The force of Tony

Chapter 2: Patiently waiting

Come on Brooke! You need to wake up! You need to........ Yo. Didn't see yah there. Lanier speaking. As you can probably tell, Brooke hasn't woken up yet. Every so  often, her heart monitor goes through the roof and she starts screaming. But this only lasts for a few minutes and she returns to normal. God, I wish she would wake up. I miss her so much, not to mention she's missed a lot of things. But what do I tell her first: that her parents are dead, that her sister has powers, that her sister had a boyfriend (This will probably be the thing she spots first). The trouble is, we don't know if she will remember anything..... I mean, from before the experiments. Javier changed so much of her we don't know if anything is left. I guess all I can do is hope.

*beeping noise*

Oh shit! There goes her monitor again. I better fix it. I leap out of my chair and rush to the other side of the bed, reaching for the monitor. Her heart-rate is 150 BPM! HOLY CRAP!

"BROOKE! YOU NEED TO WAKE UP! BROOKE!"

SHE HAS STARTED FITTING. HER WHOLE BODY IS SHAKING. OH GOD SHE HASN'T DONE THAT BEFORE! WAIT SHE'S STOPPED. Her body has gone completely still. I can't see her chest rising or falling anymore. Oh no no no no you are not dying on me now. Where are those FRICKING nurses when you need them?

"Brooke! FOR GOD SAKES WAKE UP!"

SHE SPRINGS UP INTO A SITTING POSITION, TAKING A GULP OF AIR HAS SHE DOES SO. HER EYES ARE WIDE AND BLUE:

"Lanier........ Where am I?"

****

I open the training hall door. By god does it smell in here. When was the last time this place was cleaned? I can hear someone shouting whilst panting- they sound exhausted. I walk in slowly, trying not to make a sound. I can see Ettie in the middle, twisting and kicking dummies, throwing in a few punches. Aura wasn't kidding, Ettie really does look rough: her hair is completely matted with sweat. The whites of her eyes are faded red and her hands..... Well, let's just say they're worst than ever. If she doesn't let them heal, she'll have no flesh left on them. I'm a few feet behind her:

"Ettie! It's me, Tiffany. I need to talk to you"

She turns around slowly, flicking her fringe off her face by shaking her head to the side. Sweat begins to drip off it, it's particularly pouring. She's staring at me; actually, it's more like staring through me. It's like she can't see me at all.

"Ettie...... When was the last time you had a shower? I mean, by god do you stink?"

(I thought some humour might bring her back around)
"Tiffany! What is happening to me?"

She takes a few steps towards me, collapsing onto her knees as she gets closer. I manage to catch her just before her body hits the ground (She's heavier than she looks).

"It's okay...... You're grieving. I am too"
"Please help me"

She's crying into my lap. I stroke her hair. It's damp from all of the sweat. Ewww...... No! Don't think like that now. Your cousin is crying in your lap. Man up!

"I will....... First things first, you need a nice long shower."
"Okay"

I grab her hands and help her to her feet. She's making a moaning noise. Oh yeah! I'm touching her knuckles. I quickly move my fingers away and grab her wrists instead. I walk her to her room and she gets into the shower. Her room is a bigger tip than mine. Except the bed; the bed looks completely untouched. Where has she been sleeping then...... Ohhhh! I forgot she hasn't been sleeping. Clearly she hasn't been cleaning either: all her clothes are on the floor. Some of the tops have been ripped in half. One of her wardrobe doors is hanging off the hinges. And her mirror has been smashed. Poor Ettie...... I really have been too focused on finding Javier. The bathroom door opens and Ettie enters the room. She looks a little better. She sits at her dressing table. I brush and dry her hair. It's so soft to the touch (I really need to find out what conditioner she uses one of these days), like stroking a silk throw. Once dried, she brushes it out:

"No pony tail today?"
"I can't be arsed"

Before I can respond, Aura particularly batters the door down as she enters.

"Aura, what is it?"

"It's Brooke....... She's awake!"

Me and Ettie look at each other. Is that a spark of happiness in her eyes? I can't tell- she's always been good at hiding her emotions. We all leave Ettie's room and head straight for the hospital....