by Sophia Sharp
I had no idea what had happened in that room. I was absolutely mortified to think what would have happened to Liz had I not come in. I had no idea what had happened back at the party with the blue light, either. It was not something I imagined. I knew it had occurred, no matter how strange it seemed. Everything had just frozen in time when the light was there. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life.
Liz groaned weakly, pulling me back to the moment. She raised her head for a second, and I thought I saw her eyes flicker open. But before I could tell, her head drooped back down.
“How long was she like this?” I asked Zoe. Madison was a good twenty paces ahead of us, walking stiffly at a quicker pace.
“Not long at all. Just when you got there.” Zoe was struggling with the weight of her friend. Her sentences came out short and clipped.
“So where do we need to go? The clinic?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that the only option for us?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s just hope it’s not too far.”
“Let’s.”
We kept on down the darkened streets of the main yard, with Madison casting anxious glances back every few minutes. “Do you need help carrying her?” she asked after a few blocks.
“I’m fine,” I said, “though Zoe might.”
“I can do it,” Zoe put in determinedly.
Madison nodded and kept going, arms crossed in front of her.
By the time we reached the path leading to the clinic, to my infinite relief, Liz started to stir. Her eyes opened, but it took her a while to comprehend her surroundings.
“What… what’s going on?” she asked weakly.
“We’re taking you to a doctor,” I said.
Her eyes popped open, and her mouth worked without emitting any sound. She looked… frightened. Was it because she was afraid she would get blamed for drinking underage? That could be the case, except that her fear looked completely disproportionate to whatever consequence that might bring about. And her speech wasn’t slurred, as I would expect of someone who had had too much to drink. It was just weak. No, there was definitely something more going on. The other girls were hiding what really happened in that room.
Liz faded back into unconsciousness. I felt her forehead again, and was glad to discover it much closer to normal temperature. I was sure that a fever was not a usual sign of alcohol poisoning.
“Zoe,” I asked after collecting my thoughts, “what else happened in that room? I know something did. I saw the light.”
“What?” Zoe grunted. “Nothing.”
“Come on,” I coaxed. “That can’t be true. Alcohol couldn’t have this effect on her.”
“Everyone reacts differently,” Zoe said defensively. She wouldn’t say any more.
Liz woke up a few more times on the way, each time staring as if seeing her surroundings for the first time. She didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Madison stayed in front, continuing to cast worried frowns back at us.
It didn’t take long before carrying Liz started to take a physical toll on me. Every step forward became harder than the last. If I was tiring, Zoe must be absolutely exhausted, but she just gritted her teeth and kept going with a steely resolve.
About halfway from the main yard to the clinic, Liz stirred again. This time though, when her eyes popped open, she gasped, and started mumbling completely incoherent things. The words weren’t slurred. Rather, they sounded as if they were in another language. I cast a worried look at Zoe.
“Maybe we should put her down.”
“Almost there.”
“But—”
“We’re almost there.”
At that moment, Liz turned her head to look right at me. Recognition dawned in her eyes.
“Tracy…?” she said weakly. “Where am I? What’s going on…?”
“We’re taking you to the clinic. Zoe’s here, and Madison.”
“…Zoe?” she asked slowly, as if not understanding the name. “…Madison?” Then, looking to the other side, saw her petite friend. “Oh, Zoe,” she said, emphasizing the name as if I said it wrong. “What are you doing here?”
“Carrying you to the clinic,” Zoe grunted, but I could hear in her voice that she was happy to see her friend awake.
“…carrying? But I can walk,” Liz said, looking down at her feet. After a few seconds, she started taking small steps. Soon she was matching us. We still supported her by the shoulders, but at least now she could carry her own weight. A weak but triumphant smile appeared on her face. And then she groaned.
“Why does my head hurt so much?” she asked unhappily.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” I replied at the same time as Zoe said, “You had too much to drink.”
Liz slowly looked at each of us in turn, then shook her head. “No, no, no…” she started to repeat over and over.
“What ‘no’?” I asked.
“…no, no, no,” she kept saying, ignoring my question. I looked at Zoe for help, but she looked just as lost as I was.
We continued leading Liz toward the clinic. Soon, her words became whispers, and then trailed off completely. Madison came back as soon as she realized Liz had awakened. She stopped short of saying anything to her. Instead, she checked her friend, nodded to herself, and then returned to her spot ahead of us.
Soon, the evergreens of Traven Island’s forest became visible to one side. I knew the clinic wasn’t much farther. When the small building’s lights came up in the distance, Madison broke into a quick trot and sped away from us. By the time we were leading Liz up the hill to the building, Madison had returned with a pair of nurses, who took Liz from us and carried her the rest of the way.
Inside the clinic, I recognized that same cheerful receptionist from my own time here. She looked tired, now, and had dark bags under her eyes. I wasn’t even sure she recognized me as she ushered Zoe, Madison, and me into a waiting area. Shortly thereafter, a nurse came to talk to us, asking what happened. Zoe answered truthfully, sticking to the story of alcohol poisoning. The nurse nodded before reassuring us that Liz was in good hands. I looked anxiously from Madison to Zoe, but knew that we had done as much as we could.
