Chapter 2
"Avery? Can you hear me? Open your eyes, slowly." Damian's muddled voice fills my ears.
Pain. Dull pain overloads my senses.
"We need to take her to the hospital! She flew several feet and hit her head on the asphalt. There could be internal bleeding. Damian, she could die!" Emmaline says, her voice hysterical.
"Emma, calm down. Freaking out isn't going to help her." His arms gather me against his chest.
"Excuse me, is that blood?! She's bleeding!"
"She'll be fine."
I moan, the pain intense. "What the . . ." My head throbs.
"Avery! You're alright." Emmaline grips my hand.
I peek my eyes open and move my head up, the bright sunlight searing spots into my vision. "Ohh, geez!" My head falls back against Damian's chest and I squeeze my eyes shut tight. "What happened? Didn't that truck hit me? Why am I still alive? I should be dead!"
"Avery, calm down." Damian says.
"Calm down?! I am alive, Damian. I was hit by a truck, which by the way, sent me flying! I should have died!" I smack his chest with my free hand. Tentatively, I open my eyes again to blink the spots out of my vision.
The dull pain begins to fade. Dwindling until it's vanished. Gone.
He sets me down on the couch and Emmaline hovers over me, dabbing at my face with a warm damp cloth. "We'll take you to the hospital in a moment. I just . . . can't believe you." She perches on the couch beside me. Damian stands behind her, arms folded across his chest.
Emmaline hits my arm with the rag, stray tears slipping from her eyes when she notices my attention is occupied. "Hey! I'm talking to you."She wipes her eyes with the back of her hands. "Never do something like that again, do you hear me?"
I nod, watching her. "Emmaline, the pain is gone."
Damian observes me quietly.
"It is?" She cups my face, gently touching my temple. "My goodness . . . it's gone. You're not bleeding anymore." Emmaline looks over at Damian. "You know something." She accuses. "That's why you don't want to take her to the hospital. Because you know something!" Emmaline stands up, throwing the cloth aside. "Tell me! Is she hyped up on drugs? How on Earth could she heal so quick?" Emmaline spins back to face me.
I reach up and swipe my hand along my hairline, holding my hand out in front of my face to analyze the blood staining my fingers. "But . . . there's blood." I glance up at the both of them. "How?"
"Sweetie, that's from your hair. I only cleaned the blood off your face. But the gash on your temple . . . it's gone. Completely." She leans down to inspect my skin, her hand smoothing my hair back.
I look at Damian. "How?" I ask softly. "Does my miraculous healing have something to do with what you wanted to talk to me about?"
He nods once.
I swallow hard. "Does it concern Emma?"
She turns around to face him. "Yes it does." She says forcefully. "She is my best friend and whatever you need to tell her, you will tell me too!"
Damian looks at Emmaline than down at me. "Yes. It does concern Emmaline. But not because she is being stubborn." He gazes at her, eyebrow cocked. A hint of a smile plays on his lips.
