Traitor, Traitor [NaNoWriMo 2013]

Chapter Thirteen

I was aware of being awake, but I didn't want to open my eyes. I was lying on something soft and a warm breeze soothed my face. It was peaceful and I didn't want to disturb it.

Then I made the mistake of breathing deep.

The air clawed at my lungs, igniting my throat and simultaneously every other sore in my body. I doubled over, body racking with coughs. It took me a few gasps to stop.

I lay back on the bed and looked around. I was in my room though I had no memory of how I got there. Lyon was lying on the edge of the bed, putting as much distance between the both of us as possible. He was fast asleep, one arm hugging the pillow.

Kirin lay on a sofa, arm dangling off the side.

Neither of them had been woken up by my coughing. The looked as exhausted as I felt. Ample light streamed in from the window. I wondered disinterestedly what time it was.

I closed my eyes, but the pounding of various parts of my body would not let me go back to sleep.

I felt like I had been dragged a hundred miles through a desert. My throat was parched and my chest made of sandpaper. Each breath grated against my insides.

The bruises on my face had swollen. My face felt like a marshmallow. I touched it gently and pain spiked up my cheek. The cuts on my wrist had been cleaned, leaving twin circles of red gashes on either arm. I lifted my shirt to check on the kicks I received. My stomach hurt more than all the other bruises combined. Red bruises coated the base of my ribs and come of the bruises had split, leaving speckles of blood. I pulled my shirt back straight. Something green glinted and my hand closed around the pendant. I never removed it. Had it been out the whole time? Did Kirin see it? If he did, what would he have thought of me? I pushed the chain under my shirt, leaving those questions for later. I was tired enough physically without having to go through emotional exertion.

That simple exercise of sitting up and lying back had me winded. I shut my eyes and all at one the events of that morning flooded my memory. Something hot trickled down the side of my face. I brushed at it and my fingers pulled away to revel tears. The shock seemed to be catching up with me and I cried. I put the pillow over my face to muffle the sound.

We killed him. We killed Segan.

My crying woke Lyon. Without a word, he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him. I cried into his chest and he patted my back. No words were exchanged.

Sniffing, I pulled back, wiping away the last of my tears.

"I'm sorry," I said. My voice was hoarse.

Lyon turned to lie on his back. "It's okay."

"How are you feeling?"

Lyon took his time answering. "I don't know," he said. "I don't feel anything."

I doubted he had ever killed anyone before. He wasn't the type to push someone into ravines.

"What are we going to do about today?" he asked.

It took me a moment to remember what he was talking about and when I did, I groaned. "I can't do it."

"I know," he said. "You are probably worse off than me and I feel like a corpse."

"I just want to sleep."

"You probably should," said Kirin.

I started and hissed at the pain even that slight movement caused.

He was sitting up, arms crossed over his chest. He eyes me with something akin to concern. "You look like you tried to hug the wall with your face."