After a few minutes, Madison closed her eyes, and, taking her cue, I rested my head against the wall and let sleep wash over me. Before dozing off, one final uneasy thought kept swirling through my head: When Liz looked at me after waking, she was fully cognizant, and not at all like someone under the effects of alcohol. I was determined to find out why.
The rays of the sun on my face woke me the next morning. I tried to roll over in bed, but ended up falling onto the floor. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. I saw the chair I had tumbled off, and all of last night’s events came flooding back to me. The party, and meeting Rob. That strange light, and finding Liz unconscious. Carrying her here with Zoe and Madison.
I got up slowly. My neck was stiff, and my feet hurt. Zoe was passed out on another chair in the waiting room. Madison was nowhere to be seen.
I opened the door quietly and tip-toed out, so as not to wake Zoe. I wanted to go home, to my room on the third floor, and have time to collect my thoughts. But first, I needed to check on Liz.
I asked a passing nurse where my friend was. She directed me down the hall. I followed her directions, and soon recognized the bleak interior of this part of the building. This was where I had spent those three miserable days not so long ago. The door to Liz’s room was open, and she was propped up in bed.
Her eyes were open, although she looked lost. It took a few seconds for them to focus on me, but when they did, she smiled.
“I heard what you did,” she said in a whisper. “Thank you.”
“It’s fine,” I said, coming up beside her. “Anybody would have done the same thing.”
“No.” Liz shook her head. “Not everyone.”
“How are you feeling?” Her skin was still
pale. She looked like she had been through hell and back.
“Better, now.”
“That’s good.” I had a million things to ask her, mostly about what happened last night, but decided this wasn’t the right time. “Zoe’s here too, by the way. She’s still sleeping.”
“Madison told me.”
“You saw her?”
“She was here a few minutes ago—no. Maybe half an hour ago. It’s hard to tell. My head still feels… fuzzy.” Her voice was barely audible.
“At least you’re in the right place to recover.”
“Yeah. Silly me, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
“What I did to get here. I should have been more responsible.”
“You shouldn’t worry about that now,” I told her genuinely. “Just focus on getting better.”
“I will.”
“Good. Well… I’m going to head out, now that I’ve seen you up and alive.” I barked an uneasy laugh, and turned around to leave. I was stopped by Liz reaching out to touch my hand.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I knew I could rely on you. And… I’m sorry. About getting mad yesterday, with Rob. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Would she still say that if she saw me talking to him last night? I wondered, but smiled at her. “All is forgiven.”
“No. I really shouldn’t have done that. Sometimes I can get a little bit protective. I’m sorry.”
“You just need to focus on getting better,” I said, “then we can talk.”
“Okay.”
I nodded, and left the room. It was good to see Liz recovering. As soon as she got her strength back, I would have to talk to her about exactly what happened in the room when I wasn’t there. I knew the answer wasn’t as simple as alcohol poisoning. There was something more, and it was being covered up by the girls. Their innocent faces when I asked about the blue light were just too scripted. There were secrets here, and they nearly cost Liz her life.
As I left the clinic, I could immediately smell the fresh ocean breeze. I took a deep breath, savoring the moment. The sun was high in the sky, and again not a single cloud showed overhead. It seemed that storm that hit when I first arrived was an anomaly.
I started down the hill walking toward my room. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, I guessed it was somewhere around noon. It was lunchtime, but I was too exhausted to think about food. The courtyard out front was busy again, with kids sitting in groups under the trees or kicking a soccer ball around. I was too tired to take notice. The little sleep I got last night was restless and filled with worries – not to mention uncomfortable. I was simply looking forward to collapsing in my big, fluffy bed and taking a long nap. I would deal with everything else once I woke up.
My plan was going perfectly until I reached the third floor. There, as I was dragging my feet toward my room, I saw probably the last person I wanted to see: Chris.
He was knocking on my door at the same moment I turned the corner. He frowned, waited for a bit, and then knocked again. Maybe if I turned around now, he wouldn’t notice me, and I could come back in a few minutes…? Begrudgingly, I erased that thought from my head. Even though I was absolutely exhausted, I owed Chris at least the chance to talk to me. And I wanted to talk to him, to clear everything up, but now was absolutely the worst moment. I was exhausted. Before I could decide what to do, he turned his head and recognized me. Instantly, his entire face lit up.
“Hey! I was just looking for you. I thought you were in the room—” he made a funny expression and pointed at the door, “—but now I see you’re right there.” He pointed at me. Then he laughed, showing that disarming smile. “Funny, huh?”
I had to force a smile. I didn’t have the energy for humor at the moment. However, now that Chris had seen me, there was no way to back out without hurting his feelings. After his reaction at breakfast the other day, I did need to clear the air. At least he didn’t seem angry or upset right now.
