Briar Preparatory Academy

He Was Caught in the Crossfire

Kate POV

Seth's hands are cold.

I grip one tightly in mine; afraid that if I'm not touching him something terrible will happen. I glance at heart monitor by his bed that beeps on a steady beat. His face looks pale, the color of his lips faded to an almost gray hue. Dark bags decorate the skin under his eyes.

Dr. Alicia had to insert a ventilator tube in Seth's windpipe to support his breathing. It trails out of his mouth a large gray machine by the bed as well. Other machines fill up the room, all making a noise of some sort to remind doctors that Seth is still functioning and alive. Barely.

I jerk my head up when the door to the room bangs open loudly. Celeste stumbles into the room with red blotches around her eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She freezes right in the doorway and stares at Seth occupying the hospital bed. I can't tell what she is thinking or if she is even breathing.

She wordlessly closes the door behind her and walks towards his bed where he lies in a coma, unmoving. I watch her carefully, trying to gauge her every move. I open my mouth, but pause before speaking. "Celeste..." I start to say, and my voice trails off. I don't know what to say to her.

"Oh my god," She whispers, almost to herself, "This is my fault. I did this."

 "No. No it's not. This was all because Jasper--" I start to stand, but she quickly cuts me off again. 

"Don't even try to prove me wrong. Jasper came to kill me and Seth got caught in the crossfire."

"What do you mean he got caught in the crossfire?"

Celeste pulls a chair up behind her and collapses into it. She hesitates before answering my question. "He jumped in front of Jasper's gun right before it went off. He took the bullet for me. He saved my life, and this is the result." Her face is bitter as she stares at Seth, but a single tear manages to escape her eye. The room descends into silence except for a few minutes as machines continue to whir around us and Seth continues to hang on to life by a thread.

"We can't lose him, Kate." Celeste whispers, and she lets all her tears fall. I stand up and cross the room to be next to her. I sit down next to her and grab her hand. She grips it hard and lets her head fall into my shoulder. Seth is our best friend, the third piece to our puzzle. It's been us against the world from the beginning.

And now we could lose him.

"He's strong," I say, "If anyone can fight this, he can. He's too stubborn to go down without a show. That's just who he is."

Celeste sits back up and smiles at me. There is so much effort behind that smile, so much fear and dark memories that want to be erased. Still, she nods her head.

"Can I be alone with him for a minute?" She asks quietly, and I nod my head with a returning smile. I stand after giving a one last hug and quietly sidling out the door. I glance over my shoulder to get one last look at my best friends. Celeste is gripping his hands tightly, her gaze far away as she stares at Seth.

I shut the door behind me and lean against it with my eyes closed for several seconds. I take several slow deep breaths in to clear my mind. I walk out of the infirmary and I see students walking around the courtyard and talking in hushed tones. Over on the far side of the yard, at least sixty black body bags are lined up on the ground. I force myself to look away. I don't have to be a spy to know about all the whispers going around.

Everyone is talking about what happened last night.

Everyone is arguing about who would have had the guts to attack the Academy.