I don't own the Kane Chronicals.
Carter's head felt like it had been bashed a hundred times with a baseball bat, his skull taken out and run over by a truck, and put back in his head, where the sharp remains poked at his brain.
He had quite the imagination. He wondered if anyone had ever told him that.
"Carter? Your head still hurting?" Ette asked him.
"Jaz." The word popped out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.
Ette's face darkened before turning into a confused frown. "Who?"
Carter tried to cling to the memory, but it faded. "Nothing."
"Here, drink some of this." Ette thrust a gold cup in his face. Carter shook his head.
"Drink it!" she growled.
"I'm not thirsty!" he protested.
"You've been knocked unconscious! I think it's best if you did drink it!" Ette snapped, forcing his mouth open.
Carter bit down on her finger. She yelped and dropped the cup, spilling it all over the floor.
"Idiot!" she hissed. "I'm out of here!" Ette stood up and stomped out of the room, the sound of her footsteps giving Carter a bigger headache.
There was a long moment of silence. Carter sighed in relief and closed his eyes. Jaz. Another name he thought he knew.
The third one.
The second one he remembered-only slightly- was Sadie. It sent a surge of protectiveness and slight annoyance.
The first…Zia Rashid. He felt something; something so painful and strong it was almost physical.
"Everything okay?" a voice asked. Carter jumped, which caused him pain. Aarya had been so quiet he hadn't even heard her coming.
"Yeah, just fine…" Carter studied her closely. She seemed so familiar…he just couldn't place it.
"Zia." Again, it was out of his mouth before he could stop it. Aarya turned to him, a bitter look on her face.
"Zia is part of a group," she whispered. "She's the enemy. The one who's trying to kill us all. But she's a nobody without her friends. A worthless, stupid person."
"No she's not!" Carter could feel anger bubble up inside him, but he didn't know why. He hardly remembered this Zia, but he felt something…something physical.
Again with that word.
Aarya looked startled. "Carter, she took your memory. How could you possibly defend her?"
Carter said nothing. He didn't trust himself to speak. He didn't trust these people. Especially Aarya. But something was familiar…
Gold eyes. Aarya had golden eyes.
Just like Zia.
"I don't remember her," he finally said, after a long pause. "But I don't think she's a terrible person."
Aarya's eyes flashed, but it was gone so quickly that Carter wondered if he just imagined it.
"Whatever," she muttered. Then, louder, she continued, "Ette told me what happened. I know you're not feeling very well, but you need to drink that water. It's a special concoction that Ette made, and it's supposed to make you feel better. Can you just take it? Please?"
Carter opened his mouth to protest, but shut it again. "Sure," he said through clenched teeth.
Aarya nodded, satisfied. Once she left the room, though, Carter exhaled and slowly uncrossed his index and middle finger.
Carter dreamed that he was a chicken flying through cold air.
Lights flashed beneath him. Darkness surrounded him. There was a large, run down mansion, but when he got closer, it looked a lot more livable, and much nicer.
He traveled towards one of the windows, where he could make out two voices arguing.
"-stupid enough to bring him back!" one voice yelled. It had a slight British accent. Looking inside, Chicken Carter could see a blonde haired girl, waving her hands like a crazed maniac at another person.
"Besides, I thought you said they were all dead," the British girl continued, calming slightly.
Key word slightly.
"That's what I thought, too," the second girl whispered. She trembled, but then she clenched herself together. "They have him."
Me, Carter thought. They're talking about me.
"I don't see how Carter is going to fit into their plans. I mean, really. He can be a git sometimes," the first girl scoffed. Chicken Carter rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"I don't know," the second girl said softly, sitting on the bed. Something in her tone made it sound like she was lying.
"Zia, I'm sorry." The first girl put a hand on Zia's shoulder.
"Zia!" The words, once again, spit out of his mouth.
What was wrong with him today?
The girl turned around, towards the window. It happened so fast. He felt something tug at him. Just before he was ripped away, he caught a glimpse of golden eyes.