“Opal. One of the nurses told me she’d been here.” He’d already devoured one cookie, and had snagged another. “I guess she snuck in last night, and didn’t leave until they found her here in the morning. They escorted her out before I even woke up.”
Devoted.“She was really scared when you collapsed.”
Ez frowned. “I know. I feel really bad doing that to her. She told me to get help, too. I guess I’m kind of stupid that way.”
“Not justthatway…” I mumbled under my breath, but Ez didn’t hear me.
He shoved a third cookie in his mouth. “I’msolucky she decided to make some more cookies this week in Arts & Crafts. Peanut butter is my favorite.”
He shrugged. “Though I guess she hates them. Why she’d makepeanut buttercookies if she’s not going to eat them, I don’t know.”
“Wow, Ez.” My voice was flat.
“What? Do you know something I don’t?”
His face was blank. If he wasn’t feeling like crap right now, I’d hit him. People liked to joke that my mother and Grandpa Elliot could be oblivious. Clearly, Ez had inheritedthatgene.
“Miss Mitoh, what are you doing here?” Lady Helga’s brusque voice cut into our conversation as the door opened behind us. “You haven’t yet been discharged, and your brother needs rest.”
“He needs me, too,” I pleaded. Lady Helga carried in a new IV bag, which she clipped onto a medical pole.
“You may return to visit tomorrow morning,” Lady Helga said. “In the meantime, Mister Mitoh needs sleep. You may have healed his sepsis, but he still has a long recovery ahead of him before he returns to class next week.”
“Nextweek?” Ez moaned.
“If you would’ve come in sooner, perhaps you wouldn’t have to spend so much time here, sir,” Lady Helga quipped. “Let this be a lesson not to let things go for too long.”
Ez swore under his breath, and I stood. “I’ll be back later, Ez. Try to get some sleep.”
“This is cruel and unusual punishment,” he growled.
I kissed my brother on the top of the head before I skipped out. I haggled with the nurses to let me go, and they did, though only because I pleaded.
I was off to look for Charlie and Oberi. I knew they were in class, so I had to wait for them to be excused before we could talk. I figured our cellblock was the best place to go to pass the time, so I headed there.
On the way, I noticed Ghost sweeping the floors, probably doing the job the Institute assigned him to. He had a white tomcat beside him that was batting at a dust bunny in the corner. The cat had the biggest eyes and the most crooked whiskers. The little thing constantly looked terrified. It was kind of funny.
When I passed, Ghost waved me over. I walked to his side, and he said, “I heard you healed your brother. Amazing magic, though I’m sorry the whole school knows.”
“It was better than the alternative,” I said, shrugging. “Though it was a real shock, discovering I have Anichi magic.”
“I thought you always knew. You healed my arm in fight club, remember?” Ghost said.
A memory of the night when I’d stood up for Ghost crossed through my mind. He’d gotten hurt in a match, and didn’t want to fight anymore, but the guards still made him. Me standing up for Ghost had resulted in me getting punched in the face by Tony, and Charlie nearly killing him. It’d been a crazy night.
“Barely,” I said. “Are yousureI healed your arm?”
“Yeah. It was broken, and you mended it in a second. Didn’t you know?” Ghost asked.
I hadn’t. I’d felt some power go out of me when I’d touched Ghost’s arm, but I didn’t realize what was happening.
“You didn’t tell anyone that I healed you?” I marveled.
“No. I thought it was your secret, and that I should shut up about it.” He blinked.
Ghost was one of the few good people left at the Institute. I really liked him.
“Are they still making you fight?” I asked Ghost.
