Jpov
Smart, gorgeous, tattooed, and a deadly shot.
'This girl might be the death of me.' I thought glancing down at the paint on my left shoulder, a pang of shock going through me before I looked back at my sister and Libby who were chatting happily as they shelved returns.
I'd always thought it would be a god, or some sort of army of monsters that would eventually take me out. Or an eventual eruption of the magic inside me, preferably annihilating an Olympian or two at the same time. Not once had I considered a chatty blonde from the Apollo cabin might be the cause of my undoing.
Now…
"That was too close." Harper said quietly, glancing at the paint and then letting her gaze meet mine expression worried. "You think she knows?"
I could tell by Harper's expression when she'd entered the hall that she'd noticed Libby's interest in the bronze plate, and while she'd hidden it well, it had alarmed her. When she'd suggested I'd armed myself for the simulation, she'd mentioned it as sort of an after thought, both of us certain at the time I wouldn't need it. Now though...
"How could she?" I asked, avoiding the question rather than answering it.
"I'm pretty sure that's what we both would have said if asked if she could manage to get a shot on you before today." she countered, crossing her arms over her chest frowning at the girls, then glancing at my shirt again. "Look how that turned out."
It was worse than Harper realized, but was almost certain I didn't want to admit. Libby had been aiming for a fatal shot, right through the heart. I was sure her interest in the plate was far from innocent, and while it would have stopped a paint ball with no problem, the reality was sobering.
She'd changed targets mid shot, I'd seen it in her expression. Libby didn't miss.
Why she'd made that decision, I didn't know. I wasn't sure I wanted to either.
"She watches people." Harper said eventually. "Like you. Likes figuring them out. She might know, James."
"No one's said anything."
"They don't necessarily have to." She said shaking her head. "She might have noticed when we were sparring, the one place I didn't target."
She glanced at the bronze plate, then back at me.
"Next time you're wearing real armor."
"A paint ball wouldn't kill me."
"I am not risking it." she said stubbornly, glancing at the girls again. "Allison should be here soon, I'm going down to the Doors. Do you want to come?"
"No." I said shaking my head. "I'm going to go change."
"Probably best." She said with a grin. "Pink doesn't really suit you."
"You're hilarious." I said sarcastically and her smile grew.
"I like to think so."
"Just got get Allison."
"You're so cranky today."
"I did just get shot."
"I'm aware." She said. "But you know, I think it actually might have done you some good."
"Why's that?"
"You're not immortal James." She said significantly. "Sometimes, the way you act, it seems as if you might have forgotten that."
She shot me a look.
"Maybe this will remind you to be a bit more careful."
"Rubbish." I said and she shook her head, but she didn't seem upset. She was still smiling at least. "She got lucky."
"I don't think that was a one-off James."
"Me either." I admitted quietly.
"You'd better hope you don't annoy her too much." She said looking at Libby with approval. "She might just have your number."
Harper, didn't know just how accurate that statement was. I had a feeling even I had hardly scratched the surface.
'Gods.' I thought ruefully.
Libby had even managed to get Harper's respect. Something that was extremely difficult to do. She really would be the end of me.
"I'll see you later." Harper said giving me a shrewd expression before walking towards the exit, no doubt to pick up her friend.
I watched her go for a moment, before turning back to see that Lucy and Libby had turned into one of the aisles, able to hear them laughing even though they were out of sight.
'I need to get out of here.' I thought shaking my head, walking towards the door that led to the stair well and the living quarters behind it.
I was brought up short, however, as upon inspection I was reminded that it was the same door that I'd basically destroyed.
Bright pink paint still obscured the window and I looked at it for several seconds before I realized I was grinning.
"Get it together James." I muttered to myself and continued into the stairwell.
I walked back to my room, glancing at the map that still covered most of the wall before stepping through the door, not bothering to shut it behind me as I grabbed a new shirt, glancing at myself in the mirror on the door to the bathroom before putting it on.
The shot hadn't left a mark, not that I expected it to. So why did it still seem as if I could feel it?
There was a knock at the door, and I looked over to see Libby just outside the door frame. She seemed embarrassed, though I had no idea why, and appeared to want to look anywhere but at me as she said.
"Hey."
"Hey." I repeated, wondering why she was here.
She didn't leave me to wonder for long however.
"Sorry I shot you." she muttered and I looked at her, a little surprised.
