Between The Lines

19.

Before I knew it, I was limping through the hospital lobby.

Mom and Raff had been yelling at the receptionist before turning around and seeing me. Both of them rushed at me and engulfed me in a hug. I suppressed an 'ow'.

"Danity," Mom sobbed into my ear, "where have you been? We were so worried."

"Uh... sorry," I said, not really paying attention. I was furious at Gabriel.

Raff took my left hand and started pulling me towards the elevators. "Let's go back to the room. The doctor needs to take a look at you before we take you home."

I resisted. "I-I can't.... I have to go do something."

"What do you possibly have to do right now?" asked Mom, frowning.

"Danity, let's go," said Raff, pulling me harder.

With my messed up leg, I couldn't really put up much of a fight, so I screamed my head off. Raff freaked and backed away and I speedily limped out of the hospital. I felt extremely guilty for doing so, but I would've felt more guilty not trying to help Eli.

I ran-limped all the way around the hospital, like before, and then I had to stop where Gabriel, Kylie and I had stopped earlier. Raff was probably running after me, but I had no idea where to go.

I took off towards the library, wishing I could just run through buildings, something I could've taken advantage of had I still been just spirit. I mostly ran that way so Raff couldn't find me. He was faster and stronger and was capable of carrying me all the way to the hospital kicking and screaming. I was going to pay for that later

The streetlamps in front of the library barely touched the alley. As far as I could tell, there was no one there. Before, I would've been too scared to continue on into the alley, but I mostly just thought of the feeling I got, which allowed me to go further. It was similar to that pull Eli and I had felt towards our bodies... but this wasn't as powerful.

I stopped feeling it when I was two-thirds into the alley. And then the pull moved.

I took a wild guess. "Are you here?" I called out. "The guy who... hit me?" The pull moved around me, and I turned to face it-and it stopped, realizing that I was able to follow him. "You're him, right?" It didn't move. "Take a step to the right if that's you." It kind of freaked me out when it moved to its right-well, his right. "I need to ask you a few things-and I don't have much time. Move to your right for yes, to your left for no, okay?"

He answered yes.

"Um... are you alone?"

No.

I frowned. "I'm not sensing the others-just you."

He didn't move. Maybe it was because he was the one who had punched me... and maybe something... lingered? I shook my head. "Okay, well, have you seen the boy who was with me earlier?"

Yes.

"Where did he go?"

He didn't move. I sighed. Of course-only yes or no questions.

"Do you know where he was going?"

Yes.

"Was he alright?"

No.

My stomach knotted up. "Did you see... Clapton's ring?" What had they done to Gabriel? What were they going to do with- "And was there a dark-haired man with blue eyes with him?"

Yes. Yes.

"Were they all together? Including the boy who was with me?"

Yes.

Oh no-no. "Can you take me to them?" I had to intervene somehow-no one else would know, would be able to do anything. I couldn't let Eli get any more messed up.

No.

"What? Why not?"

He didn't move.

"You don't have to make yourself known. Just... just take me far enough so that I can find them myself." He didn't move, and I started to panic. "Please, help me. It's my fault they're mixed up in this... please, just help me...." He still didn't move. "You have to help me! You owe me!" A sob escaped my throat. "I was dead when you did that to me! You hurt me-you hurt my mother! You... you...." I couldn't stop crying then. It was uncontrollable, deep from the chest kind of wracking sobs that actually brought me to my knees, making me shudder even though my right leg was hurting painfully. I was just losing control-of myself, of everything. I was talking to thin air. That 'feeling' could've just been all in my head.

And worse? Eli, Gabriel, and even Kylie were suffering right at that moment. No one but me would know what was going on, and I couldn't even find them.

I felt something cold on my shoulder. If that feeling was that man, then he was probably touching my shoulder. My little breakdown must've gotten through to him. He moved around me and towards the entrance to the alley I had gone through.

I wiped at my eyes as I scrambled to my feet and followed him down the sidewalk. "This... this really means a lot. You have no idea what you're doing."

He stepped to the right, but kept moving forward.