Not A Finch

Chapter 13: Bright

Bright.

It's so bright my eyes hurt.

I blink, trying to get the white lights invading my vision to dull down.

When the hell did the lights in my room become so bright? Maybe Rue was pulling another prank or something. He just loved waking people up when they were sleeping. He's such an idiot.

"Ozzie, can you turn off the lights?" My voice comes out gruff and it barely goes above a whisper. My throat feels dry, like I hadn't talked in weeks. I lick my lips. I need some water.

"Ozzie?" I say again. There's no answer. Ughhh...fuck...I needed to ask for help from the fucking villain of our family.

"Augustus? These lights are too brights they're making me feel nauseous...could you turn them off?" My chest aches at the end of my sentence and my tongue feels ready to disintegrate into sand.

Damn. Who the hell cooked last night?

Silence fills my ear in the places where I would usually hear my brothers. There's no laughing, arguing, or breathing. There's no answer. I'm alone.

I'm never alone in this house. What the hell is going on?

I try pushing up. My body doesn't react. The blinding lights above me don't move.

What the hell.

I try again, attempting to bring a hand to my eyes. My body doesn't even flinch, my arms stay glued to their position at my side.

My heart rates quickens, the aching in my chest intensifies as panicked breaths claw at my lungs.

I can't move my arms.

Or my hands.

Not even my fingers.

A small high pitched scream jumps from my throat, intensifying the pain in my chest as it leaves my lips. Another one follows and I don't even care that I would never hear the end of it from Rue or Augustus.

I was scared.

I couldn't move my arms and I was alone.

"Callie?" I cry out, my words sliding out of my mouth like sandpaper.

The sudden rush of feet enter my ears, but I can't even move my neck to see who it is.

I hope it's Hunter. He'll know what to do.

"Heart rate is rising. It looks like he's awake, page Dr. Wilson." A female voice washes over me followed by a chubby face entering my view blocking out the blinding lights.

What is she doing in our house? Who the hell is Dr. Wilson? Maybe they're friends of Adair's or something. He knows smart people like doctors.

Maybe she could tell me where everyone is.

"Asher, I'm going to need you to relax for me. You're safe here, okay?" The woman says, her grey eyes poking from behind her high cheek bones as she smiles at me.

"My brothers." I say gruffly, squinting my eyes at her; trying to find familiarity within her face. My words come out more like a statement rather than a question.

I need to know where my brothers are and why I was alone.

"Oh..." Her voice comes out startled and she gives me a tight lipped smile. "Let's check on your vitals first. Do you feel numb or heavy anywhere?" She asks looking up at the monitors above my head.

I keep quiet, my mind playing with the single simple syllable that seem to be hiding a world of complexity behind it. Had something happened?

"Asher? Do you feel okay?"