Status: Complete
Just a Feeling
18
In the morning, Rowan didn’t wake up from Lane’s getting ready for school, as she usually did. Lane, running late for her first class as always- she was in the only one that met so early in the morning- figured it would do Rowan some good to sleep off what had happened the day before. Lane didn’t know, of course, from experience, but she was positive that getting kidnapped took a lot out of a girl. Besides, Lane was glad that she wasn’t the cause of Rowan’s waking for once.
Evan knocked on Rowan’s door for five solid minutes after Lane dashed out, barely pausing long enough to call a ‘good morning’ over her shoulder, and both he and Luke were starting to worry.
“Rowan!” Luke shouted, “Open up!” Still no response. Luke pulled out the key that he’d been given to her dorm room and unlocked the door. What he saw was alarming.
The bruises on Rowan’s face were developed now, and her left cheek was a mess of purple and blue and green. Other than those marks, she was pale. Dead to the world. “Rowan?” Luke asked softly. Not even a twitch.
So he took her shoulder, and shook. She jerked awake, her face contorting into a mask of agony. She scrambled into the corner, getting her shoulder as far away from Luke as she could.
“Rowan?” he asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
“ I wrenched my shoulders yesterday,” she said groggily. She moved her arms up so that they were straight out in front of her, and winced. “Ow!”
“You’re going to the nurse,” Luke said, reaching out a hand to help Rowan up. She didn’t take it. She didn’t want to know what he was feeling. She was sure it was something along the lines of disdain, or apathy. She wasn’t sure which would be worse.
All she knew was that he’d rejected her.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she lied, then cursed herself. She hated the taste that even her own lies brought to her mouth, and her stomach turned. A moan escaped her mouth, and Luke gave her a look that clearly said she was going to the nurse’s office, whether or not she wanted to.
“Have it your way. But when I’m late for my first class, I’m telling the teacher it was your fault.” Luke looked amused, and didn’t say another word.
The nurse didn’t say anything that Rowan didn’t already know. “Don’t do any heavy duty lifting, Miss Connor, and do your best not to lift your arms very high. Your muscles are just strained. They’ll heal up soon enough.”
Rowan wasn’t in the greatest mood, and had to bite back a sarcastic retort. It wasn’t the poor woman’s fault that Rowan had done this to her shoulders, or that Luke had completely humiliated her.
Luke was withdrawn, but the electricity that Rowan usually felt around him had intensified. They sat at opposite ends of the table at breakfast, but Rowan felt a constant pull towards him.
She took out her frustration on her toast, shredding it into itsy pieces, then took a savage bite of waffle.
“What’s wrong?” Livy asked, concerned.
“Nothing,” Rowan growled back. Later, she would look back and be embarrassed by her behavior, she knew, but for now, she didn’t care about that.
“You’re upset.”
“Yup.”
“Are you nervous about classes?”
“Nope.”
“She used to do this all the time, when we were little. Do you remember, Rowan? I would annoy you, and until you cooled down, you would only talk in monosyllables," Ash said cheerfully. “Who did it this time?” Rowan shifted so that she was facing him and glowered for all her worth.
“Aw, look at them! They’re so cute,” Izzy gushed. She was a sucker for things like this. Long-lost siblings reunited? She was so there.
Rowan blinked, and laughed. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry,” she panted out breathlessly. “I guess I woke up a little sour.” She glanced at Luke when she said this. He was watching her. He always seemed to be watching her, and she’d thought that it didn’t have much to do with his being her guard- until last night. Now she didn’t know what to think.
“I’ll say,” Evan agreed.
Evan knocked on Rowan’s door for five solid minutes after Lane dashed out, barely pausing long enough to call a ‘good morning’ over her shoulder, and both he and Luke were starting to worry.
“Rowan!” Luke shouted, “Open up!” Still no response. Luke pulled out the key that he’d been given to her dorm room and unlocked the door. What he saw was alarming.
The bruises on Rowan’s face were developed now, and her left cheek was a mess of purple and blue and green. Other than those marks, she was pale. Dead to the world. “Rowan?” Luke asked softly. Not even a twitch.
So he took her shoulder, and shook. She jerked awake, her face contorting into a mask of agony. She scrambled into the corner, getting her shoulder as far away from Luke as she could.
“Rowan?” he asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
“ I wrenched my shoulders yesterday,” she said groggily. She moved her arms up so that they were straight out in front of her, and winced. “Ow!”
“You’re going to the nurse,” Luke said, reaching out a hand to help Rowan up. She didn’t take it. She didn’t want to know what he was feeling. She was sure it was something along the lines of disdain, or apathy. She wasn’t sure which would be worse.
All she knew was that he’d rejected her.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she lied, then cursed herself. She hated the taste that even her own lies brought to her mouth, and her stomach turned. A moan escaped her mouth, and Luke gave her a look that clearly said she was going to the nurse’s office, whether or not she wanted to.
“Have it your way. But when I’m late for my first class, I’m telling the teacher it was your fault.” Luke looked amused, and didn’t say another word.
The nurse didn’t say anything that Rowan didn’t already know. “Don’t do any heavy duty lifting, Miss Connor, and do your best not to lift your arms very high. Your muscles are just strained. They’ll heal up soon enough.”
Rowan wasn’t in the greatest mood, and had to bite back a sarcastic retort. It wasn’t the poor woman’s fault that Rowan had done this to her shoulders, or that Luke had completely humiliated her.
Luke was withdrawn, but the electricity that Rowan usually felt around him had intensified. They sat at opposite ends of the table at breakfast, but Rowan felt a constant pull towards him.
She took out her frustration on her toast, shredding it into itsy pieces, then took a savage bite of waffle.
“What’s wrong?” Livy asked, concerned.
“Nothing,” Rowan growled back. Later, she would look back and be embarrassed by her behavior, she knew, but for now, she didn’t care about that.
“You’re upset.”
“Yup.”
“Are you nervous about classes?”
“Nope.”
“She used to do this all the time, when we were little. Do you remember, Rowan? I would annoy you, and until you cooled down, you would only talk in monosyllables," Ash said cheerfully. “Who did it this time?” Rowan shifted so that she was facing him and glowered for all her worth.
“Aw, look at them! They’re so cute,” Izzy gushed. She was a sucker for things like this. Long-lost siblings reunited? She was so there.
Rowan blinked, and laughed. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. “I’m sorry,” she panted out breathlessly. “I guess I woke up a little sour.” She glanced at Luke when she said this. He was watching her. He always seemed to be watching her, and she’d thought that it didn’t have much to do with his being her guard- until last night. Now she didn’t know what to think.
“I’ll say,” Evan agreed.