Supernova

by Mia Rodriguez

Chapter 22: The Argument

  “Royce and Peter are dead?!” I garble, shock, panic, and disbelief pushing onto me, squeezing my vital organs.

  “No, not . . .” but the man’s heavy breath stops him.

  “Not who?” I desperately question him.

  He finally finds his ragged voice again. “Not Royce.”

  “Peter’s dead?!” I utter.

  “He fell into . . .”

  “Into what?” demands Pilar.

  “Bear . . . bear—”

  “He fell into a bear trap?” Pilar blurts.

  The man nods.

  Arthur is dead? It just can’t register in my head. Complete shock numbs me. Everything around me starts happening in slow motion as if time doesn’t exist anymore. Even my tears are stuck in the granite-like space I’ve crawled into.

  You’ve got to react, I tell myself after a few excruciating seconds of being lost. You can’t zone out.

  The abrupt quiet in the room makes me realize that everyone is in the same place I am—including Pilar. A word starts rocking my insides.

  No! No! No!

  How can Peter be dead? It’s got to be a mistake.

  “Can you take us to him?” I ask, my voice broken.

  Nodding, he rushes out the door as we follow him. Pilar reads my mind as we go deeper and deeper into the woods.

  “What was he doing here so far from the homestead?” Pilar questions angrily. “Didn’t we tell him not to go in the woods?”

  Peter, I say in my head, why didn’t you listen to Royce?

  When we arrive at the destination, a group of people surround a gaping hole in the ground. I rush to the opening to find Royce already in it, and Peter lying motionless with blood spurting from several wounds. It violently jars me to see the sharp spikes of wood he fell on top of—the ones that Royce had already freed him from.

  “My gosh!” I gasp in horror. It’s more blood than I had ever seen in my entire life.

  “He’s not dead, Madrigal,” Royce rushes to say.

  “He’s not?” My tone is breathy and choppy.

  “No, he blacked out.”

  Relief envelopes me, and the numbness starts wearing off. “Thank goodness.”

  “He’s hurt very badly, though. We’ve got to get him out of here.”

  Royce along with volunteers carefully remove him from the bear trap and carry him to Meggy’s shack. Immediately cleaning his wounds, Meggy’s hands are fast and sure of themselves. I can’t help thinking that the dried plants she applies don’t seem enough to stop the bleeding.

  “Don’t you worry, Supernova,” says Tino, having noticed the concern on my face. “Meggy is better than any doctor! She’s the one who takes care of us when we get sick.”

  “She’s the best,” assures Pilar. “He’s going to be fine.”

  I appreciate their words of comfort, but I’m well aware of the seriousness of the situation. Even Royce, who’s an expert at covering his feelings and projecting strength, looks worried. Peter might’ve done a stupid thing by not following orders, but he’s still Royce’s cousin after all.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood,” Royce murmurs with clipped words, almost to himself.

  “He’s young and strong,” Meggy points out.

  Royce nods solemnly. “I don’t know why he had to go into the woods,” he blurts.

  “He’s too stubborn for his own good—that’s for sure,” Pilar comments.

  “Pilar!” chastises Meggy. “Now is not the time for that.”

  “Okay,” Pilar says dejectedly.

  Meggy places the back of her hand on Peter’s perspiration soaked face. “The herbs will cut the infection, but we’ve got to get his fever down.”

  Sonny rushes outside and returns with a bucket of water from the well. Meggy soaks rags in it and places them on Peter’s exposed skin. I take one and sponge Peter’s face.

  “Pain . . . hurts . . . ow . . .” Peter mumbles, his eyes shut but his mouth forming words.

  He’s starting to react! I say to myself, my breath evening itself out. Royce’s face loosens from the tight stance it was in.

  “Peter,” I tell him softly.

  “Ow!

  “Can you hear me?” I ask gently.

  “Ow! Ow!”

  “C’mon, Peter,” Pilar blurts, “stop being a baby.”

  “Pilar!” scolds Meggy.

  Pilar puts her hands up as if to surrender. “Okay, okay—I’ll shut up.”

  Meggy turns back to Peter. “Now that he’s semiconscious, I need to get some medicinal tea in him. It’ll bring down his fever.”

  She quickly prepares the tea by starting a fire in the small make-shift fireplace in a corner of the shack and heating it in an old, black kettle. As she puts a chipped cup to his lips, Peter groans but still drinks the nasty smelling concoction. I’m reminded of when I was taking Estraphil, and I give an involuntary shudder.

  “Are you okay?” Royce asks, his concerned eyes firmly on me.

  “I’m fine,” I quickly tell him, embarrassed that his cousin is nearly dying, and I’m taking attention away from who really needs it.

  “Nova . . .” Peter mumbles.

  “I’m here, Peter,” I inform him, relieved he remembered to use my fake name.

