Lucky and the Killer ✔

What's Wrong?

Lucky's body lay limp on the floor of her bedroom as she stared up at the buttery-black ceiling above her. Her head and shoulders ached, and as she stared ahead, she swore she could hear voices. She pushed herself up from the floor, threw a shirt back on over the bruises, and headed for the hall.

"King?" she called out as she stepped past the door, but there was no one outside to greet her. She staggered past the ornate doors in their stations and paintings in their gilded frames. "Zee?"

She could have sworn it was a man's voice. The palace was unusually quiet. The walls stood in their place like the most loyal of guards, but there wasn't an actual guard in sight. Her feet carried her aimlessly though the palace, and her heart throbbed in her head with every step.

"God, I need some medicine," she said to herself. "Bella? Sarah?"

No one answered her, because no one was there. They were in the throne room preparing to go after King. She followed the sound of the voices until she found the gathering: Bella, Felix, Zee, and a handful of guards.

She squinted at the crowd. They silenced themselves upon her arrival—which told her more than they ever could. Lucky couldn't help but notice the one person that was missing.

"What's going on?" she asked.

Bella looked instantly to the ground—as if she were afraid to even meet her eyes. Zee let out his breath and met her eyes with his. His eyes were solid and resolute—the way they usually were before he did anything important.

"King's gone to Earth," Zee said flatly. "We're going after him."

Lucky's feet gave out from beneath her. She fell to her knees, and the room around her seemed like an ocean. Her head pounded. What'd he say? Focus eluded her.

"What?" she asked as the information clicked together. "Why?"

Zee looked at Bella, but she looked away just as soon as his eyes touched her. There was no way she could bring herself to tell Lucky what'd happened, but that didn't mean Zee couldn't.

"He hit Bella," Zee said, "and then he left."

"He what?" Lucky stammered. Her eyes raised up to meet Bella's, but Bella wouldn't, couldn't look at her. Lucky could see the red and blue mark on her cheek that she'd over looked before. Everything was lazy, scattered, and broken in her head. All she could focus on was the drumming in her head. "He wouldn't. King wouldn't do that."

"Go back to bed, Lucky," Zee said.

"Okay," she stammered.

The room looked at Lucky again in unison. They watched as she pushed herself up from the floor and began to walk out of the door and down the hall. She had to have some medicine somewhere.

"The hell?" Zee said to himself. "What's up with them? Why are they acting so strange?"

"It's not a bad thing," Felix said. His voice was still tense, and his face was still scarlet red. "She'll be out of the way."

"What's wrong with them?" Bella mocked. "What's wrong with y'all?"

Bella grunted and flew out of the door after Lucky. She caught her—back against the wall and staring up at the ceiling.

"Lucky?" Bella asked. "What's wrong?"

Lucky heard Bella's voice amidst the heartbeat that been perpetually with her since the headache started. Her skin burned beneath the long sleeves, but she couldn't expose her own bruises.

"My head just hurts," she said. "I just want to lay down. Bella, did King really hit you?"

Bella shook her head and pulled Lucky's hand into hers, "No."

She tugged Lucky off of the wall and began to walk down the hall towards her room. She had to get her back in bed. If she wasn't going to go trapezing off after King, something must have really been bothering her. It had to be more than just a bad headache, and she was going to find out what it was.

"So then, which one of you is lying?" She asked, but her voice was so weak and quiet that Bella almost thought she'd imagined her speaking at all.

"I am," she said. She couldn't lie after someone called her on it; she'd never been able to. She watched Lucky's face sink. Her eyes were dark, but she didn't cry. She didn't yell or do anything except keep walking, zombie-like, towards her room. "Lucky, what's wrong? Talk to me, please. Us girls have to stick together, ya know?"

"My head hurts," Lucky said. "That's what's wrong. I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sorry he hit you."

"Don't apologize," Bella said. "I've known King probably longer than I've even known your brother, Lucky, but I didn't know he was immortal. I never knew he wasn't from here. There's a lot about him I don't know, and I presumed to know too much. I don't blame him really. He was upset, and I...pushed him further."

"Na uh," Lucky said. "He's a jerk and needs to be punched."

Bella's eyes went wide, but she had to open the door and usher Lucky inside the room. None of her responses were typical—neither were King's. Maybe it was some sort of full moon. Everyone was just crazy.

"Bella," Lucky whispered as she sat on the side of her bed and cupped her forehead with her hands, "can you please find me some medicine?"

"A-alright," Bella stammered. "Are you sure you're even okay for me to go get it? I don't really want to leave you alone."

"It's fine," Lucky said softly. "Just, after you get it, go sit with Sarah, kay?"

"Why?" Bella asked. Maybe she just didn't want to see her. She didn't know.

"Because Sarah needs you," Lucky said. "I'm worried about Sarah."

"I'm worried about you," Bella said.

"Don't," Lucky sighed. "I'm fine. I just have a headache is all."

"You just have a headache?" Bella laughed. "Are you kidding me? This isn't like our Lucky, and King wasn't like our King. Did you two get in a fight?"

"No, not at all," she said. "He was fine, and I've had this headache coming on for a minute now. I think all of the stress just kind of built up, ya know?"

"I guess," Bella said. "So, you're not even going to try going after King?"

"Why should I?" Lucky said dryly. "He does this sort of thing."

Bella didn't have a counter for her. She just didn't know what to say, so she got up and headed out down the hallway to find some medicine for her. Maybe she was delirious. Maybe she had a fever. Whatever the case was, she didn't believe the 'just a headache' thing for a moment.