Outcasts

Chapter 24

The air was still, quiet. A slight chill was winding its way through Lia's room, and Akane looked to the source; a window was open, the sheer curtains blowing softly in the breeze.

Akane returned her attention back to Lia, unconscious on her bed. Her eyelashes fluttered softly, her face calm and relaxed with sleep. Akane's hands hovered over Lia's forehead, Lia's energy pulsating into Akane's palms.

"How is she?" Akane's head turned at Dr. Jones' voice. He was leaning over her, arms crossed, brows furrowed. He looked exhausted. Akane wasn't surprised. Lia's screams certainly woke everybody unbelievably early that morning, so loud the nearby birds probably stirred.

"She's stable, for now," Akane said, resting her hands in her lap. Lia's energy quickly dissipated, leaving Akane feeling nothing but her own, still life force humming softly inside her.

"Good, good," the doctor muttered to himself. Akane could feel the amount of tension and anxiety radiating off him, and that was without her power. 

From the moment they met, Akane knew Lia was the shy type, who offered a quick witty remark at times. Her incessant shrieking rocked everybody, Akane especially.

"You should get some sleep," Akane said to the doctor. He turned, eyes shifting hazily, proving Akane's point that he was in need of a long rest.

"No, no, I'm alright, I'll be fine," he said, giving Akane a quick, obviously forced, smile. Akane gave a pointed look and Dr. Jones rolled his eyes, rubbing a hand down his face.

"Fine, fine, I'll sleep. Just- keep an eye on her, ok?" Dr. Jones raised his eyebrows at Akane in question and she nodded. The scuff of the doctor's slippers on the hardwood floor were the last thing Akane heard before she turned back to Lia.

Akane wondered what she could have been dreaming about to make her jolt in the middle of the night and scream bloody murder. It had to have been one hell of a nightmare, because when Akane rushed to her room, still half asleep and seeing stars from standing up too quickly, Lia was shifting in and out of different life forms, claws growing and retracting on her fingernails, fangs extending and withdrawing from her mouth, each time cutting into her bottom lip and reopening wounds possibly from previous nightmares, though none as bad.

It had taken just one swift flick of Akane's wrist to rid Lia of whatever toxic images had colonised her mind. Akane had approached tentatively, knowing she could have easily disarmed Lia, if it had been necessary. As soon as Akane worked her telekinesis on Lia, her body slowed shifted back into its original state, even the wounds on her lower lip healing as the fangs retreated.

Akane was fascinated by Lia's body's ability to mend at a rapid rate, wondering what component of her power included super-healing. Akane made a mental note to talk to Dr. Jones about possible examinations they could conduct on each member of the team. Akane desperately wanted to know how everyone's powers worked, her own included. But that was a topic for another day because Akane looked at the clock on Lia's bedside table and groaned internally. It was almost four in the morning.

Akane looked around and spotted an armchair in the corner next to a tall bookcase, filled to the brim with books of all shapes and colours. She used her telekinesis and pulled the chair forward, just diagonal from where Lia was sleeping. Akane pulled the throw blanket from the end of the bed and laid it over her lap, snuggling into the chair and preparing for a long night.