I woke up to the sound of machines beeping. I slowly opened my eyes because of the light. I blinked a few times before looking around. I noticed Cole playing on his iPad. Here's the kicker. He wasn't in the chair, but cuddled next to me. Cole was resting on my uninjured shoulder while pressing the keys.
"What you playing, buddy?"
Cole gasped and turned to me. He flung his iPad on the ground. More than likely that guy broke it. He then launched himself on top of me. I grunted as he hugged me tightly. He cried and told me never to scare him like that again. I sadly smiled and rubbed his back. Cole kept stating that I kept dying. I rolled my eyes because he can be a bit dramatic.
A passing nurse spotted us and hurried away. I'm assuming she went to get the doctor. Cole was stating that he was all alone when the cops showed up. He was terrified and wouldn't let them in, so they kicked down the door. My eyes softened because he was terrified and thought someone was kidnapping him. I wrapped an arm around him as he shook.
"Emma!" Mom raced inside. "You're awake." Her eyes watered.
"Omg, you're alright." Dad sighed and held a hand to his chest.
"Hi-" I began to violently cough.
"Drink some water." Mom rushed and held the straw to my mouth.
I sipped the water and nodded. The doctor came in and ran a few tests. I noticed my arm was bandaged and it felt numb. He explained how they had to use the defibrillator twice. And then mom had to give me mouth to mouth a few times. What the fuck happened when I blacked out?! I held Cole even tighter since I could only imagine his fear. I then found out I was out for like 4 days. Whaaaaaaaa? Guess I had a lovely sleep.
They kept me a few more hours since they knew mom and she'd be attending to me. Dad offered to get me all my favorite foods since he was so relieved that I was okay. I chuckled and had them order like everything off the Mexican food truck. We went home and had a nice family meal. Cole refused to move from my side and even slept with me.
The next day, mom banned me from leaving the house. She stated that she'd only leave for work if I'd promise to stay home. I promised while crossing my fingers behind my back. I waited 30 minutes after she left to go to work. Hey, I was unconscious for a few days, so I wanna go and socialize with people. I carefully pulled my shirt over my head and made my way to Maryland.
When I got to the lab, Justin rushed me. He began freaking out because he couldn't get in contact with me. He stated that he kept calling and texting. And that's when I realized I was phoneless. I groaned at having to get a new one or I'd just have to go and somehow find it in the park. I explained to Justin what happened and he was awestruck. I bonked him on the nose and told him it hurt. He snickered and went to touch my shoulder, so I slapped his hand away.
"You're back." Brody jogged to me. "What happened?"
"Wolf attack." I chuckled. "Was in the hospital for a few days."
"Didn't think you'd survive that."
"Ya, neither did the staff. I kept flatlining or something. I don't know." I winced from the raw bite.
"Hmm... guess you'll heal relatively soon." Brody smugly smiled.
"What made you a tasty wolf snack?" Justin teased.
"I'd like to know that as well. I was just sitting under a tree and it attacked me." I flung my hands around. "Like why bite me?!"
"Perhaps, to make a point." Brody shrugged.
"A point?" I tilted my head.
"I don't know. Maybe it was to get a rise out of someone else." He shrugged.
"You know how wolves think?!" Justin's eyes widened.
"I'm well acquainted with them actually." Brody nodded.
"Cool!"
Justin ran off to tell everyone about my wolf attack. I rolled my eyes and went to leave, but Brody grabbed my hand. He made sure no one was looking before speaking.
"If you need anything, feel free to come to me. If you feel weird or like something doesn't feel right, I'm here. Come find me." He sternly nodded.
"Ooookay."
"And I mean whenever something feels out of the ordinary, come and find me." He smirked and stepped back. "I'm sure you're gonna be in for a wild ride." He then left.
I thought what he said was a but weird, but the only thought occupying my mind was seeing Lena. I wanted to apologize and talk to her about the mystery message. I went to her office, but the receptionist stopped me. She informed me that Lena would be gone for 2 weeks. I was shocked, but she explained it was a work trip tour. She'd be visiting multiple countries in Europe. I sighed since I didn't even know her number, so it's not like I could call her. I thanked the receptionist and went to my desk.
I did a few things on my computer before going to the lab. As I turned the corner, I bumped into someone. The thing was that I hit him with my injured shoulder. My gut reaction was to clutch my shoulder. What shocked me was that I'd didn't feel any pain. I scrunched my brows and went to the bathroom. No one was inside, so I peeled off the bandage. My jaw dropped since my wound looked perfectly healed. You couldn't even see a scar. I touched where the injury happened and no pain at all. They told me it'd take around a month to heal since the puncture was so deep.
