Page 88 of Dark Embers

Ms. Heather dashed past me in a blur of blonde frizz. She put her hands on either side of Letti’s head and spoke in a soothing tone.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted, turning to leave.

Ms. Heather spoke over her shoulder. “No need to be sorry. It’s gotten less frequent, though I think she still dreams about what happened. Might do her some good to hear your voice.”

I took a deep breath and approached the bed as Ms. Heather stepped away. It took a few moments for words to come to me as I stared down at Letti, who looked so small and frail on that gurney.

I dug the toe of my boot on the tile, feeling weird and out of place. “I’m sorry. I hate that this happened to you.”

Letti whimpered softly, but she didn’t start thrashing again. I took that as a good sign.

“I know we’ve had our differences, but I hope you get better soon. I almost miss your, um—” I glanced at Ms. Heather, who had her glasses low on her nose as she looked over some paperwork.

“—your motivational speeches.”

Letti fussed again, her fingers curling into the sheets. She began to whisper, and it took a moment for me to catch what she was saying.

“Looking for you…”

Chills skittered up my spine and across my scalp. I looked to Ms. Heather for her reaction, but the nurse didn’t seem to notice.

I glanced at the clock. I had five minutes to get back, and for a moment, I almost didn’t want to go. But Ashlyn’s hopeful face popped into my mind. I couldn’t leave her hanging.

“Alright. Well, I have to go. Get better soon.” I nodded at Letti as I turned to leave.

“Take care, dear.” Ms. Heather’s gaze flicked to me, and she smiled before turning her attention back to her paperwork.

I moved swiftly through the halls as I headed for the avian common room. My heart was racing, and even though I wasn’t actually alone, I felt spooked. I was eager to get back to my friends—and admittedly Tobias—so that I could feel safe.

How was I supposed to react to Letti’s ramblings? Was it just nonsense from her comatose nightmares? Honestly, I’d have to be an idiot to believe that. My mother had been killed by vampires on the rare night I had been away, and a mermaid who looked like me had been attacked by them and was now mumbling my name.

Her mutters weren’t nonsense. They were a warning.

Niko, Tobias, and Ashlyn were all in the common room by the time I arrived. I was a little out of breath, and Ashlyn raised a brow.

“Are you okay?” Ashlyn asked, handing me my coat.

“Yeah. Sorry, I lost track of time and had to sprint back here.” I gave everyone a nervous smile, willing my breathing to slow. I wanted to get the subject off me. “How was detention with Mr. Suzuki?”

As punishment for Tobias and his friends hacking the PA system, Caesar sentenced them to early morning detention with the math teacher every day for the next week. He seemed like a funny guy in Calculus—kinda like a dorky dad despite his relatively young age—so I imagined that detention with him couldn’t be too bad.

Tobias gave me a small grin and a shrug. “It was fine.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Brett complained. “It was torture! He made us scrub tiny nuts, bolts, and tubes,thenhe made us put them together! My fingers hurt so bad I don’t think I’ll be able to play for days. How the heck am I supposed to entertain myself with you four shacking up?”

The four of us smirked and collectively decided to ignore Brett’s whining.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

“I was just saying we should go see a movie before we go to Mack’s Diner,” Niko said.

“Do we have time for a movie?”

Niko grinned. “Of course! I’ve got it all mapped out. There’s a subway entrance right by Mack’s that’ll get us back here quickly.”

I nodded, but the butterflies just wouldn’t leave. Although, at the moment, I couldn’t tell if they were from the idea of being out too late or the way Tobias’s chest looked in that snug black sweater.

“We can’t decide,” Ashlyn said, taking Niko’s hand. “Should we see ‘Always for You’ or ‘Into the Dawn?’”

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