"You were supposed to shot me."
"Yeah." She shrugged, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably, biting her lip in the way I knew meant she was upset about something. Anxious even. "Still…"
"It didn't hurt Libby." I assured her sitting on my bed and she did glance at me, if only briefly.
She continued to appear conflicted, and she looked as if she was debating something to herself.
"Is there something you wanted?" I asked just as she blurted.
"Is everything ok, James?"
She flushed as I looked at her, a little surprised at the question.
"What do you mean?"
"I dunno." She said brushing her hair back in an uncomfortable gesture. "You just, don't really seem to want to talk to me today."
"I'm not that chatty of a person Libby."
"You talk to me." She countered stubbornly and I sighed. "Are you upset with me?"
"No." I said and it was true.
She was right. I'd been in a weird head space ever since she'd cancelled on me to go back to the clinic with that pillock Hunter, and his harpy of a girlfriend who was, if anything, even worse.
It hadn't been her fault, I knew that. It was her job and with Harper's insane schedule I was used to plans changing at basically anytime and it usually never bothered me. Maybe that was why I was feeling so weird about it. To realize how disappointed I'd been. It reminded me too that she was, in fact, only here for the summer. Libby had a whole life outside of this place, other priorities. One day, relatively soon, she'd walk out those doors and wouldn't be coming back.
Disappointment, however, didn't seem a strong enough word for whenever I remembered that. And I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to do about that.
"I think I'm still getting used to you being here sometimes." I said honestly.
"Oh." She said abruptly, and she looked a little hurt. "Oh, yeah I guess I could see-"
"Not in a bad way Libby." I said shaking my head and she looked a little unsure about it. "I'm used to things being a certain way. Keeping track of the people. I almost always know where Harper or Lucy is." I frowned. "You're a bit of a wild card. It's an adjustment."
"Because I shot you?"
I let out a laugh.
"Even Harper hasn't managed to do that."
"She's not the best shot." Libby said with half a shrug and a bit of a guilty expression. "I mean, don't get me wrong she's gotten loads better," she added hastily. "But it took years for even Ashton to teach her."
"Ashton couldn't hit me." I pointed out.
"Ashton's not very decisive." She said frowning. "His aim is incredible, he can hit almost anything if it stays put."
"Live targets are a bit of an issue for him." I said and she smiled. "He can hit a moving target just fine. As long as it's not breathing."
"Not everyone's perfect."
"You don't seem to have that issue." I pointed out and she shrugged.
"A fight is a fight."
"No guilty conscience?" I asked.
"Not if it's them or me." She said and I looked at her, really trying to get a sense of what she was saying.
She looked as if she meant it, truly believed what she was saying, and while not so long a go I wouldn't have expected it from her, I found that as I looked at her I believed it too. Kind hearted as she was, I was starting to suspect there was a very Athena like layer of steel under the daughter of Apollo's sunny exterior, that had me thinking if given the choice between a fight between Ashton or his sister, there was really one sibling I had to worry about, and it wasn't Harper's finance. She had, after all, shot a god. Didn't even think to hesitate.
I considered her for a moment, reflecting on this before saying.
"You're a lot tougher than you brother."
"Why do you think he gets sent on missions?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "While I get kept back at camp to do the real work? Healing is a pretty gruesome process sometimes. There's no glory in fixing a severed artery. You don't get spoils for saving a camper's life, but it's got to get done."
"I guess so." I said still looking at her.
"Try not to worry about Ashton too much." She said grinning. "He's got Harper to watch out for him."
"Poor bloke." I said grinning and she laughed.
"Something tells me he doesn't mind."
"No, he doesn't." I agreed and her smile lingered for a moment as she looked at me.
"Speaking of gruesome," she said nodding in my direction. "I remember that one."
I looked down at a serrated scar on my side, the jagged half circle bending just above the hip.
"Drakon, right?" she asked stepping forward, her eyes narrowed at the injury.
"Yeah." I said twisting a little to get a better look at it. "You might not remember this, but that-"
"That's how we met." She said with a laugh. "You got bit before you made it to the camp boundary, you were pretty messed up. It had gotten infected."
"You asked me if I was on steroids."
"Yeah well, your muscle tissue was healing way too quickly. And I was kind of right." She pointed out sitting next to me still frowning at the injury. "Just it was magic. Nothing like the rate you heal today though."
