Cursed

Chapter Thirty-One

I felt a pressure deep inside my chest, then a stream of water was pumped out of me. Everything burned like my whole body was on fire. My eyes squeezed shut as I rolled onto my side, choking and coughing. When I opened my eyes, I saw a figure, hovering over my body. He had a circle of glowing light around him.

Did I die?

Was this an Angel?

I blinked the water out of my eyes.

"Jesus Christ, you scared me!" It was Erik. He was soaked and shirtless. "What are you doing here?" He asked exasperated and slightly out of breath. I look around, I'm back on viewpoint. My brain moves slowly.

Did I almost drown? My arm is twisted at a bad angle. Erik grabs the dry shirt that's next to him. He rips it with his teeth, fashioning it into a slink and ties it around me. I wince in pain, but the makeshift slink does help.

"I-I don't know. I fell, I think?" I wanted to sleep. My whole body was sore. Erik stared at me. 

"You think you fell?" He did a double take at me. "Did you jump?" That didn't sound like something I would do, but my memories were fuzzy. I tried to stand, but it was no use. He sighed and picked me up, carried me to my car.

"I don't think so. I was sitting on the ledge and there was a bird. I thought it was you." I giggle. He looks at me sideways as he sets me in the passenger seat.

"I need to get you to the hospital, I think you have a concussion and your arm is definitely broken." He shakes his head in dismay. 

I panic.

"No, no hospitals!" I have this irrational (or maybe rational) fear of hospitals. This isn't why I'm refusing to go now though. "I don't want anyone to know. You can't take me there, I'll refuse treatment!" I try to take my seatbelt off, but there's no way I can twist that way.

"Calm down," He puts his hands out defensively. "Cornelia, you really hurt yourself." He says this slowly. It sounds like he still thinks I jumped. "I have to take you to the hospital." As he tells me this, I start to remember hitting my head against the rocks. I touch my forehead, where the impact had been.

When I look at my hand it's covered in blood. So, I hadn't been crying, it had been blood running down my cheek. I flipped down my mirror to see my face. My skin was a gaunt blue color and my eyes were red. I looked like death, especially with the blood from my head. There was a lemon sized welt growing on my forehead. 

"Magic!" I exclaim, flipping up the mirror. 

Erik rolls his head and shuts the passenger door. He clicks lock and runs around to the driver's side door. I fumble with the locks, but by the time I figure it out he's inside and locked them again. Ah, Hell. 

"Erik, you can use a spell or make some potion for me, to heal me." I try to convince him. He looks at me, then starts driving. He's contemplating, I see it in his eyes. "Please, Erik, I really don't want anyone to know. Plus, wouldn't it be better to have me fully healed? If Dara sees me with a broken arm she might think she can--

He cuts me off.

"I can't." He shakes his head.

"She'll kill me, Erik, you know she will. I might have been able to take her with two arms, but one broken arm? No way." Every movement I make hurts, even moving my lips to form words. My eyes flutter as the urge to sleep intensifies. 

"I can't do the spell, I'm not skilled enough. I won't risk making you worse." His knuckles are white against the steering wheel.

"Erik--