IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIScarletIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

There's someone yelling my name. And then he's beside me on his knees, lifting me up. His hand is on my arms, my hair, my face. He says something, but it's all jumbled in my ears. Why does he sound so concerned?

I blink at him. The palm of his hand is against my cheek, and the warmth of his breath grazes my skin. He's so close, and the concern is evident on his face. The only people who care about me is Trish and my old nursemaid, but this, this is different, and I don't know what to make of it. And why am I seeing three eyes instead of two?

He says something again. His eyebrows are furrowed, and there are several creases at the bridge of his nose. Our foreheads almost touch. He's so warm, and he smells like winter pine.

It's Kal, I finally realize. He brushes a strand of my hair back. He tries not to panic, but I can see it in his eyes. "Scarlet?"

"...I'm fine," I finally say. My body is heavy though, and I have all of my weight on him.

He touches the back of my head, and I wince.

"Well, you're definitely not." He shakes his head. "You're covered in splinters and scrapes, and you just fell like a comet from the sky." He sighs and adds, "I tried to help, but I'm not used to using magic."

I frown, only making out a few of his words. Something about help and magic? I turn my neck back to where I fell. I guess that's why I didn't remember the bush being there. "So, you do magic?"

"You definitely need to see a medic," he says with a sigh. "But yes, I do. But not a lot. It's actually kind of a secret."

I shrug, replying, "We can be secret buddies, then."

He laughs and says, "I'm cool with that. Secret buddies?"

"Secret buddies," I nodd.

There's a low, melodic, noise. Though my vision isn't the best right now, it looks like the witch is diving through some hole in the air. A portal?

Kal tenses, but the witch is gone. "We should check on the other girl," he says. "But first, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Um…six?"

"Yep. That's definitely not good," he says. "C'mon."

I nod and start to stand, but Kal places his hand behind my knees. I cry out, and Kal draws back, his eyes wide. There's that searing pain on the back of my leg again, and its then when I notice that my jeans are hot and wet.

"Scar…"

I blink up at him. "What?"

"A piece of the bush is stuck in your leg. I'm going to fix it though, okay?"

I say, "Just yank it ouUUUTTTT!" Kal rips the branch from my leg in that moment, and I scream. I almost bite the tip of my tongue off. There's hot blood pouring out of the wound now, and I arch my back at another wave of pain ripples through me. I can't think straight- not when my body is in agony like this.

The palm of Kal's hand is on my wound, and he says something under his breath. The pain gradually stops, and though blood still coats my leg, it feels as if the wound it gone. I don't know how long I've laid here, but I feel like I'm about to pass out.

I look up at Kal. There's blood on his hand and hoodie now, but he doesn't seem to care. I frown and ask, "You have healing magic?"

"I make things grow," he says. "In your case, I made your cells grow to close your broken blood vessels and skin." There's a sheen of sweat on his forehead now, and his breaths are more labored than before.

But that doesn't stop him from gathering me in his arms. Heat spreads over my face when I realize my hands are on his chest. But where else do I put them? My voice doesn't sound right as I say, "I thought you said you weren't going to make any moves?"

"I think you said something about moves?" he says. Shaking his head, he adds, "I don't trust your legs to carry you right now- you have a bad concussion and you've lost a lot of blood. And before you say you're fine, please remember that I promised to be a gentleman tonight, and that means taking care of you."

I'm not going to lie, it feels good to be held. "Well, you've already cursed tonight."

He rolls his eyes. "Alright, so that wasn't very gentleman of me. If I hadn't of stepped on that stupid twig though, you wouldn't be this injured. It deserves being cursed at." Kal shakes his head, and his voice grows serious. "I can't believe I let you get hurt like this."

Before I can reply, the blonde girl walks toward us, and in a moment, we're only a few feet away. It's weird being carried now, so I tell him to set me down. I still lean on him- only because I need support. It's definitely not because it feels nice.

"Thanks for helping me back there," the girl says. "I would have been in big trouble if you hadn't showed up. I'm Ember." She extends her hand to us, like it's a formal affair.

The fairy is gorgeous- long blonde hair, coral green eyes, full lips, not to mention her curves. I blink away from her, realizing I'm staring at her chest.

Kals shakes her hand and says, "I'm Kal, and this is Scarlet. What happened?"

She extends her hand to me, but I can't take it- not when my wrist is throbbing. Ember frowns, and after a moment, drops her arm and replies, "I was trying to find some wild rose hips for a beauty potion," she said, "and then I ran into the witch. Not sure what she was doing all the way out here, but she wanted a fight."

I nod, remembering my last encounter with her. I glance back at the girl. Does Kal think she's hot? Wait, why am I thinking that? Of course he thinks she's hot. But he's not staring at her, at least. "Are you alright?" I ask.

She arches her eyebrow and replies, "I could ask the same of you. You took a pretty nasty fall. Here, let me help with that concussion. Your voice is slurred." She presses her thumb to my forehead, and suddenly the haze on my mind clears.

Before I can ask, she says, "I see auras, and yours looked pretty jumbled," she smiles. "It takes away the symptoms for a little bit."

"Thanks," I say. Okay, so she's beautiful and nice. Not a big deal.

"I need to get her back to Alfea," Kal says. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Thanks, but I still need to find those rose hips," Ember replies. "I don't think that witch will be back."

"Are you sure?" I say. "It feels weird leaving you alone after a fight like that." And all for some rose hips?

"I'm sure I'll be fine," she smiles and looks at me. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

Kal and I exchange glances, but Ember is already turning and waving back at us.

"Do you think she'll be alright?" I ask.

"I think so. It's not like we can make her come with us," he shrugs. Then he looks at me, and his expression changes. "C'mon, we need to get you back."