Cosmic Collisions (Novel)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten:

Isla pounded on the door, sobbing, both Luca's and Finley's faces coming into view. Charlotte got to her first and enveloped her in a tight hug before she could hurt herself further. They stayed like that for a while as Mason and John, the other medic rushed around with their first aid kits trying to treat any wounded passengers. With a shaky breath, Isla realised that her knuckles had started bleeding when she'd pounded on the door. Charlotte's broken arm was throbbing, but they continued to hold each other while sitting next to the now closed and retreated interlinking passage.

Back in the cafeteria everything was in absolute chaos. The food and drink machines were still lying on the floor of the space pod from the storm and blood was smeared across it. The cutlery and plates still lay around; some of the food also flew off when the Gravity Button broke. Freya, who was now in an upright position, was spitting up blood into the bucket Mason had given her before moving on to Elliot. The medic winced as he saw Elliot's cheek bones around his eyes, which were beginning to swell up and had turned a purple-blue colour. Mason handed him an ice-pack and told him to press it to his eyes. Next Mason attended to Cosmo's wing. Careful not to hurt the groaning dragon any more than he absolutely had to, the crew member ever so gently wrapped it with layers of thin bandages and secured them tightly making Cosmo whimper slightly.

Over on the other side of the room, John was treating Taylor. Even though her eye socket wasn't exactly broken it was severely damaged and her vision blurred in and out of focus in that particular eye. She winced, gritting her teeth together in pain as he dabbed some aloe vera gel over her eye.

"This should help to bring down the swelling and so should this," he told her, handing her an ice pack, "but only put it on there in 2 minute intervals," Taylor nodded, thanking him for helping her, he went to Charlotte to help treat her already broken arm.

Later, once everyone had the bandages and plasters that they needed they all met at the Headquarters and sat on the sofas. For a while no one spoke, each trying to come to terms with their own losses.

Eventually Rosiee stood up whispering, "I guess I'd better go and tell James and Adrien what just happened. They'll be confused about the sudden stop and opening of the interlinking passage." Mason followed here and Isla and Freya watched them leave towards the pilot's room as the others continued to stare at the pools of dragons that flapped their massive wings through the glass floor. Isla glanced over at Freya and found she couldn't bring herself to look at her properly. She looked so similar to Finley that it was painful to look at her. Both Elliot and Charlotte were experiencing the same thing and, noticing this, Freya walked over to another sofa, tears clouding her vision as she rested her head in her hands. Isla was the first one to join her, clutching her notebook with the drawing they'd made for her.

"Thank you for this," Isla said in a quiet voice, holding it out for her to see it. Freya gulped as she saw it and nodded unable to answer as she tied her messy hair in a low ponytail. Charlotte also came over then and threw her good arm around both of the young women catching them off guard. They didn't need to say anything, they just hugged each other close.

Back at the other mint-green sofa Taylor and Elliot stayed in silence for a while until she finally said, "who was Finley to you?"

He looked up at her, his blue eyes brimming with tears as he replied, "he was my best friend, but yesterday evening we finally confessed our feelings to each other." Elliot paused trying to see her reaction. He wasn't sure why he was telling her all this, but somehow, because she didn't know him, it was easier to talk. He continued, "I-I k-kissed him after he showed me a drawing that he'd dawn for me...,"

He produced the drawing out of his pocket to show Taylor who gasped in awe saying, "wow. It's beautiful,"

"That's exactly what I said to him," Elliot replied, taking back the drawing from her outstretched arms. Finley stared back at him from the paper, now forever frozen in time.