by R. M. Walker
“That is so romantic.” She leant her head on her hand and sighed.
He whirled on the spot, his shaggy hair bounced with him. “Lily! See if you can come and give me an answer!” He looked at her unerringly, and she wondered if he’d heard her. She flushed at the sudden attention and got up, going behind Josh to make her way down the steps.
“Have at it, Lily.” Mr O’Connor beamed at her as she took the marker from him and went to the board.
She looked over the first equation and frowned. It made no sense. She could read it, but her mind was blank as to what it meant. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. Her fingers were shaking as she struggled to think what the tiny number three meant on top of the four. She knew it meant she had to... it meant nothing. It might as well have been written in Arabic. She rubbed her fingers over her forehead where a headache was brewing. Why couldn’t she think? Why couldn’t she do this? What was she supposed to do?
Mr O'Connor stepped up to her, taking the marker from her shaking hand. “Do you feel unwell?”
“I have a headache,” she mumbled. The numbers and letters were blurring together in front of her eyes.
She was suddenly thrust into his chair. His hand went into her hair, and he pushed her head to her knees. There was a loud scraping noise, followed by the sound of feet on the steps as she stared at a growing pool of blood on the floor. There hadn’t been any there before. Where was it coming from?
“Nosebleed! Hanky anyone?” Mr O’Connor called out.
A cloth was stuffed under her nose, and the twins crouched beside her.
“One of you take Lily to the nurse.” She heard him talking to the twins, but she was staring at the blood in confusion. Her nose was bleeding, but it didn’t hurt. Even the headache had gone. When she sat up, her head swam from the sudden movement, so she kept still. She held the cloth to her nose, horrified that she’d bled on his floor. She could hear the other students whispering, and humiliation burned through her.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled to Mr O’Connor, who was peering at her worriedly.
“Nonsense, young lady. Let Nethercott take you to the nurse. I expect it was a build-up of pressure, but best to make sure. Off you go.”
She was helped to her feet. Keeping the cloth against her nose, she was led from the room.
“What happened, Lily?”
She frowned, unable to tell if it was Josh or Jake walking with her.
“I don’t know. I got worked up, didn’t know what the numbers were. My head started to hurt, and then he was pushing me into the seat, and there was blood on the floor.”
“It’s a fucking hard equation.” He snorted as he led her through the corridors. “Maybe you’ve got a cold coming. Mum’s nose bleeds when she gets a cold.”
She moved the cloth but stuffed it straight back as blood dripped again. She was a little fuzzy headed. Maybe that was why she couldn’t tell which twin was with her. It was an odd feeling; she knew him, but at the same time, she didn’t. Like a veil was between them.
They rounded the corner, and he grunted. Drew stood outside reading the riot act to one of the boys from his class. He noticed them, opened the classroom door, and all but shoved the boy back inside with a sharp bark to keep quiet. He closed the door again and came towards them.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded, his eyes on the bloody cloth Lily held to her nose.
“I’m taking her to the nurse.”
“You’re hurt?” Drew ignored him, his eyes on Lily still. “How bad?”
“It just started to bleed,” she said, drawing the cloth away. It was still going and seemed worse. She stuffed it back again, but the cloth was soaked through.
“Walking isn’t helping. Josh, go and bring the nurse here. Lily, in the Chapter House now.” He took charge, and she automatically obeyed him.
“I really don’t...”
“Don’t argue, Josh! Just get the nurse!”
“I’m Jacob,” he snapped and ran off down the corridor.
Drew led her into the classroom, and she was instantly aware of the quiet that fell over the class as they all stared at her.
“Keep quiet! Any noise and all of you will get double homework and detention,” he warned them as they started to whisper to each other, still staring at Lily.
He led her into the Chapter House, keeping the door opened a crack. She’d thought it was a cupboard, but it was a small room. A door at the other end was open, and Mr Molesworth, the other history teacher, poked his head around. She realised it was a Jack and Jill room between the two history classrooms.
“Drew?”
“One of my tutor group, bloody nose, wandering down the corridor. Another one of my kids has gone to get the nurse.”
Mr Molesworth winced at the sight of the bloody cloth and nodded. He went back and closed the door behind him.
“Sit down, and tell me exactly what happened.”
Drew pulled a chair from under a desk, and she sat down. The walls were lined with shelves and overflowing with books and equipment. Another desk sat under the window, cluttered with papers, pens, and books.
“Lily?” He crouched in front of her and held out a handkerchief.
She managed to swap them over, her nose still bleeding heavily.
“I’m going to pinch your nose. Sit straight up and tilt your head forwards slightly.”
She was still feeling fuzzy. The blood was going down the back of her throat, making her feel sick. He moved to her side and pinched her nose, placing his other hand on her back.
“Did you get hit by anything?”
“No.” Her voice was muffled in the cloth. “I was trying to do an equation on the board, but it made no sense.”
“Sometimes pressure builds up and makes your nose bleed. Do you get them frequently?”
“No. I can’t remember ever getting one,” she replied. She lifted the cloth, relieved to see that it had slowed slightly.
“How do you feel otherwise? Headache?”
