Faces, Names, and Memories (completed)

Chapter 22 - Puzzle

"She hasn't woken up yet. We need to get the guards." Tammie says nervously.

"No." Cale replies firmly.

"Dude, she's obviously sick or something. We can't just keep hiding the fact that she's unconscious. The guards will find out, one way or another." Zuke says.

"Yeah, her being here is just gonna make it worse," Deen agrees. "She needs to be in the actual hospital. He listens to you, tell him!"

"Sorry, but I have to agree with Cale on this one. We can't let the guards have her. Not when she's unconscious." Spenzo says.

"Isn't the fact that she's been unconscious for almost 2 hours telling us that giving her to the guards so that they can take her upstairs and find out what's wrong with her is exactly what we need to do?" Kinnie says.

"I think we should wait 'till she wakes up," Tressa says quietly. No one else says anything.

2 hours? I've been unconscious for two hours. It takes me a few seconds to remember what had happened, and the flashback. My head starts pounding.

I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but I could recognize everyone's voices.

"Hey, I think she's finally waking up," Tammie says.

With a groan, I bring my hands to my head, still not opening my eyes. I lower my hands and open my eyes. It takes a few seconds for them to focus, and when they do, I see everyone else crowded around me.

"Jade," Cale breathes, very clearly relieved.

"What happened! You were flashing back, and then I think you came back, but you weren't saying anything, and then you were falling over, and then you were barfing, and then you were passing out," Tammie cries.

I press my left palm into my forehead and then I push myself into a seated position, propped up against the bars.

"Jade?" Spenzo calls.

"Give me a minute, okay?" I reply shutting my eyes again. Everyone's quiet. I sort out my thoughts and think of how I'm going to explain everything. I decide to start from the beginning.

I open my eyes and look at all of them.

"Guys, there's something I need to tell you," I start. "My dad was Richard Vera."

They're not surprised, nor do they even react at all.

"We knew that already," Tammie says.

"What?" I look at her confusedly.

"Cale and Spenzo filled us in while you were out." Deen says. I look at them.

"We had to," Spenzo explains. "It was the only way to stop them from calling the guards."

"And, I also told them about the interrogation the doctor gave you," Cale adds.

"So, while I was out it was 'tell everyone everything about Jade hour?'" I say.

"They needed answers," Is all Cale says.

"You don't know how scared we were, Jade," Kinnie says. "We thought you were slipping into another coma."

"You guys told them about that, too?" I say to Spenzo, Tressa and Cale. They nod.

"Great." I close my eyes again and lean my head against the bars. When I open them I look at the little gated window. I don't see any guards.

"Well..." I begin slowly. "There's something else I have to tell you guys." The others look at me expectantly.

"You know that flashback I had? Well, it wasn't a flashback. I saw something happening, in one of the rooms down the hall, from the guards eyes, in the present."