The Thought Keepers: Ability

Chapter 14: Lies and More Lies

I laid on the floor for a few moments, processing the fact that I was still alive. In the past few days, I had nearly died several times, but this was the first encounter with danger that left my body trembling with fear. I was so close to death just now. 

"Kara, where have you been? Why are you lying on the floor?" 

Not even Carson's voice could pull me out of my current state of petrification. I became a part of the floor, not processing words or thoughts, but simply feeling the ground beneath me. After a while, my breathing calmed and I could think again. 

"Zekara?" Carson called again, kneeling next to me. He placed a hand on my back, seeing if I would get up. Honestly, I didn't really want to. 

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Jade ask from afar.

Carson didn't answer, simply patting my back like I was a crying child. He seemed to understand my need to lie there and not say anything. "Give her a second." 

"She just disappeared without saying a word, and you want me to 'give her a second'?" Jade demanded. Carson paused, and I knew he looked at her with his searing gaze. 

"Yes," he answered shortly. "Unless you want her to have a full-blown panic attack." 

Dante piped up from wherever he was in the room. "I thought you were the empath here, Jade-  or was I mistaken?" 

"Shut up, Dante."

"He does have a point, although he's being rude about it," Hannah interjected in an even tone, silencing them both. "We can figure out what happened later. Healing her is the most immediate priority." 

"I never said it wasn't," Jade grumbled, and Hannah sighed. The three of them started bickering again, and I let my mind wander a bit as they did. All I focused on was Carson's soothing hand on my back, and the fact that I was still alive.

I figured that I had spent long enough with a face full of wooden floor, so I moved to stand. I started to wipe the dust off my face, and realized there was none. I should've been fully covered in debris and ash from the collapsing ceiling, but somehow my clothes were clean and my limbs were all in one place. Naturally, the Queen's mysterious messenger was nowhere to be found.

"Kara, where have you been? You've been gone for hours," Carson asked as soon as I could look him in the face. He stared at my shoulder, where a chilling pain was creeping in again, burning from the inside out. From his facial expression, I could tell that it didn't look good. 

"Your injury could spread if it isn't healed properly. Shadow wounds are dangerous when left unattended," Hannah informed, stepping forward to take a look at my shoulder. "Can I?" She asked, motioning towards my shirt.

"Go ahead," I granted, although the thought of baring my shoulder was kind of embarrassing. She gently tugged my shirt down to rest on my upper arm, like she was giving me a flu shot. Then she touched the area around the wound, which made me flinch a little.

"You've really irritated it. It was healing much better while you slept," Hannah chastised. She turned to Jade with a gentle smile. "Could you grab the citrine tea and the syringe for me please?"

Hannah took the tea first, handing it over to me. I scrutinized the orange liquid that resembled diluted paint and glitter water. I reminded myself that I had to drink it, just like Robitussin or any other nasty medication. Then I downed it, finding the blend pleasantly warm rather than overwhelmingly hot. 

Once I finished, Jade took the empty cup and disappeared around the corner. Dante stood against the living room wall, arms crossed and lips sealed. He watched Hannah work with curious eyes, like he was amazed at her medical expertise.