“No.”
“Then I was just passing by. My room is next door, remember.”
“How could I forget?”
We arrange to walk into town together after I’ve showered, and I go to my room and close the door behind me. Something Lila said has stuck. She said my chamomile tea might help Olivia.
Before I start second-guessing myself, I go to the table where the kettle lives, take Grandma’s battered tin, and head straight back out.
I’m going to the infirmary. If Olivia has a fever, Grandma’s chamomile blend will help her sleep, and I’ll feel better if I can help, even in some small way.
Officer Brennan is speaking in low tones with Nurse Hollis when I arrive. He doesn’t stick around when I announce that I’m there to visit Olivia.
Nurse Hollis smiles. “Second door on the left. Go on through.”
Olivia’s alpha, Patrick, is there when I go in, sitting on the far side of the bed. Professor Robbins, our biology tutor, is there too. She stands up and pats Olivia’s hand. “I’ll leave you to chat with Elowen and get some rest. Don’t worry about your assignment, Olivia. Concentrate on getting better.”
The professor pauses at the door, just for a moment, and then leaves the room.
“How are you feeling?” I sit on the plastic visitor’s seat near the bed, Grandma’s tin on my lap.
“Tired. Sick. Not how I expected to feel after my first heat.”
I want to ask how it went, but it’s personal, and I don’t know how I would feel if people asked me the same question, especially in front of her alpha. It’s personal. And everyone is different. Olivia’s experience won’t necessarily be the same as mine or that of any other omega.
“I brought you some chamomile tea. It’s my grandmother’s homemade blend. It will help with your nausea, and you’ll sleep easier too. I use it all the time,”
I stand up again and place the tin on the nightstand with some shiny green apples, a battered copy ofTwilight, and a small transparent packet of teabags.
Olivia watches me with sunken eyes. “Thank you, Elowen.” She waits for me to sit back down. “I heard you’ve been working in the greenhouse.”
“I have. Growing herbs runs in my family.”
“What about Calder Ashford?” Her voice is weak. “Does he grow herbs too?”
I smile. “No, he and Tyler are there to add some style.”
She gives a small smile in return. “Style… that’s what you call it.”
Her eyes drift closed, and I wait a while before nodding at Patrick and letting myself out of the room, closing the door behind me with a soft click.
On my way out, I let Nurse Hollis know about the chamomile tea, and she offers to make it for Olivia later if she wants.
In the corridor, I bump into James, Olivia’s friend, who acknowledges me with a brief nod.
Back in my room, I tend to the herbs growing on my windowsill and try not to think about Olivia being the next omega to die. But it’s hard, and I’m still thinking about her pale face and sunken eyes when Lila knocks on my door.
7
ELOWEN
I try to study,but all I can think about is Olivia. Not even Lila buying an old copy ofForever Amberin the bookstore in town and promising me that I’ll be a changed woman when I finish it has dragged me out of my funk.
I set the pen down and look out the window.
The greenhouse sits beyond the slope, glass panes catching the last of the dusk light. Warm. Patient. Familiar.
I don't question the pull. I close my notebook, slip on my worn boots, and leave.
