Wolf-Girl: Changing (On Hold)

3: Lessons in Sorrow

     I woke up staring at the boring ceiling of our sort of makeshift clinic. Ethan was asleep in the bed next to me, covered in bruises and scratches, he was also very pale, not “I’m ill” pale but pale as in “vampire venom is flowing through my body” pale. His right ankle was in pot. My legs were also in pot, and my left wrist was in a sling, bandage, thing, and I honestly couldn’t feel them. Oh, for the glory of painkillers. I ended up staring back up at the boringness of the white ceiling because I had nothing better to do.

      Jakob Anoby (the tribe’s doctor) came through the door and said something like “I’m glad to see you’re finally awake, you’ve been out for about ten hours.” I couldn’t really concentrate on his words. “You took some damage out there.” Yeah I’d say. “You have three broken ribs, both legs, sprained wrist, a concussion and internal bleeding.” Great. “Your father will be thrilled to see you, he’s been so worried. I should go and get him, he told me to find him when your eyes were open, I’ll get him.” He went out the door, probably to find my dad, and so I went back to staring at the blankness of the ceiling.

    Ten fuzzy minutes later, “Ellie!” My dad’s voice was full of relief and happiness. “I’m so glad you’re alright!”

    “I’m fine.” I said, a smile threatening to emerge. “Where’ve you been?”

    “Council meeting.” He replied instantaneously, on the verge of laughter. He lost that almost as soon as it came. “I’ve already been told the story, but I want to hear what happened from your point of view.” He told me in a serious voice. All the joyfulness I heard just moments ago, had vanished from his voice and face.

    “Why would my story be any different from anyone else’s?” It was strange him wanting it from me. Did he not believe the others? Had they given him different stories? Either way something was not right.

    “Your brothers just gave me... Well let’s just say, slightly different versions of it, they all had the same major point; Luke attacked you, but I’m not sure which (if any) is the complete truth. Murphy said that you and your friend Alex were at the park buying ice creams,” he looked at me sternly.

    “Yes,” I started to relay the events of ten hours ago.

    “Then you screamed, none of your brothers knew the cause.”

    “My head really hurt,” Dad didn’t seemed to buy that, “I mean, it felt like the first time. Fire. Agony.” That seemed to satisfy them, and I continued with the timetable.

    “Murphy was truthful. The others, Lewis and Jack weren’t so.” Murphy. Lewis. Jack. No Ethan or Daniel. Ethan probably hadn’t been conscious since the fight so that was obvious why he didn’t say but what about Daniel?

    “What did Daniel say?” His eyes started to water. I expected the worst.

    “Daniel. (gulp) Is. (gulp) Dead.” He said solemnly.

    “DEAD!?” I almost shouted. Ethan stirred. “How?” I said slightly quieter than before. I had a bizarre sense of de-ja vu from the last time vampires tried to ruin my family, we’d had this same conversation about Luke.

     “Luke snapped his neck just before Ethan and Lewis killed the traitor.” Two of my brothers are dead because of me. And that only happened in the past three weeks. The numbers for the rest of my life are huge. This cannot go on. I need to get out of here. But how? I’m stuck in bed with two broken legs, a sprained wrist, some fractured ribs and lots of cuts and bruises.

    “When’s the funeral?” I asked, dismally. I wasn’t going to cry, I hadn’t cried in eight years, not since Mum.

    “I’m not sure yet, you’ll probably be in a wheel chair, and Ethan...” he trailed off.