“Where’ve you been?” he asked, noting my appearance. “You look like you haven’t gotten a wink of sleep! Are you… just returning to your room from last night?” He made that sound so debasing that I had to suppress a groan. Who was he to judge me? But the last thing I wanted to do was start an argument, although, in my current state, I knew I was more apt to do so than usual. I had to watch myself.
“Yeah,” I laughed, trying to play off the admission. “There was a…” party, I had meant to say, but then stopped myself as I remembered what Chris said about his popularity here. “…a sleepover I was invited to by some girls I met yesterday.” I flinched. Chris had seen the girls I was with yesterday, and that was why he had stormed away. Admitting that I was with them could cause another flare up with him.
To my surprise, though, he didn’t react. If anything, he seemed concerned. “I wanted to talk to you after I got your message. I know I should have called you yesterday, but I was busy all day and didn’t see it until I got to my room late at night. Today, I figured seeing you in person was better than talking on the phone, anyway. But if you had a long night…?” he trailed off questioningly.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I can talk.”
“Are you sure? You look like you might want to get some rest.” He took a step toward his room. “If you want, I can come back another time?”
“I said I’m fine,” I said with a harsher edge than I meant.
“If you say so.”
“So what happened yesterday?” I asked, wanting to shift the subject away from me. “At breakfast, I mean? I didn’t see you until the cafeteria, and when I did you were… already leaving.”
“Oh, really?” Chris asked, the picture of innocence. “I didn’t notice you there. We must have missed each other.”
“Are you sure?” I didn’t believe him. However, I was glad he didn’t want to talk about it now. “So you’re not mad?”
“Mad?” He laughed. “Tracy, I could never get mad at a friend for a simple misunderstanding.” He took a step toward me and smiled. “That is, we are friends. Right?”
“Of course,” I answered too quickly. The dread that had been welling up inside me about this conversation disappeared. “You’re the first person I met here, after all.”
“Good.” He stepped toward me again, and spread his arms out for a hug. It was unexpected, but I reciprocated. For the brief moment it lasted, I got a flash of the same feeling I felt when Rob hugged me last night: that feeling of being safe and unconcerned about the world. It disappeared faster than it had come, though. “I wanted to show you something today, if you’re free.”
“Today as in… right now?” I asked.
Chris bit his lower lip. “I know you’re probably tired – despite what you say – but I was actually hoping you’d be able to come now, yeah.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Just a place on the island I think you’re going to love.”
“Is it far away?” I was apprehensive about walking any sort of distance before I got some proper rest.
“Um, not really. But, if you want, I can show it to you some other time.”
“No, no, I’m fine,” I said. No matter what Chris said about missing me at breakfast yesterday, I knew that he had seen me, and I felt an odd sort of obligation to make it up to him. “Let me just go change into something more comfortable.”
Chris shook his head, and spread his hands out in front of him apologetically. “You know what, I was wrong. You should definitely get some rest. We can meet up later today and I can show you then, if it’s not too dark.”
“Really? I mean, are you sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to force you into this at a clearly bad time.”
“But, if you made plans…” I began.
He shook his head again. “Don’t worry about it. I have plenty to do otherwise.”
“Thanks for understanding. If you come back in just a few hours, I’ll be ready to go.”
“Sounds good,” Chris
said with a wink. “I’ll let you rest, and then I’ll come by again. Say… around five?”
Five was actually the time that I wanted to get dinner, as I hadn’t eaten all day and that was the next possible time to make it to the cafeteria. “Five sounds great.”
“Alright then,” Chris said with a laugh. He tapped my door with one hand. “I’ll be here at five.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
As he left, Chris came in for another hug, and I gave it to him. Something in the back of my mind told me he was a little too friendly. But, I ignored the voice as I finally opened my door. Throwing my shoes off, I collapsed onto the bed, wrapped the warm blanket around me, and instantly fell asleep.
A knock at the door jolted me out of bed, and I fumbled for my phone to check the time. It showed 3:48 p.m. I sighed and relaxed. I thought the knock had been Chris, ready to go at five o’clock, which I totally wasn’t ready for. I needed to shower first.
The knock came again, and I frowned. Who could it be? The knock sounded a third time, louder than before.
“I’m coming!” I called, and slipped out of bed to investigate. After the catnap I felt better than before.
I opened the door, and found Liz standing there.
“Liz?” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”
“Came here to talk to you, obviously,” she said tersely, though not in an unfriendly way.
“Shouldn’t you be at the clinic?” I asked. She looked much, much healthier than the last time I had seen her. The color had returned to her cheeks, and, surprisingly, it looked like she had found time to put new makeup on.
“I was there. They let me out.”
“So early? But… wouldn’t they have to do tests on you, to see how you’re doing, and all that?” They kept me there for three days, although she didn’t know that. I imagined I was in better shape than Liz when I arrived.
Liz shrugged. “I guess I recovered quickly.”
“Well, I’m super happy you’re feeling better.”
“Right.” She sounded like she doubted my sincerity, although I couldn’t imagine why. “Anyway, we need to talk.” She started to come in.
