by Kristie Cook
Disoriented, I struggled to keep my eyes open and move away from her. She landed on my chest with so much force I nearly blacked out. Air whooshed from my lungs like they were popped balloons. Pain radiated across my chest. I tried to breathe but couldn’t. It hurt too much.
Through a haze of pain, I saw Andris and Ingrid struggling. Then Maliina’s rage-twisted face blocked them from my line of vision. Her fingers, spread like claws, moved toward my face. I tried to raise my arms to block her, but she’d trapped them with her thighs.
She was about to finish me. I couldn’t even fight back because every movement sent sharp pain across my chest and lungs. One second I was struggling to stay alive, the next someone yanked her from me and sent her flying.
MEMORIES
Why wasn’t I self-healing? My head pounded, and my lungs hurt, each breath sending needles of white-hot pain through me. Arms cradled me close, and gentle fingers pushed hair away from my face. I recognized Torin’s familiar scent, his voice. He was talking, but a ringing in my ears made it impossible to hear him properly. I only caught the tail end of his sentence.
“ …be okay,” Torin vowed.
“No, she won’t. Heal her … start the transformation … together forever and...” Andris’ voice ebbed, but I didn’t mistake his words. Forever with Torin sounded great.
“No,” Torin snapped.
“Why deny yourself …” I didn’t hear the rest of Andris’ words. The ringing in my ears grew louder and louder. Then suddenly it stopped.
“It doesn’t matter what I need,” Torin ground out, his voice clear. “It’s about what she wants. The last time I healed her, she hated it. I won’t do that to her again.”
“You’re a fool. If you can’t heal her, then let her die,” Andris said. “At least then you can—”
“Damn it, Andris,” Torin swore. “Don’t you get it? I gave her my word. I won’t let her become like us.”
I opened my mouth to tell him I didn’t care as long as we were together, but Andris interrupted. “This is no time to develop a conscience,” he said.
“Go. Find Maliina and stay with her. I’ll deal with her later.”
“Heal me, Torin,” I whispered, my words slurred, my breathing shallow. A weird pressure started on my temple, but my eyes sought his.
He stroked my temple and shook his head. “No, Freckles. You can’t make a decision like that now. We’ll talk later.”
“It hurts. Make the pain go away,” I begged.
“I can’t,” he whispered achingly, before pressing a kiss on my forehead. “Don’t try to move. Help’s on its way.”
“Why can’t I self-heal?”
“Your injuries are too extensive.” His voice dropped to an anguished whisper. “You need new healing runes.”
“Do it. Rune me. Please.”
“Don’t ask me to do this. I can’t sentence you to a life like mine unless you know everything, yet I can’t tell you much because I’m bound by an oath.”
“I don’t care what you are. I trust you. Please …” Pain speared across my skull, and my vision blurred. There was pounding all around me like running footsteps. It grew louder and louder, making the pressure in my head worse. “My head. Make it stop.”
“What happened?” Eirik demanded, his voice echoing eerily.
“She was climbing the tree and fell,” Torin said.
“Did you call 9-1-1?” Eirik dropped beside me.
“What do you think?” Torin snapped.
“That you might have healed her again,” Eirik snarled.
How did Eirik know about Torin? I struggled to keep my eyes open. “How …?”
“Don’t talk,” Eirik said softly. “I’m here now.”
“Is she okay?” Cora knelt near my feet. “Where does it hurt?”
“My chest.” My eyes sought Torin’s, hoping he’d take the pain away. He shook his head. My vision grew hazy again. I blinked to clear it, my eyes clinging to his. There was so much pain and despair in his eyes. Part of me was angry with him for refusing to help me while the other just wanted him to hold me. Then there was Eirik. He knew about Torin healing me and never said anything. The shrill sound of an ambulance pierced the air, adding to the ringing in my ears.
“Why does she keep blinking?” Eirik asked.
Torin answered, but I didn’t hear his words. Darkness pulled me under again.
