Sobs broke from my chest, and I pressed my lips to the back of your hand. “I’m so glad you made it. I—”
I broke off when I reached for her face and felt a tube coming out of her mouth. My world shattered all over again. Ava wasn’t awake. The hollowness inside seemed to expand. I hadn’t noticed it before, because I was too numb to feel anything at all. Now, it was all too encompassing. Oberi whined solemnly.
The doctors and nurses moved around me, arranging tubes and electrical cords. I barely paid them any mind as my shaking fingers grazed across Ava’s broken body. I took note of the bandages across her face and arms. A large cloth wrapped around her entire stomach. I feared touching her too roughly, because I knew her skin must be riddled with bruises.
My voice shook. “She’s going to make it, right?”
“We can’t say for sure,” the doctor said slowly. “She’s stable, but she’s been put into a medically-induced coma. Ava-Marie’s body needs time to heal. We’ll be monitoring her twenty-four-seven…”
I barely heard the rest of what she said. The room swayed around me. Ava-Marie’s body had made it through surgery, but her soul— my pidge— was nowhere to be found. She hadn’t come back to me yet, and I didn’t know how long it might take.
Hours must’ve passed. I sat at Ava’s bedside, holding her cold fingers and waiting for her to wake. I must’ve fallen asleep, because I woke to the sound of static crackling overhead.
“Students of Darke Institute.” The Warden’s voice came over the ancient intercom system. “I regret to inform you that the Darke Games have been canceled, due to a tragedy that occurred in the early hours of this morning.”
The intercom barely worked. All the magic inside the Institute interfered with the connection, and his words were difficult to make out. I wondered why he hadn’t just called everyone to an assembly like he’d done before.
Then I realized— he was doing this for me. He wanted me to hear his speech. He wanted to show me he’d won.
“Around three a.m. this morning, a sinkhole formed in the school’s graveyard,” the Warden continued. “A group of students, along with their counselor, encountered the sinkhole at its untimely arrival. Our very own Professor Jaymin Vengier attempted to save her students, but she did not survive. Thirty-two guards rushed in to help, but they too perished. Three students survived with minor injuries; however, one of our own— Ava-Marie Wahkin— was severely injured.”
He spoke her name intentionally. He wanted me to know that he could still hurt her.
“Jaymin did everything she could to save these students, and because of her, they made it out alive,” the Warden continued. “She is a true hero. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families at this time.”
Rage nearly took me over. What a manipulative bastard! People should know the truth about what really happened down there.
“Please be advised that the Institute is in no danger from the portals, as the threats posed during the Darke Games will be handled by residents of Shade Hills,” he said.
Yeah fucking right. The Warden was opening those portals himself. There was no danger unless he said there was.
“The area near the graveyard is considered dangerous and off limits,” the Warden continued. “Anyone found near the cemetery will be issued an infraction, for your own safety. We have no reason to believe the Institute grounds are in danger of a second sinkhole. You are all safe here. Have a good day.”
The intercom hissed as his message came to an end. It was fitting, considering the snake he was.
I noticed he didn’t mention Ava’s parents. I wasn’t sure what his plan was for them, but I didn’t imagine it was anything good.
A light knock came at the door. “Charlie, how are you doing?” Sophia asked.
Feeling like shit, thanks for asking,I thought, but I didn’t say that out loud. “Uh… I’m here,” I said instead.
Liam’s footsteps sounded behind Sophia. He stopped dead in his tracks. I could only imagine the horror he felt when he saw her. Ava had once told me her father had been hooked up to a breathing tube when he’d gotten sick and nearly died. He knew exactly what Ava was going through.
“Can we have a moment with her?” he asked gently.
I realized Ava’s parents must’ve been waiting hours to see her. I stood, and Oberi followed me. “Yeah… sure.”
I didn’t want to leave Ava-Marie, but her parents deserved to see her. Besides, I had to check on Kallie and Marcus. I could hear them whispering lowly from the waiting room, but there were other voices, too.
I realized all our friends were there. It sounded like they were alone. I followed the sound of their voices, but they stopped dead when I entered the room.
“Charlie,” Kallie said. “How’s Ava?”
“She’s… alive.” The words tasted like ash.
“Mom says the doctors told her Ava’s in a coma,” Ez said softly. He sounded really broken up about everything.
“Yeah,” I forced past the lump in my throat. “Medically-induced. Your parents are in there now, if you want to join them.”
