"He was the only one stopping that bookshelf from crushing me Mia. You've seen how those ancient things look like. It must have weighed at least a ton...and he shrugged it off like it was a freaking book bag."
"...His eyes were black. All of it."
Jasmine couldn't help but feel ridiculous as she said these words out loud. Even she didn't make sense in her own ears. Mia stood in front of her. The redhead stayed quiet but she could see the doubt in her eyes. Jasmine looked down on her feet, which were dangling on the edge of the stretcher that she sat on.
"You think I'm crazy, do you?"
Mia shook her head. "Of course not. Don't be stupid. That title belongs to me." When the other girl didn't respond, she added, "Look, I'm sure there has to be a logical explanation why you saw what you saw. The doctor said you might have a concussion. You must've hit your head pretty hard when you fell."
Jasmine reached at the back of her head to touch her sore goose egg.
"I don't remember hitting my head when I fell." In fact, she was sure she didn't. The painful blow came right after Caleb threw her out of harm's way like she was a weightless rag doll. That part she kept to herself. She didn't have to sound crazier than she already was.
"Just 'cause you don't remember it doesn't mean it didn't happen though," Mia replied.
"You don't believe anything I just told you."
"J, I'm trying to help you. You know as much as I do how you sound right now." Mia bit her lip as her insides churned with guilt. "Please. You're scaring me."
Jasmine frowned at her, refusing to back down. "I know what I saw."
The two girls paused when the plastic curtains surrounding the bedspace slid open, revealing a very worried-looking Mairi Malden. The forty-two year-old practically jumped at Jasmine and gave her a bearhug.
"I came as soon as I heard that you were brought here. Oh my goodness." She took her daughter's face in her hands. There were no obvious injuries anywhere. "What the hell happened?"
"One of the bookshelves in the library toppled over."
"What?!"
"It's okay mom," Jasmine added quickly. "I'm fine. Really. I got pushed out of the way before that thing turned me into a pancake."
Mary shook her head. "Honey, that doesn't make any sense. When I was a student in Spenser, those shelves were already bolted to the floor."
Mia braced herself, waiting nervously for Jasmine's reply. The two girls exchanged glances.
"A freak accident," the dark-haired girl replied, refusing to meet Mairi's gaze. She didn't even dare think about repeating to her mother what she just told her bestfriend.
Mia excused herself from the bedspace, telling them that she needed a toilet break. After making sure that the curtain's were closed, she passed by three more bedspaces before sneaking inside the one where the Sons were waiting. Much like Jasmine, Caleb was also seated on his stretcher. Two strips of tape secured the cut on the outer corner of his right brow. All eyes were on her. Mia took a deep breath before breaking the news in a low voice.
"You guys are fucked. She remembers everything."
She watched helplessly as all four boys deflated in front of her. The oldest Son took it the hardest and she could understand why. Ever since they got the Power at age thirteen, he had been constantly reminding the other three to use it wisely. No one thought that such a blunder of this calibre could come from him.
"The good news is, it looks like she's not saying anything to anyone but me," she added as consolation.
"Is she now?" Pogue replied. "I can live with that."
"I guess it's the most we could ask for...all things considered."
Mia smiled as Tyler rambled on. The youngest Son had the tendency to state the obvious.
"No way. It's too risky," Reid hissed, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible. Piercing blue eyes turned to Caleb. "No offence man but someone's gotta say it. You can barely keep your shit together this past month. Now, I'm not holding that against you. Everyone knows I'll most likely fare worse if I were in your shoes. But with you struggling and Pogue ascending in less than two weeks, leaving Jasmine to chance is a trainwreck in the making. We need to make sure she keeps quiet."
Caleb sighed. His shoulders hunched over as he gazed up the ceiling. "I agree with Reid on this one. We need to be able to focus on Pogue once he ascends. I'm telling you, it won't be a walk in the park."
"So what are you suggesting we do?" Tyler asked glumly. "Right now, the only thing I could think of is doing to her what you did to Sarah."
A heavy silence fell on them. The human mind is often unpredictable. Tampering with it could only be done by a fully-matured witch or warlock and even then, it was an extremely dangerous procedure. Hence, it was a practice that was frowned upon by those who possessed the Power.
What Caleb had done to his former flame had been consensual. In fact, she begged for it. Still it haunted the both of them. Neither Caleb nor Sarah had been the same after it happened. The thought of doing it to someone against his or her will was against everything they had been brought up to believe.
Mia felt as if an ice cube had slipped down her spine and she shivered. She took a few steps until she was right in front of the oldest Son.
"Caleb, my family has known your family for generations. And you know we will always have your back."
Caleb nodded. He could never forget the countless hours that Gorman Twoberry, Mia's grandfather, spent looking after his ailing father.
"But please bear in mind. I've known JJ my whole life. This is my bestfriend we're talking about. Be careful with her," Mia pleaded.
The CT scan went by without a hitch. Caleb had been accompanied by a male nurse named Ian. He told him the good news.
"Nothing to worry about. All your bolts and nuts are still intact and running."
Caleb chuckled at this as he lied on his back on the stretcher. They were already in the hallway when Ian realised that he had forgotten his patient's notes in the CT scan department.
"Guess who's been doing too many night shifts. I'll be right back, buddy. Don't go anywhere."
"I won't. And take your time," Caleb replied. Besides, the hallway was much quieter compared to the ER. He could use a minute or two of silence.
He had just dozed off when the squeaky wheels of another stretcher echoed nearby. He felt it stop right beside him.
"Oh, someone is still in there. Don't worry they should be done in a sec."
"That's okay."
By now, Caleb could recognise that voice anywhere. His eyes flew open. Brown locked on brown. Jasmine didn't break eye contact when he stared at her. In fact she held on to his gaze as though challenging him. He might remember her looking terrified back in the library but at that moment, there wasn't an inkling of fear coming from her. In its place was what he could only describe as curiosity. The air between them grew thick with tension as a certain realisation hit the both of them at the same time. Whether they liked it or not, they were now bound to each other by a dangerous secret, one that could cost Caleb his life and the life of those he had sworn to protect.
