can hear the sound of water flowing into the bath again.
Chapter 10
A startled Kallen exclaims, “What the hell? How and why are you over there?”
I would love to give him the full story, but it’s more important for me to get to Zac. “I’ll explain later,” I say over my shoulder as I open the door and tear out of the room. I’m almost to Zac’s room by the time Kallen catches up to me.
He grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop. “Xandra, what is going on?”
“Kallen, I need you to let go of me.” The steel in my voice is enough for him to drop his hand back to his side. Without another word to him, I swing open the door to Zac’s room.
There, sprawled on the floor with blood oozing from his head, is my little brother. His sandy brown hair is matted and a piece of his scalp seems to be missing. I believe it’s attached to the very large book lying next to him. Until I make sure he’s going to live, my mind refuses to see anything else.
I run to his side and kneel next to him. The blood under my knees is sticky, like syrup. Not exactly fresh, but not starting to dry up yet, either. That tells me that whatever went on in this room didn’t just happen a minute ago, but it also tells me I might not be too late. I wonder how close to death a person has to be for an Angel of Death to be dispatched. Scratch that. I don’t want to know.
Pulling Zac into my arms, I barely register Kallen’s sharp intake of breath. In a flash, he’s next to me. “Xandra, what can I do?” he asks. “I have sent a message to Isla, can I do more?”
I shake my head, though I can hardly hear him through my sobs. Funny, I didn’t even realize I was crying. I’m clinging to Zac’s limp body, he is more in my lap now than on the shiny hardwood floor of the room. With every ounce of my being, I imagine him healing. I imagine the tissue of his brain healing from the bruising and swelling of the blow. I imagine the dura mater keeping his brain safe, sealing itself back around it. I imagine the shattered bone of his skull coming together; each tiny shard back in its right place. Then I imagine his scalp with its sandy brown hair knitting back together until there is no trace it was ever disturbed.
It seems like forever before he starts moving in my arms. I know other people are in the room now, but my eyes have not left Zac for me to be exactly sure who they all are. They have left me alone during the healing, and I appreciate that.
When Zac opens his eyes, he and I are embraced in a wall of coldness. Mom and Dad are doing their best to hug us both. After a moment, they both start talking at once.
“What happened?”
“Is he going to be alright?”
“We only stepped out to the shore for a few minutes. We never should have left him alone.”
“We couldn’t have known, but we won’t let him out of our sight again.”
I don’t even hear what they say after that. Now that Zac’s out of danger, the rest of my brain clicks back on. Gently placing a confused and disoriented Zac on the floor, I stand up. Turning to Tabitha, who is hovering just in front of me, I say, “Will you please look him over to be sure I’ve healed everything?” I’m surprised by the lack of emotion in my voice. She gives me a nod of agreement as she kneels in front of him, worry etched deeply on her face. I’m not sure exactly who she’s most worried about. My best guess? The person lying on the floor five feet from where Zac is, with blood on her hands from when she hit Zac with a large volume of sonnets by a Fairy named Luella.
“Xandra,” Kallen says, blocking my path. “There has to be an explanation other than what the scene implies. Alita never would have done such a thing.”
“Kallen is correct,” Isla says from his side where she has
Chapter 10
A startled Kallen exclaims, “What the hell? How and why are you over there?”
I would love to give him the full story, but it’s more important for me to get to Zac. “I’ll explain later,” I say over my shoulder as I open the door and tear out of the room. I’m almost to Zac’s room by the time Kallen catches up to me.
He grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop. “Xandra, what is going on?”
“Kallen, I need you to let go of me.” The steel in my voice is enough for him to drop his hand back to his side. Without another word to him, I swing open the door to Zac’s room.
There, sprawled on the floor with blood oozing from his head, is my little brother. His sandy brown hair is matted and a piece of his scalp seems to be missing. I believe it’s attached to the very large book lying next to him. Until I make sure he’s going to live, my mind refuses to see anything else.
I run to his side and kneel next to him. The blood under my knees is sticky, like syrup. Not exactly fresh, but not starting to dry up yet, either. That tells me that whatever went on in this room didn’t just happen a minute ago, but it also tells me I might not be too late. I wonder how close to death a person has to be for an Angel of Death to be dispatched. Scratch that. I don’t want to know.
Pulling Zac into my arms, I barely register Kallen’s sharp intake of breath. In a flash, he’s next to me. “Xandra, what can I do?” he asks. “I have sent a message to Isla, can I do more?”
I shake my head, though I can hardly hear him through my sobs. Funny, I didn’t even realize I was crying. I’m clinging to Zac’s limp body, he is more in my lap now than on the shiny hardwood floor of the room. With every ounce of my being, I imagine him healing. I imagine the tissue of his brain healing from the bruising and swelling of the blow. I imagine the dura mater keeping his brain safe, sealing itself back around it. I imagine the shattered bone of his skull coming together; each tiny shard back in its right place. Then I imagine his scalp with its sandy brown hair knitting back together until there is no trace it was ever disturbed.
It seems like forever before he starts moving in my arms. I know other people are in the room now, but my eyes have not left Zac for me to be exactly sure who they all are. They have left me alone during the healing, and I appreciate that.
When Zac opens his eyes, he and I are embraced in a wall of coldness. Mom and Dad are doing their best to hug us both. After a moment, they both start talking at once.
“What happened?”
“Is he going to be alright?”
“We only stepped out to the shore for a few minutes. We never should have left him alone.”
“We couldn’t have known, but we won’t let him out of our sight again.”
I don’t even hear what they say after that. Now that Zac’s out of danger, the rest of my brain clicks back on. Gently placing a confused and disoriented Zac on the floor, I stand up. Turning to Tabitha, who is hovering just in front of me, I say, “Will you please look him over to be sure I’ve healed everything?” I’m surprised by the lack of emotion in my voice. She gives me a nod of agreement as she kneels in front of him, worry etched deeply on her face. I’m not sure exactly who she’s most worried about. My best guess? The person lying on the floor five feet from where Zac is, with blood on her hands from when she hit Zac with a large volume of sonnets by a Fairy named Luella.
“Xandra,” Kallen says, blocking my path. “There has to be an explanation other than what the scene implies. Alita never would have done such a thing.”
“Kallen is correct,” Isla says from his side where she has
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