Spectra

Chapter 21

Emily

I squinted as the headlights of the passing cars shined in my eyes. Lucas sat unconscious with a towel wrapped around him. When he climbed into the car, before passing out, he took my hand in his. The car was silent. I figured if either Mrs. Marshall or I spoke one of us would start sobbing. The pit in my stomach started filling back up but that was too close. Five minutes later and Lucas would be dead. The worst part was that he was taken because of me. I didn't think that being a hero would put anyone I loved in danger besides myself. The thought floated through my mind until we pulled into their driveway.

I tried shaking Lucas awake but it was no use. Mrs. Marshall helped me carry his heavy body inside and upstairs to his bed. She set him down and pulled off his wet shirt. Then she left to call her husband who was working. Once she left I pulled the blankets up over him and sat on the edge of the bed.

I looked down at Lucas. Is this how he had felt when I was kidnapped? I decided to stop thinking about it and turned on his TV. I smiled as I saw it was Harry Potter weekend on Freeform. I turned it to the Prisoner of Azkaban. The funny thing was that if Lucas was awake he wouldn't have let me watch it. I sat criss cross on the bed enjoying my movie. I watched for about fifteen minutes until I heard a voice from behind me.

"Hey." I spun around and grinned. He smiled weakly.

"How do you feel?" I asked, ready to get anything he wanted.

"A little cold. And tired." I grabbed the fuzzy blanket from his chair and laid it over him. "Harry Potter, really?" He groaned noticing my movie choice.

"I can change it?" I asked reaching for the remote but stopped when he shook his head.

"No. This is fine." I grinned and laid back next to him.

We watched but instead of hearing Lucas' expected comments it was quiet. I looked over and he was asleep again. What if we hadn't gotten to him in time? This question kept sending me into a panic. My mind spiraled out of control, with every scenario my heart beat faster. I found it hard to see straight and keep my hands from shaking. This happens every once in a while after thinking about stuff like that. Even if I just think about the feeling it'll happen. Every time I just try to close my eyes but it never stops. It felt like an eternity as I waited for my heart to break through my chest. Most of the time this happens when I think up some crazy situation and my mind decides to freak out. Sometimes to stop I'll try to tell myself it didn't happen so I shouldn't worry.

After I calmed down I felt my phone vibrate on my lap. It was Finn. He was wondering if everything was all right. Usually I'd text him during the day but today I hadn't. I told him to come over and I'd explain. I turned off my phone and looked back at Lucas. I saw a little spot of freckles on his nose that I never noticed. I thought it was kind of weird but I kept staring. Finding things I've never noticed about how he looks. The way his mouth kind of hangs open when he sleeps. A small strand of hair that hangs over his forehead when it's wet. A voice at the door interrupted my staring.

"Hey," Finn said quietly like he was thinking. I stood up quick and blushed. Had he seen me staring at Lucas?

"That was fast."

"Yeah," He answered just as awkwardly as I had spoken. "So. What happened?"

"A girl from school kidnapped Lucas as leverage towards me and trapped him in a glass box filling up with water. The only way she would let him go was if I found a cure for blindness. Which is obviously impossible. Long story short, I got Lucas back but he did inhale some water. So he's been sleeping for a while and I've just been laying here." I knew something else was still on his mind. "I'll probably leave once he wakes up, or maybe I'll stay the night to make sure he's okay."