Hidden Heirs and Fallen Crowns (Complete)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Another week passed. Mum, Zed and Jasmine were in and out all the time, sometimes staying for only fifteen minutes in the whole day. Glad to say, my body was now fully functioning. I could do everything that I used to be able to do before the accident.

I did my best to seem as well and in good shape as possible. I wanted to show the doctors that I had fully recovered now, and that there was no need to keep me here any longer. Thankfully, my efforts paid off after that week was over.

When my mum had visited yesterday, a doctor had come into the room. He had told us that I would be able to leave the hospital the very next day. I had tried not to look too relieved in front of him, but he had only smiled and told me that he knew how awful it was to stay in hospital for so long. So now, I was packing my stuff in a big suitcase. Yes, a suitcase. A couple of weeks ago, I had insisted that Mum brought me as many things that had been in my room as she could to the hospital, excluding, of course, my bed, desk, and most of my books and chocolates. I can’t imagine the uproar if a delivery van pulled up outside the hospital with all my stuff – and believe me, it would take a delivery van to carry all my books and chocolates.

Jasmine and Zed walked in just as I was sitting on my suitcase, trying to squash everything in.

“Hi!” I greeted cheerfully.

They both smiled, and Jasmine glanced at my suitcase.

“That looks heavy,” she commented. “Let me help you.” She took a step towards me, but Zed interrupted.

“Here, let me,” he said.  I let him close it for me, which took a lot more time and energy than planned. Eventually, though, we had stuffed everything in and zipped it shut. It took so long that I started daydreaming about how horrible my life had been before Jasmine and Zed came along – how no one would have closed my suitcase for me, or laughed at my rubbish jokes, or simply greeted me in the morning. Well, Melanie and them lot did greet me, of course, but they did it with punches and sneers. Not exactly the ideal start to the morning, was that?

My mind wandered to the first day we had all met, and what a coincidence it had been that they came to the school on the same day.

“There we are!” Zed said proudly. I jumped, startled.

He looked at me, frowning. “Are you OK?” he asked. “You look a bit sad.”

Jasmine laughed. “See how quickly you get attached to places?”

“I am not  attached to the hospital!” I said indignantly. “I was thinking.”

“About what?” he asked, heaving the suitcase off my bed and pulling it behind him towards the door.

“I can do it!” I said, rushing to take the suitcase from him. “But thanks anyway.”

“If you want. What were you thinking about?” he asked again. Why did he want to know?

“Stuff,” I said airily, walking towards the reception desk. When I got there, the receptionist was busy on the phone, so I had to wait. Zed came behind me again.

“Won’t you tell me?” he asked.

“Won’t I tell you what?” I said wearily.

“What you were thinking.”

“Why do you want to know?” I asked. “It’s personal.”

Jasmine appeared next to him. “You know you can tell us everything, don’t you?” she said.