Nimrah

Scared

A/N sorry this is a bit of a haphazard and rushed chapter. I'm just trying to move the story along a bit and set it up for next chapter. Hope it's okay xx

---------------------------------------------Chapter 22---------------------------------------------------

I stared incredulously at her. She’s got to be kidding. I mean yes… I have always tended to recover from cuts and scrapes rather quickly, but I had no control over the rate. Lon was held back and nobody else dared step forward. Except Seraphine, but her manor told me it wasn’t to be of help. Miriam had lost it and I was now wobbling alone in the centre of the room on one leg. Seraphine smirked, “Well?” she waited.

What was she waiting for? She couldn’t honestly think Miriam was right. When I didn’t make a move Seraphine slammed her shoulder into me. Not enough to make me fall but enough to unbalance me. I reapplied weight to the bruised leg and cried out. Sarah jumped forward but was pushed to the ground by Seraphine. I re-gathered my wits and removed the weight on my leg. Bloody typical that I was able to freaking run on it before and now can’t even stand… I glared at Seraphine then slowly turned my gaze to Miriam, “I cannot heal on command!”

Miriam smiled, “Oh but you can. Just look already.”

I frowned. This woman was bat-shit crazy. I see why Alberta and Colt don’t want to return. Miriam’s gaze shifted to my knee. I followed her eyes. The blue black bruising surrounding my kneecap had yellowed significantly. I cocked my head. Maybe it was just the angle I was looking at it from. But no the bruising had definitely faded a bit. I tested the weight and whimpered. Still painful.

“But less so than before, am I right?” Miriam said as though reading my mind. I bit my lip. I can’t help but feel I shouldn’t be trusting her right now.

“Where’s Ariella?” I asked. Miriam’s face dropped but a nanosecond later she looked fine, “She’s in her room. I hear she was causing a bit of trouble for you. Sending obscene text messages.”

Go, I thought to Max. He nodded and headed for the door, turning left down the corridor and making his way to Ariella’s room.

“What about Chase and his friends? They all vanished after the Determiners stormed in.”

Miriam nodded, “They were still working for the Determiners. I’m sorry. I thought we’d proven to Chase that they were bad, but it seems he was playing the double agent.”

I replayed her answer in my head. Then replayed my question. I tilted my chin into the air, “You avoided the question,” I pointed out.

A flame flickered in Miriam’s eye like burning anger, “Excuse me?”

“I said, what about Chase and his friends? Where are they?”

I have to give her props, Miriam didn’t even bit her lip or flinch. She looked me dead in the eye as she replied. It gave me chills, “I don’t know where they are. We assume they escaped.”

I huffed and spun flinching as weight shifted to the suddenly healing leg. I cocked my head to the door indicating we leave. Lon was released and he stepped forward to offer a hand, but I shook my head. He turned in front of me and exited the room.

From the corner of my eye I saw Miriam smirk. I shuddered as I considered what it may mean.

Ariella was okay. But the haunted look in her eye told me she was keeping something hidden. Max sat perched on the edge of her sofa rubbing circles on her back. She leaned her head on his shoulder and wouldn’t say a word staring at her hands fiddling in her lap.