  “You are?”

  “Yes,” I assert, taking his hand.

  “Good.”

  “Rest, Peter. Don’t overexert yourself.”

  “Will you . . .”

  “Will I what, Peter?” I ask soothingly. “What do you need?”

  “Will you . . .”

  “Yes? What can I do for you?”

  “Marry me.” He passes out before I can react within my stunned stance. Pilar chuckles loudly, breaking the silence.

  “He’s delirious,” I finally say. Royce stares at me with a pained expression.

  “Let’s face it, girl,” Pilar tells me, “the guy may be in horrible shape, but he still knows that he wants to marry you.”

  “Pilar!” Meggy chides.

  “It’s true,” Pilar declares dejectedly.

  “He’s delirious and doesn’t know what he’s saying,” I insist. He had kidded about it when we had been training for this mission. He couldn’t possibly be serious about it now.

  “I bet he knows exactly what he’s saying,” Pilar blurts. “What I want to know is—do you want to marry him?”

  What kind of a question is that? I tell myself. Pilar can really get on my nerves.

  I expect Meggy to chastise Pilar but instead, Meggy’s and all other eyes are firmly on me.

  I involuntarily meet Royce’s leveled stare. His sight is so penetrating that I have to force myself to tear away from him. “I’m too young to marry,” I state, hoping to stop being the center of attention. “I’m only seventeen years old.”

  “Do you love him?’ Pilar asks bluntly.

  I hear Royce taking in a sharp breath.

  “I’m on a mission,” I declare. “I’m not here to fall in love.”

  Pilar grins broadly. “Good answer.”

  “Yes, good answer,” Royce mumbles.

  A few hours into the night, Peter’s fever breaks. He sleeps soundly and profoundly as if nothing pains him. The rest of us take the time to get some shut- eye ourselves. Meggy had convinced us that she would look after him but that Royce and I had to get some sleep because we had a long journey ahead of us.

  My slumber is filled with nightmares of fierce bears, angry guardians, and my fake parents forcing Estraphil into me. Royce, who sleeps on the floor next to me, gently shakes me awake.

  “You look like you were having a bad dream,” he comments gently.

  My mouth is excruciatingly dry. “I was.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I’m not important right now—Peter is.”

  His dark eyes fix themselves to mine. “Peter is fine.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask anxiously, looking to
wards Peter who seems fitfully asleep with Meggy snoozing next to him.

  “I got up a few minutes ago and checked on him. He’s fine.”

  I let out a deep breath. “Thank goodness.”

  “You really care about him, don’t you?” he asks with a strained voice as he eyes me carefully.

  “Of course I do.”

  His eyesight drops. “I thought so.”

  “I care about you too, Royce.”

  His opaque eyes come back to mine. “You do?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Really?”

  “All three of us are in this together. We’ve got to take care of each other.”

  He nods solemnly. “We do.”

  My nightmares ease their sharp spikes as he gently caresses the side of my face with his gentle fingers. I almost shove his hand away, but I change my mind. I know that I probably shouldn’t let him do it—someone might wake up and misinterpret the kindness of his act but his light, caring touch soothes me. I haven’t felt this type of warmth since my real parents were alive.

  I peacefully fall asleep and don’t wake up until Peter’s loud voice reverberates through Meggy’s shack in the morning.

  “Ow! Ow!”

  He makes that noise all day in his semiconscious state. Meggy plies him with teas that seem to calm him for a few hours. Royce and I stay indoors with him, fearing that we may get caught by the soldiers in the woods.

  “He’s in pain,” states Royce, “but he’s alive.”

  After returning from hunting, Pilar and a few other hunters insist that they overheard the sergeant say it’ll be the last day of training.

  “Let’s hope so,” Royce murmurs, obviously worried about the military being so close and his cousin who won’t fully wake up.

  “Can someone give me something for the pain?!” Peter howls at dawn.

  “Good morning to you too, Sunshine,” chirps Pilar sarcastically. She had slept next to Meggy.

  “I’m not in any condition to deal with you,” retorts Peter.

  Meggy’s eyes scold Pilar, preventing a quick come-back. Pilar groans as she pantomimes zipping her mouth shut. “I’ll give you something for your pain,” Meggy tells Peter as she ambles over to the fireplace to prepare a tea.

  “How are you feeling?” asks Royce.

  “How do you think?” Peter snaps. “How should I be feeling after I fell into a bear trap and impaled myself?”

  “You’re alive—that’s what’s important,” Royce says patiently.

  “Maybe that’ll teach you not to do stupid things,” blurts Pilar.

  Meggy must agree with Pilar’s words because she doesn’t chastise her but instead stirs the tea.

  “What happened to me is your fault,” he growls at Pilar.

  Pilar’s right eyebrow shoots up. “My fault?”

