Submit (Book 1, The Karyln Trials)

Chapter Twenty-Two

     "Adaline!" Feet pound against the ground, growing louder as they speed in the direction of August and I. "What happened?!"

Eve skids to a stop next to us and drops to the ground, I can feel her gaze scanning over my body, but I can't lift my head from August's chest. She gasps then scrambles about, looking for something. "Stars! Lincoln, bring me my bag, I need a first aid kit!"

"What are you—" August tenses and his words stop. "Ada, you're hurt!"

I giggle, exhaustion clouding my mind. "I know, the lasers didn't feel very good."

"Lasers?!" August holds me up as he looks at my leg and then looks at my face, only now noticing the burn/cut on my cheek.

I look around through half-closed eyes and notice Lincoln coming over with Eve's bag in hand. He hands the pack to Eve and she starts rummaging through it, looking for a first aid kit to put me back together. "We need to bandage her leg and apply something to her cheek so it stays clean before we go anywhere."

"I'm still stuck on how she mentioned lasers!" I almost laugh at August's crazed expression, he holds my shoulders tightly and supports me as my eyes close on their own.

"Wasn't Ada the best medic during training?" Lincoln's question makes Eve huff and glare in his direction.

"Yes, well she can't exactly bandage herself right now, can she? I'll do the best I can." Eve pulls a large white box out of her bag then clenches her fists. "August, I need you to let go of her and get one of your blankets, we need her to lay on something mostly clean so the cut doesn't get infected."

August nods and hesitantly releases my arms. I sway slightly but manage to hold myself up. Within minutes, a reflective blanket lays on the ground and I move on top of it. I look to Eve, ready for her to clean my leg but she looks to the boys.

"This is just a simple cleaning and bandaging, give her some privacy. Lincoln you can go search through the house." Lincoln nods and walks off to the house. August moves to help but I reach out and take his hand, while it's a simple cleaning, it's not going to feel good.

I pull August over and he sits down with his back to me, holding my hand. Ready, I help Eve peel the blood saturated pants down to my knees and relax into the blanket. First, she'll clean around the wound, getting whatever blood she can off my skin. Then, she'll wash the wound out with an antiseptic and bandage it.

I can feel a cool rag against my leg and the temperature soothes the searing heat the laser left behind. With each rag she uses, she wets it with cold water from her canteen then dabs along the wound, cleaning the blood from my skin. My eyes close on their own and I relax into the blanket.

Eve pauses and clears her throat, at the point of disinfecting. "Just get on with it, Eve. The sooner I can move the farther we'll get before stopping for the night." My throat is dry and my voice cracks.

Pain rips through my leg and I arch my back, hissing through the initial shock. "Don't move." I groan at Eve's words but know she's right.

I force myself to straighten my back and leg, clenching my eyes and teeth as Eve continues to clean my wound. Soon, the stinging dims and all that is left is an ache and a burning sensation. I can hear Eve looking through the kit and I breathe in a large gulp of air.

"Don't bother with any burn salve, if there was anyone at all close to us, they would've heard your screaming. We need to leave, now." I sit up and my arms tremble, struggling to hold my upper half off the ground.

"Screaming?" Eve and August share a confused look before he looks away again, but I just shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I'll explain everything either on the way or when we stop." Eve nods and starts to wrap my leg.