-HIATUS- ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ - ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴡᴛʜᴏʀɴᴇ ʟᴇɢᴀᴄʏ (ꜱᴇQᴜᴇʟ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɢʀᴀᴍʙꜱ?) -HIATUS-

Chapter 29

We walk out of The Cabin. The cold air made me shiver. I was in pajamas. I had been running before but now I was just standing still. Grayson turns off the light and closes the door behind him. We stand there for a bit. I hold the snowy railing and walk down the icy steps. Slowly. A pang of dizziness hit me. Right now is the wrong moment. I need to sleep. Grayson appears in front of me and holds me to keep me steady. 

"You're not okay," Grayson says stating the obvious.

"I'm fine, just tired that is all," I say taking another step and reaching the bottom.

We walk back. I can't remember the way we had gone. Everything was a blur. I felt myself walking. Grayson was next to me. Telling me which direction to go, I couldn't comprehend his words but my body seemed to know what he was saying. My vision fogs again. I blink rapidly but I feel as if I am swaying. I'm breathing faster.

"Gray-" I stutter hesitantly, panic in my voice. Did I even say it? I can't hear myself. I feel my body weakening. I gasp. My knees buckled to the ground. My arms holding me up. Hands on my back. A muffled word. My whole body falling. Everything goes black.

---

"Have you done a lot of exercises today?" The nurse asks. "Yes, I have. I walked for six hours" I say. That doesn't sound right. I had just done PE... right? "Anxiety? Panic attacks?" The nurse asks. "Not that I know of" I shrug. "Have you eaten today?" The nurse asks me. "No, I didn't have time to" I replied shrugging. "Did you drink today?" The nurse asks sighing. "No, I wasn't thirsty," I say. "You have to drink even if you don't feel thirsty especially in cold weather such as the one at True North right now!" The nurse says. "True North?" I ask. "Yes, True North." She confirms. "But we are at school," I say. "Are we? Or is this your sub-conscience?" The nurse says. "Grayson..." I say. Why had I said that? 

---

I open my eyes. I was still in the woods. What had happened? I was lying down. What had happened? Panic rises and I shoot up. I was wearing a jacket. Grayson's jacket. Had I passed out? Where was I? A pain in my head. Tears formed in my eyes. I could feel my breath shortening. There was a campfire. I look behind me. I had been lying down against a tree. The floor cleared, no snow. Grayson had done that. Where was he now? Had he gone to get help? I looked around. It was unfamiliar. I couldn't see The Cabin or True North. Where was I?! My hands are in my hair. What had happened?  I hear footsteps approaching. I look all around. I hear someone muttering. One person. I see Grayson approaching wearing nothing but his suit. He stops and looks at me for a long moment.

"AMBER" He shouts and runs towards me. He falls into a kneeling position next to me. 

"What happened? W-W-What" I say my fear and panic could be heard in my voice. Grayson wraps an arm around me.

"Everything is okay now. Now that you are awake we can get out of here. You were only out for three hours, just answering your question." Three hours? How does he know I was wondering about that?

"Ok. Let's go," I say handing Grayson his jacket. Grayson holds out a hand and helps me up slowly and carefully. I don't feel good. What was wrong with me? I was perfectly fine before coming to Hawthorne House. Now I was always in pain or sick. Couldn't there ever be a normal time?  I wipe my tears away and calm down. I need to, for me and even for Grayson.

"Are you okay?" I needed to be honest. Grayson needed to know. I shake my head. He puts his jacket around me and places an arm around my body holding onto my right arm and the other on my left. The fire was already out. Had he done that? When? We start walking. He knows where to go.  "I'm sorry," he says.

"No, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner," I say.

"I'm sorry for running off. If I hadn't done that, none of this would have happened. We would have been home and you wouldn't be this way. You would have been resting in bed." Grayson says slowly. He was being sincere. You could hear it. He was letting himself believe that everything was his fault.