I woke in a sterile white room with ungodly bright fluorescent lights making it hard for my eyelids to stay open. I grunted, pushing out powers I didn’t mean to, just when I didn’t want to. The energy caused the bulbs above me to spark and burn out with a slight hiss.
Kaylee stood next to me, hands over her mouth, and eyes red as if she’d been crying. I wasn’t sure if she’d been there the whole time or if she’d been close by and rushed over when she realized I was awake. She let out a breathless, “Thank goodness!”
I pressed my palm to my temple and hit the soft cotton of a bandage. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a steamroller.”
She patted my leg through the thin cream blanket. “You’ve been unconscious for close to two days.”
“Two days?” I took a good look around me, my whereabouts quickly sinking in. The hazy memory of driving Chase to the doctor’s office came back to me. The throbbing in my head made it difficult to remember anything past Chase having the candy.
“How did I get here?” I pushed myself into a sitting position. “And where’s Chase?”
“He’s in a room down the hall.”
The echo of a horn rang in my ears, and the deafening sound of metal slamming into metal and glass flying everywhere brought the accident back in a horrifying rush.
“I’ve got to get to Chase.” I attempted to throw the covers off me, but the sheet got tangled around the tubes strung from a clear bag of liquid to an IV in my arm. The room swayed, forcing me to grab the bedrail.
Kaylee placed her hands on my shoulders. “Madison, you’re not ready to get up.”
“I’m fine.” Or I was fine just as long as I didn’t make any sudden movements.
Kaylee tightened her grip on my forearm. “Josh,” she said with urgency but no louder than she’d spoken to me. His name echoed in my thoughts, which told me she’d used our connection to call him.
He appeared in the doorway. “She’s awake.”
I twisted, slowly this time, until my legs hung over the mattress too.
“I need to see Chase,” I said, sliding off the bed and stumbling. Josh rushed to my side. He and Kaylee each wrapped an arm around my waist.
“Easy,” he said. “The doctors are going to freak if they see you’re out of bed.”
Josh’s gaze flicked to Kaylee, whose eyes had completely glassed over.
“Chase isn’t, oh God, he’s not…” My knees gave out. Josh and Kaylee kept me from crashing to the floor.
“He’s alive,” Kaylee said, but her voice cracked.
“Madison, he got banged up pretty bad,” Josh said. “Your dad wanted to be the one to talk to you.”
I shook my head and uttered, “No, no, no.” This couldn’t be happening. Chase had to be all right. I breathed in a shaky breath and ripped the IV from my forearm. “Please, I’m begging you, take me to see him.”
They had Chase behind a glass wall in the ICU. The heart monitor beat at an eerily sluggish rate. Dad sat in a chair with Chase’s tiny fingers wrapped in his. Isaac was on the opposite side of the bed clutching Chase’s other hand. I thought it was odd that Isaac didn’t get up on seeing me enter. Dad followed his gaze to me standing in a dull blue hospital gown between Josh and Kaylee. He rushed to my side and helped me to the chair he’d just vacated.
“You shouldn’t be walking, princess.”
Dad hadn’t called me that since my twelfth birthday, when I’d declared myself too old to have a little girl’s nickname.
I stared at Chase. A few strands of caramel-brown hair escaped the white bandage around his head, and several cuts peppered his cheeks and chin.
“I did this to him.” My trembling fingers covered my mouth, and tears flowed freely down my cheeks.
“It was an accident,” Dad said, his voice hoarse. “You can’t blame yourself.”
But I could. I’d been so worried about Chase eating that candy that I hadn’t paid attention to the road. I had barreled through the intersection as if I’d had the right-of-way, and Chase was paying the price. Kaylee handed me a tissue. Her cheeks were as wet as mine.
“You have some great friends,” Dad said. “They haven’t left Chase’s or your side for a minute.”
That’s when I noticed Isaac still holding Chase’s limp hand in both of his. Vanilla and spearmint wafted through the room.
“I’m going to have to insist only two visitors at a time,” a nurse said from behind me. “Three of you will have to leave.” Her gaze fell on me. “You’re awake.” She scanned the room. “Did you walk here? You really shouldn’t —”
Josh placed a hand on the nurse’s arm, his mouth moving quickly. The smell of hot apple cider mixed with the scent of Isaac’s powers.
The nurse’s eyes glazed over. “I’ll let the doctor know you’re up,” she said instead of whatever she’d been about to assert. “I guess you can stay for a few minutes, but this is the ICU, and we’re already breaking the rules by allowing him to stay.” She pointed to Isaac.
“Kaylee and I will grab some coffee,” Josh said before the nurse said anything else. “Mr. Riley, why don’t you come with us? Give Madison a moment.” Dad didn’t look like he wanted to leave, but he followed Kaylee into the hallway; I guessed it was Josh’s magic that compelled him to. Josh looked at me. “Just say our names when you’re ready to go back to your room. We’ll hear you.”
I nodded, then shot Isaac a quizzical look.
“We’ve been taking turns casting a calming spell,” Isaac explained. “It’s kept your father from completely falling apart and the hospital from kicking me out.”
“But
“Madison, Chase’s side of the truck took the brunt of the impact. His head hit the door and then the center console. The thrashing caused internal bleeding.”
“So you’re healing him like you healed my arm this past October,” I said, convincing myself that with Isaac’s help it was going to be okay.
Isaac rested his forehead on his knuckles. Chase’s hand was still tucked in his. “I can’t. His injuries are too severe. I’m sorry.”
“Then the doctors will fix him,” I insisted. “Isaac, look at me!”
His glassy gaze swept the room before meeting mine. “The doctors don’t know how he’s managing to hang on.”
“What do you mean?”
“Chase’s vitals drop the moment I let go of his hand. My powers are the only thing keeping him with us. I knew you’d want to say goodbye—”
“Don’t!” I choked out, covering my ears with the heels of my hands. “Don’t talk like he’s going to die. He can’t die! I won’t let him!” I had promised Mom I’d look out for Chase. I couldn’t lose him too. “Call your parents,” I demanded. “They’ll know a spell. They can fix him.”
Isaac looked at me with pity. Like I was some irrational child throwing a tantrum over a dead goldfish. Well, this wasn’t a damn fish, and I didn’t need pity. I needed help.
“Call them!” I yelled.
A tear ran the length of his cheek. “My parents were here, Madison. There’s no spell to bring a person back from the edge. I’m lucky to be able to delay…” He didn’t finish his sentence.
What was the point of having powers if we couldn’t use them to save the people we loved? And how was I supposed to use my magic with positive emotions when life took everything from me? What incentive did I have not to give in to the dark?
Maybe that was the answer.
“What if we were stronger?” I stroked Chase’s forearm. “I have enough anger in me to
