by Sonya Jesus
I no longer feel my heart.
The only reason I know I am still alive is because my brain is still thinking, still panicking. I wish the numbness would take over my brain, too, but unfortunately, it spares my thoughts.
It’s telling me she’s dead, like my father. This is not happening. I can’t lose her, too.
Just as I’m about to collapse to the ground, something happens. Something that restores my life back to me: her chest moves. She’s breathing. Which means I can still save her.
I cautiously approach them. “Christopher.” I demand his attention.
His reddened eyes snap up to me. “What happened to her?” I kneel down beside the two and feel for her pulse, just to confirm. Thankfully, I find one.
He grabs my hand and pushes it off Amelia. “Don’t touch her!” I don’t counter him. Oddly, I understand what he is going through. “Christopher,” I say calmly. “I need you to tell me what happened.”
He begins shaking his head in a horizontal motion before speaking. “I don’t know.” His voice quivers. “Connor called me to come get her. He was driving back from somewhere and told me to come find her. He said something that made me worry. When I got here, she was on the ground.” He touches the back of her head, “There’s blood. I think she was attacked.”
The words shock my system. Someone attacked my Queen.
They tried to take her from me!
Rob me of my future!
Rage replaces the fear. My body goes cold at the thought of someone wishing her into an early grave. My body tenses, solidifying anything still limp from my panic attack. My head turns towards the woods. I knew who was there. It had to be the same person who sent her that message: her stalker.
“What are you doing here?” Christopher’s suspicion catches me off guard.
I bring my attention back to them and notice Christopher’s intense gaze. He shifts Amelia, and I cringe, hoping she doesn’t have a neck injury. I reach for her but then think twice. Assuaging his erroneous inkling is a priority.
“I live nearby,” I explain, pointing in the direction of the old house. “I usually cut across here to get to campus. I was on my way to the Rook when I saw your car. I came running when I heard you shout.” I pause. “Someone passed me in the bushes.”
The realization that I am not the culprit hits him like a ton of bricks, and his body relaxes.
“I heard movement, but I didn’t think anything of it, so I didn’t follow.” I should have followed. “Did you call for help?”
He shakes his head, tucking his chin into his neck. “I left my phone in the car. Connor told me something about Austin collapsing, and with all the prank stuff going on with her I just… I had to get to her.”
“What about Austin?”
“It probably has nothing to do with Amelia, but the water bottle he drank was spiked with 7 mills of tetrahydrozoline. Amelia gave him that water bottle. The cops want to question her so I came to tell her.”
“The cops think Amelia did it?” That’s ridiculous.
“No, but fucking Jaime said she could see her doing that and then it all went to shit from there. Someone is playing some sick joke, thinking Visine only gives diarrhea, but it can so much more than that when someone is already sick.”
None of that mattered now. I take out my phone and call an ambulance, then pass my phone to Christopher. “Call Public Safety. Tell them an ambulance has been dispatched. I’m going to try and assess her injury.”
Christopher takes the phone while I take Amelia’s shoulders. With his free hand, Christopher helps me lay her down on the ground. Rolling her on her side gently, careful to hold her neck, I assess the injury: it seems mostly superficial, the assailant didn’t fracture the bone, but it will require stitches. I place her back down. The cause of her unconsciousness could be worse, so I examine the rest of her body for blood or bruising. There is no liquid coming from any facial orifice, nor are there any other contusions.
I transmit the information to Christopher who is on the phone with a Public Safety Dispatcher. I scan the area for her phone, but it’s missing.
Christopher finishes the call. “You said she was on the phone?” He nods yes and begins to scan the ground. “You didn’t see it when you came?”
“To be honest, I don’t know. It’s like I can’t remember anything but Amelia on the ground. She could have fallen down that well.”
Lacey’s grave site.
“The attacker probably took it,” I say, hoping to prevent Christopher from inspecting the well.
He sits on the bench, runs his hand through his hair, and looks completely mortified. “I don’t remember. All I saw was her. It’s like I was conscious but not.” I examine Amelia once again and empathize. Christopher and I, as much as I hate to admit, share a bond. We both know what it’s like to love Amelia.
A voice startles my rare moment of empathy. “Fucking shit! What happened to her?” Connor runs over, squatting by Amelia, a string of curses escaping his lips.
I try to calm the little shit down. “Connor, someone attacked Amelia. We are waiting for an Ambulance and Public Safety. It doesn’t appear like she has any other injuries and her head injury seems superficial. Hopefully, the damage is minimal.”
“Minimal?” Robins says pointing to her. “She’s fucking unconscious!” The momentary calmness that possessed him has been exorcised and in its place is the apprehension of the unknown.
“Did anyone call her roommates?” Connor questions.
I didn’t even think to notify them. Harper will have my ass if I don’t.
“Shit! I’ll call Haley. You have Harper’s number, right? You call her.”
I nod. I had all their numbers.
“We should call Mel. You have her phone number, Robins?”
“Are they all together? Why do we need to call all of them?” Robins questions.
