I lay in bed, collecting my thoughts. I didn't know what to feel. Hell, I didn't even know what to think. The only thing betraying my prone figure were my eyes. Wide open, from the moment I awoken.
Everlore is real.
Everlings are bad.
Everlings are good.
Some want to kill us.
The rest wants to use us.
I bit down on my lip till I tasted the tang of blood and I relished the pain. I always wanted to think there was more to life, and now that it's been presented to me, I find it hard to believe. Maybe I'm in shock. Maybe.
I reach for my phone and glance at the time, it's past 9. I'm late for school, but what does that matter? It was laughable, almost. There were creatures out there thirsting for us, wanting to recruit us... And we're wasting time trying to figure out algebra and fractions?
In a fit of worry, I dial Hady's number.
She doesn't answer.
I leap out of bed and find a sharp tip pressed against my waist. I draw the knife out and let it fall on my dresser before leaping into the shower. A force of habit. I hurry myself along, rushing through human motions while calling for a car. It's going to cost me, but my friend's life is priceless. In between moments, I try for Cam but neither does he pick up.
had n cam not pickin up
headin ovr
u? awake?
I send a flurry of texts to Daniel, hoping that he got away safe last night. Hoping I'm not the only one left awake.
The car arrives at the exact moment it was estimated to, with a notification running through the house alerting me of its arrival. I rush out and get into the automated cab, tapping my phone against the sensor.
"Safety harness must be worn for all passengers." A pleasant voice rang out and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. First of all, it was a one-seater so there is no plural. Just one passenger. Secondly, they have sensors for basically everything and this lump of junk can't even figure out I've got my butt sat down and it's safe to belt me in? So much for technology.
I pushed a button on the side of the door and waited as the harness fastened me to the seat.
"The estimated time of arrival is 9:35AM." It said before taking off. I suppose some people find the thrill of jetting off with virtually no traffic. The cab lines were built individually, apart from the actual roads for vehicles. But what I hate the most about them is how jarring it can be.
Cabs use maglev, so since there's nothing holding them in place aside from magnetic force, cabs can and do cross paths. This means that, paired with their anti-collision radar, the cabs practically jump over each other to avoid hitting other cabs. Thankfully, it doesn't happen very often as the speeds are pretty constant, but when it does: jarring. It is freaking annoying because one second you're level with the ground and suddenly you're playing leapfrog at 80 miles an hour.
The bright side is that I'll get to Hady's place in record time. 2 minutes, on the dot.
"Have a pleasant day." The voice called out as I alighted. Daniel hasn't replied, but it's only been 2 minutes... I run towards the back and found the window I wanted easily. I slid it open and found the spare key hidden in the pocket of a decoration. Drunken nights remained untarnished by parental disapproval thanks to this gem.
I let myself in through the back door and heard soft sobbing from the top landing, stopping me where I stood. It sounded foreign. Alien.
Something kept me from making a sound and I stood there in silence, trying to make out what was happening. How did I not notice the front door was open? Why is there a white van parked right in the middle of the road?
Disbelief surged through me and the world faded to silence. Blood rushed to my head, drowning out everything else but a muffled voice, too high pitched to be Hady. I stumble towards the stairs and look up.
Hady's door was flung wide open, as was Cam's. His room filled with people.
"Oh, my baby. My baby boy. Cammy, my darling." Mrs. Stephens crooned in a low voice as a medical officer fussed over him.
Mr. Stephens stood like a statue by the door, with a tearful Hady. At the sight of her, something in my chest loosened. Relief. I could breathe again.
I didn't stand there for long before Hady noticed me.
"Alex?" First confusion, then acceptance. I gave her father a little wave and he shook his head as he went into the room to console his wife.
"I tried calling you," I hissed as she got close enough, "I was worried!"
"They got to Cam!" She wailed as softly as she could, collapsing onto me and clutching at my back.
"We'll get him back." I answered. "Have you contacted Daniel?"
She pulled herself back from me and looked me square in the eyes, fresh tears forming, "I couldn't convince my parents..." Her voice broke at the last syllable.
"They are going to write him off just like that?" I demanded.
"No, no. They..." She looked up at her parents, bent over her brother's bed. "They called an ambulance. They don't want Daniel's help. They think -" She half hiccupped and sobbed, "they think it's something else."
"What are you saying? They want to send him in for an autopsy, is that it? That's writing him off, Hady! Tell them! Tell Daniel to bring his father and explain it to them!"
She stared at me mutely, "Fuck, you're a genius."
Hady ran into her room and grabbed her phone, dialling Daniel's number no doubt. By the time she got back to me, she was speaking urgently.
I glanced down at my phone and realised I had a message.
Yes. I am. Hady has a situation with her brother. I am on standby.
He seriously has a problem. Somehow I couldn't stop a smile creeping onto my face, but the thought of Cam sobered me right up. How did we lose him? Why didn't we insist on going back, to make sure he's safe? We could have gotten him out... I looked at Hady, willing her to give me good news and she shot me a reassuring smile. That's more than I need.
Fatigue seemed to set itself in my limbs. I was crashing from an adrenaline high. I weigh my options, go upstairs and try to talk to Hady's parents? Or wait outside? What is the protocol for someone's son who has been taken by something they don't even understand? There are so many questions! I end up slumped against a wall, legs giving out under the pressure.
The everlings that took us the night before wanted us to make a choice. Fight with them or take the cure. I wanted to take the cure, but Hady felt the need to think it through. The crushing realization hit me and for a second I almost couldn't breathe: I was so close to helping her lose her brother forever.
"Okay," Hady's voice sounded far away from me, "Daniel's father suggested we let him handle it. He's not coming over, he's not going to talk to them. We'll need to let mom and dad take him away to the hospital."
Before I could protest, she added quickly in whispers, "He said he'll take it from there. He said he'll take care of it." She collapsed beside me and we sat there together as the flurry of activity seemed to forget we were there.
Paramedics rushed the house and ignored the two girls sitting against the wall, by the staircase, facing Cam's open bedroom door. Her parents didn't spare us a second thought, blindly following their instructions and for a few minutes after they were gone, we sat there in silence.
"Lucky we didn't take the cure," I whispered, wanting her to acknowledge I almost made this worse. "Sorry I was selfish."
"You can't blame yourself, I wanted to take it too. I wanted to be free of all this!"
But you hadn't been the one to suggest taking the easy way out. Your first thought was of the rest. I was selfish. The thoughts tasted like cheap excuses in my head. Hady would only reassure me further, but I didn't want to feel better. I wanted the guilt to eat at me and rot inside because I deserved it.
"What do we do now?" I ask.
"Wait for Mr. Everleigh to call." She replied.