Miranda [Watty Awards 2013]

Chapter 9

"Alexa?"

            The voice came from far away, barely reaching me in the sea of darkness. I mumbled something and tried moving my arm, but only succeeded in raising my fingers. I was so tired. I could barely breathe.

            Was I even alive right now?

            Alive.

            With a gasp, my eyes flew open, scaring back a person looming over me. I was back in the park, where I'd first started chasing the shadow woman. Leaves were stuck all along my back, my skirt high enough to make me notice. I smoothed it back down absently.

            That woman. I'd seen her before.

            "Mimi," I whispered.

            "What?" a voice said beside me. "Who's Mimi?"

            I jumped and scrambled backwards, before I realized who it was. Jack was knocked back on the ground from when I'd scared him, in his school uniform. The top three buttons of his shirt were open, tie loosened, a necklace bearing a tribal symbol dangling around his neck. He was definitely out of classes; they were strict about the dress code.

            "Jack," I said, my voice cracking from my sore throat. "What are you doing here?"

            I couldn't say I wasn't surprised to see him popping up here, but it made me suffer another stab of anxiety. That was two times now. What all had Jack seen? Anything? Did he know who had attacked me?

            A wave of pain swept over me, reminding me that I did have an injury. Pressing a palm to the side of my head, it came away with partially-dried blood, leaving my temple throbbing. My white shirt was spattered with blood. I looked like a gunshot victim, and felt like one too.

            "I should ask you the same thing," Jack said, looking me up and down. He did that often. "What the hell happened to you?"

            I didn't meet his eyes, trying painfully to clamber to my feet. "Accident."

            My feet began to slide under me, knees buckling with my slight weight, and before I knew it I was being pulled back to the ground. My mind jerked a few times, my eyes not seeing things right. When it passed, I was in Jack's arms, keeping me upright.

            "Whoa, Lex, slow down." He seemed a little freaked out, but wasn't about to show it. "You should probably tell me what went down."

            I brushed the leaves out of my hair, upset that I couldn't support myself on my own legs. "Nothing. Did you skip too?"

            He blinked. "What are you talking about? You skipped yesterday. It's Tuesday afternoon."

            Alright, so I'd been here for an entire day. It shocked me a bit, but I held tight to my composure. At least Jack had been the one to find me, and not, say, whoever had hit me. The bad news was Jack definitely hadn't seen them. The good news was I'd been left alive, somehow.

            I knew it was because of Grim. He had intervened at some point or another. There was no doubt in my mind that I would be dead right now it not for him. Yet another thing I owe him for.

            Jack was staring at me, trying to figure it out. "Let me take you to my place."

           I immediately pulled away, objection at the tip of my tongue. Jack saw it coming and took a step closer, closing the distance I'd created, mock innocence written all over his face. I could see through it like glass.