THE FLOWER CHILDREN

Chapter 12

WHEN she woke up, Asmeen could tell that, for the first time in months, she'd slept in late. When her eyes opened, she could see the sun high in the sky from the window. Some of the others were awake, talking in hushed whispers. Aven was sitting up, eating some bread and milk.

He caught her eye and held a hand up in greeting. "Morning. How are you?"

It was then that Asmeen realized that she was not, at all, well. Her head was aching, and she could feel the heat buzzing on her skin. She groaned, closing her eyes again. This was absolutely the best thing that could have happened.

"What's wrong?" Aven asked. "Nurse!" He called.

Asmeen could hear a nurse running over. "What's wrong?" Asmeen groaned again, and the nurse placed a hand on her forehead. "Oh, dear." The nurse's footsteps pattered off and returned in a few minutes. "Sit up, dear."

Asmeen opened her eyes and let the nurse help her into a sitting position, her head pounding at the movements. He picked up a small tray from the bedside table and handed it to Asmeen. "Finish this quickly, and then you can take some medicine."

Asmeen nodded. "Thank you." She glanced at the plate. There was bread and milk, looking highly unappetizing. The bread looked too dry, and the milk smelled...well, she didn't particularly like drinking milk in any case.

"Asmeen?"

She glanced to the side to see Aven watching her, his eyebrows furrowed. "Sick?" He said, giving her a sympathetic look.

Asmeen nodded miserably. "I really don't want to eat this." She gave the food a distasteful look.

"Just don't think too much about it," Aven advised. "The sooner it's over, the sooner they'll give us medicine. And then we can rest."

Asmeen sighed and began eating, dipping the bread in the milk and stuffing down bites. Five bites in, her stomach started churning, and she could just feel it, her throat weakening, her jaw loose.

"I'm going to be sick."

Aven's eyes widened. "Nurse!" He said immediately.

The same nurse looked up, and, on seeing Asmeen's face, quickly brought a bucket and held it in front of her face.

Not a moment too soon, because as soon as the nurse arrived, bile rose up her throat and out of her mouth. Asmeen barely registered another nurse closing the curtains around her bed as she upchucked into the bucket, cringing at the smell and taste.

She waited in front of the bucket for a few moments, to check that it was really over. Finally, she nodded, breathing deeply.

"Here," the nurse said, handing her a cup of water. Asmeen hadn't even noticed her bringing it. She rinsed out her mouth, glad to get the last chunks out of her mouth, and swallowed fresh gulps of water.

"I'll be back in a moment," the nurse said, disappearing with the bucket. Asmeen took the time to calm herself. In spite of the fever, she could feel her face reddening. All the other seven people had seen that.

The nurse came back with a cup of a pale, pink potion. Asmeen knew how to brew that particular one. "Should I open the curtains?" The nurse asked.

Asmeen thought for a moment, then nodded. She couldn't hide behind the curtains, after all.

When the curtains were opened, Asmeen was grateful to see that most of the others were looking away from her. The few that caught her eye only gave her sympathetic looks. Aven, beside her, was drinking his own cup of the pink potion.

He swallowed it down in one gulp. Asmeen looked back at her own cup and raised it to her lips. Luckily, it wasn't as bitter as some other medicinal potions, so she swallowed it down with ease, glad for something to wipe away the taste of the vomit.

She handed the cup back to the nurse and was ordered to rest. She wasn't sleepy enough to lay down, though, so she remained upright and looked around the room. She could already envision herself getting bored.

"Your sisters visited earlier," Aven said from beside her.

Asmeen turned to him immediately. "What?"

He nodded simply. "You were asleep when they came, and they didn't want to wake you, so they left you those." He gestured at the basket of thread and needles on her bedside table, as well as the bound parchment Asmeen recognized as her notes. She could almost hear Elyn telling her that she could use the time to study.

She wanted to study, she really did. But her head was still aching. And besides, the books would provide some form of distraction from how she was feeling. "Thank Bjóll for Wylla," she muttered, holding up the basket. It was all tangled—knowing Wylla, she'd just thrown in all her unfinished projects—but she could fish out Alda's scarf and make some serious progress.

She found the soft, pale pink fabric. It took her some time to sort it all out, but once she did she could focus on the scarf.

"That's really pretty. You're talented," Aven said.

Asmeen blinked, turning to him. She hadn't even realized he was watching. "Oh. Thank you."

"It's for Alda, right?"

Asmeen nodded. Aven had no one to talk to, she noticed. And he had nothing to amuse himself with, either, unlike her. She bit her lip. "Aren't you bored?"

Aven's lips parted, but then he nodded. He even gave her a sudden grin. "I'm nearly going out of my mind. I've been awake for hours."

Asmeen grimaced. "I don't really have much for you to do...you could study my notes, I guess." It sounded like a question.

Aven let out a dry chuckle. "I don't think I could handle that, right now."

"Are you sick, too?" Asmeen asked.

He nodded gravely, letting out a cough. "Not as bad as you, it seems, but yes. Only three of us are actually sick—the rest will probably get to go home today, tomorrow at the latest."

"How fortunate," Asmeen grumbled. And here she was, burning with fever and throwing up into buckets.

Aven laughed and leaned back, shutting his eyes. Asmeen decided to let him be and continued knitting, letting the familiar motions take over her. She wasn't as fast as she would be normally, but it was comforting, and she spent most of the day engaged in the task.

See you next chapter!