Unapologetically, Juliet

Chapter Twenty-Seven

THE next morning, I woke up to water being splashed in my face, and Cosmo leaning in way too close. My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I saw was the look of relief that crossed his freckled face. His sandy hair stuck out all over his head and he looked like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

"Are you okay?" he signed quickly.

"I'm fine. I think." I started to sit up, and even though everything hurt even worse than it had the night before, I managed to drag myself to my feet. "Ready to get back to your family?"

Cosmo's eyes lit up. "Yes! How'd you find me anyway?"

"I followed the markings on the trees, and then I headed for the water. Trixi says the smell is really strong." She'd always had a better nose than me.

The kid shot me a slight smile. "It is." He wrinkled his nose, and I laughed.

"I have to break down my tent and then we can leave." Cosmo grinned widely at me, shaking his head.

"I did it before I woke you up."

"Good man. Let's go." Eagerly, he bounded ahead of me as I slowly trailed after, throwing my pack over my shoulders, and starting the hike out. I could see how he would've gotten turned around by himself, even with his tree markings. The park all looked the same if you weren't sure what to look for. But I was, so it took us about two hours to get back onto the path and head toward the parking lot.

We didn't see anybody until we were about two miles from the end of the trail. The first person we spotted was Saber. Of course. At first, when he saw me, he looked furious, until his eyes flickered to Cosmo, and then it was like I didn't even exist. Which was actually fine by me, I just wanted to go home and sleep for the next two years.

I even seriously considered packing up everything I cared about and leaving town. If the Burkes could disappear whenever it suited their needs, why couldn't I? But before I could make it more than a few yards away from the brothers, I heard Saber shouting my name. I tried to ignore him, but I wasn't as fast as I usually was, what with the gaping hole in my stomach that I was pretty sure was still bleeding, even though I hadn't looked at it once since it happened.

"Hey, wait."

I whirled around when he caught up with me, and I winced a little. "Chill out. I'm leaving." I shook off his hand and walked away, kinda hoping he would call me back, but he never did. So, I just kept on shuffling to the end of the trail, ignoring the cheering crowds of people as they all found out that Cosmo was safe.

I kept trying to find Chance among the faces, but he was gone. He probably called a cab to pick him up right after I ditched him. He was probably furious. I wanted to care, at least a little, but I didn't. I found it difficult to care about anything other than the fact that my insides hurt and I'd probably lost a little too much blood.

Somehow, I managed to make it all the way home without passing out. It was touch and go a few times, but it was early enough that there weren't a lot of cars on the road. I might've blacked out in the rickety elevator on my way up to the thirteenth floor, but when I opened my eyes, the doors were just opening, and I had enough time to slip out before they closed again.

The second I entered my apartment, I started stripping off my layers, while King pranced out of Rosalie's room whining at me loudly. The copious amounts of blood that spilled from my wound had dried my tank top to my skin. I had to rip it off and I screamed around the cotton t-shirt I'd shoved into my mouth. It hurt like hell.

When I actually looked at the cut for the first time, it was a nasty maroon color with puss and blood still dribbling from the places where the scabs had been pulled away. My stomach churned, and I had to run to the sink to throw up, which also stung like a sonofabitch. I sunk down to the floor of my kitchen and relished in the way the cool linoleum felt against my skin while I cried. I knew I needed stitches, but instead, I dragged myself over to the long couch and I fell into the cushions, wearing nothing but a bra and leggings.