by K. Manna
Dr. Avery’s voice sounded muffled, but I tried to block it out. I tried to block everything out at that point.
Deep breaths, take deep breaths. Wait, maybe I should hold my breath, like I did with the needle incident. It would make me pass out, and then I wouldn’t feel the pain.
Raging pain shot through my ankle as Sasha twisted my foot.
CLICK!
Good thing they are holding me because I wanna lash out right now. Damn, this hurts so freakin’ bad. Why me, dammit? Why couldn’t I have been chosen for speed and Gage chosen to go through this hellish pain?
The pain was so excruciating that tears began to flow, soaking my face. Now my lips were trembling, too.
Pain, pain, go away and don’t come back another day. Please, pain, go away.
I heard Dr. Avery’s voice but didn’t process what he was saying. I continued on with the stupid little rhyme in my head in hopes of distracting myself.
Pain, pain, go away and don’t come back another day …
TAP, TAP, TAP.
My eyes opened, and the world moved in slow motion. Dr. Avery’s lips moved as he pointed at my ankle. He was trying to get my attention.
“Margo, dear, please heal your ankle.”
“Yes, Margo, nobody here can heal it for you. Come on now,” Eugene reminded me.
Leaning forward, I grasped my barely movable ankle and started to envision my bright purple healing light ridding me of this horrible pain.
Focus on intense purple light radiating with such fierce heat that it will pull my ankle and everything inside of it back into place. Imagine muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones all healing back together.
But it wasn’t like the other times. I could almost hear the bones grinding against each other as they moved back into place. I doubted myself. It wasn’t the pain that bothered me so much as the gruesome thought of my mangled limb. All I could see was Indee’s arm, Bree’s knee, and my … jade stone. Eli wouldn’t have given up on me. In fact, nobody had given up on me but me. Dr. Avery and the others all stood around me, encouraging me to heal myself.
I tried again to focus, pushing other thoughts out of my head.
Damn the pain. Damn this nasty, twisted ankle. Bring on the light!
I’m not sure how well I did or how quickly I did it, but over time the pain slowly began to recede, little by little.
Dr. Avery nudged my hand so that he could check how well things were healing, and like both Bree and Indee, he explained that my injury had healed only slightly.
“Keep at it, Margo. You are a very strong child, my dear. Your heat is so intense that even I have begun to sweat,” Dr. Avery said with a chuckle. “I need to go and check how the others are progressing. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Everyone followed Dr. Avery except Sasha who stayed sitting next to me with her arms around her knees, fiddling with her fingers.
“You should go with them. They might need you,” I managed to say.
Sasha looked up at me. “Are you sure? I feel bad torturing you and then leaving you here in pain, like it’s no big deal.”
“Yes, you should go. It’s fine, and you shouldn’t feel bad. You did what you were asked to do,” I said, cringing as I accidently bumped my ankle.
Sasha started to stand up. “Okay, but I still feel bad.”
I tried to smile at her. “I know you do. If it makes you feel any better, I would have hurt you too if I were asked to.”
“I’m sure you would. Maybe in another life.” Sasha laughed. “Ha-ha. But not this one. I will see you in a little while then.”
“I hope so, but I have a feeling this will take a while. Now get out of here, you meanie!” I yelled with a grin.
Ugh, this day has been the longest day ever.
Healing practice had been really difficult for all of us. Healing bone back into its proper joint was hard enough, and then when that was finally accomplished, you had to heal the muscle and ligaments, too. Freakin’ hard, dude. It was our longest practice ever, causing us to miss our original lunchtime. Bree and I struggled into the afternoon, making Eugene more than a little concerned. Eventually, he sent for Sonya to come down just in case we needed her “assistance,” as he called it. But Bree refused to let Sonya help her because she wanted to do it all by herself, whereas I almost broke down, but only because I had raging hunger cramps. In the end, I fought through it all on my own. Before I ran off for lunch, Eugene stressed that tomorrow would probably be another long day since he wanted all three of us to practice on each other. All I could think about was filling my face with food to ease the pains in my gut.
