Beyond the Border | ✔

13 | rule 78

RULE 78: THE OUTSIDE WORLD WILL TRY TO LURE YOU WITH LUXURIES. YOU MUST RESIST OR ELSE YOU WILL FACE BANISHMENT.

✷ C H A P T E R      T H I R T E E N ✷

After three days, I lost count of how long I had spent recovering. While my body was slowly starting to mend itself, my mind would thud dully whenever I concentrated too hard. Not that there was much to do otherwise. As a matter of fact, there was quite literally nothing to do to keep my mind occupied besides thinking or sleeping.

My body did not put up much of a fight on whether or not I would be consumed in sleep or thoughts. I spent most of my time sleeping. Supposedly, it was helping my body heal, but even a couple days after the accident, I felt like I had just endured the crash.

Mina, the healer who Theo assigned to help me, said I had been quite banged up. I had three broken ribs, a concussion, a hairline fracture, my wrist was now fully broken, there was a gash on my chest, and my right leg had been sprained. Mina said I was lucky that, with some intense healing, I should be just as good as new.

From what I could catch a glimpse of, there had been someone stationed outside the bedroom as if I required constant guarding. When Mina would come in and out of the room, I would only be able to briefly see snippets of someone's black tennis shoe. Mina never said anything to the person outside the room, but sometimes, I'd see her nod at them when she thought I was sleeping.

Additionally, sometime when I was sleeping the past couple of days, bars were fastened on the sole window in the room. I am guessing they did not want me to attempt a break-out heist like I had done earlier in the week. This time they were prepared for me to try and escape, even when I was not in a state to even walk on my own yet.

On top of the constant ache, I was always enduring, my body was beginning to feel restless. I had been in the bed for the majority of the days I was here, except for the times Mina helped me make the short distance to the bathroom.

Mina had not been in for a couple hours. I normally would not have minded too much, except that she had been telling me that I was too dehydrated. I had been sleeping too much and not eating or drinking enough water for my body to heal at Mina's preferred rate. She had brought in a giant water jug, and in the past couple of hours, I had downed the whole thing. Needless to say, I needed to use the restroom, but I had never even tried to get up on my own much less walk.

Sighing, I used my good arm to push myself up straighter in the bed. I tried to hoist my legs off the side of the bed, but had to immediately take a break; the pressure on my upper body was too much to endure in one swift movement. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw.

I can do this, I told myself, trying to find some motivation.

Even with my positive attitude, it could not quench the pain that rippled through my body as I was able to slowly dangle my legs over the bed. They barely did not touch the ground.

I extended my good hand to the device beside my bed. Mina said it was to administer the medicine. I — under no circumstance — wanted to detach this wonderous device from my body. Taking a deep breath, I placed one leg on the ground, not yet putting my full weight on it it. Instead, I wheeled the medicine device to my side and used it to propel my body up.

I smiled. Maybe I really could do this. With most of my weight on my un-sprained foot, I stood up straight. My head was spinning, all the blood rushing to the forefront. My vision wavered, and I felt like throwing up.