I heard someone coming, so I quickly threw out my bandage. I expected them to open the door since I could hear them. I was standing for around 2 minutes before the person opened the door. She jumped as I sent her an awkward smile I then scuttled around her and left. How'd I hear her when she wasn't close by at all? And it's not like her footsteps were loud at all.
I finished up my work and went home. Mom was cooking and looked irritated. I nervously hugged and kissed her cheek. She told me to get ready for dinner. I cheekily skipped away. I should've known she'd come home earlier to make sure I was alright. A few minutes later, dad arrived. He smiled and kissed my head.
"Surprise." He handed me a new phone.
"You got me a new one?!"
"Ya, the police found your old phone, but it was broken. I guess the wolf stepped on it." He shrugged.
"Gotcha. Thank you- did you have Oreos?"
"Ya, how'd you know?" He wiped his mouth.
"Nothing there. It's just that your fingers smelled like Oreos for some reason." I chuckled.
"That's weird. There's no residue." He observed his hand.
"I don't know. Dinner time though!"
"Colton!" Dad called for him.
"He's sneaking candy." I snickered.
"Right before dinner? Seriously?" He whined. "Did you see him?"
"No, can't you hear him opening the wrappers?" I laughed and walked away.
"No." Dad spoke. "I must be getting old." He scratched his head. "How loud is he opening wrappers if you can hear him all the way from downstairs?"
"Ask him." I spoke over my shoulder.
Cole came bundling down the stairs. He ran towards the table, but dad caught him by the back of his shirt.
"No candy before dinner. You know this."
"How'd you know?!" Cole whined. "I made sure to wipe the candy off my tongue!"
"Your sister snitched." Dad smirked.
"Huh? How'd you know?!" Cole wiggled free. "No one saw me sneak them to my room."
"Be quieter when opening the wrappers." I'm advised.
"I was. I opened it under a pillow to stifle the noise. That makes no sense how-"
"Okay, enough everyone." Mom set the food on the table. "Cole, no candy before dinner. Emma, sit and relax please."
We began to eat our steak and converse. Dad asked me about my progress with gathering intel from Cobalt Enterprise. Truth be told, I completely forgot about that task. I just told him that everyone was secretive and did everything according to the FDA. Dad kept pushing and I tried deflecting. My attention was fully on him, but I heard something touch my plate. Without turning, I reached out and caught Cole's wrist.
"Damn, you have spider senses." Dad laughed while Cole groaned.
"Don't steal my food." I smirked at my brother.
"How'd you see? Your back was completely turned." He pouted.
"Spider senses." I leaned close to him.
My parents and I laughed at Cole. Dad dropped the topic and began asking me about the soccer game. I excitedly told him about how our team won and how the top scorer did so many fancy moves. He chuckled and told me that he'd make an effort to watch the next high school game with me. I grinned and rested my head on his shoulder.
X
Amanda and I were walking down the halls as she chatted my ear off. She was speaking about something totally niche and I had no idea what the hell she was speaking about. What did catch my attention was her smell.
"Amanda, have you been hanging out with Jaden?" She stopped talking and looked at me in shock.
"Why? What'd he tell you?!"
"He didn't say anything, but you basically confirmed it. Now, spill." I smirked.
"Okay, so like we're hanging out. Like a lot. But, not just hanging out. Hanging out hanging out. Get it?"
"Not in the slightest." I hugged myself as we walked.
"Like we're getting closer and stuff, but we're really close. I'm vibing with him."
"And Neel?"
"Done and dusted." She wiped her hands. "Though, he was really good in bed." Amanda nearly drooled at the thought.
"Amanda!" I snapped.
"Oh! I'm here!" She jumped up and down. "But, ya Jaden and I are just hanging."
"Okay." I chuckled.
"How'd you know?"
"I can smell him on you." I snickered.
"Really?" She sniffed her shirt. "I don't smell him and he doesn't wear cologne."
"I don't know, I just do." I shrugged and continued walking.
Amanda quickly moved and flung her phone out her hand. Instinctively, I reached out and caught it. I then handed it back to her.
"Wow, cool ninja powers dude." She thanked me. "You sure you're not a secret spy."
"I wish." We laughed and continued walking.