She looked up, her eyes meeting mine.
"I can't believe you remember that. You were kind of half dead at the time."
"I'm pretty sure you asked me how the hell I wasn't dead, when I woke up after the first night."
"That does sound like me." She said with a sigh.
"You also told Ashton you thought my accent was cute." I teased looking sideways at her.
"Oh my gods you heard that?" she asked instantly going red.
She sounded mortified and I couldn't help but grin again, feeling only the slightest bit guilty at her embarrassment, but too amused at her expression to care all that much.
"I heard a lot of things people didn't realize." I admitted. "If it makes you feel any better, you didn't giggle half as much as the rest of your sisters did when I first got there. Another reason why I liked talking to you."
"Must be that personal charisma you were talking about." She said rolling her eyes. "Cursed to forever enamor the opposite sex."
"It really is a burden." I said with a sigh and smirking at her. "The least useful one for sure."
"Oh shut up." She said rolling her eyes, but she looked a bit uncomfortable and I got the feeling she didn't like the reminder of the situation I was in.
She glanced at me again.
"There's the manticore." She said brushing her index finger over a point under my collar bone, the scar just below the camp necklace. "That looks like a hydra head," she continued inspecting the back of my shoulder.
She frowned.
"I don't remember this one." She said inspecting the scar on my arm that had caught Melanie's attention.
"That was pre-camp." I explained. "Before any of you would have known me. It was a hell hound."
"Really?" she asked in surprise and I nodded. "It doesn't look like a hellhound bite."
"I'm pretty sure this one was trained. Like Hypno's. I was in the Underworld at the time, I think someone had tipped some of it's fangs with bronze, I don't know if it was because they'd lost them or they wanted to make them a more intimidating attack dog. It was injected with some sort of toxin, the recovery was really nasty. I-"
"Oh my gods." Libby muttered smacking her hand to her forehead grabbing my arm and looking at it. "Oh my gods."
"What?"
"Come with me." She said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room, back through the stairwell and into the main part of the library.
We'd just reached Harper's desk when Harper herself and Allison came into view, both looking at me a little alarmed.
"Um..." Allison started and I very quickly realized Libby's hand was still in mine and I wasn't wearing a shirt.
"Stay here." Libby said gesturing for me not to move, and then went tearing off towards the section for mythical creatures while the girls continued to stare at me.
A fit of laughter behind me told me Lucy was among the rows and I tried to ignore my sister as I looked at the two in front of me, who seemed to be recovering from their shock.
"Hi James." Allison said sounding as if she was trying not to laugh, while Harper continued to stare at me as if I'd turned into a walking gourd.
"Hi, Allison." I said doing my best to sound dignified, as Lucy continued to holler behind me. "It's been a strange day."
"I can see that." She said failing to hide a smirk as Libby came sprinting back into the corridor, carrying several books, flipping through pages and looking between them and me.
She held up a few diagrams switching through the books several times before she finally shut the last of them, a expression of triumph on her features.
"I knew it."
"Knew what?" I asked indignantly. "Can I put on a shirt now?"
"No." Libby said thumbing through pages again, muttering to herself. "I'm right. It has to be."
"Libby, what is going on?" Harper asked raising an eyebrow.
"Whatever bit that hunter." She said. "It's definitely a cross breed. And I think I know between what."
"What is she talking about?" Allison said frowning, but Harper ignored her.
"Do you still have that photo of the injury?"
Harper lifted a hand, and an image came flying into it from a drawer in her desk.
"Keep still." Libby said as Harper walked over to us, and Libby grabbed the photo holding it up next to me. "Look at this."
"Excuse me." I said as Harper leaned closer to inspect the drakon bite, evidently to compare it to the photo.
"James, stay still." Libby said irritably. "Now look at this."
She grabbed my arm and turned it so the hell hound bite was visible.
"Look at the incisors."
"It's a partial match," Harper said frowning. "But-" Her eyes went wide. "It matches the drakon."
"Not just any drakon." Libby said with satisfaction. "Look at this."
She grabbed one of the books and opened to a page near the center, to a truly gruesome looking creature.
"The Lydian Drakon." Libby explained. "It secretes acid, that's how one of the hunters was injured. Acid, not poison. And it's why we didn't realize it was a hell hound. The bite was too deep, suggesting the fangs were too sharp for a hell hound. The cut was too clean."
