confess his defects to anyone outside of the council. There was too great a chance it would invite rebellion, and with Graham away and Selena rearing infant pups, now was not the time.
He opened his mouth, waiting for something that didn’t taste like a lie to come to him, but was quickly saved by the roar of a delivery truck and the hiss of its breaks as it stopped in the middle of Fanfare Road.
The driver popped open his door and scrambled out, quickly rushing to the other side of the vehicle. He spotted them on the grass and waved his arms over his head.
“Call 911!” he shouted. Then he opened the passenger door and a young, blond woman spilled out. He tried to hold her upright, but she convulsed against him, her eyes rolling back in her head and the whites glowing softly.
Dr. Delph was incapacitated by the sight of her, until Zelda squeezed his arm.
“Come on.” She pulled him toward the truck. “We’re doctors,” she told the man. “We can help.”
Chapter Nine
Lia hadn’t expected to escape her morning condition . That was inevitable, she knew. But as the truck had climbed the hilly road up to Spero Heights, she began to panic. The sun was seconds away from rising before she’d worked up the nerve to say something to the truck driver, and by then, it was too late.
Her vision should have been a light one. They were far from any big city, but even a light vision was disturbing for most to witness. She remembered the look on her mother’s face after she’d had her first at the tender age of nine. They’d taken her to doctor after doctor, strange men who ran tests upon tests and prescribed every drug in their arsenals. All to no effect.
Her mother finally accused her of faking seizures for attention. After that, Lia began locking herself in the bathroom every morning and praying that she didn’t wake her parents.
When Spero Heights came into view, the streetlamps were already clicking off, signaled by the sun working its way up to the horizon. Lia looked at the truck driver and opened her mouth. Don’t be alarmed. It’s perfectly fine. I’m not dying. This will pass soon. She wanted so badly to get the words out, but they froze in her throat. Then the sun arrived, its bewitching rays finding her an instant later.
“Miss? Miss!” The truck driver slammed on the breaks, throwing her forward. Her seatbelt locked up just shy of her face meeting the dash. A moment later, she was being pulled out of the truck.
“We’re doctors,” someone said. No! No doctors. Lia shook harder as she struggled against the dawn’s spell. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. She had to snap out of it and get away from them. But her vision was determined to have its way with her first.
She felt several people lift her and begin moving her across the street. “My clinic is just around the corner,” a man said.
Lia wanted to scream. The face marring up her mind was more vivid than she’d anticipated, but she had a hard time focusing on it with her attention so divided. It didn’t matter, she thought. Saunders wouldn’t be quizzing her anytime soon. That fact would have been more comforting if not for her current situation.
“Let’s lay her down in here.” Her head sank into a pillow and she smelled citrus and tea tree oil. It reminded her of the health food stores her father had taken her to as a child, when he was fighting his own battle with cancer and trying every fad supplement on the market. Lia had tried those too. There was no vitamin cure for her affliction.
Once the vision dissipated, Lia sat up straight with a gasp. Her head pounded and she rolled off the bed and lost her footing. A pair of arms caught her before her knees could hit the tile floor.
“Whoa there. Take it easy.”
Lia looked up at the man, shock startling her into silence as he sat her back down on the edge of the bed. He didn’t look like much of a doctor in his gym shorts and sweaty tee shirt. A man bun
He opened his mouth, waiting for something that didn’t taste like a lie to come to him, but was quickly saved by the roar of a delivery truck and the hiss of its breaks as it stopped in the middle of Fanfare Road.
The driver popped open his door and scrambled out, quickly rushing to the other side of the vehicle. He spotted them on the grass and waved his arms over his head.
“Call 911!” he shouted. Then he opened the passenger door and a young, blond woman spilled out. He tried to hold her upright, but she convulsed against him, her eyes rolling back in her head and the whites glowing softly.
Dr. Delph was incapacitated by the sight of her, until Zelda squeezed his arm.
“Come on.” She pulled him toward the truck. “We’re doctors,” she told the man. “We can help.”
Chapter Nine
Lia hadn’t expected to escape her morning condition . That was inevitable, she knew. But as the truck had climbed the hilly road up to Spero Heights, she began to panic. The sun was seconds away from rising before she’d worked up the nerve to say something to the truck driver, and by then, it was too late.
Her vision should have been a light one. They were far from any big city, but even a light vision was disturbing for most to witness. She remembered the look on her mother’s face after she’d had her first at the tender age of nine. They’d taken her to doctor after doctor, strange men who ran tests upon tests and prescribed every drug in their arsenals. All to no effect.
Her mother finally accused her of faking seizures for attention. After that, Lia began locking herself in the bathroom every morning and praying that she didn’t wake her parents.
When Spero Heights came into view, the streetlamps were already clicking off, signaled by the sun working its way up to the horizon. Lia looked at the truck driver and opened her mouth. Don’t be alarmed. It’s perfectly fine. I’m not dying. This will pass soon. She wanted so badly to get the words out, but they froze in her throat. Then the sun arrived, its bewitching rays finding her an instant later.
“Miss? Miss!” The truck driver slammed on the breaks, throwing her forward. Her seatbelt locked up just shy of her face meeting the dash. A moment later, she was being pulled out of the truck.
“We’re doctors,” someone said. No! No doctors. Lia shook harder as she struggled against the dawn’s spell. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. She had to snap out of it and get away from them. But her vision was determined to have its way with her first.
She felt several people lift her and begin moving her across the street. “My clinic is just around the corner,” a man said.
Lia wanted to scream. The face marring up her mind was more vivid than she’d anticipated, but she had a hard time focusing on it with her attention so divided. It didn’t matter, she thought. Saunders wouldn’t be quizzing her anytime soon. That fact would have been more comforting if not for her current situation.
“Let’s lay her down in here.” Her head sank into a pillow and she smelled citrus and tea tree oil. It reminded her of the health food stores her father had taken her to as a child, when he was fighting his own battle with cancer and trying every fad supplement on the market. Lia had tried those too. There was no vitamin cure for her affliction.
Once the vision dissipated, Lia sat up straight with a gasp. Her head pounded and she rolled off the bed and lost her footing. A pair of arms caught her before her knees could hit the tile floor.
“Whoa there. Take it easy.”
Lia looked up at the man, shock startling her into silence as he sat her back down on the edge of the bed. He didn’t look like much of a doctor in his gym shorts and sweaty tee shirt. A man bun
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