Calling Carter.

Kala had taken my bag and put my arm around her shoulders, supporting me as she guided me up to the office. We met Carter on the way over, and he took one look at me, fighting to stay conscious, and Kala, fighting to keep her balance, and took her place. He told her to grab his bag and meet us at the office, where Layny would meet us.

I was drifting in and out. I struggled to stay awake, and my will held out. I was awake enough to put one foot in front of the other, because I refused to let Carter carry me. I wouldn’t even let him offer.

“Oh,” I mumbled suddenly. Carter turned his head to fix me with a worried gaze. I looked at him, trying to keep him in focus. “I think I will have to tell my Mum…” I wasn’t looking forward to this. I lived with just my mum, and she was pretty cool. I mean, how many mums let you out every night til after dark? And lately I had been going over to Kala’s a lot. My mother loved Kala; we joked that she was her other daughter. She hadn’t met Carter yet. But she’d seen him.

She thought he was cute. And I mean really; as in, “ooh, wow, I’d tap that if I was twenty years younger!” While staring at his butt. (Which I had been staring at too.)

Horrifying, right? I was shocked.

I didn’t realise I was laughing until I was fighting to keep my breath, and there were tears streaming down my face. I wasn’t hysteric (I don’t think) it was just that funny. My mum, wanting to… tap Carter. It started me off again. Carter looked worried and I said aloud, “That’s right, look worried, you should be.” I told him with a grin.

He stopped and studied me. “Si, are you sure you don’t--”

“No,” I interrupted forcefully. “You are not carrying me. And that is final. I’m fine, as soon as we get to the office and I can sit down.”

So he walked faster. When we arrived at the office Carter didn’t explain what had happened, he just let the nurse begin cleaning it. Then Layny arrived, and she and the nurse – who I was on first name basis with (Shelley) – started talking shop.

Layny was worried sick about me. I knew Mum would be too, because this hadn’t been an accident. When I had my accidents (falling down stairs, jumping seven feet from my tree, falling off cliffs…) she worried, but only because she thought I might hurt myself really badly one day. I’d never been attacked before.

That I had told her about. I’d been in a few fights before. But luckily, I’d always come out better off, so they remained few and far between.

Kala arrived, with Carter’s small bag, and I didn’t notice them talking quietly in the corner. Carter asked Kala an urgent question and she nodded, making him smile. But I missed all that because Shelley and Layny were prodding and poking at my arm.

I hissed in a breath as they used some hospital version of Dettol. I had noticed that if I was trying really hard to be quiet when I was in pain, I hissed in breaths of air. Oh well. It was better than saying “ow, ow, ow,” Over and over, cause that didn’t get you anywhere.

I was informed that the muscle had been cut, I had lost blood, and it needed stitches. I groaned at that. We had only recently taken the stitches out of my face, and it was almost as bad as putting them in.

(Kala’s P.O.V)

I was so scared it wasn’t funny. My stomach was tight and my heart was in my throat. I was so, so afraid for Silah. Not just because she was hurt, although that was awful too. But because of what Caidan had said to me. I hid a shiver and pushed the memory away.

On the bright side, Carter had shown her! I was so excited. I knew they were so right for each other. He thought she was so … well, perfect. He actually did. He understood her flare-y temper, and he knew how to sweet-talk her into forgetting why she was arguing with him. She could make him forget anything but her; I’d seen her do it. And they just loved spending time together.

I just hoped they would be able to keep doing that. Caidan was getting in the way a lot. I hid a smirk. Caidan was way out of his league putting himself against these two. He was out of his league even with either by themselves.

I really wanted to… punch him really hard for hurting Silah. But I had a feeling that I would have to wait in line after Carter. Cause he was really really angry about that. I think he was worried about the two of us, and unsure about what was going to happen next. I was gonna have to explain what Caidan said to me, and then I would have to sit on Carter to stop him from going after Caidan right then and there.

Sigh. He was getting too big for me to do that anymore. It wasn’t fair that he had kept growing and I was just little.