Read Online March Forth (The Woodford Chronicles Book 1) by Deirdre S. Hopton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Deirdre S. Hopton
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the stinging substance in the needle had been, it was a-ok in her book. Everything was going to be fine, she decided.
The woman in the white coat watched a screen over Deanna’s head for a few minutes, and then adjusted her oxygen mask. “Your heart rate’s looking pretty good, now. We’re gonna let you rest for a couple minutes, and then take some blood tests, okay? We’ll figure out what’s going on, don’t worry.”
Deanna nodded. Rest sounded good. “It’s really cold in here,” she said aloud.
The other woman pulled a thin blanket over her, and then left the room. Deanna heard machines beeping and feet walking by the door every few seconds, but it was white noise. Her eyelids were drooping.
“We really do need to talk,” the man in black said.
“Nope,” Deanna whispered. “You’re not even a person.”
“Look… Deanna… I am a real person, I promise. You’re just gonna have to accept the fact that I am real but no one else can see me, and we’ll talk more once we’re out of here.”
She shook her head slightly.
“We can talk here, but people are gonna think you’re talking to yourself. I’m trying to protect you, here, not me.”
Deanna shrugged a shoulder.
“You’re an incredibly frustrating woman, do you know that?”
“You’re an incredibly annoying hallucination, do you know that?” Deanna replied, though slightly muffled through the oxygen mask.
“Look, Deanna,” he grabbed her chin gently and tilted her face upward, staring into her eyes. “I am not a hallucination. I am real. My name is Steven. No one else can see me because… because I am disguised by magic,” he said. “But you can see me, and you can hear me and feel me, so please just trust your senses and understand that I am real.”
She stared up at him, remembering the Charles DeLint quote that had crossed her mind earlier: “That’s the thing about magic: You have to know that it’s here, it’s all around us, or it just stays invisible to you.” She had always wanted so badly for that to be true, for magic to be manifesting all around her, unseen by eyes that had become jaded by society and experience. Could it really be true? Magic? Her mind reeled.
Aloud, she said, “Disguised by… magic.”
He nodded.
“Are you a ghost?”
He chuckled. “I am alive and well, though calling me a spook would not be totally off base.”
“Like… a CIA kind of spook?”
He shook his head. “Not CIA, no. I work for a different outfit. You haven’t heard of us.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” he said, smiling slightly.
“There’s an invisible man talking to me in a hospital bed. I have some questions.”
Steven quirked an eyebrow. “Fair enough,” he said, finally taking his hand away from her face and sitting back a bit. “Do you wanna get out of here?”
Deanna blinked. “I mean… can I?”
He nodded and pulled out his phone again, tapping away at the touch screen. Deanna cocked her head, confused. “What are you, texting your ride?”
The corner of Steven’s mouth lifted in a half smile, his eyes never leaving the screen. “It’s not a phone. I’m just… changing a couple of things.” He
The woman in the white coat watched a screen over Deanna’s head for a few minutes, and then adjusted her oxygen mask. “Your heart rate’s looking pretty good, now. We’re gonna let you rest for a couple minutes, and then take some blood tests, okay? We’ll figure out what’s going on, don’t worry.”
Deanna nodded. Rest sounded good. “It’s really cold in here,” she said aloud.
The other woman pulled a thin blanket over her, and then left the room. Deanna heard machines beeping and feet walking by the door every few seconds, but it was white noise. Her eyelids were drooping.
“We really do need to talk,” the man in black said.
“Nope,” Deanna whispered. “You’re not even a person.”
“Look… Deanna… I am a real person, I promise. You’re just gonna have to accept the fact that I am real but no one else can see me, and we’ll talk more once we’re out of here.”
She shook her head slightly.
“We can talk here, but people are gonna think you’re talking to yourself. I’m trying to protect you, here, not me.”
Deanna shrugged a shoulder.
“You’re an incredibly frustrating woman, do you know that?”
“You’re an incredibly annoying hallucination, do you know that?” Deanna replied, though slightly muffled through the oxygen mask.
“Look, Deanna,” he grabbed her chin gently and tilted her face upward, staring into her eyes. “I am not a hallucination. I am real. My name is Steven. No one else can see me because… because I am disguised by magic,” he said. “But you can see me, and you can hear me and feel me, so please just trust your senses and understand that I am real.”
She stared up at him, remembering the Charles DeLint quote that had crossed her mind earlier: “That’s the thing about magic: You have to know that it’s here, it’s all around us, or it just stays invisible to you.” She had always wanted so badly for that to be true, for magic to be manifesting all around her, unseen by eyes that had become jaded by society and experience. Could it really be true? Magic? Her mind reeled.
Aloud, she said, “Disguised by… magic.”
He nodded.
“Are you a ghost?”
He chuckled. “I am alive and well, though calling me a spook would not be totally off base.”
“Like… a CIA kind of spook?”
He shook his head. “Not CIA, no. I work for a different outfit. You haven’t heard of us.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” he said, smiling slightly.
“There’s an invisible man talking to me in a hospital bed. I have some questions.”
Steven quirked an eyebrow. “Fair enough,” he said, finally taking his hand away from her face and sitting back a bit. “Do you wanna get out of here?”
Deanna blinked. “I mean… can I?”
He nodded and pulled out his phone again, tapping away at the touch screen. Deanna cocked her head, confused. “What are you, texting your ride?”
The corner of Steven’s mouth lifted in a half smile, his eyes never leaving the screen. “It’s not a phone. I’m just… changing a couple of things.” He
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