On Friday in Herbology class, Jade was sitting by herself and
spreading dragon manure (ick) over the seeds in her pot. The awful smell
wafted through the whole classroom, but she was lost in her own world.

The
last couple of days had been awful. She had trouble sleeping and was
being struck with painful headaches. Her homework was late and sloppy,
she didn't eat much anymore, and grew irritated easily. Her method of
dress deteriorated, relying now entirely on huge sweaters and baggy
jeans. Her curls had gone lank and flat, and her eyes were dull, they
had lost their friendly sparkle.

A sharp pain shot through
her head, and Jade cried out involuntarily. It felt as though someone
was trying to pull her in half. Spots of light popped before her eyes
like gunshots, and every noise sounded like a scream. Her heart pounded,
and her vision went fuzzy.

As she slid to the floor, her vision went black.

*********************

Jade
awoke in the Hospital Wing, head still aching. There was a new bump on
the back of it, and she still smelled of dirt. Madame Pomfrey leaned
over her.

"What happened to me now?" Jade groaned and sat up.
Her vision swam before her, and she grabbed the glass of water on her
bedside table.

Madame Pomfrey looked concerned. "You
collapsed in Herbology, dear. You did eat breakfast, didn't you?" She
had clearly seen too many students skip breakfast and pay the price for
it later.

"Yes!" Jade was automatically defensive. "I had two
pieces of toast, and eggs, and some coffee. I try not to skip
meals...except for this one time..." The previous year, she had slept
through breakfast and skipped lunch, and then fainted in the library.

"Did you experience any unusual pains around the time of the incident?" The healer bustled around the room, gathering potions and small cups.

"Oh, yes." Jade adjusted her pillows behind her back. "I got a headache- but it didn't feel like a regular pain. It felt like I was being pulled in half."

Madame Pomfrey handed her a little cup of blue liquid that smelled like vinegar. "Have you felt these before?"

"No...I have headaches, but not like this." Another bolt of icy-hot fire shot through Jade's head, and she yelped unintentionally. "Not like that." She curled up into a ball and waited for the pain to subside. The anguish was evident on her face, and she hiccuped pitifully.

Once a few hours had passed and the aches were gone, Jade was getting out of the cot and headed towards her next lesson when Madame Pomfrey stopped her. "Headmaster Thornbeck wants to see you in his office, dear."

*************

"You want me to WHAT?" Jade leaped to her feet, disbelieving.

Headmaster Thornbeck leveled his gaze to hers. "I want you to withdraw from the tournament."

"But- but- I haven't gotten seriously injured! I'm fine. No broken bones, no blood, see? I'm fine." She spread her arms in a so-what gesture.

"Yes, but I believe it's going to tax you too greatly. You're only thirteen-"

"Fourteen."

He raised his hands in acknowledgement. "-fourteen, and you're still a child. I don't like the idea of you risking your life to compete in a tournament filled with dangerous challenges."

Jade crossed her arms and glared a little, her rebellious streak coming out. "Maybe you could have told me that before I almost BURNED TO A CRISP AND DROWNED!"

She ran out of the office, her boots pounding on the marble floor. She ran down stairs, up stairs, through corridors, around corners and through the massive oaken doors, to the castle grounds. She didn't stop until she was in the forest, and then she collapsed on the needle-scattered ground, blinded by her tears. The ground was hard and vaguely cold, but she stayed there, her legs getting poked by rocks and twigs.

Something prickly brushed the back of her neck, and Jade turned, expecting to see a tree branch or even someone's comforting arm. Instead, she saw four pairs of shiny, beetle-black eyes staring at her. It wasn't a human arm that had touched her. It was the arm of a giant spider.