The Aldean Chronicles: Spotlight (Part 2)

Passed out three times in seven months. I think I've broken Illyria's record.

The room is very bright when I wake up. I struggle to keep my eyes open and make out a lot of white coats around me. They move into action and multiple things are being done at once.

Someone is checking my heart rate. Another is taking blood. Another is physically checking the pulse on my wrist. And one is asking me questions.

His voice is muffled.

I drift back to sleep.

***

The next time I wake up, the experience isn't too different.

I'm only awake for a few seconds.

***

"don't.. think about it...Fre..." I can't make out all the words.

"...not stupid. Sebastian...should...her." A different voice says.

I lay still. My joints ache and every movement hurts.

"She may never wake up." The voices are clearer now. That's definitely my aunt.

"So we'll do what? Send a body back to her mother?" Seb's voice is raised.

"Well, obviously that's not ideal." Aunt Freya sounds frustrated. "I'm as devasted as you are, Seb. But it's been weeks."

"The doctor said..."

Aunt Freya scoffs. "Do you really think he'll tell the most powerful man in the country his daughter is going to die?"

I tune them out and go back to peaceful sleep.

***

The next time I wake up, I hear no one in my room. I sigh softly. Finally, peace.

When I open my eyes, I almost smile. It's night and all the lights are off. This is very ideal.

I'm in a proper hospital room. I can't count how many machines I'm hooked up on.

I try to sit up and a flare of pain shoots through my back.

Wow, this truly is my worst low. For now.

I struggle and am able to sit up slightly.

The door opens and I close my eyes and go still.

There's some shuffling going around. I open my eyes slightly and notice the housekeeper.

She has headphones on and is wiping every surface of the room.

I wait till she's wiping my headrest till I open my eyes.

She screams and jumps back.

I smile even though it hurts.

She curses and tries to catch her breath.

When she finally does, she rings the bell for the doctor.

The doctor and a nurse rush in and she scowls at them.

She gives me one last look before leaving, with a new phobia, I'm sure.

They see my soft smile and piece two and two together.

"Dr. Tilly was right." The woman in the white coat says. "You do have a sense of humor."

I try to talk but my mouth is dry.

"I'll contact your family right now." The nurse assures and leaves the room. The doctor begins taking my vitals.

My family arrives sooner than I gave them credit for.

Grey curses when he sees me. "What the fuck, Cass?" He exhales. "You have to stop doing this."

I roll my eyes and regret it instantly. When will everything stop hurting?

Grey gives me a hug and I groan. "Sorry," he sniffs and pulls away.

Kat is crying. She hugs me as well and I groan. "Sorry," she whimpers.

Aunt Freya adjusts my damp hair. "I'm" happy you're alright, Cassandra."

I wonder if her telling Seb to pull my life support was a dream.

Seb steps forward. His eyes are red. He's unable to speak. He gives me a hug as well.

Do these people not hear me groaning in pain?

Kat sits on the edge of my bed and arranges my hair. "We were so scared. When Arin and Mavis found you..."

I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

Aunt Freya curses. "Those idiots. How could they have lost sight of you?"

I feel bad. I shouldn't have run away. Now Mavis is in trouble because of me.

Seb checks his phone.

"Lilian is happy you're alright. She would have been here but she's in Brimstone."

I stare out the window. Is it still night? Or is my vision messed up?

"It's 4 am," Kat says. "Aunt Lilian is staying in school now. As a show of good faith. With the two attacks, people were losing faith."

Grey sits on my other side. "Oh and congratulations, Cassie. You did what I never could. Got me out of school forever."

They see the confusion on my face. Before either can respond, Aunt Freya answers.

"The three of you are all too high risk. Last semester was your final. I moved Greyson into the Palace and you all have new extensively vetted private tutors."

I close my eyes. I kind of wish I died these past few weeks. Or however long I was unconscious. At least then, I wouldn't be alive to never leave Aunt Freya's side.

"With two attacks in that school," she shudders. "That place is clearly not safe."

Seb sighs into his hands. "And we still don't know what they want with you."

My mind kicks into high gear and I remember the bag. She had it on her when she...well, tried to kill me.

There's no way they didn't search her after what happened.

They must have seen the documents.

Arin.

I try to say his name and start coughing. Kat searches for something to give me.

"Here." She holds a small baster over my mouth. I stop coughing and she squeezes something sweet in my mouth. It slides down my throat.

I wait till I'm sure I can speak.

"Arin." My voice is barely audible.

"Tristan?" Kat's eyes light up. "He's been by to see you as much as he can. Should I call him?"

I shake my head and wince at the pain. I think my neck is the sorest spot in my body.

"Arin, Arin, Arin." I force out.

I choke again and Kat gives me more liquids.

"I think she wants Arin." Grey guesses.

I nod my head.

"Oh," Kat sighs. "I'll call him. It's a Sunday. He should be here later today."

I sigh contently and close my eyes. I immediately feel the pull toward peaceful silence.

"We'll be by later," Kat places a warm hand on my forehead.

I say nothing and fall asleep some seconds later.

***

I only open my eyes when Arin comes into the room.

He's wearing all black. It makes his skin paler, and his dark hair and eyes stand out.

He visibly relaxes when he sees me. His shoulders ease slightly and light comes back into his eyes.

He sits on the chair beside my bed and lets the doctors carry on with their work.

