The Hidden Species

Chapter 2, Page 13 : Abnormalities

A light shake woke Elijah from his sleep and he glanced at the culprit to see his sister dressed in her surgical gear. "Hey kiddo, I checked you out since your vitals are all good. Just make sure you take it easy in football, okay? Tell those coaches that I'll beat their asses if they make you run for missing practice," her voice took on a pretend-threatening tone at the end. He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, still groggy from sleep. "Mmkay sis, thanks for getting me out of here. I'll see you after school?" he trailed off hopefully. Cathleen shook her head 'no' sadly, "I got the night shift today. But I'll see you tomorrow morning." She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Alright, I got to get back to work and," she checked her watch, "you have an hour to get dressed to school." "Actually," he started, "I have 10 minutes to get dressed and to football practice," he finished cheekily. Cathleen began to walk out but she rolled her eyes and said before she left, "You and your obsession with football. Just don't rip your stitches or I'll kill you." "And who would cook food for you then? Your non-existent girlfriend?" he mocked her. Her middle finger was her only response. Elijah chuckled as he climbed out of the hospital bed to get ready. Fortunately for him, his sister brought him his bag and clothes for school. Leaving the hospital, he spotted a familiar head of dirty-blonde hair getting out of her car. "Kylie!" She turned at the sound of her name and a huge smile grew on her face when she locked her green eyes on his brown ones. "Eli! I was just on my way to pick you up!" She laughed and ran to embrace him. He returned the hug, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her flowery perfume.