  “If you hadn’t been insulting me, I wouldn’t have had to leave to get some fresh air.”

  Pilar’s eyes flash with ferociousness. “Blaming me for your stupid mistakes—that’s just great!”

  “If you wouldn’t have torn into me last night, I wouldn’t have left.”

  “Hey, Little Prince, did we or did we not warn you about how far you could go out there?!”

  “I . . . but . . . but—“

  “Stammer your way out of that one, Little Prince,” Pilar chortles.

  “Drink up,” says Meggy, who has been holding the cup of tea close to his lips for a few seconds. “It’ll help the pain.”

  Peter scrunches his face in dislike when he smells it, but she coaxes him to take it. He quickly gulps it down.

  “How long will it take to work?” he asks Meggy.

  “Not long.”

  “I’m in terrible pain.”

  “It’ll work soon.”

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “Don’t question Meggy,” snaps Tino.

  “I’m the one hurting,” he sneers. “I need to make sure I’m getting the help I need.”

  “Stop being such a baby,” Pilar retorts.

  Meggy doesn’t say a word to her.

  “If you’d be going through what I’m going through, you’d be complaining too!” snaps Peter.

  “I’ve been through a lot worse than falling on a bear trap,” she scoffs, matter-of-factly.

  “I doubt that,” he snarls.

  “It’s true.”

  “Liar.”

  “I don’t lie!”

  “Big fat liar,” Peter smirks.

  “You’re just upset that I’m not a wuss like you!”

  “Stop calling me a wuss!”

  “Wimpy boy. Wussy prince.”

  “You’d better stop—”

  “Let’s cool down, okay?” Royce interjects, his voice firm.

  Peter’s eyes narrow, glaring at his cousin. Pillar, in turn, openly sneers at Peter.

  “I’ll be so happy when we finally get out of here,” Peter mumbles under his breath.

  “You’re in very bad shape,” states Royce. “You won’t be ready to leave for days.”

  Peter groans loudly. “Does that mean we have to be here for a while?”

  “Not we,” declares Royce, strength behind his words. “You.”

  Peter’s head snaps up. “What are you saying?”

  “You know what I’m saying.”

  “You’re going on without me?”

  “Yes.”

  “But—“

  “If the military is gone like we think it is then Nova and I will have to be on our way.”

  Peter unsuccessfully tries to sit up. “You can’t be serious!”

  “I am.”

  Energetically shaking his head, Peter’s fury is strong. “You can’t go without me! You can’t!”

  “Yes, they can,” retorts Pilar, grinning.

  “Shut up, Pilar,” Peter snaps.

  She crosses her arms in front of her. “Make me.”

  “I would if I wasn’t so close to dying.”

  “That’s why you’re not going with them—you’re useless.”

  “Shut up! I’m going with them!”

  “Peter, please understand that we can’t wait for you to get well,” Royce explains. “Time is running out.”

  “You can’t go without me! I won’t let you!”

  “Peter, we have to. Every minute we waste is a minute closer to those spy cameras being turned on.”

  “I won’t let you leave me!”

  “You have no choice.”

  “Who do you think you are making a decision like that?’

  Royce eyes him solemnly. “I’m the leader of this expedition.”

  “Why don’t you just admit that you want me out of the way so you’ll be alone with Nova?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” Royce blurts, losing his calm cool.

  “It’s true! It’s very true!”

  Royce’s eyes blaze a scorching fire. “Don’t accuse me of being unprofessional! I’m on a mission and that is that!”

  “Why don’t you just admit how you feel about her?”

  “I’m on a mission,” Royce stresses through clenched teeth.

  “You can’t even admit to what you feel. You’re a coward.”

  “I could care less what you think of me,” Royce states.

  “Everyone thinks that you’re so perfect, but it’s all a lie!”

  “I never said I was perfect, but I do have the responsibility to lead,” Royce snaps.

  “I don’t have to follow your orders! I won’t!”

  “You’ll have to.”

  “I won’t!”

  Royce lets out a deep, frustrated breath. “Yes, you will.”

  “I’m tired of you telling me what to do.”

  “Then don’t come with us,” Royce challenges.

  “I’ll do as I please.”

  “No, you won’t.”

  “Stop telling me what to do! You’re a nobody! A nothing!”

 
“Maybe so but I’m still the leader of this mission and I know what my duties are.”

  “You’re not my leader anymore! I’m not following your orders.”

  “Will you follow mine?” I ask solemnly as the room grows painstakingly quiet with my words.

  “What?” Peter turns to me surprised.

  “Will you listen to what I tell you?”

  “What are you saying, Nova?”

  “You can’t come with us, Peter,” I murmur softly.

  “Nova—”

  “I, as the Supernova, am telling you that you can’t come on this mission.”