Later that evening in our room, I asked Lottie, “So should we get rid of that mole on your back?”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, Eugene has been bugging us to practice more on others,” I mumbled, rolling over on the bed.
Lottie took a water bottle out of the refrigerator and sat down next to me. “Yes. Duh, let’s get rid of this ugly thing.” She pulled her shirt up in the back. “I scratch and pick at it all the time, but the stupid mole is still there. I think you should use nail clippers to cut it off.”
“Me?” I asked.
Lottie looked at me like I didn’t have a clue. “Well, how do you expect me to cut the mole off when it’s on my back? I don’t have eyes in the back of my head.”
I shrugged. “Fine, go get the nail clippers then.”
Oh, I get to play Sasha now. Hurting people.
Returning from the bathroom, Lottie handed me the nail clippers. “Here, and do it quick.”
“I will, I will. Now sit still.”
I found the small squishy mole on her lower back near her spine. With the clippers poised over the mole, I asked, “Are you ready?”
“No, but do it anyway. I’ve wanted that dumb thing off for years.”
PINCH.
Dammit. It didn’t all come off.
PINCH … again.
“Ouch!” Lottie yelled.
“Well, it’s a stubborn mole, just like you. What did you expect?” I joked.
Blood began to bubble from the small wound, so I grabbed a tissue to dab at it. I didn’t want blood to get on her clothes or—more importantly—my bed. Covering the wound with my hand, I imagined purple healing light sewing the skin back together, heat streaming quickly from my hand onto her skin.
Lottie arched forward, murmuring, “Oh, it’s hot.”
I pulled her back in place by her shoulder. “It’s part of the process, girlfriend.”
And voilà! No mole or scar visible whatsoever. Even after all this time, healing anything still surprised me, and even more so Lottie. She rubbed her hand across her back and then jumped up, running into the bathroom. A little laugh and shriek rang out.
“You’re awesome, Go-Go! Thank you.”
I laid back on the bed, still feeling a little exhausted from the long day.
Lottie skipped back out, plopping down on my bed. “So, what else can we do? I wanna do more. This is so exciting!” she said with a big smile.
“Um, I don’t know.” I thought for a minute, looking around the room.
Oh yeah, I do have those extra piercing needles and a forceps that Eugene gave to me to practice with … obviously I would never use them on myself though.
“Do you want me to pierce you?” I asked.
“Yeah. I want tons of piercings. They look so awesome. It sucks having to wait until I’m eighteen to get them myself, not that my dad would care anyway. He probably wouldn’t even notice,” Lottie mumbled.
“Well, in order for me to practice, I will have to heal the hole up. Besides, I don’t have any body jewelry,” I reminded her.
Lottie smiled mischievously. “You can stick me a few times and heal them shut, but we are leaving one hole open,” she said slyly. “The rest we�
�ll leave up to me.”
I took the new needle out of the wrapper.
I hate you, needle. You are lucky you’re not sticking me—oh wait—I guess I’m the lucky one.
“Where should I pierce you?” I asked.
“Uh, anywhere. Surprise me.”
I sighed. “You’re no help. C’mon, you have to pick somewhere.”
“Start with my eyebrow, then my lip, and then my belly button. If I can handle more, then you can do my nose and my …” she went on.
Okay, okay, and the list goes on, you piercing freak. How can she stand being poked?
So, I pierced Lottie in that exact order. Following Eugene’s instructions, I used the forceps to clamp the skin and firmly pushed the needle through. It was nice, fun even, piercing someone else instead of being the one poked. As long as the needle wasn’t going in me, everything was just fine and dandy. Lottie didn’t mind the big monster needle. She took every jab like a champ, with only minor complaints. But as much as I enjoyed putting holes in someone else for a change, the best part was healing them and seeing the look on their face.
Now you see it; now you don’t!
