Lost {Ongoing:In Editing}

Abilities Unlocked

Chapter V

SPRINGING UPWARDS WITH A shout, Joey dug her nails into the soft material underneath her. A sting zipped through her right arm and she winced before frantically glancing around. Beads of sweat dripped from her brow and her whole body shook violently. Panting, she jumped as someone knelt down beside her, but her brain was too disoriented to register who they were. She raised a hand, intending to defend herself, when her wrist was grabbed and she cried out as it burned. The pain brought her back to reality and she found that the person detaining her was a friend. "David?" she breathed out softly.

"Did you hear me? You need to calm down before you make these wider." He roughly let go of her wrist, and she cradled her arm.

Staring into his blue eyes, she took in a few breaths. Her pulse slowly settled, and she took a minute to gaze around finding herself in the comforts of her own home. She brushed her fingertips against the fabric beneath her and recognized it as the sofa in the middle of the living room. Turning her attention back towards David, she asked, "How did we get here?"

David stood and slid a keycard off the rickety wooden coffee table into his hands. "You should probably find a better place to keep this. Anyone could pick your pocket." He gripped her shoulder and twisted her towards him, rewrapping a bandage that had begun to slip down her arm. "Next time let me finish tying, will ya?" She grimaced at the sting as he pulled the fabric into a tight knot around her bicep.

She swiveled her bottom on the couch, placing her feet on the floor as David reached for a new bandage that lay on the coffee table. She stared at him as he gently grabbed her hand and flipped it over to reveal the nasty glass covered wound. She suddenly felt nauseous staring at the oozing wound, and she quickly averted her gaze bracing herself for the tiny pricks as the glass was pulled free. She winced with each tug of her skin, but she wouldn't look down at the progress in fear of vomiting her dinner.

Instead, she stared at the filthy stained gray carpet, her brow furrowing, as her mind replayed the events in her head. It was then she realized how quiet and agitated David had been. Her suspicions grew when he didn't ask one question about how she got hurt. Tears pricked her eyes, and she understood. Gulping, she squeezed her knee with her free hand. "You saw," she said blankly, keeping her head turned away from him.

A few agonizing seconds passed before a whispered reply came in a short, "Yeah." Slowly shifting her gaze, she peeked at him from the corner of her eye, and he cleared his throat. "So, uh, all those times you moved ..." He paused, pulling out another piece of glass with a pair of tweezers he must've found in the medical bag under the bathroom sink. "It's because you're hiding, isn't it?" He let out a snort. "It all makes sense now. Why you had a break down on the way to Marietta's. Why you're afraid of Walser."

Finally making eye contact, her shoulders slumped. "David, I—"

"You don't have to explain," he interrupted.

Her heart shattered hearing the hurt in his voice, and a tear trickled down her cheek. She sniffed trying to keep the rest from spilling over. "How long was I out?"

David shrugged. "About fifteen minutes." He patted her wrist with a wet cloth and she cringed with a hiss, trying to keep from withdrawing her hand. When he had finished wiping away the blood and dirt, he tied another roll of bandages around her wrist. He then stood up and plopped down on the sofa beside her with a loud sigh.

She wiped her nose with her shoulder sleeve. "I guess I passed out from the adrenaline." She chuckled uneasy, trying to brush everything off, and she stood to face him. "Thanks for the help."

David jumped up to meet her eye to eye as he was about only an inch taller. "Joey, I saw what happened. Are you still going to try to deny it?"

"I just killed a man," she stated sternly, her words sounding heartless, but they finally begun to sink in. "Did you see that?" Swallowing the lump in her throat, she held onto the courage to continue. "Or maybe once you saw what I was you were rooting for me to be the dead one."