“Not now. I couldn’t do the equation,” she said and lowered the cloth again. It had almost stopped, and she dabbed at her nose.
“Was it difficult?” He hitched his hip onto the desk, not letting go of her nose or moving his hand from her back.
“I don’t know. I was staring at the numbers, and they meant nothing.”
“Nothing?” He leant forwards, and she met his eyes.
“I had no idea what I was supposed to do. It was four to the power of three. That’s easy maths, and I had no idea!” It was weird. There was no doubt that if she were to go back to the board now, she would be able to work her way through the equation. But at the time?
“Did you have a headache before trying it?”
“No. I was fine, and then, well, I wasn’t. I felt weird, like I was all fuzzy in my head. I have no idea which twin brought me here, and I always know which is which!” She suddenly realised her mistake and turned away quickly.
“I can tell the difference too,” he said. “That was Josh with you, no matter what he tried to tell me.”
“You can? How?” she asked, looking back at him.
He checked his watch and placed his hand on her back again. “They’re not quite as good at hiding it as they think. Josh is right handed and Jake is left. They’re mirror twins, but in little things they forget to hide it, or they’re not aware they’re doing it differently.”
“But I couldn’t tell. I don’t even have to look at them to know. I just do.” She saw his eyes change, and for a split second it seemed like pride. He checked his watch again, breaking eye contact with her.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I expect it was a blood vessel that’s popped. Might be an idea to see the doctor if it happens again. Or get your eyes checked—”
The nurse came in with Josh, and moved towards Lily. Drew removed his hand from her back, still pinching her nose.
“Five minutes so far,�
� Drew told the nurse, ignoring Josh.
She looked up and realised Drew was right; it was Josh. Whatever had confused her had gone.
“You can go back to your class now,” the nurse told Josh. He started to refuse, but Lily shook her head at him, dislodging Drew’s fingers.
Drew swore under his breath and caught her nose again. “Get out, Josh!”
“I’ll be fine.” Lily caught Josh’s attention. She didn’t want him to get into trouble.
Josh snarled and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
“Those boys are pretty Neanderthal over you,” Drew murmured. “Must get really restrictive. Can you even breathe without their permission?”
“It’s not like—”
“Tilt your head slightly.” The nurse cut her off. She had a bottle in her hands which she sprayed up both nostrils, making her gasp. “You’re going to need cleaning up and a rest after this. We’ll give five more minutes of pressure. I’ll take over, Professor Wenlock.”
She almost giggled. He hated his name, and it reminded her of how strongly Nate hated his name.
“Certainly, nurse,” he spoke calmly, as he let go of her nose and stepped back. The nurse wasn’t nearly as gentle as she pinched, making Lily wince.
“I’ll be in there if you need anything.” He pointed at his classroom door, his eyes on Lily, and she knew he was talking to her.
“We’re going to be fine here,” the nurse answered, looking at her watch, her back to him.
He pulled a funny face at Lily, and she almost giggled again as he went through the door.
“So, no hits, no warning? Any headache?” The nurse was all business, and although she was kind, she was firm.
“No, not now. I had a headache when it bled.”
“Pressure; getting stressed over your finals already, I expect. I’ll write up a report and give you a card to take home. Do you get triggers? Did it feel like a trigger?”
“I don’t get triggers,” she explained.
“Couple more minutes, then move to my office. You can lie down for half an hour, and we’ll see what you’re like after that.”
Maybe it was stress. So much had happened in a relatively short space of time. She’d moved twice in six weeks, not to mention all she’d learnt from the boys. Maybe it had fried her brain for a few minutes. She’d known they were numbers, but it was as if she had forgotten everything she’d learnt and her brain had turned to sludge. She’d no idea what had caused it, but whatever it was, she didn’t like it and never wanted it to happen again. She grimaced at her blood covered hands. She had an idea what it must be like for Matt every time he healed one of them.
The nurse released her nose and stood back from her.
“It’s stopped. Let’s go down to my office. Take this in case it starts bleeding again.” She handed her a cloth, and Lily took it with a thanks.
When they left the room, Drew halted the lesson. He followed them outside the classroom, shutting the door behind him.
“Everything okay?” he asked, looking at the bloody handkerchiefs in her hand.
“Yes, thank you, Professor Wenlock. She’s going to rest for a bit and see how she is,” the nurse said and moved down the hall.
Lily started to follow her when Drew caught her elbow, and she looked back at him in question.
“Come over tonight, just you. I need to talk to you,” he said quietly.
Lily flushed, looking at the nurse, but she hadn’t heard and was still walking. Drew smiled and went back into the classroom. Lily caught up with the nurse and fell into step with her.
“It’s an honour, y’know,” the nurse said suddenly, and Lily looked at her in confusion. “To have an Oxford professor teaching here. Even if it is only temporary.”
Lily didn’t know if it was an honour or not, but she did know it was odd he wanted to talk to just her tonight. Which translated as ‘don’t bring the boys’. What did he want to talk about that he didn’t want the boys hearing? Were they right in what they’d thought about him?
