ANATOMY OF A GIRL

part thirteen

Days later, Leo still felt pain in his chest whenever he thought about the creature that attacked him. And just like in the days that followed his sister's death, nausea grappled with him late into the night.

As he reached for his phone on the bedside table, pain reverberated down his arm like lightning. He would know, too, considering Ayden had shocked him more than once.

His entire body, though healed beneath the surface, was bruised and cut up. The Healers said his body couldn't withstand much more magic, leaving him with a spattering of superficial wounds.

He dialed the number for home, and was surprised by how quickly they answered.

"Leo," his sister screamed. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she asked in a series of unintelligible words.

"I'm fine, Sienna," he assured. There was no reason to tell her how badly hurt he'd been. It wouldn't do her any good.

"It's just— I thought..." she trailed off. She thought the same thing was happening all over again. First Aaliyah, and now him. "We haven't talked since you left—"

"I'm sorry, I've just— been busy."

As if she'd read his mind, she continued quietly, "I heard about Arlo. I'm so sorry, Leo." She paused, and Leo felt his stomach twist in knots. "I really liked him. He always baked with me when you were too lazy."

Leo let himself smile — let himself remember Arlo and the person he was. Instead of the expected pain, he felt a peaceful bliss at the memories. "Yeah, he was pretty great."

*

Leo Carter was tired of death and the pain it brought. He thought that when he'd left home for Belreistkov, things would be better. He thought that no one else would die, and that he'd left the darkness behind when he left V'rhenkai.

He tried to forget about it all — to leave the pain behind. But the memories hung above him like a noose. His sister's death had been enough to bring him to the edge.

And he'd heard the whispers in the halls between classes. He's so strong, and he's dealing with his sister's death so well. But he wasn't, and he didn't know how no one saw that. He wasn't as strong as they thought he was, and he looked so calm, because in actual fact he wasn't dealing with it at all. He'd forced himself to forget — to become detached. And he had.

Leo lay on the grass outside the dorms, and while he knew it was cold, while he saw his breaths leave his mouth as mist, he couldn't feel it. After what happened the day before, he didn't know how stupid he had to be to sit out there, not five hundred metres from where he was attacked. Pretty stupid. But he didn't feel stupid, nor did he feel brave. He felt a little numb. There was no fear in the numbness. If someone had asked him why he was out here, he wouldn't be able to tell them. He couldn't tell them that he was in one of his moods — the one that he couldn't avoid and that clung to him and the little life he had left in him. The one that drained him, and left him with only one need: to look at the stars. To remember her, and to attach himself to the emotions he'd buried in a dark place deep within himself.

Because when he looked at the night sky and the stars above him, he didn't see their beauty or power, as most did. When he looked at the stars — he saw his sister. He saw his sister's bright eyes and easy smile. In the silence, he heard her voice and that laugh he could never forget. And in the still, he felt her body tremble as she bled out.

Aaliyah Carter was a girl made up of the sparks of galaxies and the dust of greatness. She thrived on knowledge — ask her about the universe, stars, the sun, and the planets.