room after that and I tried to reach for the cup on the bedside table. Devan jumped up and gave it to me when he saw the scowl on my face. Rebecca had done quite a number on me. I hadn’t realized she’s gotten so strong. She wasn’t nearly a match for me yet, but she was getting there, her strength increasing as she kept on training. Nema must have been training her herself, it was the only explanation.
“I’m going to leave you to sleep a bit. I’ll be out in the hallway,” Devan said to me, and when I looked at him with pleading eyes he stroked my hair and added, “you do look pale, and I think you need to recover. I won’t go far, I promise.”
When he left the room I felt how tired I really was. It wasn’t one thing that had gotten to me, it was everything at the same time: the mind-control, the spells, the physical attacks, everything. And then the emotions fluctuating on top of it when Marlena had been against me, and the relief afterwards that Devan had come to save me. It had all taken a lot out of me.
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have come to the hospital. I was strong and I would have been able to get myself back to health within a few days, without any help. But finding me unconscious wasn’t something Devan would just take lightly, and I supposed it wasn’t the worst thing in the world that he’d brought me here. It’s not like they would find much, even if they did tests. The biggest problem was explaining myself to Devan. But it worked for me that he’d come to his own conclusions. I didn’t have to lie to his face, he did it all for me.
I drifted off to a dark and dreamless sleep, laced with the aches and pains of my body.
When I woke up, Devan was next to me again, looking worried, but he smiled despite himself. I didn’t think I would ever get tired of that smile, and I felt butterflies in my tummy despite how I felt. The room was a dim grey.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. I nodded.
“You’ve slept for so long, it’s way past lunch, in fact it’s almost nightfall. It’s time for me to go home.”
My eyes widened. I didn’t want him to leave.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said when he saw my reaction, “I just wanted to be sure you’re alright. I’m not allowed to stay overnight; I tried the first night,” he chuckled and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Devan, before you go…” I felt awful that he didn’t have the right story. It was gnawing at me while I was asleep, and I decided that if he wanted to be with me long term, which he sort of already was, then he would have to know some sort of truth at some point. He looked at me and pulled a chair closer. I loved that about him, the fact that he knew when it was serious.
“It wasn’t burglars who attacked me,” I started, “I wanted you to believe it because it was easier that way.”
“But you said—“
“I didn’t actually say anything. You did all the talking, and put the pieces together yourself.”
He closed his mouth and let me talk.
“I’m sorry I let you believe otherwise, I just didn’t have the courage before. But now…” I swallowed hard. How much could he take?
“It was your family, wasn’t it?” he asked before I could carry on. It seemed safe. In a way it was, and he knew my family was crazy in a way; they didn’t like what I did, and wanted me to do things differently.
I nodded slowly, and he nodded as if confirming something to himself.
“I just had a feeling,” he said.
“I… well I didn’t know how to say it to you. A lot of people have crazy families but none that would actually attack them. I didn’t know how to say it; it just sounded so stupid.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s about high time you found yourself a new family. After everything you’ve told me, I don’t know why you don’t write them off completely. They sound awful, and I want to get to know them less and less. At first, I really wanted it because they were part of you, you know? But
“I’m going to leave you to sleep a bit. I’ll be out in the hallway,” Devan said to me, and when I looked at him with pleading eyes he stroked my hair and added, “you do look pale, and I think you need to recover. I won’t go far, I promise.”
When he left the room I felt how tired I really was. It wasn’t one thing that had gotten to me, it was everything at the same time: the mind-control, the spells, the physical attacks, everything. And then the emotions fluctuating on top of it when Marlena had been against me, and the relief afterwards that Devan had come to save me. It had all taken a lot out of me.
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have come to the hospital. I was strong and I would have been able to get myself back to health within a few days, without any help. But finding me unconscious wasn’t something Devan would just take lightly, and I supposed it wasn’t the worst thing in the world that he’d brought me here. It’s not like they would find much, even if they did tests. The biggest problem was explaining myself to Devan. But it worked for me that he’d come to his own conclusions. I didn’t have to lie to his face, he did it all for me.
I drifted off to a dark and dreamless sleep, laced with the aches and pains of my body.
When I woke up, Devan was next to me again, looking worried, but he smiled despite himself. I didn’t think I would ever get tired of that smile, and I felt butterflies in my tummy despite how I felt. The room was a dim grey.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. I nodded.
“You’ve slept for so long, it’s way past lunch, in fact it’s almost nightfall. It’s time for me to go home.”
My eyes widened. I didn’t want him to leave.
“I’ll be back soon,” he said when he saw my reaction, “I just wanted to be sure you’re alright. I’m not allowed to stay overnight; I tried the first night,” he chuckled and I couldn’t help but smile.
“Devan, before you go…” I felt awful that he didn’t have the right story. It was gnawing at me while I was asleep, and I decided that if he wanted to be with me long term, which he sort of already was, then he would have to know some sort of truth at some point. He looked at me and pulled a chair closer. I loved that about him, the fact that he knew when it was serious.
“It wasn’t burglars who attacked me,” I started, “I wanted you to believe it because it was easier that way.”
“But you said—“
“I didn’t actually say anything. You did all the talking, and put the pieces together yourself.”
He closed his mouth and let me talk.
“I’m sorry I let you believe otherwise, I just didn’t have the courage before. But now…” I swallowed hard. How much could he take?
“It was your family, wasn’t it?” he asked before I could carry on. It seemed safe. In a way it was, and he knew my family was crazy in a way; they didn’t like what I did, and wanted me to do things differently.
I nodded slowly, and he nodded as if confirming something to himself.
“I just had a feeling,” he said.
“I… well I didn’t know how to say it to you. A lot of people have crazy families but none that would actually attack them. I didn’t know how to say it; it just sounded so stupid.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s about high time you found yourself a new family. After everything you’ve told me, I don’t know why you don’t write them off completely. They sound awful, and I want to get to know them less and less. At first, I really wanted it because they were part of you, you know? But
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