Chapter 6
Mai
I was in the middle of humming something and arranging flowers when the door opened with a BANG. I shrieked and dropped the vase. Collin rushed in.
"Mai! What's wrong?! Are you hurt?!" he yelled.
"Get out of here, Collin, you're barefoot!" I pushed him out of the living room and stepped away from the glass. I looked at the door.
Brady was standing there, sweating and crying.
"Brady? What're you doing here?" I asked softly. I put a hand on his shoulder but he jerked away.
"Don't touch me!" he sobbed.
"Brady? What the hell-" Collin gasped.
"She doesn't love me!" Brady screamed.
"What?"
"Kris... She's with someone else..."
"Are you sure?"
"I heard her giggling with a boy. She... She doesn't want me."
"Brady, you're one of the sweetest, loving boys I know. Why would she hate you?" I asked, risking putting my hand on his shoulder again. This time, he only held my hand there.
"It's because we saved her. She held a prejudice on me after that. It's only fitting that she has someone else."
"Brady, it could be just her brother, or even only a friend. It can't be somebody like a... like a boyfriend," I whispered. Brady shook his head.
"No... You should have heard the way she laughed. She was with someone she loved more than a brother."
"How could you tell?"
"It's the way you laugh around Collin," he whispered.
I looked at Collin. He looked at me and Brady. The door opened again. Marigold peered in.
"Hey, Erin stole Alice's powers and saw you drop a vase. Need help?"
"It's okay, Goldie," I said quickly. Goldie looked down at Brady. I hadn't noticed we were kneeling until she looked down.
"Really? I brought Jasper. Erin told me I'd need him."
Jasper poked his head through the door. Brady stopped sobbing immediately. Then he turned to glare at Marigold and Jasper both.
"Stop playing with my emotions," he growled. "Get away from me!"
Jazz yanked Marigold back at the same time that Collin tore me away. Just in time, too.
Brady exploded and howled. Collin pulled me behind him. I hissed in pain.
Looking down, I realized I'd stepped on a piece of glass. Great. Can anything else go wrong?
Collin watched Jasper with a wary eye as Jasper froze. Marigold stared at Jasper.
He began to move forward, and then he was pulled into the air. Marigold kept watching him. I hissed in pain again.
While still keeping Jasper suspended, Marigold had used her power to take the piece of glass out of my foot. The rest of the glass collected and floated outside to a garbage can. Marigold kept an eye on Jasper all the while.
"Get Mai some bandages. It doesn't look deep, does it?"
"No," Collin said.
"Good. Go upstairs. Make sure not to come in here again until Harry gives you the all-clear."
"Okay."
Collin lifted me and carried me upstairs. I heard Brady phase and follow us.
"Brady, there are some shorts on top of the dresser. Don't follow us until you're dressed," Collin told him. I heard his feet pad in another direction, towards our room. Collin set me down on the toilet in the bathroom and looked for the bandages.
"I guess I should've seen myself step on the glass. What kind of psychic am I?" I muttered.
"Don't chastise yourself, Mai. You weren't looking for it."
Collin found the bandages and wrapped it- carefully- around my foot. I winced. He looked up, concerned.
"It's fine, Collin. All cuts hurt."
"I guess I forgot about it," he murmured softly. "I heal too fast to even notice."
Brady walked in, calm and collected.
"Hey, Mai, I'm sorry about the vase... And your foot."
"It's okay, Brady, I know you didn't mean to startle me. And it was my fault that I stepped farther back. I should've remembered the glass."
"I know, but I caused you to step back."
"Brady, since when did you worry so much?"
"Since now. I kind of get Collin's perspective, now that I've Imprinted."
I smiled and looked at Collin. He blushed, but grinned back.
"Well, I hope you're not overly protective like this fool," I teased, ruffling Collin's hair.
"I'm overly protective of you because I am a fool. A fool in love," he whispered. Brady made a face and pretended to retch.
"Okay, well, can you guys help me? I want to be sure that Kris is with someone else," Brady said.
"Okay. But we'll have to wait for Harry to give the all-clear. Jasper might still be out there."
Brady frowned, upset that we were unable to go now, as he'd wanted, but nodded. As if on cue, Harry's image appeared in the bathroom. Like usual, he was half-solid, half transparent. That meant that only half of him could be seen while the rest of him was at the Cullens'. The twelve-year-old grinned at us.
"We got Jasper, so it's safe now," he said.
"Thanks, Harry. Tell everybody we said hi and tell Goldie I said thanks," I told him. Harry nodded, still grinning, and disappeared.
"Still creepy when he does that," Brady muttered.
"Okay, let's go," I said, getting up. I winced a little at my foot, and Collin frowned. I looked at him.
"Any way I can get a ride?" I asked. He rolled his eyes and pulled me up onto his back. We walked outside and he phased. Gray fur flew everywhere. I shut my eyes just as the fur went right into my face. Brady was already ahead of us, his brown paws flying.
"Wait up!" I yelled, and Collin took off.
AN: Yay!