“That is so flippin’ cool! I wish I could do that. I would take healing talent over hearing talent any day,” Lottie said, rubbing her fingers over her freshly healed bottom lip.
I smiled teasingly. “Yeah, so would I.”
Lottie gave me a little slap for rubbing it in. “Be quiet, you lucky brat. Okay, now pierce my belly button, and this one we’re leaving alone.”
“Yeah, but you have no ring. It will end up healing on its own anyway, and it will probably leave a scar.”
Lottie rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. I have an idea, but it’s a surprise, so I can’t tell you what it is until we’re done.”
I pierced Lottie’s belly button and then she pressed a tissue against it to soak up the blood. She rummaged through drawers and then through the closet, and then skipped into the bathroom. She whispered something as she closed the door behind her.
What is she up to?
When the door finally opened, Lottie danced over to me, all smiles.
“And?” I asked, curious as hell.
Lottie stood in front of me, pulling up her shirt to reveal her secret idea.
Really? A safety pin?
I looked up at Lottie, shaking my head. “You’re one crazy chick.”
Lottie, still holding her shirt up, wiggled her hips. “You gotta love me.”
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Lottie got up and looked through the little elf door to see who was a-knockin’. I heard Elise’s voice from outside the door. Lottie said something back to her and nodded her head.
Lottie closed the little door and looked at me. “Get up, girl! We’re going out.”
“I’m too lazy to go anywhere,” I complained, sprawled across the bed.
“Too bad!” Lottie raised her voice, grabbing both of my arms and pulling me up. “Everybody’s going.”
“Going where?” I asked.
“Down by the ocean. We’re going to have a bonfire, hang out, and have tons of fun.”
How could I argue with that? On our way down the hallway, we saw Jeremiah and Preston walking our way. Their hands held a giant bowl of popcorn and big bottles of pop.
What’s going on with them? I thought everybody was going to the bonfire.
As we passed them, I asked, “Hey, aren’t you two going to the bonfire?”
Preston shook his head as Jeremiah answered, “Nah, we’re going to play some video games instead.”
“Well, have fun gaming. See you later,” I said, continuing to walk down the hall beside Lottie. Farther down the hall I whispered, “I thought you said everybody’s going.”
“Elise said that they were asking everybody, so I assumed everyone would be going.”
“Who’s they?” I asked.
“Your brother, Elise, Anton, Ricky, and …” Lottie hesitated. “Onnika, I think.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh great, this should be fun.”
Lottie grabbed my arm as we walked. “We’re going to have fun no matter what, even if she’s there. All we have to do is ignore her and pretend she doesn’t exist.”
Hmm, easier said than done.
Everyone gathered to leave for the ocean, everyone except Preston and Jeremiah. Those two were so quiet and uncomfortable around people, so really it was no surprise that they chose not to come. While Lottie, Bree, Sasha, and I trailed behind everyone, Elise raced ahead with Gage and Ricky. The rest of the crowd ran after them but had little chance of catching up. They were too damn fast. They were outta sight in no time. I still felt worn out from healing my ankle and felt no need to rush.
“If I would have known we were walking this far, I wouldn’t have come,” I complained.
Lottie slapped my arm. “Quit your whining. It’s not much farther.”
“It’s far enough,” I complained some more.
“Maybe I should have left you back in the room,” Lottie teased, “so I wouldn’t have to hear all your whining, you crybaby.”
Sasha stopped suddenly, causing the three of us to stop along with her. I wondered why the sudden standstill.
Sasha stepped in front of me, crouching down. “Get on, crybaby.”
“No, it’s okay. I can walk,” I said.
“Just get on, Go-Go,” Sasha pressed.
I started to climb onto her back. “All right, all right, chill out. I’m warning you; you’re going to get tired.”
Sasha laughed. “Yeah right, honey. You are as light as a feather compared to what I’ve been carrying lately.”
Bree cut in. “I have dibs to ride on the way back.”
