She’s whispering my name, and I break myself out of my stupor and run towards her. I throw myself on the ground beside the bed, shaking her arm and shouting her name, pleading with her to wake up.
“Adam,” I say, glancing back over my shoulder as I hear footsteps running towards the room.
Nexus nods and clicks her fingers. She and the team become almost transparent, and I know Nexus has cast an enchantment over them. To a human eye, they will be completely invisible.
I turn back to Sailor, telling her I’m here and that she’s safe, this is all just a dream. Sailor’s bedroom door bursts open and Adam runs in followed by Raven.
“What the hell is going on?” Adam demands, looking at me.
“I… I’m sorry,” I say. “I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t mean to. I—”
He cuts me off with a firm shake of his head.
“I don’t mean that. I knew you were here. I checked in on Sailor before going to bed. She looked comfortable and content with you here, so I let it go. I meant what’s going on with her?”
“I don’t know. She woke me up screaming, and now I can’t wake her up,” I say.
I leave out the part about her levitating. He wouldn’t believe me anyway.
He moves towards the bed, and reluctantly, I step back, letting him try to wake Sailor. He shakes her, gently at first and then harder. I glance worriedly at the team, trying not to make it obvious as I don’t want Adam and Raven to think I’m crazy staring off into space like that. Raven follows my gaze and stares for a quick second. It’s almost as if she can see them.
Sunday steps away from the others, reaching out for Sailor’s hand, but Nexus pulls him back.
“No. If you move too far away, you’ll break the enchantment.”
He nods his head, understanding he can’t move away.
“I get it, Nexus, but I can’t bear to see her like this knowing I might be able to help. Don’t let my body wander too far from hers.”
Before Nexus can respond, Sunday collapses on the floor, unconscious. He shifted his consciousness from his own head to Sailor’s. I pray it works, because what Adam is doing is having no more effect on Sailor than what I was doing.
I glance at Raven. She’s still looking straight at the corner where the team are gathered, but I know she can’t see them. She must have seen me looking there and wondered what I was so focused on.
Adam’s voice draws our attention back to him and Sailor.
“It must be the sedative. She must be having some sort of a reaction to it. Maybe I gave her too much,” he says.
I think it’s more than that, but I can understand why Adam is looking for the most rational explanation, and I keep my mouth shut.
“I’m taking her to the hospital,” he says. “You should go, Rye. I have Aziza’s number and I’ll call her as soon as I know what’s going on.”
He stands back from the bed and I open my mouth to protest, but Sailor’s screams cut me off.
“Rye,” Sailor screams. “Rye. Don’t leave me here alone. Please.”
I feel as though my heart is breaking, and I take an involuntary step towards her.
“I can’t leave her. Not now. I promised her I would be here for her,” I plead quietly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Adam give Raven a questioning look and she gives him a nod.
“I need to get my wallet and my keys,” Adam says.
“Rye, can you carry Sailor down and meet us at the car? You can come with us.”
I nod, and Adam and Raven rush from the room. I step closer to the bed and wrap Sailor in one of her blankets. I pick her up, noticing how light she feels, how fragile. I know she’s anything but fragile, but it doesn’t stop me from shuddering at the thought of what’s going through her head and what it’s doing to her. I hold her tightly against my chest and she wraps her arm around my neck, clinging to me for dear life. She is so hot, sweat coating her face, and her body trembles in my grip. She’s chattering away but she’s talking so fast I can’t make out what she’s saying. If I didn’t know better, I would say she had one hell of a fever.
I turn to Nexus and the team.
“Nexus, see what you can find out about the second Soul Gem. The rest of you, meet us at the hospital,” I say.
I hurry out of the room and head down the stairs and out of the front door. I stand beside the car, impatiently waiting for Adam and Raven to show up. Sailor’s speech slows down, becoming a long, drawn-out moan.
“Rye, please help me,” she says, her voice shaking. “It hurts so much. It hurts all over and I can’t make it stop.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “It’s just a nightmare, Sailor. You’re fine. I’ve got you and I won’t let anybody hurt you.”
My words have no effect on her. She screams again, another loud scream filled with pain and panic. I feel so useless, and I realize that Sailor isn’t the only one who is trapped in a nightmare. The only difference between us right now is that I’m awake for mine.
***
When we arrive at the hospital, the woman on reception takes one look at Sailor’s shaking body in my arms and ushers us straight through. As we run along the hallway where a waiting doctor beckons us towards a room, I can’t help but think of Doctor Hill and the terrible mistake we all made. I push the thought away. Dwelling on that right now isn’t going to help anyone.
