Twisted Fate

Chapter 50

Astrid

"Blair?" I knock once. Twice. Three times and she still doesn't open her bedroom door. Normally, I wouldn't barge into her house uninvited, but she missed her morning meeting with a client, and now she's missing a class with the warlocks and witches in training.

I walk down the hall and check the rooms next to hers. Empty. Worry settles in the pit of my stomach. This isn't Blair. She wouldn't ditch her responsibilities like this. I clench my fist and start pounding on the door. "Blair!"

Silence.

At this point, I don't give a rat's ass about being mannerly because the next thing I know; I march right into her bedroom. I'm half expecting to see her sleeping, but I'm surprised to find her hunched over the toilet, panting, with the bathroom door wide open.

A gasp slips from my lips when she slightly turns her head in my direction. Her tanned skin has turned a ghostly white and her eyes resemble the shade of blood. Suddenly, Blair returns to her position and vomits.

I rush to her side and my hands come up to catch her face. She can't even properly hold her head up. "Blair, what happened to you?" My voice is frantic as I balance between supporting her head and holding her hair back.

"Hurts," Blair groans, gripping the edge of the bowl. "Tt-towel... pp-please," she gestures to the cabinets. I take two cloths and run them under cold water, one for her forehead and one for her mouth. Her limbs move like jelly when she tries reaching for the cloths. She's too weak. I help clean her face and wrap her hair in a bun while she sits on the floor.

"Blair, I can feel the heat radiating off your body. We need to get you in the bathtub to lower your fever."

She shakes her head to the best of her ability. "No. hhh-hurts. Bad."

"What hurts, Blair? Tell me what I can do to help you."

She slowly lifts her trembling hand and points to her temple. "Feels...like...exploding," she whispers. Well, that's one hell of a headache.

"Can you stand up?" I ask, wrapping both arms around her tiny figure before she gets the chance to respond. At first, she seems hesitant, but after I rub her back soothingly for a few minutes, she allows me to guide her upward.

The soiled t-shirt is the first thing to go, and then we take a solid five minutes to get her bottoms down before she's naked and shivering. Another five minutes and she's fully submerged into the bath water.

"Lay your head back and put this on your forehead," I say, placing the damp cloth on her forehead. "I'll give you a few minutes to adjust to the water and then I'll help you bathe."

Blair doesn't argue with my demands. She just lays her head against the tub and closes her eyes. She's too weak and exhausted to care about anything right now.

Witches don't get this ill unless something is seriously wrong.

My conscious is screaming at me. I waste no time and call Ms. Hattie for help. My words come out so rushed, I barely have the chance to breathe. She tells me to keep calm and asks me a few questions about Blair's symptoms. Within minutes, Ms. Hattie and Carson show up with a basket full of witch medicines.

Carson moves fast at stripping the bed sheets and replacing them with clean ones while I help Ms. Hattie bathe Blair.

"Astrid, take these ingredients back to the shop," Ms. Hattie says, handing me her pouch, "Nicolas is waiting in the study with the students. He'll have to teach the class himself today."