Sincerely,
Professor Mathilda Bergmann, Ph.D.
Professor of Computer Science
Virginia Commonwealth University’
Cheyenne hadn’t realized she’d been grimacing through the whole email until her forehead and upper lip grew sore. “That doesn’t sound good.”
She scrolled back up to the top of the email, and her jaw dropped. “She CC-ed Hersh on this. And LePlant.” The halfling clicked hastily through the added email addresses until she’d opened them all. “Every single one of my professors. A meeting with all of them.”
With a grunt, she flung herself back into her desk chair and barely noticed the dull ache in the back of her shoulder. Why?
The email sent at 3:24 that afternoon had a second reply at the bottom. Cheyenne scrolled down slowly. Wouldn’t surprise me if Hersh thought this was the perfect time to hit reply all and rub it in some more.
But the second email was from Mattie too, sent at 3:27 p.m. and addressed only to Cheyenne.
Don’t miss this one!!!!
The halfling snorted. “Italics and four exclamation points. Something tells me she’s serious.”
Rolling her eyes, Cheyenne logged out of her university email and pushed out of the chair. Her knee popped again, and she glared at it. Just had to be a Saturday. At least they’re not kicking me out of the program. Yet. And I have a little more time to recover, I guess.
After turning off her monitor, she grabbed her phone from the front pocket of her backpack and took it with her into the bedroom. A sliver of her fractured bedroom door fell onto the carpet when she brushed it. I’ll get Corian to show me how to fix that too. No problem.
Slipping out of her clothes was a chore, but once she had them all tossed in a pile, she climbed into her bed and spread out under the covers. Three times, she had to readjust the pendant around her neck, slipping it away from her chest or out from under her pillow. “I’m gonna throw a party when I don’t need this thing anymore.”
Her eyelids drooped after she finally found a comfortable position. Everything ached, but beneath all of it, the buzzing presence of the Nimlothar seed she’d ignited on her own lulled her quickly to sleep.
* * *
The blaring alarm on her phone went off at 6:30 a.m., just like every weekday. Groaning, Cheyenne had to try more than once to lift her aching arm off the mattress. Then she smacked her hand down on her phone and dragged it off the nightstand and into bed with her.
Just snooze for like...two hours.
The minute she got the alarm to shut the hell up, her phone buzzed with a new text from Ember.
So, this is fun. I’m kinda knocking myself out with morning breath over here and realizing I left all the nurses at the hospital. Any chance you could pop by before class and help a girl out?
Cheyenne chuckled, then covered her mouth. “Not funny, halfling.”
Blinking her eyes into focus, she sent an immediate reply.
Guess we didn’t think this through all the way, huh? Don’t worry. No class today, so I’m all yours. Can you hang in there another 30?
Ember sent her a thumbs-up emoji in response, and the halfling pushed herself off the mattress. She dropped the phone to rub her face, then slid out of bed and almost dropped to the floor right there.
“Whoa.” Catching herself on the edge of the bed, Cheyenne took a few more seconds to wish her legs into working normally, then carefully stood. Maybe I’m overdoing it with the training. I’m not doing Ember any favors if I can’t walk, either.
She limped toward her bedroom door and the bathroom on the other side of the short hall, then groaned and shook her head. Not-walking comments are off the table too. This is real for her. She doesn’t need a smartass friend making it worse.
The sight of her reflection in the mirror made the half-drow pause again. She made a face at the darkening bruises covering her right shoulder and swallowing the left. Dark purple-red splotches peppered her torso. There were a few larger ones on her back, and most of her right thigh was one giant bruise.
Perpetually half in drow mode. That’s the look I’m rockin’ now. Frowning, Cheyenne grabbed her brush and got to work on her hair. Add healing salves to the list of spell lessons too.
A little over half an hour later, Cheyenne grinned through the pain of moving anything at all when her Panamera chirped behind her in the parking lot. She moved down the outdoor hallway of Ember’s apartment complex, unlocked the last door on the left, and stepped inside. “Honey, I’m home.”
“Very funny,” Ember called from her bedroom. “This is probably as close as I’m ever gonna get to having a sugar daddy. And it’s you, so that doesn’t count.”
Laughing, the halfling closed the door behind her and locked that too. Then she headed into the single bedroom and found her friend propped up in bed against the enormous pile of pillows they’d tossed to the foot of the bed the night before. “You look comfy.”
“Much better than a hospital bed. I can say that for sure.” Ember ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. “But I’m tired of beds, Cheyenne. Please tell me you’re not gonna lock me up in my apartment and call it ‘getting some rest.’ I’m not a homebody.”
“Yes, this I know.” Cheyenne grabbed the wheelchair and brought it as close to the bed as she could. “One more thing to add to the list of why you and I being roomies for a while might work out.”
“Might, huh?” Ember slung an arm around her friend’s shoulders and hung on while the halfling half-dragged, half-lifted her into the chair. “I thought we already decided it was a perfect setup? Ow! I can still feel my upper back, you know.”
“Sorry.” Trying not to laugh,
