Z
I
A
The battle is worse than anything I've ever seen in my life. Fires burn everywhere and magicians are yelling spells from protective circles. Carter, Sadie, and I are fighting side-by-side. But we're pushing them back. We're winning. Apophis and Ra are locked in eternal combat. Bast is finally free. The Chaos army is finally retreating when a demon lunges at me in a final attempt for personal victory (That's a long story that will have to wait). It's sword meets it's mark. Pain explodes in my torso. I gasp in agony, just managing not to scream. Carter and Sadie instantly form a protective circle around me. Blood soaks my Egyptian robes.
"We have to get her out of here!" Carter yells to Sadie. She nods.
"Portal!" she yells. "Brooklyn, the 21st Nome!" And then I'm traveling through her portal. The few healers that stayed behind crowd around me.
"Get her to the infirmary," one of them, Courtney, says. "Quickly!" They carry me to the infirmary, and I'm placed onto a bed. Healers rush around, getting supplies. Blackness threatens to overtake me. I stay awake long enough for them to perform some magic, and then I black out.
The first thing I feel when I wake up is Carter's hand in mine, his thumb rubbing my fingers. I blink my eyes open and whimper from the pain. Carter brushes the hair out of my face.
"How are you feeling, Z?" he asks gently.
"I've felt better," I say. "Thanks for being here." His cheeks flush.
"Any time, Zia," he says. "I'm here for you."
"I know," I say with a yawn. Carter's eyes are soft.
"Go back to sleep," he says. "I'll be here." With that, I slip back into a peaceful sleep.
"Where are you taking me, Carter?" I ask. It's been a few months since the battle. My injury is almost completely healed, it's just sore now and then. Carter smiles.
"You'll see," he says, and leads me onto the roof. It's almost midnight, and I'm tired. "I know you're tired, Z. But I had to show you this." How does he do that? He spreads a blanket out and I sit next to him. We sit and talk for a few minutes, until he points to the dark midnight sky. I follow his gaze, and when I see what he's pointing to, I gasp. The meteor shower is beautiful. We watch for a few minutes, and I start to get cold, so I snuggle closer to Carter. He puts an arm around me and I rest my head on his shoulder. The meteors start to reside, so I turn to Carter.
"You know," I say. "I think that maybe I was wrong about my feelings towards you."
"What?" he asks, looking shocked.
"I mean," I say with a smile. "I think that I do love you." Carter has this goofy grin on his face.
"I would say 'I love you, too,'" he says. "But you already know that." I smile, and he kisses me. I'm smiling so much that almost can't kiss him again. Almost.