No. Of that she was certain. He wanted to talk to her about something else. Maybe he was concerned for her. He’d mentioned several times how possessive they were over her. He’d got cross with them on the beach with the level of animosity towards him, and while they weren’t outright disrespectful to him anymore, that level of distrust was still there. He must be able to see it. Maybe he was worried that she was starting to believe he was interested in her. Although he wouldn’t ask her over alone if he thought that, surely. No, it had to be something else. She just didn’t know what.
Fight
Nate shifted the phone under the lab table and opened a group text from Josh.
Josh: Something’s up with Lily. Zoned out registration. Then nosebleed in maths.
Josh: OC got me to take her to Nurse. Drew saw. Made her go into CH. Sent me for nurse.
Jake: She froze at the board. OC manhandled her into his chair. Blood going everywhere. Same as you, Matt, when you heal bigtime.
Josh: She’s with Nurse. Going there when bell rings. Meet us.
Nate checked his watch, there were only a few minutes left on the clock. He put his phone away, changed his mind, and took it back out. Keeping one eye on the teacher, he opened a new message.
Nate: Lily zoning out and nose bleeding. Problem?
He wanted to see her, wanted to be able to make sure she was all right. His fingers tapped on his book nervously. He had to go, he couldn’t wait. He hastily packed his stuff away and stood abruptly.
“I need to go, Mr Gee,” he called out, and without a backwards glance he left the room. He knew he’d have to explain next time he saw his chemistry teacher, but he’d deal with that then.
He made his way through the corridors quickly. He pushed through the double doors that led to the concourse and saw Matt jump down the last three steps of the stairs that led to the second level.
“Matt!”
Matt stopped long enough for Nate to catch up to him, and then they were making their way through the concourse and round to the nurse’s office.
Nate’s phone vibrated in his hand, and he stopped to read the text. Matt leant over his shoulder to see the screen.
Jonas: What was she doing when her nose bled?
Nate’s fingers moved over the screen quickly, and he added Josh and Jake to the text.
Nate: Maths.
Seconds passed, and his phone vibrated again.
Josh: OC got her to solve a problem on the board. She didn’t even start it.
Jake: She started to shake, and then OC pushed her into the chair. Blood was running from her nose.
Josh: In reg, she zoned out. Didn’t hear her name. Wasn’t till we shook her that she came around.
Jonas: Ok, talk to her when you can. Find out what she was feeling both times.
Nate: Have you found anything yet?
Jonas: Not yet.
End of class bell rang, and Nate stuffed his phone into his pocket. He saw the twins coming up at a jog, her bag and jacket in Josh’s hand. He knocked on the door and opened it when he heard the nurse call to come in.
Lily was lying on the bed at the back of the room. Her eyes were closed, and he frowned when she made no indication that she’d heard them.
“How can I help you gentlemen?”
“We’re here for Lily,” Nate said as Josh held up her bag and jacket. Nate didn’t take his eyes from Lily. Relief filled him when he saw her shift and sit up. Her jumper had dark spots of blood and so did her skirt, but her face was clean. She smiled at them, and he settled inside. She was all right.
“She’s going to stay here until I’m certain her nose isn’t going to start up again. All being well, she’ll be fine for lunch, gentlemen.” The nurse indicated the floor. “Put her bag and jacket down.”
“We’ll come back then,” Nate said, his eyes still on Lily. She sent them another smile. They waved and went back out, the nu
rse shutting the door behind them.
“She didn’t look that great,” Matt said straight away. “She was very pale.”
“And exhausted,” Josh spoke around his thumbnail.
“Maybe it was a fit that got stuck.” Matt shrugged.
“Stuck? What do you mean stuck?” Nate asked him.
“Well, y’know, Jonas said it was going to bottle up inside. Maybe she was having a vision, but whatever is blocking it kept it down until it made her nose bleed.”
“It’s an idea.” Jake nodded, his arm around Josh’s neck.
“Out of the way, freaks!” Nate was shoved roughly into Matt as several boys pushed their way past.
“Fuck off, Johnston!” Nate snapped, straightening his glasses.
“What was that you said, Cohen?” Johnston stalked back to them.
“I said fuck off, Johnston,” Nate repeated. He faced him, the others at his back.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Cohen. Did I mess up your hair?” He reached forwards and scuffed his hand up the side of Nate’s head. “See you’ve found yourself a new friend. As much a freak as you are!”
“She’s not a freak!” Matt stepped forwards with Josh and Jake. They weren’t outnumbered, but they were outmatched. Years of rugby had given Johnston and his friends muscles and strength.
“So, tell me, do you take it in turns? Or does she take all of you at once?” Johnston laughed with his friends.
“Fuck you!” Josh snarled, stepping forwards with Jake. They dropped their bags, hands curled into fists.
“Reckon we should try her out, boys? Reckon if she can take you four freaks, she’d be begging for me to fuck her cu—” Josh’s fist connected with his face, cutting off his words abruptly.
Johnston reacted instantly, and all four of them were scrapping in the corridor. Punches and hits being thrown by both sides. Attracted by the noise, students started to gather, some holding phones up.
“Break it up this instant!” Students that were watching moved off quickly, not wanting to get involved now teachers were present.
Jake was dragged backwards, his arms locked behind him. He automatically struggled in the hold.
