Pulse

Chapter 38

Cian

There was a reason I was numb.

Besides the fact that Lucie's kiss had shattered my senses and dumbed down any feeling in my bones, the Order had also pumped me full of drugs to lessen the pain. In the end, I was sluggish and exhausted and my words were slurring, so I fell asleep.

It was the kind of sleep so deep that it was just a black void of time between when eyes were closed and when eyes were open—no dreams, no thoughts, just nothing. Because of this profoundness, when I was awoken violently by a pillow hitting me in the face, I screamed like a small child, eyes flying open and meeting Vinny's.

He was laughing at me.

Laughing a lot.

"Shut up! I hate you!" I yelped, and rashly tore the pillow from beneath my head to chuck it at my brother, which proved useless for two reasons. One, the pillow flew directly through Vinny and hit the ground behind him, and two, the sharp movement of my shoulders initiated a wave of pain through my back.

I fell back down on the bed, groaning. "What are you waking me up for?"

"Lucie's back," replied Vinny, and my spirits lifted a little, as she had left to attend whatever classes that remained for the day shortly before I'd fallen asleep. Lucie was the type of person who felt guilty for skipping school for no reason, so there was no arguing with her.

I sat up, slowly, and blinked, my brain clearing. I squinted in my brother's direction. "Wait...how did you chuck that pillow at me?"

He cocked his head. The lights went out, then came back on again. Downstairs somewhere, Mom yelped. "How do you think?"

I pointed a trembling finger at him, everything in me still jumpy from the drugs. "You've got to stop doing things like that."

"Oh, for crying out loud," muttered a familiar female voice as she came into the room, smiling at me from the foot of the bed. She was still dressed in her black athletic shorts and bright windbreaker, her hair piled on top of her head in a way that was both messy and attractive at once. There was a playful smirk on her face. "The boy is dead. Let him have some fun for once."

"As his elder brother, I can attest that chucking pillows at people without the use of one's hands is creepy and far from fun," I said, sticking out my tongue at the both of them. "So, what are you doing here, muffin?"

For once, her face didn't even change at the nickname, with the exception of her smile, which broadened even further. My heart skipped a beat. "Well, we're going to Whole Foods."

"Whole Foods?" Vinny and I questioned at the same time.

"Aye," Lucie replied with a nod. "Whole Foods, friends. In order to ensure you undergo a healthy and successful recovery, you must eat well. I'm taking you both to Whole Foods. We're also doing this because I'm bored and Cian's been in bed all day."

"Nuh-uh," Vinny countered, shaking his head. Lucie shot him a quizzical look. "Me and public places don't mix. People are going to think you're both crazy."

"Like I care, Vinny," Lucie responded, already turning for the door. "For all I know, I am crazy. Now, come on. Are we going or not?"

So, we went to Whole Foods.

The whole place was buzzing with moms clad in clingy yoga pants. Muscular dudes with calves the size of melons were buying gargantuan jars of protein powder, as if they needed anymore of the stuff. Everything on the shelf was "organic" or "all natural" or "gluten free." In all, with its lofty ceilings and artsy chalkboard signs and bright overhead lights, the whole place was a bit intimidating.