***
When I came around, someone was lifting my eyelids and flashing light on and off into my eyes. I tried to protest, but I couldn’t speak. I tried to sit up, but something held me down. I was trapped. Voices filtered through my foggy head, and once again, I strained to hear.
“CT scan … hematoma … broken ribs …”
A sob followed. Mom. I wanted to reassure her, but I kept slipping in and out of consciousness. Voices came and went—Mom, Torin, Eirik, Cora. They urged me to wake up, told me they loved me. Then there were the three women. I wasn’t sure who they were or what they wanted, but they hovered in the background, silent, watching, waiting. It was impossible to see their features. They kept changing, hazy one minute, transparent the next. At times they looked ancient, other times young like regular teens. Something about them was familiar, but I couldn’t tell what.
It was dark when I woke up again. My neck was stiff, and my chest and head throbbed. At least the pain was dull. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t and panicked. A beeping sound went off.
“Shh, it’s okay,” a familiar voice said in the void. Torin.
I managed to open my eyes, turned my head to find him, and winced when a spasm of pain radiated across my chest. A bright light drew my attention to the corner of the room. The light came from the glowing runes on Torin’s face and body. He got up, the light from his body bathing Mom, who was asleep on a chair by my bed. No, not my bed. A hospital bed. I tried to remember how I got to the hospital, but I couldn’t recall anything that happened after Maliina hit me. Now beeping machines monitored my vitals, and my body felt like I’d been run over by a truck.
A nurse entered the room and fussed over me and the machines. She checked my vitals, flashing light into my eyes, asking if I knew my name and my pain level. She adjusted the IV and fed me ice cubes from a cup. My throat was dry and painful, and the ice felt nice, but I wanted her gone so I could be alone with Torin.
“Thank you,” I managed to say.
As soon as she left the room, my eyes found Torin again. The glow from the runes made his blue eyes hypnotic. He moved closer, scooped up an ice cube from the cup, and fed it to me.
“Why am I here?” I whispered hoarsely.
He frowned. “Maliina attacked you, but I pulled her off before she seriously hurt you.” He fed me another ice cube. “I shouldn’t have trusted Andris to watch over you. He’s completely useless.”
Memories of the events at the party trickled in. “No, he took care of me, Torin. He carried me from your place, but Maliina appeared out of nowhere and attacked.” I glanced around the room. There were flowers and ‘Get Well Soon’ balloons. “How long have I been here?”
“About thirty hours.”
“The gas leak at your place, was anyone hurt?”
He smiled. “No, but we cut things short. Actually, quite a number of students followed the ambulance here and camped in the waiting room until you left the operating room.”
“I had surgery? Where?”
“Your brain.” He stroked my forehead, but my skin felt weird. I tried to lift my hand to find out why, but Torin pressed my hand down. “Don’t. You’ve broken several ribs and mustn’t move too much. Do you want more ice?”
I searched his face. “I don’t understand. You said I wasn’t seriously hurt, yet I had surgery and broke my ribs. Why didn’t you just heal me?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked instead of answering.
“Maliina attacking me. I don’t know what happened afterwards, until I woke up just now.” Panic surged to the surface. “W
hat happened? Why can’t I remember?”
“You had bleeding in your brain, which caused you to lose consciousness. The doctor stopped the bleeding and told your mom you’ll be okay, but some of your recent memories may be affected.”
He tried to feed me more ice, but I turned my head away, my mind racing. I couldn’t remember anything that happened after the attack, yet something about Torin and Eirik teased my mind.
“Was Eirik there?” I asked.
“Yes. He and Cora were here until a couple of hours ago when your mother insisted they go home. They have school tomorrow.”
I glanced at Mom. She was usually a light sleeper. She must have been up the last thirty hours to be so tired. Who was taking care of her?
“Don’t worry about her,” Torin said as though reading my thoughts. “She’s a lot stronger than you think. Go back to sleep, Freckles. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He put the cup of ice down and covered my hand.