"But not for a drakon."
"Their fangs are sharper, especially the incisors. Which is why they're so hard to treat. They can deposit bacteria deep into tissue. Some drakons can exhale poison, or spit venom, but they don't inject it."
"She's not poisoned." I said in realization, finally understanding where Libby had gotten her brainwave. "The bite is infected."
"She probably just needs antibiotics." Libby said brightly. "Strong ones, but we almost certainly have them back at the Big House. But if it's not treated, she's probably going to start getting worse."
"James. Take Libby back to camp, now." Harper said then turned to Libby. "Take whatever medications you need. I don't care what Chiron says, we'll pay for it if it needs to be replaced. Lucy, send the hunters and Iris message. Tell them to be ready to transport their friend to camp. Allison, I'm sorry but we're going to have to postpone."
"It's not problem." She said shooting us a curious look. "Sounds like whatever is going on is kind of important."
"I can send you back home before James and Libby."
"Are you finished man handling me?" I asked Libby and she scowled.
"Yes."
"James, put on a shirt." Harper chided as if I'd insisted on standing half naked in the middle of the library this whole time.
"Oh I'm allowed to do that now?" I asked testily as Lucy rummaged through Harper's desk and pulled out a prism and a series of drachmas.
"Would you just do it?" Harper asked impatiently and I shot her a look before finally putting on the shirt I'd grabbed just before Libby had knocked on my door.
"You'd think it was my idea…" I muttered following Harper and Allison towards the doors as Lucy's Iris message connected.
Libby jogged after me and we fell into step behind the girls.
"Sorry, about the man handling..." She muttered sounding embarrassed and I shrugged.
"It's alright." I said easily. "It had a purpose."
I was actually pretty used to Libby dealing with my injuries, or past ones at least. I was starting to realize that unlike with most people, with Libby, I didn't really mind physical contact. Harper that much in my personal space had been weird though…
"Seems as if you might win this one after all."
"I hope I'm right." She said quietly. "More importantly, I hope it works."
"You usually are about this sort of thing." I said as we started down the spiral steps. "It probably will."
We walked out to the doors and Harper sent Allison through. I moved automatically to head to camp, but Harper motioned for me to wait.
"Libby." She said with a frown. "What's your schedule like over the next few days? Do you have any free time?"
"No." Libby answered shaking her head. "But I might be able to switch a shift on Saturday morning, I'm supposed to be here that evening anyways."
"Do it, if you can."
"Why?" I asked a little concerned at Harper's expression. She looked worried, and I could tell whatever was on her mind, it had most of her attention.
"Normally, I wouldn't ask you to do something like this." She said sounding conflicted. "But we might need your help."
"Do what?" Libby asked curiously, but Harper didn't answer, evidently still thinking. Eventually, she looked at me.
"I think it's time we try and figure out what the hell it was you ran into down in Brazil."
Lpov
They worked.
The antibiotics took a while, and it certainly wasn't pretty, but they did work.
"I wish I'd gotten to you earlier." I said checking the hunter's chart and rubbing my eyes.
They were stinging with exhaustion, the text blurring slightly on the pages in front of me, but I forced myself to focus as she winced and readjusted her leg which was elevated with pillows on the infirmary bed.
"Me too." The girl muttered with a cough.
The hunters had been giving her divine food as often as they felt they could risk, which had sealed off the injury. They'd thought was a indication she was healing, in reality, they'd sealed off the infection. It had spiraled almost out of control by the time Lucy had contacted the hunters. Luckily, we'd managed to get her to the Big House in time.
Her normally tan face was ashen and her hair dark hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, but her fever had finally broken and some of her color was returning. Her dark eyes narrowed as I heard the door open.
"Get. Out." She snapped.
"I'm not here to talk to you." Said a familiar voice, his tone scathing and I was unsurprised to see James had stepped into room.
Out of respect for their, well, as James would have put it, 'man hating' nature, only my sisters and I had been in the infirmary since Isabella had arrived. It looked as if James was tired of respecting that courtesy after it looked as if she was going to be alright.
To my surprise, Ashton followed him into the room. I noticed, a little irritated, that Isabella didn't yell at him.
"Libby, you have to sleep." James said turning from the hunter to me, his expression softening with what looked like concern.