“I suppose,” Sasha sighed.
The sun had already begun to set in the clear sky. A warm breeze passed. This was a perfect night for a bonfire by the ocean.
Bonfire—that reminds me of Eli. Was he with braggin’ Brook tonight, bonfiring it up? Annoying. I wonder where the Zyon is and what he’s doing. I haven’t seen him in days, except on the Z-Screen. What’s up with that? Does he not want to see me? Does he not even think of me?
Sasha carried me all the way to the bonfire pit, no problem. When we arrived, she crouched down to let me climb off. She wasn’t even a touch out of breath from carrying my crybaby ass so far. If I had tried carrying one of them that distance, I wouldn’t have made it. My legs would have given out a long time ago.
Gage and Ricky already had the fire blazing high by the time the rest of us arrived. Chairs and benches encircled the bonfire pit. I slumped down into one of them, making myself comfortable. Anton had brought a backpack with him and began pulling out marshmallows, crackers, and chocolate bars.
Mmm, that sounds good. It has been forever and a day since I have had s’mores.
“Who wants to look for more firewood?” Anton hollered out.
Max and Alex yelled back, “I will.”
Lottie ran up to Elise and Sasha, smiling. “Come here, you guys. I have something to show you. Come closer to the fire so you can see it better.”
Curious, Sasha and Elise moved near the fire, and Lottie lifted her shirt to show off her new piercing.
“Awesome! I want one,” Sasha said excitedly.
Bree poked her head in to see what they were looking at. “Oh, I can do it for you when we get back.”
“I have a forceps and extra needles if you need them,” I offered.
Bree sat in the chair next to me. “I think I have a needle, but that would be cool if I could borrow the forceps.”
“It’s all yours; I’m done with it,” I said.
After finishing our s’mores, Ricky announced that it was time to tell stories, the kind of stories that end with some poor teenager getting hacked up by psychos with hooks for
hands. As I listened to the spooky stories, I licked clean my fingers, which still felt sticky from the gooey, melted marshmallows. Lottie sat at my feet, gripping my leg.
Why do guys always have to try and scare the crap out of us? The sad thing is, they don’t even have to try that hard.
I had to admit that the stories were making me feel a little paranoid. I found myself peeking around in case anything freakish or ghostly might be trying to sneak up on me. Then Lottie turned her head, looking into the darkness of the trees as if she heard something, making me even more paranoid.
What’s there? I shouldn’t be listening to these stories. I’m gonna be freaking out all night now.
Suddenly, Ricky yelled out, causing Bree to throw her hands up and scream. Max had also crept around in the darkness and snuck up on Bree at the exact same time to scare her, and it worked … again. Ricky and Max had obviously planned the whole thing. Those two were like little mischievous ninjas, always up to no good.
Eyes still wide from the scare, Bree gave a good slap to Max’s face.
“Oh, snap! She slapped you good!” Sasha yelled.
Everyone started laughing, even Max as he rubbed his cheek. Bree must have smacked him pretty dang hard because she shook her smacking hand like it still hurt. I knew that feeling well from smacking Gage when he got on my nerves. I could almost feel my own hand throb after watching Bree cradle her hand to her chest.
Ouch. Speaking of Gage, where is he? I don’t see his big head anywhere.
My eyes scanned the laughing crowd again and still didn’t see him.
Lottie nudged me. “Will you go to the bathroom with me? I’m so scared. I gotta tinkle.”
“Sure.”
We walked through the darkness together, arm in arm. Dim lights lit the path that ran up a small hill to the bathrooms.
Lottie whispered, “It sounds like someone is out here.”
I listened more closely but didn’t hear anything besides the bugs and the crowd back by the bonfire.
“Over there,” Lottie whispered, pointing ahead.
Oh, aren’t we daring?
As we quietly tiptoed around the side to the far bathroom wall, I started to hear a little movement. When we peeked around the wall, my eyes nearly popped out of my head.