He fell asleep before I did, his head resting on the bed beside my hip. I stroked his hair, happy despite my banged up body and missing memories. As the pain meds worked their magic, I relived every moment Torin and I had spent together just before Maliina attacked. The kiss, so beautiful and perfect. The feeling of completeness. He hadn’t said he loved me, but he’d claimed me as his. I planned to claim him too as soon as I broke off things with Eirik.
Thoughts of Eirik filled me with sadness. He loved me, but my love for him was not enough. It wasn’t comparable to my feelings for Torin. Maybe there was someone out there for him, someone who’d love him like he deserved. I was still thinking about how I’d break up with him when sleep tugged at my senses and I closed my eyes.
***
It was daytime when I woke up again. The first person I saw was Mom seated on the chair, a magazine on her lap. She looked so miserable. Torin sat in the corner, arms crossed, runes making him invisible to everyone but me.
He smiled and mouthed, “Good morning, Freckles.”
“Good morning.” I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud until Mom looked up and gasped.
“Oh, honey. You’re awake.” She jumped up, and the magazine fell from her lap. “The nurses told me you woke up last night and talked, but I didn’t believe them. They should have woken me up. How are you feeling? Are you in pain? Do you want me to call the nurse?”
I managed a smile. “No, Mom. I’m fine.”
Tears filled her eyes, and a sob escaped her lips. She covered her mouth. “I was so scared when they told me you were bleeding in your brain. Then they drilled a hole into your skull and … and … I’m sorry I’m going on, but I’m just happy you’re okay.” She sniffled and wiped her cheeks. Then she reached out with a trembling hand as though to touch my head. At the last minute, she stopped, fisted her hand, and gave me a tiny apologetic smile. “Look at me, crying like a baby when you’re finally awake. That cursed tree is being chopped down tomorrow. I already made an appointment with a landscape company.” She turned to pull the chair closer to the bed.
I glanced at Torin in confusion.
“I told her you fell from the tree,” he explained. “It was the only explanation I could give her and the EMT.”
“Don’t blame the tree or cut it down, Mom,” I whispered. “Dad planted it.”
“Your father will understand. Every time I see it, I’ll be reminded of how close I came to losing you. You were right to be wary about climbing it all these years. It’s dangerous.”
There was no point arguing with her once she made up her mind. She could be as stubborn as me. I reached for the water.
“No, don’t move. The doctor said you must not exert yourself.” She picked up the cup and held the straw to my lips. “Are you hungry?”
I nodded.
“I’ll see what the nurses can rustle up.” She disappeared out the door.
Torin moved closer and stroked my hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.”
“You missed Eirik and Cora this morning, so don’t be surprised if they come back during lunch.”
Before I could respond, Mom came back. Torin moved back to the corner and watched us with a tiny smile as she fussed over me and talked about the surgery. She reassured me about my hair and the scar. Apparently, they had to shave an area near my ear for the surgery, but my chopped off hair was the least of my problems. The hospital food, when it finally arrived, was awful, and I could barely hold it down.
“Do you want me to get you something else to eat?” Torin asked.
Happy I could see him and talk to him without Mom knowing, I nodded. He left and returned a little later with breakfast—egg and sausage sandwiches and hot chocolate for both of us. By then, Mom had left for home to change. We ate. Then he left so I could rest. He came back hours later with lunch. A few minutes after he arrived, I heard the cheer chant for the Trojan swim team.
We are the Trojans. Oh Yeah
Kayville High top guns. Oh Yeah
When in the pool. Oh Yeah
We are so cool. Oh Yeah
When at a meet. Oh Yeah
We bring the heat. Oh Yeah
We’ve got the hold. Oh Yeah
On all the gold. Oh Yeah
I grinned, recognizing Cora and Eirik’s voices. Even though they weren’t yelling, I was surprised the nurses didn’t kick them out or tell them to zip it. They danced into my hospital room, both of them in Trojan crimson and gold swim pants, jackets, and T-shirts, swim goggles on their foreheads. They continued to chant.
