The Fall of the Keepers

Chapter 23 Near-Death Experiences

A short while later the rest of the rebels arrived checking Glass, Jasmine, and three others who had been badly affected by Shane's shadows into the emergency room.

"We had to take Meredith to the morgue, whatever was in that darkness murdered her."
I overheard Phil telling Cassian.

And this was how the fear of certain wielding abilities spread. I wasn't afraid of the shadows, now that I knew what they were and how they could hurt you. They were certainly a lot less terrifying than Kamala and her blood powers.

"A lack of knowledge and wagging tongues, this is how rumors start."
Vienna muttered.

I tapped my foot on the floor in a vain attempt to expel my nervous energy. It had been an hour so far since they had taken Esha back and there had been no word on her status.

"No news is good news. It means she's still alive."
Jasper assured me.

No news was nerve-wracking. The nurse behind the front counter approached us and I sat up straight in anticipation.

"You two should really be seen by a doctor, it looks like you've been through quite the ordeal."
She said, motioning to my friends.

To be fair, they were covered in blood with messy hair, scuffed clothing, and a general haggard look.

"And you dear, we should at least take a quick look at those eyes."

My vision was still tinted pink but otherwise, I felt fine.

"I'd rather wait for news on my sister."
I answered with a shake of my head.

"It could be a little while yet."
She warned.

"I'll wait."
I crossed my arms and leaned back in the uncomfortable waiting room chair.

"So will we."
Vienna informed the nurse, placing a hand on my knee.

"Maybe a trip to the bathroom at least?"
The nurse suggested.

"I've seen people come in from car accidents that looked better."

"Maybe a trip to the bathroom."
Vienna agreed.

"You go first Vi, I'll stay with Astrid."
Jasper instructed.

Vienna gave my leg a pat before rising from her seat and heading in the direction of the women's restroom.

"Thank you."
I murmured to Jasper.

"For what?"
He queried.

"For being here with me."

"Where else would I be? You're my friend."
He said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I let out a breath with a little shake of my head. I didn't deserve my wonderful friends.

"Hey, how you doing?"
Cassian appeared in front of me, holding three bottles of water.

He extended one to me and one to Jasper, which we gratefully took. I merely shrugged in response to his question, what did he expect me to say?

"Esha's one tough kid, she'll pull through this."

"Yeah."
I said, without much conviction behind it.

I was afraid, perhaps irrationally, that if I dared to hope for the best out loud, somehow it would cause the opposite to happen. Cassian's eyes flickered towards the emergency room entrance, widening in surprise.

"What's she doing here?"
He asked shifting from left foot to right and fiddling with his water bottle.

My eyes followed his line of sight and spotted none other than Aylee Palova with her hands in the pockets of her pink jacket, her eyes darting around the room. Or at least I thought her jacket was pink, but the colored tint my eyes were adding to the world made it hard to say. She glanced in our direction, and held eye contact, crossing the room in a handful of strides.