The Animal Inside

Chapter Twenty: Heartache

“Once she wakes up she needs to sign this.” The voice came through the haze of blackness. I didn’t recognise the voice.

“Ok. Thanks.” That voice I recognised. It was Gaia.

After a couple of minutes, or many minutes, or several hours, I opened my eyes. I was in a white room. Something beeped beside me, and I rolled slightly to see a monitor that I was connected to. Gaia sat in a chair beside me.

“Where am I?” I asked.

“You’re in the infirmary,” Gaia said. She was quite for a moment until...

“Kefira, what were you thinking?! You could have frozen to death, and no one knew where you were. And don’t tell me it was nothing because there is no way that you went through all this for nothing.”

“What... what are you talking about?”

“You didn’t show up after curfew, again. I went out to look for you. I found you curled up under some tree, shivering. I brought you here with Dexter’s help. You had hypothermia, Kefira. What were you doing there? Is this about that news report we watched; about the Shadow Master?”

My mind went back to last night. The Shadow Master...Dex’s hacking...Lock and Noa. I burst into tears.

“Oh God, Kefira, please don’t cry. Did I say something? I’m sorry I went off at you a bit.”

She gave me a hug, and sat on the bed with me until I stopped crying.

“It’s not your fault,” I managed to say.

“Why are you crying?” Gaia asked carefully, as if she didn’t want to upset me again.

“I have to tell you something.” I explained to Gaia the entire story about seeing Lock and Noa together and Noa’s confession about them being together.

“You should have seen her face Gaia. She took joy in telling me. She was smiling when she told me.”

“I...Kefira, are you sure about this?” Gaia asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You and Noa have had your differences. You almost attacked her last week. Are you really willing to believe her?”

I was dumbfounded.

“I saw them together Gaia. They were talking about keeping something from me. They hugged. There’s something going on there, and I can’t believe you willing to believe her over me.”

“Kefira, I’m just saying that Noa, well she doesn’t particularly like you. Are you sure-”

“I don’t want to hear it. Give me the papers to sign so I can get out of here.”

Gaia handed over a clipboard with some papers on it. I signed on the dotted line and summoned a nurse. She unhooked me from the machines while Gaia just sat there quietly.

“You’re all good to go,” the nurse said. I walked out of there without giving Gaia a second look.

It was breakfast time, and I made my way to the cafeteria. I walked in and watched my friends from a distance. They were happy, as if nothing was wrong. Kimi, Dex, Noa and Lock sat together. I could hear their laughter from here. I strode up to the table. Lock stood up and was about to give me a hug. Before he could, I slapped him across the face; hard. He stepped back, stunned.

“That was for being a complete and utter dick,” I spat.

“What are you talking about?” Lock asked.

“Don’t try to play innocent with me Lock. I know all about you and Noa.”

“Kefira, I-”