Bedside Manner

The thing about Trance was her ability to not exist-or in fact exist in more than one place at one time. Harper, hard at work doing-well, something, you know how it is with Harper-when Trance suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

"Ow!" said Harper. He had stood up suddenly and hit his head on an overhang.

"Sorry," Trance giggled. Harper wondered how she had gotten in here without his noticing. Sure he could get involved in his-ahem-work, but not that involved. At least, he hoped he wasn't so engrossed that he would miss a cute purple chick pop up behind him.

"Hey, Trance?" he asked. "How exactly do you get up here, anyway?"

Trance smiled. Harper never would stop asking questions. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he just didn't seem to trust what he didn't know. And he certainly didn't know Trance.

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Trance said happily. That was something Harper found so intriguing about her: she almost always seemed perky. He had turned back to his work for a quick second to adjust something, and twisted back to ask her about it. "Trance, how come you're always so-"

As much as we'd like some things in life to happen in slow motion, whether it is to savor the moment or to stop it indefinitely, we cannot. Suddenly Harper could see what Trance could not-a mass of wires and metal was dangling precariously above her head. It had probably been jarred loose by his bump, connected only to the main machine by a single wire. As he watched in horror, the wire snapped and the heavy mass fell directly on Trance.

Trance, honestly, for all her purple instincts, didn't have a chance. She crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Harper was immediately at her side.

"Trance?" he whispered raspily. "Trance!" He touched the side of her head gently. As he took his fingers away, dazed, he thought Blue blood. She has blue blood. He shook his head to clear it. Now was not the time to get panicky. Mustering all his strength, he lifted Trance gently and walked very slowly down to the medical wing.