Page 22 of A Whisper of Cinders

Die on my own, probably. I wouldn’t have survived a month without her, let alone a year.

Ami carefully wraps the towel around my shoulders, guiding me towards a stool she found who knows where. I can’t help but grimace as I sit down, but only when she isn’t looking.

She turns back to me and starts dabbing me dry, fresh bandages and clothes already lying next to her.

“When did you get all this stuff?” I ask, a confused expression plastered on my face.

She crouches down, looking up at me with those intense blue eyes of hers. “Oh, I gathered everything before I knocked on your door, not to waste time or let you escape without any treatment.”

Hmm, she is a wise woman.

Ami works efficiently, yet remains gentle with a light touch. To some, having another person touch you might be sensual, but it’s not like that with us.

Although she did kiss me once.

I remember the way my body locked up, shocked beyond words. And after a few seconds, we both burst out into laughter — the gasping for air kind of laughter, with tears running down our cheeks.

I didn’t feel a single thing when Ami kissed me. Was I surprised? Yes, definitely. But I didn’t get a funny feeling in my stomach or the burning desire to kiss her again like I’ve read about in so many books.

She felt nothing either, she just wanted to try it, to be sure. That was years ago, it never happened again. The dynamic between us stayed the same, but it only made our bond stronger somehow.

Every once in a while, someone came along in Anima, someone that piqued my interest. But I know they would never look at me the same way. They only looked at me with disgust, no flirtatious or longing looks.

Most people can’t look past my appearance, no one except for Ami. And maybe Noah. He doesn’t seem to abhor me. Not like all the others do. But now is not the time to think about that.

Only when I’m completely dry and bandaged, she hangs the towel around my shoulders and reaches for the clothes next to her.

“I think I can do that part myself.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Can you, though?”

I shoot her a glare. “Yes.”

She holds her hands up in surrender, but amusement dances in her eyes. “Fine, fine. Suit yourself.”

Full of confidence, I ease into my clothes, hissing all the way when I feel my wounds stretch, the fabric too heavy on the bandages. The confidence evaporates like snow in the sun and it takes me thrice as long to get dressed. Ami watches the full process, arms crossed, unimpressed.

“That looked fun,” she says. “Want to do it again?”

I blow out the air I didn’t know I was holding and shoot her a glare. “You’re hilarious.”

She gives me a wink. “Oh, I know.”

I gather all my stuff and walk out the bathroom, navigating past the other girls that are walking in. Ami catches up with me easily, taking me in as I walk back to my room.

“Can you please — please — be careful today?”

“I will, I promise. I have an appointment with Miss Sophia this afternoon, and I won’t do any heavy lifting in the infirmary.”

Doctor Herbert won’t mind, she knows I sometimes am…limited in movement. I never tell her that I’m in pain, but she always notices, even though I’m an expert at hiding it.

“Mai, I really think —”

I hold up a hand, silencing her mid-sentence. “If I promise I will take it easy for the next few days, you have to promise me to let this go.”

Don’t get me wrong, I am forever grateful for Ami, but talking about this will only make it worse. Believe me, I tried. Only once, but that was one too many times.

Mister Coldarion, the headmaster, listened and nodded. I assume he talked to Dom. Dom wasn’t too happy with that, he had to make a point. The whip went down more times than I could count and I eventually lost consciousness, which was a mercy. I never talked about it to anyone else ever again.