Chapter 12
I floated in darkness for I don’t know how long. It could have been days, months, even years. Time was nonexistent. Was this what death was like? Would I just float here in this dark void forever?
I heard a voice but it sounded like it was a million miles away. I stretched out my arms and kicked my legs, trying to get closer to it. There it was again, it was saying my name. Calling to me. I tried desperately to get to that voice, clawing the air in front of me. Eventually the voice called out again and it sounded closer than before. I kept clawing and clawing, getting ever closer to the familiar voice. After what felt like a thousand years of clawing and kicking, I found the voice.
My eyes shot open but I had to squeeze them shut again just as fast to avoid being blinded by the insanely bright light that was shining down on me. I decided to take a slower course of action this time and I saw Sam leaning over me. When we locked eyes his whole form slumped with relief.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” he said, his overwhelming relief leaking into his voice.
My brow furrowed in confusion at his words. “Yeah I’m okay.” I replied hesitantly. “But… What exactly happened?”
“You mean you don’t remember?” he questioned, his eyes widening.
I started to shake my head but then it all came flooding back to me. I killed two people. I saved Sam. Some of our own died.
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.” I said, putting my head in my hands. All the images of that night kept rushing through my head over and over. I pulled my knees to my chest while whispering, “I killed them.”
“Don’t do that.” Sam scolded as he pulled me into his arms. “You had to. You didn’t have a choice.” He whispered gently.
“Nooooo.” I moaned. I sounded like a wounded animal. “I-I-I drew it out. I-I w-wanted them to s-suffer.” I stammered. I had started shaking so badly my teeth were chattering.
“It was the heat of the moment. You didn’t know what you were doing.” Sam said, trying to reassure me. It wasn’t working.
Then I suddenly remembered something. I had been stabbed. I thought I had died. I wiggled out of Sam’s grasp, stood up and yanked the hem of my shirt up. In place of the lethal wound I had sustained before I blacked out was a thin, slightly raised, pink scar.
I felt my eyes practically falling out of my head. “Oh yeah, I can explain that.” Sam said gesturing to the little scar that used to be a gaping wound.
“Oh can you now?!” I said, my voice raising a good 5 octaves higher than it’s supposed to be.
“Yeah.” He said while taking a deep breath. “I did it.”
I stared at him incredulously, waiting for the punch line but his face held no humor. “You…” I said, pointing at him. Then I pointed at the scar, “Did this?”
“Yes.” He said simply, bobbing his head up and down.
“Well…” I said hesitantly, “Care to explain how?!”
“Um I don’t actually know how I did it” he said but at my expression he rushed on to tell the rest of the story, “Well after you had been stabbed and I saw you fall… with all that blood… I just couldn’t take it. I acted on instinct by putting my hands on your wound… and you just… healed!”
“Soooo… you healed me, made me good as new.” I stated and he nodded. I started to pace, trying to let it all sink in.
I stopped pacing and stared Sam dead in the eye. “Ok.” I said simply.
“Ok?” He questioned and I nodded.
“So where are we?” I asked, just now realizing we were no longer in the cafeteria.
“Well you can imagine the warzone it is so I moved you in here so I could wait for you to wake up.” He answered.
“How long was I out?” I questioned.
“Not long.” He said, “About a day maybe?”
“Ok, a day. That’s fine. What about everyone else? Ari and Seth? How many of ours dead? How many injured?” I fired the questions at him.
“Um Ari and Seth are fine, three dead, some minor wounds but nothing life threatening.” He answered easily.
I had been looking around the room while he was talking trying to remember the details of the dream I had had the night of the big battle. Everything had gotten so crazy so fast I never got to investigate my theory that the dream was real. There was only one way to find out. I walked over to the door, opened it and stepped out into the deserted hallway. Sam followed me asking what I was doing but I ignored him. I pressed my thumb in the exact spot the woman in my dream did and waited.
A green laser identical to the one in my dream scanned my finger from inside the wall and I gasped. It was real. I stepped back and stared at the spot the laser had appeared, my eyes as round as saucers.
“How did you-“Sam stammered quietly. Even though he wasn’t speaking very loud his voice sounded loud and unnatural in the deserted hallway and I jumped.
“I dreamt about it…” I replied so quietly I was surprised he even heard me.
“So… What? You can tell the future now too? Well along with being able to blow people’s heads off with the power your mind and all.” He said.
I glared at him pointedly for a few moments but he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice so I just sighed and said, “I can’t predict the future. I think it was a memory or something.” Then I muttered to myself, “A memory I can’t remember…”
“hmmm…” he mumbled to himself. I watched his brow furrow as he thought. I silently observed him and tried to sort out my feelings for him while he sorted out… whatever it was he was thinking about. He was handsome, smart, strong, nice, and protective. What was there not to like? And when I saw him lying helpless on the ground… I knew I couldn’t lose him. I wonder what that means. Ugh feelings are so confusing.
We didn’t stay like that for long until he turned to look at me and caught me staring. I expected to feel a blush spread across my cheeks but for some reason I didn’t feel embarrassed. Maybe it was because he was staring at me a lot different than when I was just observing him. Wait he’s starting to walk towards me. Is he going to kiss me? Have I ever even kissed anyone? What if I don’t know how? What if I make a fool of myself?
My questions must have been written on my forehead with magic marker because when he got so close the tips of our shoes rubbed together and his breath made my hair stir he leaned down and whispered, “You think too much.” His lips were three inches away. Two inches. One… my eyes had slid shut on their own accord and I felt his smooth lips brush mine so softly for all I know I could’ve imagined it. His hands slid up to hold my waist lightly and my hands clasped themselves around his neck.
I didn’t (couldn’t) think of anything else. The whole world drifted away. It was only me and him. We were the only ones in the world……….
At least that was true until shouting coming from the direction of the cafeteria brought the entire world flooding back.
I heard Sam heave a huge sigh as he rested his forehead against mine. “Should we go?” he asked.
I sighed too then but kept my eyes closed when I responded, “Yes.” I couldn’t keep the disappointment out of my voice. And with a small chuckle from Sam he took my hand and led the way to the cafeteria with me trailing behind.