Survivors

Chapter 22: Jada

Chapter 22: Jada

          I’m enjoying a nice nap when someone hoists me from my bed. It’s so quick that I barely have time to react. All I catch is a glimpse of a blond braid that occasionally hits me in the face. There’s only one person who could braid her hair in this way.

          “Abi, what are you doing?” I ask as I bobble up and down. It hurts my shoulder where I was shot a little, but I ignore it.

          “Someone wants to see you,” Abi announces in a cheery and excited voice, “Someone special.”

          “Well could you slow down,” I ask in near pain, “you’re gonna rip my stitches.”

          “We’re almost there,” Abi says, I guess trying to sound reassuring.

          Within about five seconds, I’m laid down on a bed. When I look up, my breath escapes my body from excitement.

          “Izzy!” I say in excitment. She smiles brightly and throws her arms around me in silence. I can’t help it, I just start rambling. “How are you? How long have you been awake? Did Abi tell you about my fight? Did she tell you about how she trained me? Did you get to see my first match on television? Did they at least show you or tell you about...”

          Izzy clamps her hand against my mouth and has a look as if to tell me to slow down, but she’s smiling. She points to her throat, which is wrapped in bandages, and points to her mouth. She then makes a gesture with her hands, but I only understand when she holds up four fingers.

          “She says that she’s not able to speak, but she should be able to in four weeks time,” Abi translates. “It’s a sign language we used to do as little kids.”

          “Oh,” I say, “Can you tell her that she looks very good, even though she does look a little run down.”

          Izzy taps me and gives me a slight glare as she points to her mouth, then her ear, and then shakes her hands. I look at Abi for a translation, but she’s laughing.

          “She says, ‘I’m only mute, not deaf’,” Abi translates.

          I look at Izzy, who still has a little bit of a glare in her eyes. “Sorry,” I apologize while looking down.

          I feel her arms encircle me in a grasp. When I look back at her, she smiles and reaches for a notepad with a pen already in it. She writes down something and then turns it for me to read: Where’s Xain?

          I shrug, but as soon as I do, Katya comes flying in with Xain’s hand hooked in her’s. Izzy gives me a look that I think means “You should have known he wasn’t far behind.”

          “Izzy,” Xain immediately approaches Izzy with a huge hug. “How are you feeling?”

          Xain steps back and allows Izzy to write down her words. She hands the pad over to Xain to read.

          “‘I’m fine, I barely have any pain in my throat,’” Xain reads, “‘The doctors say that I should be cleared to eat solid foods soon.’”

          Xain begins to start writing a response on the pad, but Izzy covers it and shakes her head and taps his lips. She nods her head at me and smiles right before she locks her two hands on her chest.

          “We really are the best of friends,” I say to Xain. Abi squeals as Izzy beams to look at me with a smile attached.

          “That’s exactly what she was trying to say,” Abi explained.