“Because we don’t know if they are,” I answer, knowing that they aren’t. Harper had a study group; Mel had dance practice. “Go get your phone from Robins, and shut off the lights unless you want to end up without a battery. I’ll go wait for Public Safety. It’s been a few minutes, they will be here soon.”
I send Harper a message, explaining there had been an attack and Amelia is going to the hospital. Then I leave my love alone with Connor and Robins.
I might have to do that more often, entrust them to watch her while I hunt the person who tried to steal from me.
I will kill him, I vow to my unconscious Amelia. I am your King, and I will always protect you.
Chapter 23: The Hospital Room
Lia
I doze in and out. There’s pain and then a beeping noise, knocking me out again. When I wake up, my eyes strain against the light. I don’t recognize my surroundings. My head feels like a rock when I move it, and my neck is sore.
I close my eyes again.
“Lia?” a familiar voice wakes me with a whisper, but it feels like she’s screaming in my head. Mel? I groan as I move my head towards her.
Mel scolds me, “Don’t you dare move!”
My hands fly up to my neck, fingering the foamy material around it.
Mel touches my hands, lowering my fingers and placing them on my side. “It’s for your neck. They are waiting for the doctor to come in, but they don’t think you fractured anything.”
“What happened?” The last thing I remember was talking to Connor. “Where am I?” Oh, my God. And why the hell did I feel like someone just cracked my skull open? I reach for the back of my neck, feeling the lumps underneath the bandage. “Are these stitches?” The full-on panic mood jolts me upright on the hospital bed. “Did they shave my hair?”
“A little bit on the bottom of your neck,” she says calmly. “Try not to touch them. There are a few stitches. They want to keep you for observation. At least for a few days because of the swelling.”
“Did I fall or something?” I still don’t understand.
“Lia, someone attacked you tonigh
t. Do you remember what happened?”
I shake my head no.
Mel steps out to inform the police I am awake. Two officers come in and take my statement, then leave.
After, the same nurse as last time comes in and checks my vitals, she tells me not to make any brusque movements. Apparently, it’s normal for me not to remember and I should not force it. Stepping away, she asks if I’m up for visitors.
I nod. When she opens the door, five guys walk into my hospital room.
Robins, Connor, Mason, Christian, and Aiden. What the hell are they all doing here?
I laugh at their serious faces, but laughing hurts my brain.
Robins is front and center and looking a mess. He rushes forward, breaking from the group and throws his arms around me awkwardly. I smile, hugging him close.
“The cords make hugging difficult,” I say.
He chuckles and backs up.
“Why do you look like you have been crying, Robins?” The others come closer. “Okay, why do you all look like that?”
Connor steps forward, approaching me on the left. “Because you’re in the hospital, babe.”
“Eh, not the first time.”
He plants a quick kiss on my lips before scolding me. “Why the hell were you out there alone?”
“Hey! Don’t yell at her, Freshman,” Mason growls, causing me to wince.
“Mason, keep your voice down!” Connor shushes him, reaching for the hand Robins isn’t holding onto.
“Who attacked me?” I ask the room, but I search Robins’ face for an answer. His answer is a transfixed stare that freaks me the hell out. “Anyone want to fill me in on tonight’s events? And why the police asked me about the five gentlemen waiting to see me?”
“You don’t remember anything?” Aiden steps forward with Christian at his side.
Out of all the Westbrook Knights here, this one surprises me the most. Concern mixes with his overbearing aura in a wickedly sexy combination, spurring the memory of the hallway and spiking my heart rate. The heart monitor peaks, cueing the simultaneous head turn towards the beeping screen.
I blush. Again.
“Amelia, are you okay?” Connor’s worry makes me blush further. Crumpling the sheets between my fingers, I take a calming breath in attempts to quiet the damn tattle-telling monitor up.
Aiden gives me a knowing smile. I deflect my gaze to Robins, seeking comfort from my best friend, but he’s focused on Aiden.
“Okay,” I break the tension in the room. “You know, as much as I appreciate all the love in here, I would really like it if one of you started explaining.”
Connor begins, “I was on the phone with you.”
I give him my undivided attention. “I sort of remember that.”
“We were talking about the water bottles and Austin’s poisoning.”
Austin’s poisoning? Did he have food poisoning or something?
“We were talking about the water bottles.” He repeats, pausing for confirmation I can’t give him, and continues, “I said I was going to show up.”
I sigh deeply. He keeps creating questions out of sentences.
“Lia. Did you see someone?” Racking my brain for answers adds to my confusion, intensifying the throb in my head. His frustration doesn’t help.
Rubbing my temples to massage a headache away also doesn’t help.
Mason interposes for me, “They said it could take a while to remember.” The abrasive tone is directed at Connor. “Stop interrogating her.” He points at me. “You’re giving her a headache.”
“She already has a fucking headache! Someone clobbered her on the head with a fucking bat or rock… or something.”
What did Connor say? I stop rubbing and gawk at the Knights before me, “Someone attacked me?” Wait, I already knew that, but my head is full of fuzzies.
He sighs, ignoring Mason now. “Yes, around the same time we were on the phone.” He points to Robins. “Christopher saved your life.”
