Page 44 of Healer’s Betrayal

“That guy,” she hisses.

Realization dawns. “The guy that got mad at me?”

She smacks her forehead dramatically. “Sometimes, you are so clueless.” I frown at that. “Jackson.”

I frown. “Jackson? What looks?”

Her eyes widen. “Like you were a steak, and he was a starving man.”

I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up out of me. “You’re crazy.”

She doesn’t laugh. “I’m serious.”

“Jackson is intense. Whatever looks you thought you saw are just his intensity.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so; this was more than that.” She leans closer. “When that guy was giving you problems, I thought he was going to jump over the table and come defend your honor.”

“Defend my honor? Who even says that?”

“I do, Kayla.”

I shake my head. “Like I said, he’s just really—”

“Intense. Yes, I got that; I saw that. But I'm telling you; he was intense about you.”

Chapter 18

Kayla

I think about Jessie’s words the entire way home. Even though I know there’s no merit to her words, I still can’t stop thinking about them. I’m exhausted, but Noah seems to be energized. I ask him questions about his homework and the book he’s currently reading. When I finally park, I feel too tired to go inside. I know part of it is from not eating at all today. I seriously hope we have something in the cupboards to eat. “All right. Let’s get inside,” I tell Noah as we climb out of the car and grab our belongings. We make our way inside, dodging two boys that come barreling through the front door, nearly knocking us over in the process. We start up the stairs. When we get to the top, Noah puts a hand on my arm, stopping me. “Kayla,” he says in a shaky whisper. I look in the direction he’s looking and see a man seated on the floor, leaning against the wall. His head lolls forward, and I wonder for a moment if he’s dead. I find myself walking that way, even though something in the back of my mind tells me I probably shouldn’t. I unlock our door, so Noah can go inside. “Stay inside and lock the door. I’ll knock in a minute.” I don’t wait to see if he does what I say. I hurry over to the man and kneel in front of him. That’s when I see the dark stain on his shirt. “Oh, no.” Without thinking, I pull his shirt up, sucking in a breath at the deep wound on his stomach. It's a stab wound, and I know without being any kind of doctor that he’s losing too much blood too fast. Without even thinking, I reach forward and use his already wet shirt to soak up some of the blood. My hands tingle, and I can’t stop what happens next. I put my hands on his wound. I push away the queasy thoughts flooding my mind at the feel of his blood, and I think positive thoughts...thoughts of healing, of closing this wound. It takes a little bit of time, but finally, the bleeding starts to slow. Yes. I keep my chant going in my mind and keep my hands on his body, willing it to heal, or at least stop bleeding enough that he won’t bleed out. I don’t move or even change position. I don’t really know what triggers this healing power, and I don’t know how to stop it or keep it going. I just stay perfectly still.

When I’m convinced he’s no longer going to bleed out, I pull my hands back. I can’t heal him too much, or somebody will figure it out. I glance around the hall quickly, but nobody seems to care about what happens to this guy. I stand up and sway a moment. I swallow and sort of regret not eating today. I eye my door; it suddenly seems so far away. I remind myself that all I have to do is get to my apartment, call the police with my phone that I gave to Noah, and then I can rest. But the floor seems to be moving beneath me, and my legs feel strange. I’m distantly aware of the sound of someone calling my name. Noah maybe? The carpet seems to jump out at me, and I lose my balance. The floor rushes up to me, but strong arms catch me instead. I hear somebody call my name again, but it sounds so far away. I feel my head loll, and everything fades blissfully away. I wake to the sound of bickering, but I don’t recognize the voices.

“Would it hurt you to be grateful for one second that we got here when we did?” a female voice says.

“I’m grateful,” a gruff voice says, a voice that sounds vaguely familiar.

I hear a snort. “Sure doesn’t sound like it. Did anybody take care of that poor guy in the hallway?”

“I did,” a different gruff voice says.

“Thanks, Big Guy. Does anybody else think this building is creepy, or is it just me?” There’s a pause. “It can’t be just me. Come on, Ava. Raise your hand.”

“You know, some of us are working, Rae.”

“Eh.”

“She’s coming around,” a different voice sounds altogether. Male, I clock. I don’t open my eyes because panic is starting to build.

Where am I? Where’s Noah? What happened to Jackson?

“Do you think we should do something, so she doesn’t panic when she wakes up?” a female voice asks.

“Too late,” a male voice answers. “She’s awake and already panicking.”

Knowing the gig is up, my eyes shoot open. A girl lets out a shriek, and it startles me so much I jump to my feet, which ends up being a terrible idea. The room pitches around me, and I stumble forward. I cry out, about to hit the floor. Everything goes a little haywire after that. Somebody catches me. There’s a huge crash that startles everyone, and then there’s a growl? Several more...somethings...fill the air. Then there’s the sound of scuffling and fighting maybe. I frantically try to get the black spots in front of my eyes to clear, so I can see what’s going on. When I finally get them clear, I blink at the scene in front of me. I search desperately for Noah and find him on his air mattress, watching the scene unfold with wide eyes.

I notice a tall girl with long, dark hair turn to me. “Oh good you’re semi-coherent. Mind calling off your guard dog?”