Dream Weavers

Chapter Seventeen

A door opened to her room and then, "Aline? Hey, how's your stomach feeling?"

Aline looked up at her little sister with dull eyes. She forced a smile, trying to fake the light behind her eyes. Hain's words still echoed in her skull and as much as she tried to dismiss them, it still ached.

You'll never be a Dreamweaver.

Sylvie fluttered closer, eyeing the untouched plate of food on the bed. Grabbing it, she balanced the plate on her one hand while holding an ice pack in her other. "Aline? Hey, come on, speak to me. You haven't been eating recently. Is it because your ribs are so--"

"Leave me the hell alone," Aline hissed. A spark of pain entered her ribs when she took a deep breath to calm herself, watching Sylvie back away from her with her tail lowered, wings flat against her back. All she wanted to do was go to Earth. Instead, she was stuck for a month in her home because of bruised ribs. Not to mention she just yelled at her little sister for caring about her.

"I'm sorry, Syl..." Aline whispered, rubbing her face with her hands. The sound of the ice pack hitting the bed made Aline jump, looking at Sylvie, who already had her hand on the doorknob. "Syl, wait..."

Sylvie paused for a moment before leaving the room without a single glance behind her, plate still in other hand. The door shut softly. Aline drooped her shoulders and pressed the icepack against her ribs, feeling the cool sensation making it feel a little better. At least her ribs could feel better even if she couldn't.

She wanted someone to visit, even if she had just barked at Sylvie to leave her alone. Hallee and Quill were both busy with their jumps to from Earth and Hain was out of the question. Even when she had asked Hallee to get him, Hallee almost smacked her face and told her that Hain was no longer their friend.

Shifting her position, she felt the icy water slosh in the bag against her body. It made her feel sick, reminding her of how her mouth had been full of blood and spit that night in the alleyway. It reminded her of the ache in her ribs that rarely left her when she breathed and every time she moved. If she could curl up into a ball and disappear, she would. All she could do was lower her head, chin pressing against her chest.

"Aline? Someone's here to visit you."

Aline lifted her head up to see Ece standing there, Sylvie behind her with dark eyes. Averting her gaze back down to the bedspread, Ece shooed her sister away and shut the door with her tail. She'd be lying if she hadn't hoped it was Hain visiting.

"Aline, how are you?" Ece said, sitting on the side of Aline's bed. "Have you been doing the exercises the doctor gave you?" She seemed concerned, at least.

Aline nodded. "Yes, Ece."

"What about your medications? Icing? Everything feels fine? No abnormal pain?" She motioned to Aline's body as she listed off suggestions and worries.

"Yes, Ece," Aline repeated, nodding her head. Her cheek had healed a little, only revealing a soft purple instead of the angry greens and yellows it had before. "I promise I'm okay," she lied.

She was okay, psychically. Emotionally, not really. So in her eyes, she wasn't exactly lying--

Liar. Liar. Liar.

Ece narrowed her eyes at Aline, disappointment filling her gaze. "I know what happened between you and Hain. I've been told by your friends what happened."

Aline kept silent, feeling shame wash off of her. "He's..."

"What he said to you isn't something a friend says." Ece placed a warm hand on Aline's leg as if pleading with her to see what she was saying.