The Dark Ice Chronicles - The Magi

Chapter 22 - Daddy, It's True, I'm Different From You

There's about a foot of snow on the ground by the time we leave the guest house, which is around ten on Monday morning. Michelle again demands total silence while she drives, and she gets it, because we're all too afraid to risk a snowy spin-out.

Before we go back to Spellman, though, we stop at the hospital, where Harris has been kept overnight. As has Christine Rand - Henley goes off to find her first, while the rest of us meet up with Harris in the waiting room.

He's sitting in a wheelchair being pushed by a big red-haired guy. Harris introduces the man as his father, and then adds, "For the record, this chair was not my idea. But apparently, it's hospital policy. Or some shit like that."

Mr. McCallum frowns. "I just wish this hadn't even been necessary," he says. "I suppose none of you are gonna explain what happened to him? He won't tell me."

"Did I mention I'm gonna need to swear you all to secrecy?" Harris laughs. "I already did for Aimee."

"Aimee was here?" Evan asks, looking around.

"Someone say my name?" Aimee's blonde head pokes out from behind Mr. McCallum. "Oh, hey there. Yeah, Harris told me everything, but only when his dad was out of the room."

"How much of it did you believe?" I ask.

"None, considering he was still full of painkillers at the time," Aimee says.

Harris rolls his eyes, then grabs the crutches that Aimee's holding and hops over to a nearby chair. "They're called painkillers, babe," he says. "Not truthkillers."

"Jesus, he must still be high," Aimee mutters to nobody in particular. "He never calls me anything but my name, ever."

"You're damn right I'm high," Harris says breezily, lifting his cast-encased leg onto the next chair over. "And because my inhibitions are a hell of a lot lower, I think I'm gonna take a page out of my best buddy Jason's playbook." He clears his throat dramatically, then says, "Aimee Charbonneau, I love you. There. It feels good, gettin' that off my chest."

I eyeball Harris with a bit of healthy suspicion. "If you're so high on painkillers, how do you remember exactly what I said that night?" I turn to Evan. "That is what I said to you, right? Word for word?"

"I think it is, yes," Evan says.

Harris laughs under this breath. "The drugs destroy some functions and awaken others. Isn't that how most controlled substances and/or medications work?"

"Please tell me you're gonna cut him off as soon as he gets outta here," I say to Harris's dad.

"He's already cut off," Mr. McCallum says. "After the last time, we both agreed, no more painkillers in the house."

"That's okay," Harris says. "As long as Aimee knows I still want her even when I'm clean."

Aimee laughs and ruffles Harris's hair. "I already figured it out months ago," she says. "I just didn't say anything 'cause I didn't return your feelings, and I didn't wanna hurt 'em."

"I should be depressed right about now," Harris says, "but that's so sweet, what you just said. 'Didn't?' Past tense? Well, what about now?"

Aimee grins and winks at Harris. "I came down to see you all broken up, didn't I?"

Harris sighs lazily. "Okay, forget high. This is a gloriously delirious fever dream."

"But you don't have a fever, do you?" Rachel asks.

"Don't kill my buzz."

I look down at Harris's leg. "Didn't you say something about you broke it before? In gym class?"