a … well Sophia told us to call it a seizure. I don’t know if it was. She stopped it, but Lydia wanted you to get a brain scan to make sure you hadn’t hurt yourself.”
I stretched in bed and pulled at the tube under my nose. “Lydia? She was here?”
He nodded. “She brought us here.” I pouted, not because I was in a hospital bed. I’d missed a visit from the famous woman.
“How long have I been out?”
“About three hours.” He leaned in to kiss me and left his face pressed against mine for a long minute. “Chris, please don’t scare me like that again.”
“I’m sorry. I guess … I can’t help being a copy sometimes.”
I jerked away, remembering that I’d hurt him in bed. He pulled my face back to his. “You’re not a copy, baby. And I’m not afraid of you.” He paused for a moment then chuckled. “Especially since I have your kryptonite now.”
“What?”
“Sophia has a potion to turn your powers off. That’s what she gave you.”
I stirred in bed, my body heavy and tired. I stared at the blanket, trying to lift it without my hands. It didn’t budge. “How long does the potion last?”
“You had a lot. Sophia said it would be a few more hours.”
I crashed back onto the pillows, dazed and wondering how the potion worked. Did it shut my brain off? Make me weak? And because I wasn’t currently psychic, those questions did nothing in my head. “Where are we?”
“New Zealand, in some swanky hospital Lydia brought us to. I think it’s for the military. There are lots of people in uniform walking around. Sophia didn’t come in just in case someone recognized you from the news, and Lydia left half an hour ago. Em and Paul stayed home because they said you were totally fine.”
I looked over his shoulder to the window. The sun peeked through the bottom of the thick curtains. Lydia had brought me to a hospital on the other side of the world. Odd.
“I’m sorry you have to spend your birthday here.” He pushed me over in bed and made room for himself under the blanket.
“Where else would I be? I’m your next-of-kin on your records now, by the way, in addition to being the keeper of the kryptonite.”
I smiled. I shouldn’t let myself get so worked up about missing my family. Family was right here in bed with me.
I sang him a terrible version of the birthday song as the monitors beeped and hissed in the background. A nurse with a friendly face walked in and fanned at Nathan, telling him to stay in bed.
I assumed she was human, I couldn’t hear her thoughts to know for sure. Before, I’d ignored my powers and didn’t ask too many questions so I didn’t have to be psychic. It was a different feeling entirely not having them at all. I felt very human. Very vulnerable.
“You’re finally awake, Cecilia,” she said. I nodded. Apparently, I was Cecilia Neal today. Her accent was unfamiliar. If I hadn’t known we were in New Zealand, I wouldn’t have guessed it from that. “Want another blanket, Nate?” she asked, like they were old friends.
“No thanks, Wendy.”
She peeked into my gown and unhooked me from the monitors and oxygen cord. She waved at us on her way out, the patient and her best friend.
“What’s a date after a dash?” I asked, recalling what I’d heard Kamon say to Lydia before my fit.
“It sounds like a tombstone. Like date of birth to date of death.”
For a moment, the world stopped spinning and everything made sense. First, the dream of the child singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as I sank with another person. Then, seeing Kamon tell Lydia that it was my destiny to give her a date after her dash on July 4 th . According to him, I would kill Lydia Shaw in less than a month. That was why he wanted to capture me. He wanted to help me kill her.
I’d thought of myself as unstable and murderous my whole life. But killing the woman who saved the world, the woman who saved me, would be beyond anything I ever thought I was capable of.
In
I stretched in bed and pulled at the tube under my nose. “Lydia? She was here?”
He nodded. “She brought us here.” I pouted, not because I was in a hospital bed. I’d missed a visit from the famous woman.
“How long have I been out?”
“About three hours.” He leaned in to kiss me and left his face pressed against mine for a long minute. “Chris, please don’t scare me like that again.”
“I’m sorry. I guess … I can’t help being a copy sometimes.”
I jerked away, remembering that I’d hurt him in bed. He pulled my face back to his. “You’re not a copy, baby. And I’m not afraid of you.” He paused for a moment then chuckled. “Especially since I have your kryptonite now.”
“What?”
“Sophia has a potion to turn your powers off. That’s what she gave you.”
I stirred in bed, my body heavy and tired. I stared at the blanket, trying to lift it without my hands. It didn’t budge. “How long does the potion last?”
“You had a lot. Sophia said it would be a few more hours.”
I crashed back onto the pillows, dazed and wondering how the potion worked. Did it shut my brain off? Make me weak? And because I wasn’t currently psychic, those questions did nothing in my head. “Where are we?”
“New Zealand, in some swanky hospital Lydia brought us to. I think it’s for the military. There are lots of people in uniform walking around. Sophia didn’t come in just in case someone recognized you from the news, and Lydia left half an hour ago. Em and Paul stayed home because they said you were totally fine.”
I looked over his shoulder to the window. The sun peeked through the bottom of the thick curtains. Lydia had brought me to a hospital on the other side of the world. Odd.
“I’m sorry you have to spend your birthday here.” He pushed me over in bed and made room for himself under the blanket.
“Where else would I be? I’m your next-of-kin on your records now, by the way, in addition to being the keeper of the kryptonite.”
I smiled. I shouldn’t let myself get so worked up about missing my family. Family was right here in bed with me.
I sang him a terrible version of the birthday song as the monitors beeped and hissed in the background. A nurse with a friendly face walked in and fanned at Nathan, telling him to stay in bed.
I assumed she was human, I couldn’t hear her thoughts to know for sure. Before, I’d ignored my powers and didn’t ask too many questions so I didn’t have to be psychic. It was a different feeling entirely not having them at all. I felt very human. Very vulnerable.
“You’re finally awake, Cecilia,” she said. I nodded. Apparently, I was Cecilia Neal today. Her accent was unfamiliar. If I hadn’t known we were in New Zealand, I wouldn’t have guessed it from that. “Want another blanket, Nate?” she asked, like they were old friends.
“No thanks, Wendy.”
She peeked into my gown and unhooked me from the monitors and oxygen cord. She waved at us on her way out, the patient and her best friend.
“What’s a date after a dash?” I asked, recalling what I’d heard Kamon say to Lydia before my fit.
“It sounds like a tombstone. Like date of birth to date of death.”
For a moment, the world stopped spinning and everything made sense. First, the dream of the child singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as I sank with another person. Then, seeing Kamon tell Lydia that it was my destiny to give her a date after her dash on July 4 th . According to him, I would kill Lydia Shaw in less than a month. That was why he wanted to capture me. He wanted to help me kill her.
I’d thought of myself as unstable and murderous my whole life. But killing the woman who saved the world, the woman who saved me, would be beyond anything I ever thought I was capable of.
In
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