He doesn't take his eyes off me. I can't read the expression on his face. That's odd. His face is usually etched with a scowl. A nice deep scowl that highlights his high cheekbones.

Arin releases a deep breath when the doctors are gone.

"Wow, Cass. You look..."

"Don't." My voice is slowly coming back. I can manage three words at a time now.

"Shit." He exhales into his hands. "It's been five weeks, and I still can't get that image out of my head." His voice is low. "You weren't breathing, and you weren't moving, and your pulse was so low." He rubs his eyes and says, in an even softer voice, "I thought I'd lost you."

"Arin..."

"I had never been so scared in my life."

The only sound in the room for the next two minutes is the machines in the background.

"How did you..." I cough. "Find me."

"You didn't text me back. It had been fifteen minutes since you promised you'd see me. I went to check on you in your hostel." He shakes his head slowly. "I went up to your room. Mavis was freaking out when she realized you weren't in your dorm room. She wondered where you were and I suggested the library and your Fire class."

"Old."

"What?"

"Not. Anymore." That three-syllable word took away my breath.

"Oh, yeah. You're being homeschooled now. That was big news." He says absently.

I huff. Who cares if that was big news among Aldeans?

I sit up straighter in bed and brace myself for the next question.

"Bag." I cough.

His face grows darker. "I was checking for an antidote in her bag. And I saw the papers."

"Cara. Evil."

He scoffs. "Yeah, I figured that out when I walked in."

I curse him for making me laugh. My ribs are nowhere close to ready.

His face melts and he cracks a small smile. "Yeah, I stuffed them up my shirt while Mavis was searching the drawers."

I smile softly at him. "Thanks."

The warmth in his face disappears and he looks livid again. "Don't thank me. Cass, this thing is bigger than the two of us. If we didn't find you when we did..." He can't finish the sentence.

He runs his hands through his dark hair. "I need you to stop giving me scares. I can't keep wondering if you're never going to wake up again." His eyes are slowly getting red.

He leans down and gives me a soft kiss on my gaunt cheek. He retracts himself and sighs "I couldn't live with myself if you died."

I can't take my eyes off his face. I've never seen Arin so agitated before.

I sniff and nod my head slowly.

We both say nothing else. He just holds my bony hands till the doctor tells him to leave.

***

After a week, I'm allowed to go home.

"Short walks, not to be left unattended, physical therapy three times a day. And I'll be by to check on her every three days." The doctor recites to Keri.

"Of course, doctor." Keri smiles at her. "Come on, Cass. Let's get it over with."

I use the wheelchair to the ground floor.

"You can take Grey's hand and he'll help you to the car."

My aunt forbade me from using the wheelchair in public. I can't even use a Zimmer frame.

She said Harringtons project strength. I swear to every supernatural being, I will murder her. The second I get my full strength back, I will murder her.

Keri walks me to the door.

Once I step out, Grey puts his arm around my shoulder.

"There you are," he whispers.

There are a lot more people than I was expecting.

There are also a lot of photographers.

I can't make out the shouts. I think they're all positive. People are carrying signs and crying and yelling.

That coupled with all the flashes is very disorienting.

I give them my warmest smile and count the steps to the car. As soon as I'm in and the door is closed, I slump on the leather seat.

Grey gets in front and sighs. "You did well."

"Thanks. Remind me to set our bitch aunt on fire." A good thing about having my speech back is I can insult Freya.

"I'll put it on my calendar." He pulls out of the pick-up zone behind an array of black cars.

He puts on one of my playlists and I have my eyes closed the whole ride to the Palace.

There are as many people here as in the hospital. But even more photographers.

"You can disintegrate her now if you want," Grey says.

I sit up and see my aunt waiting on the bottom step.

She's dressed in a light pink suit and smiling warmly.

"You're joking." I roll my eyes.

Grey parks directly in front of her.

I open my car door, take a deep breath and get ready to go up the main steps.

Grey appears at my side and my aunt gives him a look.

She hugs me and wraps an arm around my waist.

The photographers go crazy.

"Come on, dear." She urges. I take one painful step after the other. This takes longer than necessary. I swear they added more steps since I was last here.

After two painstaking hours (I'm assuming), we get to the top.

"You should wave." She whispers.

"I can barely move."

"Wave," she says through her teeth.

I turn back and look at the crowd.

I muster a smile and give a little wave.

The crowd cheers loudly from outside the gates, and the photographers take as many pictures as they can.

My aunt helps me past the door, out of the first room, and into the second.

I fall on the first couch I see.

"You are going to hell," I tell her.

She rolls her eyes. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my study." And she leaves.

Keri produces my wheelchair. I slap her hand away and help myself to it. Grey pushes me to the elevator, then down the hall to my bedroom.

All my things from the manor are here.

"To the rest of our miserable lives," I mumble. "We're never leaving this building, are we?"

Grey doesn't comment on that. "I have a class with my tutor." He leaves as well.

I roll the wheelchair to my bed and ease myself onto the mattress.

"I heard you were here." Seb is at my open door. "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful."

"Figured."

I sit up in bed. "Do you live here now?"

"Not officially. But with all my late hours, and Lilian being at work, I spend a lot of nights in my old bedroom."

"Lilian's at home on weekends. Today's Friday, maybe you can go home tonight." I suggest.

Seb is silent for a long time. "Yeah." He closes the door behind him.