A Spellbound Promise

Chapter 8

"I am going to drop it," I said, attempting to laugh but instead, I just smiled weakly.

Dallas sat next to me, the water and medicine in her hand. She pulled me closer and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. I rested my head on her shoulder as she laid her cheek on my head. She looked up at Ryne with a concerned look. Ryne nodded. He took a few steps toward me, picked me up as if I were a baby, and carried me to the medical center. Ryne gently placed me on a soft bed. I looked around at the blurry medical equipment that stood next to me.

"We would like you to stay here to be monitored. We understand that you are tired and would like to sleep, but you can't. We need you to stay awake, at least for the next hour while we try to find a way to help you recover," Dallas said as she rubbed my face gently.

Axel hooked me up to a heart rate monitor, a supply of oxygen ready beside me. Axel told me that it was just a safety precaution and that I may not even need it. Rio and Javier returned with extra blankets and pillows.

"We weren't sure what you would like, so we brought both heavy and light blankets as well as stiff and soft pillows," Javier said.

Rio smiled warmly, hiding his fear behind it. Rio laid the pillows beside my bed and Javier put the blankets at my feet for easy access. I smiled as a weak "thank you" slipped through my lips. Ryne called everyone over to the side. They talked amongst themselves, but I wasn't able to understand what they were saying. They talked quietly, practically whispering. I looked up at the heart rate monitor. I managed to see two numbers, eight and zero. My heart rate was a bit high, but after what just happened, I am not surprised. My throat started to become dry again. I looked around the room for some water. My search stopped at the bottle of water from the living room. It was too far for me to reach from where I was. The other's attention was focused elsewhere at the moment and my voice was disappearing by the minute. I had to get it myself. I grabbed the monitor and swung my legs over the side of the bed. Axel's voice broke my concentration. I looked up to see everyone staring at me.

"Water," I said, forcing the word out.

Ryne looked at me with a smile. He turned his attention to the bottle of water that sat on the counter. The bottle slowly moved up and through the air before crashing to the floor.

"I can't even move a simple bottle without failing," he groaned as he rolled his eyes. He walked over, picked up the bottle, and handed it to me before apologizing. "I shouldn't be complaining. It's just a superpower, I mean, you have it the worst out of us all."

I chugged the water quickly and smiled. "It isn't just a superpower," I paused to give the water a moment to soothe my throat. "It is a part of who you are, of who you all are."

"We know, but an ability isn't the same as a life, your life," Rio said. The others nodded in agreement.

Ryne helped me settle back into bed. As I got comfortable, Dallas put a cup of saltwater beside my bed. I remembered what my mother told me: swish then spit, don't swallow. I was never in a condition as extreme as this while growing up. Now, I am weak and tired. My vision is blurry, my hair is falling out, my voice works when it wants to. I sit and watch my friends, my family, suffer and stress. I watch them constantly worry and panic. I know that no matter what I say, things won't change. They will still be frightened, panicked, sorry. I want to help them, I want to help them so badly, but at the moment, there is nothing I can do but wait for Omnicius to send me another clue. Right now, that isn't doing much but cause even more worry, fear, and panic. This isn't a situation I know how to deal with, this is a situation for my parents.

But they aren't here.

I so badly wish for my parents to be here, to coach me, to be here by my side while I lay here in pain not knowing if I am going to live or not. Not knowing if I am going to let everyone down, let Omnicius down. Not knowing if I am going to fail. I want them next to me, telling me to stay strong as they gently rub my forehead before kissing it. My dad would be holding my hand as I gazed into his warm, brown eyes. My mom would be resting her hand on my stomach as I rested my free hand over hers. I looked over at Axel who was getting comfortable in a chair beside my bed after offering to stay and keep me company. I turned my attention to the ceiling, the white and plain ceiling. Memories of my parents flooded in. My first dance recital when I was eight, the time my mother and I had a surprise cake for my dad's huge job promotion when I was eleven, when my parents gave me a bunny for my thirteenth birthday, my high school graduation, when I got accepted into my dream college. I was reminded of everything good I left behind. I closed my eyes and smiled as tears started to fall down my cheek. I felt Axel take hold of my hand.