Remember Me

Chapter 20

Ava

I bring Lupa back to her house and stay the whole day and the next night as we sleep the entire time. It is her vomiting the next morning that wakes me up.

I stare up at the ceiling of her bedroom as I wait for her to finish. When she collapses again in bed, I speak up.

"Why are you sick, Lupa?" I ask her.

"It usually happens after the Blood Moon," she replies. "I vomit blood after I've killed someone. So maybe next year will be better."

I sit up in the bed and look at her. I examine the poison in her face and see it is traveling faster. Almost the entire right side of her cheek is black.

"Lupa, you didn't kill anyone. And if you're vomiting blood, I suggest you go to the hospital. The poison is spreading fast."

Lupa shakes herself. "I'm... Okay, really." She breaks off to cough and hack. She covers her mouth as she coughs, although I see little red flecks appearing on her hand. She looks down at the blood in her hand before she grabs a tissue and wipes it up. She looks up and catches my eye. "Just leftovers," she continues.

I nod disbelievingly and look at my hands before checking the time. "Well, since you've got me up early, I think I'm going to go to school today."

Lupa nods and I get up to get ready.

Lupa

It's noon and I feel like crap. I know that coughing up blood is a bad thing. I just don't want Ava to worry. I can feel the poison spreading. Soon it starts to burn my throat and extend down my right shoulder. I lift up my arm and watch the cracks appear in my pale skin. It's spreading fast.

I'm in pain. So much pain! I feel my stomach rolling as more blood forces its way out of my mouth. I barely make it to the bathroom. I cough and shake and vomit all day. By two in the afternoon, I can hardly move. There is a pail beside me that's almost entirely full of blood and anything I try to stuff down my gullet.

I wince and groan as the fiery pain draws nearer to my heart. I force myself up and limp over to my phone. It takes a lot of effort to dial Ava's number, and even more to hold it up to my ear to call.

It rings twice and she answers.

"Hello? Lupa? What's wrong?" She says. I open my mouth to say something, but all that comes out is a weak breath. I am in pain from head to toe. I'm getting dizzy, and Ava's voice is adding to the massive headache I'm gaining. Slowly my vision goes, as do my legs. I drop the phone as I collapse. There is only one thought in my head as nausea and pain take over me. I'm dying.

Ava

I can hear the thud as she hits the floor through the phone. She must've landed on it because the line goes dead almost immediately. I curse quietly and flag down Moira out of the class I had ran out of when I got the call before running out of the school with the other girl on my heels.

I begin to run towards Lupa's house, but Moira stops me.

"Ava, I have my dad's car," she says, leading me to the silver sedan parked nearby. "It's quicker than running. C'mon!"

We get into the car and speed towards Lupa's manor. When we get there, I have a very bad feeling in my gut. I almost trip over her body when I fly through the door, although I hardly recognize her. The silver poison has spread through her veins, blackening the appearance of her skin. The skin around the scar tissue is swollen and puffy, and her entire body is bluish-grey.

Moira-who had stayed by the car-calls out to me.

"How is she?" She calls.

"Call the hospital!" I call back. "I think... I think Lupa is dying for real."