The Awakening

Chapter Thirteen

When I wake up my eyes are surprised to find that I am not facing the kitchen, but instead, six sets of dressers that sit across from us. I force Emma to get up, and the surprise on her face almost matches mine. We are still surrounded by purple panels, and there are still six bunk beds, along with the new dressers, but we are also in a different room. It's a small room, but I am surprised to see a door with a handle. I look to Emma, and we both press our ears against it, hearing some commotion from the outside. Without hesitating I open the door to see, also to my surprise, Andrew, and Frost sitting at the table, eating a bowl of cereal. With the other girls still sleeping we walk into the room that used to hold our beds, but now instead hold extra medical tables. A couple feet away from our door is another than has another six sets of bunk beds, and dressers, but instead on the walls were purple, they are blue. The room colour has also changed to just white with the pillows on the couch being the same, only with more blue ones added. Emma glances at the boys before completely ignoring them, and striding to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I collect myself before sitting across from Andrew at our now extended table.
    "Good morning," he states, not bothering to look up. "Do you think I might be able to talk to you after breakfast," he asks, being straightforward, but still not bothering to look at me. This bothers me, even though I know it shouldn't. I should probably be prepared for him to blow up at me seen as I wasn't actually the damsel in distress he thought I was.
    "No," I respond, and this makes him look at me. I move to cross my arms, but then I realize that it hurts, and my bullet wound is covered in a thick layer of bandages so I cross my legs instead. He looks me up, and down, surprised by my words, but I really only said it so he would look at me. "After we eat, and I am done in the shower, then we can talk somewhere private, okay?" I ask, looking him right in the eye.
    "Okay," is all he says before shrugging it off, and returning to his cereal. Emma and I make an easy breakfast of scrambled eggs, and bacon, letting the girls help themselves to that, and coffee as they start to get up. I take my turn in the shower first, trying to drag it on as long as possible, dreading having to come out, and face him. Just like so many good things this too is done all too soon, and I am dressed, and following Andrew into his room. I have a feeling some of the girls will be trying to listen in so I put a barrier up between the door so they cannot hear anything, even though I know I will tell Emma everything later anyway.
    "So, how do you want to start?" I gulp, not ready to hear what he has to say.
    "When I first met you, how much did you lie about?" He asks, taking a seat on what I am guessing to be his bed.
    "A lot at first," I tell him guilty, but still continue. My parents did die, and I wasn't a hostage, but everything after that was true," I confess.
    "Did you hate yourself?" He questions me, and I feel like I am tied up all over again being interrogated by the man in the lavender shirt I nod, feeling the guilt finally rise to the surface, and I feel a tear fall, but I wipe it away, hoping he didn't notice. I have to clear my throat before I speak again.
    "I did because I promised myself I would never do that when he took me, and I did it anyway, just in a different way. Another tear rolls down my cheek, and I go to wipe it away, but Andrew catches my hand and pulls me down so I am sitting next to him. He doesn't let go but urges me to go on. "I didn't know this would happen to you. I didn't know they were going to hurt you, but I did know about your father, and I can't say I didn't have a choice because I did. I could have chosen to take the torture, but I didn't," I am about to go on, but he stops me.
    "That thing they did to you? That clip they showed me, was real?" He asks surprised and finally turns to face me, looking me in the eyes, and I nod. His eyes that used to be harsh now soften, and he pulls me into him. I'm not sure how I am supposed to react, but I don't pull away. His warmth is nice, and I guess I am grateful that he doesn't hate me.
    "Andrew? Why aren't you mad at me?" I ask him after a few minutes of silence, finally breaking away from his grasp.
    "My dad had it coming eventually, anyone could see it," he starts. "I also understand why you did it," he tells me, and I look at him, tilting my head in confusion.
    "You do?" I stammered, wondering what he means.
    "Yeah, after I got brought to your dorm, and you healed me up, I found the footage on the TV of you in the torture room, but I also saw your friends, and what you did for them, and how these people took you from your homes. Did you know they filmed you're kidnapping?" He moves back to sit against the wall, and I turn more so I can face him.
    "No, I had no idea," I tell him truthfully.
    "What's your power?" He asks me after several more awkward minutes.
    "Aether," I respond, feeling a bit ashamed of the darkness I am carrying. "What do you have?" I ask, slightly curious.
    "Weather," he tells me, and I sit there looking at him.
    "Kate has wind, I guess they needed separate stones for that?" I laugh, but then I get a pain in my chest.
    "I guess they do," Andrew chuckles back, but he frowns, seeing my face. "You alright?" He asks me, and I turn to look at him, to tell him that I'm fine, but I just get another pain in my chest that makes me grab my stone. Is this seriously happening again? I wasn't even thinking about Frost! Then there is a bang on the door, and Andrew rushes to open it. I get another stab of pain, and this time I fall to the floor, lying flat on my back, twitching, with pain in my chest, but I don't move.
    "Ella? Ella, can you hear me?" Emma asks, rushing to my side. I try to answer her, but my stone fills my chest with pain again, and I can't get anything out. Things are starting to get blurred again, and the only thought I can continuously keep in my mind is the fact that I hate this. Why is it happening so frequently now? At first, it was nothing, and not it is once a day, what the hell is going on?
    Andrew, pick her up and bring her to one of the medical beds," Emma commands him. I can feel his arms slip under my limp body, lifting me off the ground. He is whispering something to me, but I can't quite hear it. I get sat down on one of the tables, and even though they have spread a blanket over it, I can still feel the cold metal seeping through it. I look up to find Andrew's soft grey eyes looking down worriedly at me while Emma's fierce grey ones, tear off the sleeve of my shirt so she can look at my bullet wound. I know I healed her before I got into the shower, but I didn't have enough energy to do mine. My would also isn't a serious injury so I should be able to last. I guess Emma just wants to find anything that could be causing it, even though I know we both know that this isn't happening because of a bullet wound. I can feel Emma pull, and prodding me, trying to make me able to function, or even say something.
    "Emma, her stone is beating again," Jane points out just as I feel another ripple of pain swirling through my chest. I can feel Emma's eyes staring down my stone that is causing me so much discomfort. Emma goes t touch it but gets zapped back by a small purple light, just like what happened to the man in the lavender shirt. She shakes out her hand and blows on it lightly where she was struck.
    "Dang, that this is feisty," she admits, still shaking out her hand. I feel my breath pull up short, an if the air suddenly got cold, and I shudder.
    "Frost, what are we supposed to do? You're the one who said she was in trouble anyway!" Emma practically screams at him. I guess she is getting worried again. I feel like that is all I cause her now, worry, and panic. I feel a little bad, but what did she mean when Frost said that I was in trouble?
"I don't..." he takes a step closer, and I can see his cold eyes staring at me. "She's..." He can't quite continue, and for a second our eyes meet, and I see something in him. It' like he's fighting something, wanting to tell me something, but doesn't have the words. It's crazy what you can get out of just a second on looking someone in their eyes. I see Frost reach his hand out towards me, his eyes moving down to my stone, and when he presses his finger to it my back arches, and images make my mind feel like a whirlpool.