Cause when we race. Oh Yeah
We set the pace. Oh Yeah
We’re number 1. Oh Yeah
The only one. Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah
They finished and posed. Torin stared at them as though they’d lost their minds, but he was trying hard not to laugh. They looked ridiculous, but it was Homecoming week.
“First day of Spirit Week is …?” Cora asked, hands on her hips, head cocked to the side.
“Sports Day,” I said.
Cora’s chin trembled, tears springing to her eyes. “Tomorrow is …?”
“Neon Day, then Wacky Tacky,” I added, my eyes welling, too. “Then my favorite … Character Day.”
“You remembered. That means you’re okay, right? Your brain is working fine.” She closed the gap between us, tears racing down her face.
I lifted my hand toward her, and she gripped it, both of us crying. “They might have drilled a hole into my skull, but I can never forget how crazy you act during Spirit Week. What floor did we get?”
“Second floor, west wing,” Eirik said, grinning.
“We decorated it with blue balloons and streamers, water-themed …” Cora swallowed a sob and glared at me. “Don’t ever scare me like that again. I thought I’d lost you and … and … I want to hug you, but I’m scared of hurting your ribs.” She swiped at her cheeks. “I’ll say it again. Don’t ever, ever scare me like that again.” She glanced at Eirik. “Okay, it’s his turn. I’ll wait outside, where I can sob like an idiot without making you cry, too.”
I stared after her and shook my head. She was such a drama queen, and I loved her to death. My eyes connected with Torin’s, but he didn’t make a move to leave. In fact, he leaned back and got comfortable, his expression saying he wasn’t going anywhere. Sighing, I ignored him and focused on Eirik.
Eirik planted a kiss on my forehead, then sat in Mom’s chair and reached for my hand. My eyes went to Torin to see his reaction. Blue ice flashed in his eyes, his annoyance obvious. I knew his display of jealousy shouldn’t please me, but it did anyway.
“Do you want me to get you anything? Something to eat other than hospital food? Bust you out of here?” Eirik asked.
“I have our food here, bonehead,” Torin said.
Once again, I ignored Torin. “That’s sweet, Eirik, but I’m okay food-wise and leaving right now is against the surgeon’s orders.”
Eirik’s smile disappeared. “I’m so sorry
I screwed up, Raine.”
“You? What do you mean?”
“It’s my fault you were hurt.”
I frowned. “No, it’s not. Why would you say that?”
“If I hadn’t left you alone to play that stupid game, you wouldn’t have been bored and decided to go home.” He pressed a kiss on my knuckles, and Torin leaned forward as though he wanted to dive across the room and maul him. “You know that I love you.”
Torin growled.
I shot him a warning look, but answered Eirik. “I know.”
“And that I would do anything for you,” Eirik added.
“I know that, too.”
“I let you down, Raine, and I’m really sorry.”
I sighed. “Eirik, don’t—”
“No, let me finish. If you want to change our relationship and go back to being just friends, I’ll understand,” he continued.
Torin sat up and I could only guess at what he was thinking—here was my chance to cut ties with Eirik. But I couldn’t take the coward’s way out and blame Eirik for something he hadn’t done.
“You’re not my keeper, Eirik, and I won’t let you blame yourself for something that wasn’t your fault.”
“You’re sure?”
I nodded. “I tried to climb the tree to get to my bedroom because I didn’t want to wake up Mom. It was my fault, not yours.” My gaze connected with Torin. He didn’t look happy. Eirik, on the other hand, sighed with relief and flashed his famous sunny smile.
“Good, because I wasn’t about to give up on us without a fight,” he said. Then he frowned. “Did Torin have anything to do with you leaving the party?”
“Why do you say that?” I tried not to look at Torin.
“Cora said you were dancing with him. Did he say or do something to make you leave his place? Because if he did—”
“No, he didn’t.” I shook my head. “We danced.”
“And kissed,” Torin added from the corner of the room.
“Was it Jess?”
I shook my head. “No. No one is to blame for what happened to me, Eirik.”
***
“I want to hold you while you sleep,” Torin whispered that night after everyone left.