I transfer my attention to Robins. Petrified eyes stare back at me, the tears welling up. “Robins?” I lift my hand for him to hold. “It’s okay.”
He takes it, and I remind him, “I’m okay.”
Robins shakes his head in disbelief. I tug his hand to get his attention. “I didn’t see who it was, Pooh Bear.” Was he blaming himself for this? “I can’t fucking remember. All I saw was your motionless body on the ground.”
“At the well,” I say to myself, willing myself to remember.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Christian asks, stepping closer to me.
“Clearly?” Christian nods. “I remember Harper telling me how she walked in on Robins screwing some girl in the bathroom.” I remove both my hands from the men who disappointed me. “I also remember Connor walking out on me because Aiden wrote his number on my desk.”
“Why—" Mason begins.
Connor pulls out his phone and shoves it in Mason’s face. “You would leave, too, if you got these.”
Mason interjects, “Is this Robins’ dick?”
I bite my lip as I flush crimson.
Robins rushes for the phone. “It’s my underwear.” He snatches the phone from Mason and interrogates Connor, “Who sent you these? When?”
Frankly, the agitation in his tone is a little high for my head right now, but the testosterone in the room overpowers anything I can say.
“I don’t know who sent them, but they were sent last night to taunt me.”
“Party for two?” Robins questions the text. “I wasn’t with Amelia last night.” He hands Connor back the phone. “Apparently, Aiden was.” He bites back the anger. “Are you still getting those phone calls, Amelia?”
Amelia. That stings.
“What phone calls?” Mason tenses.
“Dylan told us about that. Those are still going on?” Christian’s voice is more soothing then Mason’s.
“Yes,” Connor answers for me. “And gifts too. Haley told me about the one during the pep rally.”
“And the snow globe,” Robins adds.
“And now they are sending me pictures?” Connor puts his phone away.
“What else is there Amelia?” How does Aiden know there’s more?
I roll my eyes and tell them the one thing no one knew. “A few weeks ago I got this weird video. I didn’t think anything of it. It’s just a prank.” I emphasize its insignificance, “All of this is a prank.”
“When did the phone calls start?” Mason’s worry is infectious.
“Maybe at the beginning of the year? The first week of school, maybe.”
“Pranks don’t usually last this long. Either someone is sincerely invested in creeping you out, or you have a weirdo on your hands.” Christian perks the suspicion in the rest of the male population surrounding me.
“Can I see your phone?”
“Mason, we couldn’t find it near the well.” Robins answers. “Whoever attacked her probably took it.”
“Or it’s still on the ground somewhere,” I remind them. All heads swivel in my direction as if I had said something ridiculous. “What?”
All at once they start talking about their own theories. Connor mentions me being sick and they completely forget the reason for my sickness was probably an ulcer, and not poison. They discuss nonsense.
The head injury made me delusional. This is surreal. If my head didn’t hurt so much, my inner Vixen would be panting at the sight of these guys. I look at all of them now, since no one was paying attention to the girl in the hospital bed. Connor stands in front of Aiden, staring him down. Christian and Mason join them. Christian latches onto Connor’s shirt and separates him from Aiden while Mason copies the same with Aiden. It takes me a few moments to realize; they are not actually talking. At least not so that I could hear them.
Robins brings up a chair and sits beside me. I face away from the appeased brawl and study him. He looks terrible. I haven’t seen him look this bad since he had the stomach flu. The whites of his ey
es are cracked with little red veins appearing in them. He isn’t actually paying attention to me right now; his eyes are transfixed on the group in the center of the room. One hand touching mine, the other resting lazily on his left leg. His jeans and shirt are bloodied
That is my blood, and the realization that someone attacked me pierces my heart like a gunshot. The worry spreads through my body. The panic causes me to flash ice and fire. Robins picks up on the trembling, and my eyes plead with him. Get them out.
I need my best friend.
A crashing sound, followed by the plastic water pitcher on the floor near Connor’s feet gets my attention. He curses towards Aiden and Christian gets in the middle of them, stopping Connor’s advance. Were they really going to fight in the hospital room? And why the hell are they fighting? I am the one who got hit in the head!
“STOP IT!” I scream out, surprising myself, not only with the force of my voice, but with the sharp flash of pain that ripped through my head. Ugh. That was painful.
All five men look at me, but forcing myself to talk with a colossal headache isn’t going to happen. I lay back on the bed, resting my head on the pillow, hoping it would ease the pain. Instead, it worsens it. I shut my eyes just to gain control and only open them when Aiden shouts, “We need to find whoever is doing this. She shouldn’t be alone.”
“Robins was there.” I try to ease the tension. “He scared them away, and I’ll be fine.” Robins doesn’t look at me. When his breathing regains a regular rhythm he speaks. “I should have been there sooner.”
“Someone should have been there.” Mason pokes Connor again.
“I agree,” Aiden says. “You can’t just go roaming around campus at two in the morning alone.”
I humph and cross my arms in front of my chest. I might have a head injury, but I’m not stupid. What gives them the right to order me around? I always go to the Well when I need to think. I’m on a secure campus. Most of it is walled off or surrounded by trees.
