The Wrong Side

Chapter 28

I'm slipping in and out of consciousness. When I'm awake, all I remember is white lights and pain. When I'm unconscious, I see a woman with blonde hair and eyes the colour of the sea. I don't think I recognize her, but there's something about her that's comforting and familiar. I hear a voice when I see her. I think it's mine but it sounds different -- younger maybe and it's calling her Ada. Do I know her? I don't think so but she seems so familiar...

Ada. My vision flickers a few times, switching from her to absolute blackness. When it settles on the dark, I hear the Voice again repeating its message to me over and over again and leaving a dark imprint on my memory.

Kadiya... Matthew... Luna Irving... where you grew up... Don't tell... don't tell anyone.

I snap my eyes open and instantly regret that choice as the sudden brightness of the world shocks my senses back into darkness. I slowly open my eyelids which peel away like they were suctioned together. I adjust to the room and find myself in a hospital room. I can't move. Either that, or I'm too stiff to move. My throat's dry too. I look down my bed and there's no one there.

I'm tired. My eyes flutter and I fall into a dreamless sleep.

When I wake up again, I can hear talking and beeping. The talking stops and I open my eyes. The trio of the Irving children are sitting near the foot of my bed. I blink a few times just as Kadiya breaks out into a grin, Matthew gives a sigh of relief and Luna walks over to the head of my bed.

"How are you feeling?" she asks.

My throat is still dry but I manage to nod and give a little smile. Luna is about to hug me but is jerked back by her older sister.

"Careful! The poor kid just woke up and he's still broken. Give him a chance to recover before you crush him."

"Wh-" I cough and start again. "What's broken?" I ask hoarsely.

"Jaw, two ribs and leg," Kadiya says. "Shoulder's dislocated too but they popped it back in. You're gonna be fine in a few months and back to normal in less than half a year."

The only thing I can move without hurting is my right arm and my left leg. I raise my arm but there's something weird about it. I can hear a faint whirring coming from it, like the mechanics working as I move my arm.

"Do you-" I say but then I start coughing again.

Luna runs off for a second and comes back with a paper cone with water. She hands it to me and I take it, the arm still making noises as I do so. I drink the entire cup in one go and try talking again.

"Do you hear that?" I ask.

"Hear what?" Matthew replies.

I raise my right arm and wave at him, curling the mechanical fingers into a fist, and then flexing each one individually. I can hear something whir within the arm and it annoys me.

"Hear what? The arm sounds fine."

I look at Kadiya and Luna for support but they both shake their heads and shrug. I sigh and relax my arm, a little bit relieved it's attached to my body now but still anxious about the sounds it's making.

"You were in the ICU for almost a full week," Kadiya says. "They moved you out just today when you woke up earlier."

"How do they know I woke up?" I ask. "And who's they?"

"You're in a hospital. It's the nearest one to the headquarters and they have pretty good doctors here. They monitor your brain activity and according to them, you woke up a few hours ago and then went back to sleep."