When Lightning Strikes

Chapter 9

Chapter 9- Change

Garrett grabs my hand and we walk back to the edge of the woods with Brianna and Aaron. It was still morning, but everyone was still exhausted from the battle.

"I'm not going to tell you again Lightning, you have to go see Emily," Brianna told me. My heart ached, because it was usually Sarah who looked after me, even when I didn't need looking after.

"Okay, Okay, I'm going," I say giving in after I tell Garrett to keep an eye on Savannah.

I get to my feet and warily pad across the meadow to Emily's tent. Everyone had set up camp around the tent not having the energy after the fight to set up anywhere else. My hip ached with every step and my scalp still burned from the random guy pulling on my hair. I brush aside the flap to the inside of Emily's medical center and was greeted with warmth and a sense of belonging.

"My word Claire, you should have seen me hours ago, come and sit down. I'm still treating a few other injuries, but I can always make time for you," Emily guided me inward her voice full of sympathy and charm.

"I'm sorry, I would've but I got tied up," I explain kneeling down on a cloth mat sprawled out before me as Emily rummages around in a first aid kit.

Quickly, she begins to treat my wounds one by one in the order of worst to most insignificant. First she was me remove my blood-soaked jeans, and in return she offers me one of her own simple lavender skirts. I take it, only because I have nothing else to where. She cleans and bandages my thigh telling me the cut wasn't too deep.

Afterwards I lie down stretching out of the mat, letting m eyes close while Emily redoes my hip bandage. I most have slept well because when I finally open my eyes Emily's leaning over me clutching a bottle of water. I take it and gulp it down greedily.

"Where is everyone?" I ask between gulps. She sits next to me on the mat and answers me casually.

'"Lightning," Emily began, her tone light and even, "we've all been meaning to talk to you."

"About what?" I ask setting the bottle down on the ground.

Emily turns back to me after checking a knife wound from a boy in group C., "Many have left, they still have families to back to, but they just wanted you to know how much they respected and admired you as their leader.

This gives me that bright and bubbly feeling inside me I think is genuine appreciation and pride. I had finally accomplished something without my family leaning on me and telling me what I could and couldn't do.

"Thank you, I knew some of them would have to go, I just didn't think it would be so fast," I tell her combing my hair with my fingers.

"Claire I think you should know it's past noon the next day. You slept for over a day and a half," Emily explains putting a gauss bandage around the boy's knife injury.

"What's happened since then?" I questioned half surprisingly and half curious.

"We've lost two others besides your friend, and over half the army's went home."

"They can't, what if the police question them about why so many missing people are just showing up all of a sudden."

"They won't, they all discussed cover stories with Brianna and Garrett, The police won't find us here," Emily promises putting an easy hand on my back.

"Does Garrett know I'm here," I ask her testing how my wounds felt standing on my feet again.

"Oh yes, he's been in and out a few times while you were asleep, but I told him you needed rest," Emily replies putting some bandage back into her kit and turning back to me.