One Bright Spot -- The Revisions

3

∞Christal∞

That evening, after dinner, we are free for the rest of the day. I go looking for Kota, to ask him about earlier. His statement has been eating at me all day. Did he mean once in every three camps or what?

I finally find him in the training room we practiced in today. Theo and Josh are hanging with him, punching one of the bags.

Theo spots me first and raises his hand in greeting. That gesture causes a chain reaction until all three boys have turned in my direction.

"Hey guys."

"Hey, Christal", Josh responds, wiping sweat from his face. I pick up a towel off of the floor on my way over to them and toss it to him. "Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, Kota, I need to ask you a question." He has returned to punching the bag.

He stops and turns to me again, "Sure." He's breathing hard and his hair is clinging to the sweat on his face.

"Um, maybe in private? No offense, guys", I apologize to Josh and Theo. Josh looks a little offended, but Theo doesn't seem to mind.

"All right." Kota turns to his friends, "Would you guys mind stepping out for a moment?"

They consent. When the door is safely shut behind them, he turns to me, "What do you want to know?"

"What did you mean, earlier, when you said your mom only appears once every few months?"

All of a sudden, there's a throbbing pain in my head that doubles me over. I groan. My head feels as if it will explode from the pressure. I feel sick to my stomach and my brain doesn't seem to be telling my lungs to take in oxygen.

"What's wrong?" Kota asks, steadying me by one shoulder.

"My head", is all I manage to get out before my eyes roll back in my head and I collapse to the floor.

***

∞Kota∞

Christal's knees buckle under her.

"Chris? Christal!" I catch her and gently lower her to the floor. "Josh! Theo! Get a doctor!" I yell.

Josh comes barreling into the room, "What happened?"

"I don't know. She just collapsed. Is Theo getting the doctor?"

"Yes", Josh replies, racing over to us. He kneels beside of Christal and reaches out to her, but stops, as if he's unsure of what to do. Finally, he settles for smoothing her hair back from her face. He pauses, with his hand on her forehead. He looks up at me with a wild look in his eyes, "Kota, she's burning up. You could fry an egg on her forehead."

I place my own hand on her face. She is indeed very warm. "Where's Theo?" I ask desperately.

The gym door opens, "Right here. What happened to her?"

I look up and see Theo, followed by two medics carrying a stretcher, "I don't know. She said something about her head and then she just collapsed."

The medics start taking Christal's vitals. I hear phrases such as, "Breathing is shallow", "Pulse is stringy", and, "Temperature is 104." But I can't concentrate on them. I will Christal to get better.