Chapter 1 #3
“El— Liv,” he starts, bracing me upright by my shoulders. I smile, taking in the fact that it is him. He returns my smile, tightly, and steps back, hands leaving me, putting some space between us.
“Who am I?” I ask, eyes quickly darting to Cedric and Avonde. This should clear this situation up. Cedric has retreated to the bed, eyes trained on the ground. He appears frozen in place but grips the bedpost to the point of white knuckles. What is his problem?
“Liv,” Sawyer says, turning my attention back to him. He looks over my shoulder and I turn with his gaze to Avonde, who is now standing with Cedric. The latter looking like he is about to pass out. Our eyes meet briefly and his face goes unreadable. I look away first.
“The injuries are far worse than we thought, Your Highness,” Avonde says.
Sawyer’s lips purse. He looks back down to me, eyes searching my face intently. I find myself searching his as well, unsure what has changed in the few days I was recovering. Not much, I imagine. We just need to go home.
Sawyer grins again, uncomfortably, and braces his hands on my shoulders, lowering himself to my height. Which is a considerable difference, I now notice.
“Liv, Avonde is going to take great care of you.” He looks sternly at me, a hint of worry hidden on his face.
“No,” I say, shaking my head painfully. “Why are we here? Can we go home?” I ask, ignoring Avonde’s slow approach behind me.
Someone needs to give me answers.
“You are not well,” he says, scanning my body with his eyes. Feeling vulnerable, I wrap my arms around my chest, the brisk air pulling my senses to attention.
It occurs to me now that something isn’t right.
It isn’t the injuries. It’s something I can’t quite put my finger on.
My body does not feel like mine. I glance down and notice the distance between my eyes and the floor has grown, if that is even something one can notice.
The nightgown swaying across my legs reveals that my skin has also been untouched by the sun.
As if I hadn’t been working under its glare for years, just like Sawyer.
We have been here longer than just a few days.
“How long?” I ask, feeling uncertain about absolutely everything in this situation. “How long have we been away from home?”
Cedric takes a step forward at that, but Avonde steps between us, blocking my view and drawing my attention to her.
Her hair is beautifully twisted into locks similar to a braid.
Little gold and silver metal bands are buckled throughout.
She really is stunning. Scarred symmetrical marks line up on either side of her face, enhancing everything about her essence.
“Come with me, Liv.” Avonde draws my attention to her. I shake my head, looking back over to Sawyer.
“I want to stay with you,” I plead, unsure of anything beyond the semblance of Sawyer in front of me. He is the one thing that I do know.
Someone moves in the room and my attention is drawn back to Cedric, who is again sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, elbows resting on his knees, head bent down.
“Go with Avonde, Liv. She is cess. She will heal you.” Whatever that means.
My heart begins to pound again.
“No.”
“Yes,” Sawyer says, releasing my shoulders and nodding to Avonde.
“You must,” Avonde says, now grasping my hand and urging me forward.
“I want to be with you,” I plead, resisting her pull.
“Gods,” Cedric breathes out. In an instant, he jolts up and brushes past us, avoiding any contact on his way out. My body slackens as I finally shake off the gaze that is no longer on me.
“It’s for your health, Liv. It won’t take long.
I need you to do this, for me,” Sawyer presses.
I bite my lip, considering his words. He is here, and that is all that matters.
It doesn’t make sense that I am being called a different name, in a place I do not know, surrounded by people who are completely unfamiliar.
My head throbs again, reminding me of the wound I must have sustained on my way down the tree’s height. It wouldn’t hurt to be examined, considering I have no recollection of anything. The wound could be looked at.
“When we finish?” I say, looking back at Sawyer.
“Yes, when you have finished, I will come see you and we will talk.”
I look back to Avonde, who with her free hand is fiddling with a necklace full of gems and beads. She nods in confirmation and steps forward, tugging me towards the door and away from Sawyer.
“Wait.” I stop walking and grab Sawyer’s hand. “Is this just because of the fall? I feel fine now. It wasn’t that high, Sawyer,” I lie, shoving a weak smile on my face. I just want to go home.
“Yes, the fall,” he agrees, releasing his hand from my grasp. Avonde looks to Sawyer with a puzzled look on her face. Everything feels wrong.
“Come, Liv.”
The healer tugs on my hand again. I follow this time, slowly and carefully, feeling foreign in my own body. I look back at Sawyer one more time, who holds the same expression I saw on my fall back to the earth.
A face of unease, brows furrowed, lips pressed and hands in pockets.