Is This for Real

Chapter 46: Unexpected Visitors

TORI'S POV

"Here's your phone," Justin said the next afternoon while setting it down on the bed, right next to my arm. I had left my phone at home when I went for that one, fateful run. He must've gone home last night to sleep because he had just gotten to the hospital. Pattie on the other hand, stayed with me the whole night.

I heard a knock on my door. Now I can have more than one person in the room, which is very good. Justin stood up to answer the door, a knowing smile plastered across his face. I wonder what's up his sleeve this time.

"Hi sweetie!" he exclaimed as he answered the door. I tried to crane my neck to see who was there but I had no such luck.

Once the person came into view, a huge smile spread across my face. "Ava!" I exclaimed.

"Hi!" she said excitedly back. Pattie left the room to talk with Avalanna's parents, leaving Justin, Ava, and I alone.

"Want to play a game?" Avalanna asked.

"Lucky for you, sweetheart, I brought a few games because I knew that you were coming." Justin pulled out a bag with three games in it. There was Sorry, Chutes & Ladders, and Guess Who.

"Chutes and Ladders!" Avalanna exclaimed. Justin and Ava moved their chairs forward and took the small table beside my bed and, after removing my water bottle and setting it on the floor, Justin turned the table around so that we were all facing it. Then, he removed the cover and laid the game board down. We all selected our playing pieces. Now it's time to start the game.

Since Avalanna was the youngest, she'll go first. Then I'll go and then Justin.

Avalanna spun a four and, since she's so lucky, she got to go up a ladder which led to space number fourteen.

Justin spun and it landed on six. He moved to space six. There was a chute there, but since he was on the bottom of the game board, he didn't use it. That left him on space number six.

Then it was my turn. The spinner landed on two. I moved two spaces ahead, which left me in last place.

It was Avalann's turn again and she spun a three. Since she was on space number fourteen, she went to space number seventeen. There was no chute or ladder there.

Justin spun and got a two. He was on space number six so he moved to space number eight. There was neither a chute nor a ladder there.

When I spun, I got a five. I moved to space number seven. No chute for me to go down- I couldn't anyways because that was at the bottom level of the game board- and no ladder for me to climb up so that I could advance even more.

Avalanna spun a six. She moved from space number seventeen to space number twenty three. No chute or ladder for her.

Justin placed his finger on the spinner and flicked it. He spun a three. He advanced from space number eight to space number eleven. No chute- well , he was at the bottom of one, I mean he couldn't go down the chute- and no ladder. Jeez! We're no doing so well!

I spun and got a six. I moved from space number seven to space number thirteen. Again, no chute or ladder!

My vision began to get blurry at the edges. I spotted my water bottle on the ground, but I knew that I wouldn't have a far enough stretch to reach it. I'll just get it at the end of the game.

Avalanna spun, getting a five. She advanced to space number twenty eight. Which led her to a ladder... and that ladder led to space number eighty four!

"Wow! Good job, Ava!" I exclaimed. "Give me five!" She gave me a high five and the world began to spin. I saw dark edges around my line of vision.

"Tori! Tori! Are you okay?" Justin yelled, and I think he waved his hand in front of my face, but I couldn't be sure because everything around me was spinning rapidly. All the colors from the game board were getting swirled around into a haze, looking like a kaleidoscope.