"I'm fine." I said shaking my head. "The sun's back up I-"
"You've been awake for over twenty four hours, you have to go to bed. And you barely slept the night before."
"I-"
"He's right Lib." Ashton said, surprising everyone in the room.
He never agreed with James.
"What?" he asked sounding a bit defensive as we all stared at him. "He's right you've got to rest. We can take it from here. Eva is ready to take over."
"You are such a hypocrite." I said glowering at my brother, surprised at how heavy my eyes felt when I narrowed them.
The few times Harper had been seriously injured, Ashton hadn't left the infirmary, no matter how much I had yelled at him.
"Maybe so." He agreed. "But I'm in charge of the cabin, so I'm a hypocrite with authority. You have to leave."
I continued to frown at him for a couple seconds before realizing that this probably wasn't an argument I was going to win, and instead I rounded on James.
"You tattled on me to Ashton?" I asked him and he shrugged, his expression unrepentant. "That is so lame."
"Out." Ashton said gesturing towards the door and I let out a noise of irritation before turning back to my patient.
"Send me an Iris message if you need anything." I muttered to Isabella who nodded gratefully.
"I will, thank you."
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should take her vitals one last time but before I could make a decision, Ashton made it for me.
"Libby, you're off duty." he said seriously.
"Ok, ok." I said putting up my hands in surrender.
I stood and attempted to take a step only to be disoriented with the world suddenly tilted.
I was caught before I even realized I'd stumbled, and was unsurprised to realize James was next to me.
"What-?" I started confused.
"You're exhausted, Lib." He said as I shook my head, trying to catch my bearings. "You need to go to bed."
"I'm fine." I said stubbornly, attempting to force my bones to resemble something a bit more substantial than jello with little success.
I took another step and felt myself sway, this time able grab James's arm and steady myself.
"Ok." I said shaking my head again. "I'm mostly fine."
"I can take you back to the cabin." Ashton said patiently, but I was surprised when James said.
"I can take her. You keep an eye on sleeping beauty over here."
He then shifted suddenly, and I watched rather alarmed as he drove what looked like a bronze hunting knife on the nightstand next to Isabella's bed.
Brain lagging from lack of sleep, it took me a moment to realize she must have thrown it at him irritation at the reference, and James, being who he was, had caught it seemingly without much effort.
"She's got such a lovely temperament." He added sarcastically.
Isabella muttered something in what sounded like Spanish that James grinned at.
"That's rather impolite."
"I meant it." she said darkly.
"Stop it, both of you. No more knife throwing." I said glancing back at the hunter who was glaring at James with stubborn dislike. "You should be resting."
"So should you." James said looking down at me.
"I'm working on it." I said trying to sound assured as I attempted to take another step.
I figured staying upright was moderate progress, but James seemed unimpressed.
"Let's go eagle eye." He said easily picking me up.
Ashton looked as if he wanted to shout at him, but I waved him off.
"Not now, Ash." I said through a yawn as James started walking towards the door.
We passed my sister Eva in the hall who gaped at us, but I was too tired after the events of the last day to care. I ignored the looks from my siblings and leaned my head against James's shoulder as I closed my eyes. My head felt as if someone had scooped out my brain, and jammed the newly vacated space with wads of cotton.
"Is my dad always this obnoxious?" I asked wincing as he stepped out into the sunlight, shutting my eyes tighter.
How was I ever going to fall asleep?
"He might be trying to prove a point." James replied and when I squinted up at him, he was glancing up at the sky, his eyes narrowed and his expression considering. "The gods sort of hate me. Maybe he wants to make a point. Remind me not to spend too much time with his daughter."
"Yeah? And what does Hermes have to say about my man handling?" I asked closing my eyes again and I was surprised when he laughed, his shoulders shaking as he tightened his grip on me. I found the motion and the sound of his laugh oddly comforting.
"Dunno." He said sounding amused. "You'd have to ask him."
"Yeah…I don't think I'm going to do that." I said sleepily, however when he stopped, presumably outside my cabin, I frowned.
"Can we go to the library?"
"Now?"
I nodded.
"Why?"
"It's not in a time zone." I explained squinting up at the sky again. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep while the sun is out."
"Alright." He said quietly, something off in his tone but I couldn't quite place it.
He set me down, keeping a precautionary arm around me as he pulled out his phone, no doubt to call his best friend.
