Extraordinary || The Gifted

Chapter Three ; eXodus

Lainey's brown eyes fluttered opened. She wasn't welcomed by a blinding light, it was pretty dark actually, probably after the evening. She wasn't greeted by buzzing sound of concerned people either, there were quiet chatterings in the building, nothing more than usual.

Lainey grunted loudly, the source of the pain she suddenly felt was coming from the back of her head, "I feel like I've been hit with a ton of bricks,"

However, she didn't really expect a reply, "That's kind of what happened,"

Lainey squinted her eyes, trying to focus her slightly blurred vision. She was laying on a bed and by her side was standing Caitlin. The blonde woman sent her a warm smile, "You hit your head pretty hard,"

"Yeah, no kidding," Lainey tried to sit up but she immediately groaned in pain, feeling as if the room started to spin a little.

"No, you need to rest," Caitlin pushed Lainey back to the bed, looking at her with a concerned motherly look. It was that kind of look Lainey hadn't seen in a long time. "You were unconscious for a few hours. You had us worried,"

"What happened? Is Clarice okay?" Lainey asked, suddenly remembering the events that led to the fact she was laying in that bed. She resisted the urge to get up again, knowing that Caitlin was right and she should rest.

"Yeah, she's fine now," Caitlin said and handed Lainey a bag of ice wrapped in a piece of cloth. Lainey gladly took it, gently putting it on the swelling side of the back of her head. "She woke up about an hour ago. You can go talk to her later if you want,"

Lainey nodded, feeling relieved to hear that. Caitlin spoke up again, "John doesn't seem happy with what happened. He told me to call him once you're awake."

Lainey groaned again, this time not from pain but by the fact that she would have to face John. She just couldn't tell him why she rushed back into the headquarters, he wouldn't understand. Caitlin saw the brunette's reaction and immediately added, "I'll tell him you need to get some rest first,"

Lainey smiled gratefully, but she knew she would have to confront John sooner or later.

~~~

Lainey knew she probably should have stayed in bed. The pain in the back of her head started to fade slightly and her vision was much clearer. She did get rest like Caitlin advised, but she had gotten so much rest that she became restless. She just couldn't stay in the bed and do nothing any longer.

She started wandering around the headquarters aimlessly, stopping briefly from time to time to check that no one else had been harmed. Some of the furniture were broken and some were scattered on the floor. But other than that, everything seemed fine.

"This is the jankiest board ever." She heard a familiar voice say as she entered a room. Lauren and Andy were sitting around a table, probably trying to find something to do. Lainey let out a small chuckle at Andy's comment, immediately drawing the attention of the two siblings.

"I told you she's gonna make it," Andy smiled and looked at his sister, "You owe me five bucks," he added, pointing to the pile of money that was placed on the table.

"Ouch, you were betting on my life? And with money that has mold on it?" Lainey joked, walking closer to the two.

"Okay, that's not..." Lauren started to say, picking up the money and examining it. She quickly put it back, "It's mold."

"It's mold." Both Andy and Lainey repeated, laughing.

"Are you okay though?" Lauren asked, looking slightly worried.