Never Have I Ever

Chapter 17

The paramedic, who introduced himself as Beckett, sits beside me, having finished diagnostics.

“You’ve still got it in there somewhere, I’m presuming you know?”

“I can’t feel an exit, so yeah. Just get rid of it.”

I lay on the bench as he picks up an instrument I can’t see. A hand goes over my eyes, and I panic internally.

“Don’t panic. Relax. I’m not murdering you.”

I laugh wryly, and I hear a sharp intake of breath.

“Then you’d be the first person in days without a plot.”

“What happened to you in that house?” he asks, as I sit up. He threads a needle and sews the tiny space. “You were all acting like you’d been waiting. Also, the amount of time since your friend called and me arriving, you hadn’t bled that much. He called and then then you were shot. Mind explaining?”

“It’s a long story. We’ve been cursed.”

“Ha ha, very funny.”

“I’m serious.”

I explain the details of the last few days, leaving certain details out and careful not to name names.

“So, the girl killed herself with Tide Pods, then you shot yourself to finish the game?”

“Basically, yes. There’s a lot more in it than that, but I can assure you I wasn’t attempting suicide. If I was, I’d’ve shot myself in the head.”

“Have you even got a permit?”

“No. I’m a minor. But I’ve had hold of it since I was sixteen.”

“There’s no medical records for Seraph Daelynne going back that far. Either you’re lying about your identity, or you’ve had a name change.”

“How about both?”

“Who are you?”

“Which name do you want?”

“All of them, preferably.”

“No can do. You’ll send me back East. I’ll talk after I hit eighteen according to my real ID and don’t have to live with my mother.”

“Holy crap.”

“You’ll know me as Titania Summerfield, the police would know me as Katrina Harrington, and my friends know me as Seraph Daelynne. I’ve used more names than that, but they’re the important ones.”

“Holy crap. Look, you’re holding up well, and this is against protocol, but I think you shouldn’t be here. It sounds like you have other things to be doing. Like a court hearing.”

“I will need necessary silence. Perhaps there’d be a better way to do this. Can I request a meeting for a week’s time? Call it a check-up, if you wanna.”

“Why?”

“I need to convene with friends of mine regarding substance used to induce a form of amnesia.”

“I’m not even going to ask. I’m going to keep your secret, but you should get out of here, before you don’t have a choice anymore.”

“Thanks. I’ll be going, just don’t call the FBI until I’m safely somewhere else.”

“I’m not calling the FBI, Seraph. There’s this little thing called patient confidentiality. Hopefully I won’t be seeing you around, because that would mean you’ve landed yourself in the ER again.”