The Infinity Trilogy

Chapter 2

 Chapter 2

When I started to wake up, I could hear beeping from around me.  There were also people whispering in the room.  I couldn’t tell what they were saying, only bits and pieces.  I heard ‘Dr. Fitzpatrick’ and ‘institution’ a lot, but I didn’t know what they were talking about.

I took a deep breath before opening my eyes.  The florescent lights in the room were bright and they blinded me for a moment before I could see again. 

I was in a bed in a hospital room.  My parents were sitting on the seat by the window and Alex was leaning against the wall beside them, looking out.  He seemed to be concentrating on their conversation as he looked outside.  Just then, his eyes flared as he looked down at Mom and Dad. 

“My baby sister is not going to a loony bin,” he said fiercely.  “We can deal with whatever is going on with her at home.  We can’t just throw her in there!”

“It might be her only chance at getting better,” Mom said, looking up at him. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked. 

All three of their heads swiveled toward me, eyes wide.  When they saw that I was looking back at them, they all rushed toward my bed. 

Mom sat down and took my hand.  “Oh, sweetie, are you okay?  How are you feeling?” she asked, putting her hand on my hair. 

“I’m fine now,” I said. 

I was telling the truth, too.  I felt absolutely fine.  I didn’t have a headache anymore and my back and arms felt normal. 

“What’s going on?” I asked.  “What were you guys talking just a minute ago?”

“We’ll talk about it later when the doctor comes back in a little while,” she said as she ran her fingers through my hair.

I sighed.  “Fine,” I said.  “Then how long have I been here?”

“It’s been a few hours,” Dad said. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Mom said suddenly.  “At school?”

Yeah, I remembered alright.  I still couldn’t make any sense of it.

“No,” I lied.  “I can’t remember anything.”

She sighed as she looked at me with worried eyes.  “Well, apparently you started having a fit at lunch,” she said.  “They think that it was triggered by the earthquake.  They had to sedate you because they could get you under control.  When they called us saying that they were bringing you to the hospital, we immediately rushed over.”

My eyebrows furrowed.  “We had an earthquake?” I asked. 

Was that the shaking that I felt?  So it wasn’t me who caused it, like I was thinking for some reason?  But what about all of the other things that happened, like the water and the flames in my palms?  What was that? 

I looked up at Alex when he answered.  “They said they could feel it in D.C.,” he said.  “They measured it at a seven-point-two, which is pretty strong for where we are.”

Okay, I couldn’t have done that.  I mean, no one can do that.  So I couldn’t…

“They’re saying that it messed with the air conditioner in the cafeteria also,” Mom said. 

“What about Caleb?” I asked.  “How is his hand?”

She nodded.  “They fixed it up and said that it should heal nicely,” she said.