Kevin and Joe comforting her while Frankie looked on confused.
“He will wake up though, right?” The eldest Kevin asked, dreading the answer. “Once his body gets the insulin he needs?”
And the words the entire family dreaded to hear fell from the doctor’s lips. “Only if his body doesn’t shut down first.”
