Where Snapdragons Lie

Up and At 'Em

I was back at the hospital again, with a huge stuffed zebra this time. Like carnival sized stuffed zebra. I found it online for two dollars.  All my regular nurses noticed when I checked in at the desk. I told them it was a  gift for someone. Someone who was very happy to be awake. I remembered when I first woke up from my coma. It was very hazy and out of focus at first. But after a few minutes I could see my Mom and Aunt in the room. I wasn't able to walk for a few minutes tho. My feet were so fucking asleep I thought my legs were gone to begin with. The spiderwort side effects kicked in a few days later. Oh shit, I wonder which antibodies Rae even has. For her sake I hope its anything but wormwood.

They moved her down to the cured ward. This year it was surprisingly bare of new patients. The halls were quiet aside from the sounds of pagers and footsteps. Outside of her room I noticed a bunch of empty plates with smears of colors. Likely that of ketchup, syrup, and gravy. There was also a pile of empty juice cups, bread crusts, and pudding pouches. The cured appetite is known for being non-discriminatory towards food pairings. I had a knack for eating pickles with ice cream for my first few day. Glad as fuck I grew out of that. But you'd eat that much too If you had been asleep for almost two weeks. 

The door was ajar slightly and I could hear voices coming from inside. I knocked. Mister Deacon opened the door with a great big smile on his face. 

"Private Wallace! How great, thanks for coming," He boomed. I saw Rae wave rather frantically from her bed. Her arm was attached to an IV, a heart rate monitor on her finger, and something attached to her ankle, which I had never seen before. It looked like a the blood pressure thing you put on your arm, except... on her ankle.  

"Hi Rae. This is for you," I said presenting the obvious gift. She gave it the biggest hug. 

"Thank you!" She placed it alongside all her other ones, "If you can't tell already, I'm a bit obsessed. Did you know they had Zebragrass antibodies, and didn't give them to me?!" 

We laughed. She was seemed to be taking all of this well. I took the chance to look at her eyes. They were a nice neon orange. Bright and powerful. But her pupils were rather thin. 

"I'm glad you're up and about. How's the infusions treating you?" I asked. 

"They're kind of tedious," She said munching on some chips, "But at least I can do this now".  She took a deep breath, and as she exhaled a little string of black smoke came out softly. Just like Delilah, only much less intense. It also smelled like salt and vinegar for a second. I'm more of a smoky barbecue girl. 

"Ah, so you're a snapdragon. Delilah is too.  I can give you some good match recommendations if you need them." Rae and her parents looked at me with hearty confusion. Oh yeah, they probably still know very little about what's going on. I tried to explain, "Snapdragons have a habit of blowing fire, so to keep it in check some try munching on matches, but they never swallow," I added, "Delilah always told me that different brands kind of have their own taste. Some even make flavored matches especially for Snapdragons."

Rae's eyes went wide, "You mean...I'm going to be able to breathe fire? That's so cool!" Her parents looked at each other. Mrs. Deacon looked worried. Of course If I were her I would be concerned too. Teenagers and fire are not the perfect mix. But Mister Deacon just laughed it off. The fact the she'll be able to breath fire is besides the point. Snapdragons are also known for being a bit dangerous because of that factor (without the proper practice). 

With that I decided to steer the conversation more towards her, "So what about your trip to the east coat, is that still on?"

"No," She said looking down and bunching her blanket, "I'm on the no fly list for the next few weeks. We've just abandoned the idea, so my grandma is going to come out and visit instead."