Chapter 13
Warm hands caressed Esmie’s cold body. She wanted to lean her whole self into those hands and the body that came with them which were probably equally as warm. Was she dead? Was this heaven?
“I think she’s waking up.” A smooth voice rumbled. What a sexy voice.
The warm hands moved away. Esmie frowned. No, come back. I like those hands on me. She tried to vocalize the words but couldn’t make her lips move. In fact, she couldn’t open her eyes either. She scrunched them tight trying to force them open.
“Quita, if you can hear me, don’t try to open your eyes just yet.
We have a mask over them to help with the pain.
” Leo’s voice sounded like it was under water.
Wait, if her brother was here then she wasn’t in heaven.
And the other voice belonged to a handsome stranger, who was becoming way too familiar with her in the most embarrassing way.
Esmie’s cheeks burned, grateful no one could hear her thoughts. She shivered.
“Let me get her a blanket. She might be in shock from her near-death experience.” Samson’s warmth moved away. Esmie wanted to say she didn’t want the blanket. Just him, but she kept her mouth shut to avoid further embarrassment. A fuzzy warmth encased her body. Okay, so maybe the blanket did help.
“Did we give her the serum in time?” Leo’s voice was clearer this time.
“I think so. We cut it close but if she’s waking up then she should be fine.” A warm hand caressed her forehead and cheek. “No fever. That’s a good sign.”
“Why?”
“Quita, can you hear us?”
Esmie nodded her head, but the movement caused the dark world she was in, to spin. She groaned, trying to lift her arm to her head. It felt like it was held down by a weight, her movements slow and lethargic.
“Whas wrong wih me?” she slurred.
“Here, drink this.” Samson pressed something to her lips.
She opened her mouth. He poured a warm liquid down her throat, then moved away again.
If only he would stay close. She enjoyed his warmth.
In fact, her whole body was warming up or maybe waking up.
The lethargy dissipated and she was able to move her limbs again.
The mask was removed from her face. After a few moments she opened her eyes to see two faces staring down at her, both filled with concern.
“Did you say I almost died?” Esmie attempted to sit. Both men reached behind her and helped her up. At least the world wasn’t spinning anymore.
Samson’s grim face lowered to her view. He pulled out a flashlight and shone it in her eyes. She blinked, turning away from the bright light. “She’s still adjusting but it should be fully integrated into her system within a few hours.”
“Then can we run tests to see what we’re up against?” Leo asked, putting a thermometer on her forehead. It beeped along with other machines Esmie was hooked up to. How long had she been out?
“Yup, but it might take longer to find a cure. Especially with the way the agent spread across her face. Fortunately, I was able to stop it to only her eyes, but we will be hard pressed to send her out into the world with it still on her face.” Samson adjusted the monitors, pressing his fingers along her arm and into her side.
She squirmed, partly ticklish, partly excited by his touch. Esmie swatted his hand away.
“Why are you talking about me as if I’m still passed out? I’m fully awake now and want answers, so stop talking in riddles.” Esmie huffed, attempting to slide off the dentist-like chair. Samson placed a firm grasp on her shoulder, shaking his head. Esmie’s head tilted to the side.
“You need to stay sitting until we’re done checking you. If you get up too soon, you could fall over and hurt yourself more,” Leo said as he touched the monitors around her.
“Could you at least answer my questions?”
“If you stay still and let us finish, I will answer your questions.” Leo’s mouth formed a straight line. Esmie laid back. Leo and Samson continued checking monitors and rubbing something that looked like a big Q-Tip along her arms. “What I’m going to tell you stays between us, got it?”
Esmie nodded.
“I’m serious. Not even to your school friends.” Leo’s firm voice indicated he meant business.
“Yo prometo.” Esmie linked her pinky with her brother’s. Something they used to do when he lived at home when they would promise not to tell Mamá each other’s secrets.
Satisfied, Leo spoke as he worked. “Glass was created in a lab here in the capitol building. It is an infusion of performance enhancing drugs and radiation. The amount of radiation used, at first, wasn’t enough to kill anyone outright, but the more people eat, the more the radiation infiltrates their system, slowly killing them.
The feeling they get from the drug part is what makes it addicting. ”
“Does the glass really give people powers?”
“Kind of. It does enhance one's ability, but only for a certain amount of time. Around seventy-two to ninety-six hours. Afterward, each time you take it, the less it works.” Samson answered for Leo.
“But you said I almost died. Does that mean I’m going to be okay?” Esmie stared at the men who didn’t answer right away. She panicked, trying to sit up again. Leo gently pushed her back down.
“For now, yes, but we aren’t sure until we run some more tests.
For you, the effects are…different from what we’ve seen.
Touching it with your skin isn’t as potent but your reaction is similar to those ingesting it.
The serum Samson gave you was a radiation cure mixed with antibiotics to keep you from succumbing to the other effects of the drugs, especially the addiction.
Both he and I have taken it as well to avoid radiation sickness from working so much with glass and the test subjects.
You were in the middle stages of radiation sickness, with it rapidly increasing throughout your body to the late stages.
That’s why you saw your skin flaking off and your hair falling out. ”
“What if I would have gotten into the late stages of radiation?”
“Then the serum wouldn’t have worked, and you would have died a painful death,” Samson answered with his back to Esmie.
“Is that why you rushed me from school today with all this secrecy?”
Leo paused in his work, a pained expression on his face. He shook his head from whatever thought clouded it. “I’m just grateful we got to you in time.” Esmie bit her lip. She didn’t want to think what would have happened if she hadn’t run into Leo and told him the truth.
Tears pricked the edges of her eyes. What if she was stuck with this on her face indefinitely? How would she explain it to her school? The different companies she was supposed to intern with? How would she explain it to Mamá and Papi? She shuddered.
“Does purple glass give powers?” Samson and Leo eyed each other. Esmie sat up, yanking off the nodes stickered onto her body. “You promised me answers.”
“Okay, okay. We don’t know what purple glass can do because no one has survived it long enough to be studied. Technically, you should be dead by now.” Samson picked up the nodes to put them back on her body, but she pushed his hands away.
“So, what do you think they would be?”
“Again, we’re not sure which is why we want to run more tests. We want to see what purple glass will do to your body, besides changing your skin color to purple.” Leo suppressed a grin at the last part. Esmie stuck out her tongue at him.
“We also want to monitor you for if or when a power appears so we can ensure you don’t hurt anyone else, or yourself.” Samson attempted to put the nodes on her again, but Esmie slid off the chair.
“I feel fine. I just want to know how to get rid of this stuff on my face. When did the others show? The ones who took the other colors of glass.”
“The others showed right away but their bodies weren’t going into fighting mode against the glass like yours did with purple glass to survive.
Now that your body isn’t fighting to keep you alive, yours could show at any time now,” Leo answered, attempting to chase her down with the large Q-Tip shaped device. Esmie dashed away.
“I’m done with the tests so stop!” Esmie swiped her hands at both Samson and Leo closing in on her. The objects they held in their hands, flew out, along with all of the tools on the counter. They clattered onto the white vinyl floor.
“Well, there’s your answer to a couple questions. You just exhibited your first power. Telekinesis.” Samson raised his eyebrows.