Nyx | Carpe Noctem ✓

Chapter 14: The End?

∙ Madis POV ∙

Heat rose in my body, I wiggled around in my bed while another heat wave rushed through my body. My eyes shot open and I pushed the sheets of me. I wiped my forehead clean and realized that I was not only sweating but also boiling. It had gotten immensely toasty under the blanket and I had to admit that the whole room was boiling actually—which seemed of. It was always cold in here.

I felt dizzy, my head spinning so much that I could not even make out the pattern of the ceiling. I tried to pull my other hand out from under the sheets, but my whole body was too sore. I could barely move a finger without feeling aching pain shoot through my limbs.

I took a few steadying breaths, my heart beating like crazy, skipping beats, stuttering.

My throat was dry and I needed to drink something. Now. I needed water. I slowly moved my hand forward, wincing and groaning at the pain and reached over to my bedside table. Luckily my fingers touched a glass of water and I shortly dipped my boiling fingers into the soothing cool liquid. I lifted it up and moved it to the seam of my lips, downing the whole thing but when I wanted to put it back it slipped out of my hand, my arm dropped down to the bed lifelessly and the glass shattered into a million of pieces. Shit. Shit.

I pulled my arm closer, brushing over my face again and a sharp pain shot through my left arm and consequently through my heart. I winced, and held back a cry. I wanted to sit up but all energy and power I once had, had vanished.

I hoped the shattered glass did not wake Aesa but soon she stood next to my bed, looking at me in shock. Her bottom lip trembled and she reached forward.

My mouth fell open and I gasped for air, clutching my chest and seizing on the bed.

"I think it is time," I breathed out and she shrieked loudly.

"NO!" she cried out, dropping down next to my bed and grabbing my face in her trembling cool fingers. "No, I will get the matron and the medicus," she wailed, jumping to her feet and storming outside.

The other girls in the room had also woken up by then and approached my bed with sympathetic looks on their faces. One of them braced her arms on the bed frame, eyeing me up and down.

I was still seizing on the bed, wincing and clutching my chest tightly when the matron stormed in.

"So her time has come, I assume?" she mumbled and Aesa released a cry of pure pain.

"The medicus has been informed, or someone will inform him soon and then he will come here and save you," Aesa bubbled, clutching my hand tightly and sitting down on my bed.
"It is fine. I can go now, Aesa. It is all right," I told her, lifting my sore arm and brushing my fingers over her face, tears slowly dampening my lashes. It really was alright. So many children had died in the past months and weeks, why should I deserve to live?

The dryness returned to my throat, my lungs clenched and I felt the need to cough. I coughed loudly and hard. Blood shot out of my throat and I leaned over the edge of the bed, spitting the blood onto the floor before throwing up. The matron shooed the other girls out of the room but Aesa stayed with me. The matron returned with a wet cloth which she wiped over my forehead and also my mouth to get rid of the blood.

I threw up again, but Aesa stayed at my side, despite everything. She was weeping and wailing, grabbing my hand as tightly as she could. Her figure trembled and made the whole bad shake. I cried too because of the pain I made her feel. It broke my heart. It broke my heart seeing her like that and knowing that I was the reason for her pain.

All of a sudden Geavin stormed through the door, ignoring the matron who over and over told him that he was not allowed in the girls dorms. He dropped down on the bed, behind Aesa and grabbed my other hand, tears also rolling down his cheeks.