Deep Blue

Chapter 7

SUMMER'S POV

I squint my eyes open, as a blinding light blazes in front of me. Cliche I know, go into the light. I feel a hard bed underneath me.

I shoot up and realise I'm in a hospital bed, and my arm has a cord on it, attached to a heart rate monitor. I sit up against the bed and wait for someone to come.

I hear the door creak open. I hope it's Winter, or even better, Ethan. I turn to see Claire walk up towards me. She has a look of worry in her eyes. She sits on the side of my bed.

"Are you feeling better?" she asks. I nod my head slowly, and she smiles.

"Why didn't I get dragged off straightaway if I didn't pass the test?"

She looks confused as I say it. I try to re word it.

"I mean, I thought that I failed, I passed out."

"But not before breaking the glass."

I muster a smile, I did it. I'm part of the community of Dimersium. I really did it.

"You did however suffer some severe fractures in your left leg. You'll have to stay in the emergency room for two more days," Claire says, "But if you have any questions for me, just let me know."

She starts to walk away, but I grab her wrist gently, as I feel a sharp pain in my ankle.

"Where's my friend? Ethan?"

She looks at me with sympathy and pats the hair down on my head, which makes me feel loved, but uncomfortable at the same time.

"Mortals don't last long in this place. I'm sorry to say, that your friend may not have made it through the night."

A flash of pain, emotional pain this time, passes through my chest. Ethan could be dead, and I might never know. The thought of not knowing and never finding out would be worse than him being dead in front of me. At least then I could be certain, and I wouldn't spend my life wondering.

I give her a sad smile and let go of her. "Thank you. I'm okay now."

She smiles and exits the room. I sit back onto my bed. A tear escapes from my eye and rolls onto the bed. He's gone. I convince myself of this to prevent any false hope of him ever returning.

I remember his pearly white smile, his kindness, even after my outburst. He still came with me. I'll miss him terribly.

I notice a card on my dresser next to the monitor. It's white with a blue flame in the middle. I grin as I read the inside:

I knew you could do it.

Winter x

I close it, and the feeling of happiness returns to me as I remember that I passed the test.

Who knows, Winter and I might even become friends, if I'm lucky.

My legs are starting to stiffen up, so I push away the covers and walk over to the window. Well, I say walk, but it's more of a limp. The stabbing pains in my leg limit my speed to snail-like.

I reach the window, and I breath in the fresh scent of the crisp morning air. The wind is strong, but still calm enough for people to go outside.

The room is a few storeys higher than the rest of the town, which is bustling with busy passers by. The building are mainly made of wood, and the hospital is made of marble.

I close my eyes and listen to the sound of the streets. Suddenly, I hear the whip of an arrow, narrowly missing my ear, and going into the outside of the wall.

The arrow, with a spiked metal point, has a slightly burnt note. I cautiously pull the arrow out of the marble, and slide the note off slowly.

The hole in the middle of the page is an off putter, but the scribbled writing is still clear.

All Love Is Vertually Equal - E

What the...

I spin around to the direction yhat the arrow came from, and see a black figure standing on the roof of a small building. They pull down on their hoodie and jump off the roof.

I stumble back to the bed and place the note under the pillow. I lay down my head and try to imagine what on earth this thing means.

•••

It's been a day now, since I got out of hospital. The whole thug went by in a blur, because I couldn't take my mind off of the note.

We've been at a banquet, celebrating the people who passed the tests. The two who failed the test have already been replaced by two more girls. Things do happen quickly around here.

We are still in the parliamentary building, but now we're in a long room with a tall roof and a long table taking up most of the space.

The food is delicious. Roast chicken, stir fried vegetables, lamb stew. Not that I've eaten much, I'm a bit off my stomach.

I don't feel safe anymore.

Winter shakes my shoulder, and I snap out of my trance in time to see two men bring out a huge Black Forest cake. Well, I guess I could squeeze something in.

Claire stands up at the end of the table, and raises her champagne glass, as the rest of us go silent.

"Hears to our fantastic new government!" she proclaims, as we beam from ear to ear, "And I have no doubt, now, that Dimersium will be in safe hands."

I could swear she steals a glance at me.

"Hears, to a new world."

We all clink our glasses with our opposite and most, except the teenagers under eighteen years, drink their champagne.

I smile at Winter as she resists the urge not to grab the glass and chug it down her throat. I laugh as she finally gives in and takes a huge gulp of the alcoholic drink.

We party into the night, until the clock strikes ten, and the servants come into the room to clean the mess. We all stay behind and chat with other people. Winter and I are chatting, when Claire comes up.

"I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself," she laughs, as Winter starts to collapse into her eighth drink.

I chuckle and I'm about to thank her, when a man in a pink coat burst through the door, his face sweaty and panicked.

"They...found a...body.."

My palms get sweaty as I think of the prospect of seeing a dead body.

We are all pulled out to the street in front of the building, to see a group of people surrounding something, probably the body.

Winter and I push through the crowd to see a male with his face flat on the path. A note lays on his back.

Mortals don't belong here.

My eyes widen.

Mortals.

I grab the body and turn it over, my sobs echoing through the village.

Ethan.

I cry and cry, trying to stop myself, but the tears just keep flowing out and my sobs get louder. I hold him close to me. Until Winter and another girl pull me away.

My vision gets blurred from the tears in my eyes. I don't...he can't be...no.

My eyelids close, as a final teardrop escapes my eye.