wind?"
She pales, "It's Sam."
My stomach drops. I feel weak and sick all at once,
"W-w-what happened to him?" I’m puffing my breaths out in shots of
air.
She looks down, her breath matches
mine, "He's sick, Erralynn."
My face is concentrated on the emotions and tears that I
refuse to unleash. My breaths become the lifelines I grip to, waiting for the
tears to pass. “No.”
She covers her face and shakes her head, "I'm so sorry."
I drop to my knees, "What happened?"
She shakes her head, "He just
started to choke on his breakfast this morning, like he couldn’t get air. His
mom rushed him to the hospital, but they couldn’t get his airways to open. So
they cut a hole in his throat and he's breathing through that. He's still
there."
I start rocking back and forth, "I never kissed him. I
never kissed him. I never even loved him, not really. It was a crush. The curse
doesn’t affect a crush. It's not fair , I didn’t do this . I swear, I never kissed
him." Tears stream down my cheeks.
I cover my face and heave into my hands. She doesn’t touch me.
I wish she would, but I understand why she doesn’t. I never even kissed Sam and
look at him.
I tremble and sob, but I can't get a grip on what it means.
The bathroom door swings open.
"Get out. This bathroom is busy." Lune shouts and
kicks the door shut.
"ERRALYNN!" Bastion’s voice rings out. The door
slams hard and I feel warmth surround me.
He lifts me off the ground, sweeping me up. I shake my head,
"Don’t touch me." I whisper into his chest and shoulder.
"Open the door," he growls. I assume Lune obeys him,
because it isn’t long before we are outside. The wind is there, checking on me
like a mother would. My arms wrap around his neck but my sobs never stop. He
carries me for what feels like an eternity. I hear the old gate and look
around. I’m home. The tears have stopped but my eyes are train-wreck puffy and
my throat hurts.
He looks at me and smiles , "You
okay?"
I shake my head. He looks at my house and frowns, "Would
you prefer to go somewhere else? I know a place we could go and you would be
safe. I would keep you safe."
I look at the old house and shake my head again.
He walks up to the front door. Mary opens it in her muumuu.
"What the bloody hell is this?" she asks with a cigarette clenched
between her teeth.
"She was injured at school today. I carried her
home," he speaks softly.
I try to get down but he holds me tightly.
She looks at me, “Faking hurt so you don’t have to work like
the rest of the free world? Just pathetic.” She opens the door wider, "You
can set her down. She can walk the rest of the way."
"No." He is firm.
I squirm, "I can walk, Bash. Thanks." I can't look
at him. Not yet.
He steps into the house, "I come in with her or I take
her elsewhere."
Mary flashes her dark-brown eyes at me fiercely, “Got him
under your spell, harlot?”
I swallow hard and lean into his chest. I can't stop the way
I’m trembling.
"You gonna take her somewhere else, are ya?" She
laughs at him. "She already got her devil hooks in ya, huh? Did you hear
about the boy in the hospital breathing from his neck after only one
kiss?"
I close my eyes. Tears drip down my cheeks silently.
She cackles and continues, "Did you hear about him? You
ain’t nothing but another victim, son."
He steps up, right into her face and growls. "He had an
allergic reaction, you filthy hillbilly. Any doctor worth their salt could have
told the doctors here that. You small-town people with small minds have no idea
what you're talking about. Now get out of my way."
She gasps and chokes on the smoke. He brushes past her and
climbs the stairs and walks right up to my door. I pull the key from my skirt
pocket and pass it to him. He smiles at me but I can’t meet his eyes. He turns
the lock and opens the door and closes it. He lays me on the bed and kneels
beside me.
"I'll not have you in there fornicating with her, she’s
the devil. I'm calling the police."
She pales, "It's Sam."
My stomach drops. I feel weak and sick all at once,
"W-w-what happened to him?" I’m puffing my breaths out in shots of
air.
She looks down, her breath matches
mine, "He's sick, Erralynn."
My face is concentrated on the emotions and tears that I
refuse to unleash. My breaths become the lifelines I grip to, waiting for the
tears to pass. “No.”
She covers her face and shakes her head, "I'm so sorry."
I drop to my knees, "What happened?"
She shakes her head, "He just
started to choke on his breakfast this morning, like he couldn’t get air. His
mom rushed him to the hospital, but they couldn’t get his airways to open. So
they cut a hole in his throat and he's breathing through that. He's still
there."
I start rocking back and forth, "I never kissed him. I
never kissed him. I never even loved him, not really. It was a crush. The curse
doesn’t affect a crush. It's not fair , I didn’t do this . I swear, I never kissed
him." Tears stream down my cheeks.
I cover my face and heave into my hands. She doesn’t touch me.
I wish she would, but I understand why she doesn’t. I never even kissed Sam and
look at him.
I tremble and sob, but I can't get a grip on what it means.
The bathroom door swings open.
"Get out. This bathroom is busy." Lune shouts and
kicks the door shut.
"ERRALYNN!" Bastion’s voice rings out. The door
slams hard and I feel warmth surround me.
He lifts me off the ground, sweeping me up. I shake my head,
"Don’t touch me." I whisper into his chest and shoulder.
"Open the door," he growls. I assume Lune obeys him,
because it isn’t long before we are outside. The wind is there, checking on me
like a mother would. My arms wrap around his neck but my sobs never stop. He
carries me for what feels like an eternity. I hear the old gate and look
around. I’m home. The tears have stopped but my eyes are train-wreck puffy and
my throat hurts.
He looks at me and smiles , "You
okay?"
I shake my head. He looks at my house and frowns, "Would
you prefer to go somewhere else? I know a place we could go and you would be
safe. I would keep you safe."
I look at the old house and shake my head again.
He walks up to the front door. Mary opens it in her muumuu.
"What the bloody hell is this?" she asks with a cigarette clenched
between her teeth.
"She was injured at school today. I carried her
home," he speaks softly.
I try to get down but he holds me tightly.
She looks at me, “Faking hurt so you don’t have to work like
the rest of the free world? Just pathetic.” She opens the door wider, "You
can set her down. She can walk the rest of the way."
"No." He is firm.
I squirm, "I can walk, Bash. Thanks." I can't look
at him. Not yet.
He steps into the house, "I come in with her or I take
her elsewhere."
Mary flashes her dark-brown eyes at me fiercely, “Got him
under your spell, harlot?”
I swallow hard and lean into his chest. I can't stop the way
I’m trembling.
"You gonna take her somewhere else, are ya?" She
laughs at him. "She already got her devil hooks in ya, huh? Did you hear
about the boy in the hospital breathing from his neck after only one
kiss?"
I close my eyes. Tears drip down my cheeks silently.
She cackles and continues, "Did you hear about him? You
ain’t nothing but another victim, son."
He steps up, right into her face and growls. "He had an
allergic reaction, you filthy hillbilly. Any doctor worth their salt could have
told the doctors here that. You small-town people with small minds have no idea
what you're talking about. Now get out of my way."
She gasps and chokes on the smoke. He brushes past her and
climbs the stairs and walks right up to my door. I pull the key from my skirt
pocket and pass it to him. He smiles at me but I can’t meet his eyes. He turns
the lock and opens the door and closes it. He lays me on the bed and kneels
beside me.
"I'll not have you in there fornicating with her, she’s
the devil. I'm calling the police."
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