How the Mighty Fall

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Phrixus kicked her out.

In nicer terms, he had asked her to wait outside while they said bye for the night as a family. They had pushed the boundaries of visiting hours, but seemed to have charmed their way into extra time. She couldn't imagine anyone willing to break the rules for her.

After a minute of her slumped in a chair staring at the ceiling, she heard a kid cough. A small child had walked into the waiting room and was looking at her with wide eyes. She sat up, but no one else was around. "Hi."

The little girl was wearing a kids' hospital gown and was barefoot. Her smile revealed a couple missing front teeth. "Hi. Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"

A chill went down her spine. Hunter in disguise? Shouldn't Phrixus have described their powers to her? Or did he not even know? If that wasn't the case, she definitely didn't want to harm an actual kid, especially one who was already hospitalized. Deep breath. "I really don't know. What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I wanted to help people." When Astraea blinked, the girl had disappeared. She whipped her head around wildly, but she was alone in the waiting room again. Doubts creeped in about it being real.

When Phrixus surfaced with his dad and cousins another minute later, she was curled up in a chair in the middle of the set. He looked alarmed as he absorbed her state. "Ash and I will meet you guys outside. Dad, we'll see you tomorrow." He watched them walk out, then approached her slowly like she would explode if he moved too quickly. "Hey."

Her breathing was choppy. It could have been the weight of the week finally descending. When she lifted her head and saw him standing in front of her, she shrank away at first. After he wordlessly offered her a hand, she grabbed it and pulled him closer to hug him.

Phrixus stumbled into a kneel in front of her chair as she buried her head in his chest and wrapped her arms around his back. But she wasn't crying. After a handful of shallow breaths, she pulled away like a reflex kicked on. She might have been embarrassed to be that kind of vulnerable. "Thanks. We should catch up with your cousins."

He nodded. "Alright, but this isn't over." He offered a hand, which she pushed down and stood up to walk out of the hospital in front of him. She didn't mean to give him a cold shoulder, but she was still mad that he kept so much from her but was in the middle of a nice streak.

The group was under a tree near the street. Zane saw them through the glass and had put away his phone before they reached the doors. She couldn't speak for Phrixus, but to Astraea the crisp night air was soothing.

"Glad you joined us instead of bailing," Zane greeted them. "We found a decent bar down the street, coincidentally about midway from here to the hotel you're staying at. We can crash there too, right? Serena offered to be D.D. if we don't want to or can't walk. It is all figured out."

Phrixus removed his cousin's arm from around his shoulders. "As much as I wish I could black out with you like we used to, I can't. Sorry. But I'll definitely help you get some action, especially since you also can't stay in our room at the hotel."

Astraea compared Zane's intense disappointment to the looks she received when she messed up on shift. He put a hand over his heart. "That really hurts, Phrixus."

"Zane's plans typically don't pan out," Deacon chipped in, "but this is probably the most sound one he has had in a long time. Why wouldn't it work?"

Astraea surprised herself by coming up with a couple lies on the spot, but wasn't sure if Phrixus would approve. Either way, she also didn't want to spoil their quality time, so she decided she could carry the weight. "It's my fault, I'm so sorry. Phrixus was trying to be nice by not mentioning it, but I suffered a nasty fall earlier today. I even left the hotel room a mess in my rush to stop my head from bleeding and getting to the hospital. I won't be much fun and will definitely turn in early too for some extra sleep." She looked over at Phrixus, whose eyes looked a degree softer.