Chapter 203: Waking Up - The Act Begins!
Darcie woke up with a splitting headache.
The back of her head, just behind her left ear, pained her so much that it jolted her right out of her grogginess. She tore apart her eyelids and looked around. It was her bedroom, she realized. The same carpet, two sets of windows looking out to the southeast lands of her family, and the drapes that welcomed morning in all the seasons.
Her head bobbed around, and in the colors of green, gold, and silver, she found some lost solace from this pain.
Memories came flooding in, then. Daphne's fall, her attempt to make her levitate, and then her losing control before it all went black.
For the first time in a while, she felt anger for herself. Why couldn't she have been specific enough? What if she had failed to pull Daphne back?
This should have never happened, she thought, grimacing because of the pain.
"Dobby," she called.
The pop broke apart the silence, and the house-elf appeared in his filthy rag and with a swollen eye. "Miss Darcie!" Dobby squeaked, his spindly arms shaking.
Darcie frowned. Her hand reached her heart and found that it was beating loudly against her chest. Odd, she reflected. She looked back at Dobby and the swelling over his left eye. "Was it father?" she asked.
Dobby nodded. And then, instantly turned around, banging his head on the smaller table placed near the bed. "Dobby... should... not... think... ill..."
"Dobby," Darcie said, feeling the swelling on her own head. "Stop and stand straight."