8-Night-Shadows

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To our relief, the machine stops at his legs. Leila scribbles away, not looking up.

Nox taps her, and she breathes out when she sees that it'll be okay.

The doctors give us a better pair of crutches, and Oakley hobbles out to us.

"Told you it'd be okay, Lel!" He grins.

She smiles weakly, still a bit fragile.

Leila hands the doctor the paper, and he looks it over. Another doctor tells us about Oakley's leg.

"So, thankfully, it's not broken. You did sprain your ankle however, and you'll need a wrap for that. It should be healed in about 6 weeks, since it's a grade 2 sprain. You have to be very gentle on it, and if it hurts to walk on it, you can use the crutches," The doctors tells Oakley. He instructs him to sit down, and he begins wrapping Oakley ankle with beige-y coloured gauze. He sticks a clip in it, and tells us we're good to go.

"Come on, buddy," Nox says, helping Oakley back to the emergency room.

I walk with Leila.

"You okay?" I say, looking slightly down at her.

"Yeah, it's just, bad memories come with hospitals," She says, and we make it back to the ER.

Gray rounds up the younger ones, and we head back out to the car.

I get it the same car as last time, with Nora and Oakley in the back. Gray pulls out.

"Does this hurt?" Nora asks, poking Oakley in the ankle.

"Yes," He replies.

"What about here?"

"Yep."

"Does here hurt?"

"Yeah."

"What ab-"

"Okay, how about we leave Oakley alone for a little while?" Gray finally interrupts.

I smile a little.

We pull into the driveway, and I notice a lack of cars already in the driveway, which means: no Juliette.

Gray sighs as he gets out of the car.

"Something's definitely wrong," He says.

"Um, guys...the lanyard's gone," Mercedes says, feeling inside a knot in a tree.

"The lanyard's usually in that knot," Nox explains to me.

"Did anyone take it with them?" I ask.

Everyone says no.

"Well, do you usually lock all the doors when you leave?" I ask.

"The back and side doors aren't ever locked," Gray says, starting to walk towards the side of the building.

"I've got it!" Mercedes says, taking off.

"Seriously, what if something happened to Juliette? You know, with the night-shadows?" Nox asks, and as soon as the word "night-shadow" (is that even a word?) comes out of his mouth, everyone starts whispering with worry.

"What's a night-shadow? Is there seriously something else you haven't told me?" I ask, sighing.

"This is the last thing, I promise," Gray says, grabbing me gently by the arm. He waves his hand at everyone else, and the suddenly freeze.

"What...what did you do?" I ask, trying to remember his anomaly.

"I froze time, but only for them. It marches on for us, though, so come up to the roof with me. I'll explain," He says, leading me up the fire escape.

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