"Hey, Libby and I are headed back."
A pause.
"Yes, both of us, we're outside the Apollo cabin."
Another pause in which I assumed Harper was responding.
"Cheers, see you soon."
"Cheers," I said with a giggle leaning my head against his shoulder again fighting to keep my eyes open. "You know past Libby was right, your accent is really cute."
"I see you've passed the point where your filter has completely abandoned you." He said patiently, taking my arm gently and pulling me towards the cabin.
"Mhmm." I said nodding. "I'm sorry I shot you."
"You've already apologized for that Lib."
"Yeah but you're like, such a bad ass." I said frowning and attempting to look up at him, blinking in surprise at the amount of effort it seemed to take. "What if I'd accidentally hit like… the death spot?"
"The death spot?" he asked clearly trying not to laugh at this point.
"Yeah," I insisted. "I mean, how stupid of a death would that be for someone like you. Shot by a paint ball." I continued, trying to express the gravity of the situation. "A pink paint ball."
I laughed, then quickly realized how unfunny I found this idea and froze.
'No, that wasn't funny at all.' I thought sluggishly, my thoughts slowing to an emotional crawl.
Gods I was tired.
"I don't think that would happen Lib." He assured me, his tone oddly soothing as he opened the door.
He tried to help guide me to it, but I hesitated, squinting at the bronze plate on his chest.
No filter, right? I was too exhausted to care at this point.
"I think it's really sweet how much you love your mom." I said attempting to look at the name on the metal, alarmed when the letters didn't come into focus at all this time, no matter how hard I tried to force them to. "And Lucy, and Harper. You're right she's totally a cat by the way." I laughed but it turned into a yawn. "Imagine how much she'd hate having little hats put on her. Or ribbons…"
"Alright Lib." James said, easily picking me back up. "Let get you to bed."
"Do you think Ashton loves me as much as you love Lucy?"
"I'm sure he does."
"I dunno." I said frowning. It was obvious Lucy was the person James cared most about in the world. She was certainly the person he felt the most protective of.
I loved my brother, and I knew he loved me, but we weren't raised together and I'd never gotten the feeling he ever felt all that much responsibility for me. Then again, growing up I'd had my mom, other siblings. For a long time, James and Lucy had only had each other.
It was a depressing thought, one I was too tired to handle so I decided to change the subject.
"I don't think he loves anything as much as he loves Harper." I said closing my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder again. "I mean he loves her like looooooooves loves her. It's kind of lame. But it's also kind of cute."
Another yawn.
"I'm pretty sure she's his soul mate," I continued aimlessly, noticing as I did, I could hear James's heartbeat. It had always been faster than most people's, in the past I'd chalked it up to hyperactivity, constantly on the look for something to do, but I was starting to think maybe the magic that coursed through him incessantly might have been a factor. It was positively pounding at the moment. I couldn't figure out why. I might not have been a tiny as Harper, but I wasn't heavy. I didn't have all that much experience with James's abilities, but I was certain to him, it was probably nothing. "I think she actually is, if that's a real thing. It's kind of weird to think about. Like something out of a story. If something happened to her he'd lose his mind. I don't think anyone would ever feel that way about me."
His heart skipped a beat.
"Do you have an arrhythmia?" I asked wondering distantly if maybe I'd been way off about the magic.
"No."
His answer was calm, something was off about his tone however, but I put it, and the blip in his heart rate, to the anxiety of imagining something happening to his best friend.
I hadn't noticed when he'd started walking and was so tired, I barely registered the trip through the Interrealm, but I knew the moment we were in the library because the influence of my father was gone. We'd stepped out of the sunlight, away from all of the pantheon, with the exception of Harper's mother possibly. And almost instantly I felt sleep starting to set in.
"Did it work?" Lucy's voice asked eagerly. "Was she right? Did-"
"Is Libby alright?" Harper asked sounding concerned but also… extremely far away.
"She's fine." James said. "Just tired."
I tried to answer, to motion for James to put me down so I could make my way to my room, but neither my voice or my body seemed to want to listen to me.
Everything was going heavy and dark, the motion of James's stride oddly comforting as he started to walk.
The last thing I heard before I dropped off was Harper's voice. So far away, at this point, I almost couldn't make it out.
"James, you look upset." She said quietly. "What's wrong?"