“Well, someone’s feeling proud of herself.” Finn laughed as he stared at Emberly, his dimples on display as he teased her.
Another wave of nausea rose, this time nearly threatening to force the contents of my stomach to heave as my fingernails dug into the wooden edge of the table we sat around.
A quivering groan slipped from my lips, and I felt the exact moment Finn’s emerald green eyes narrowed in my direction. Even with my eyes closed, I knew he was taking in every subtle shift of my body.
“Stars-damned,” was the only word I heard fall from his lips as he was already sliding out of his seat and moving to my side of the table in a swift motion. However, my attention was already split at that moment as I felt the ever-familiar warmth of blood while it began to trickle down the back of my nose.
With a heavy, unwanted sigh, I shifted my attention, trying to block out the nausea that only appeared to be growing stronger. My body curled inward, fighting the waves. A smoky sand scent surrounded me, and Finn was by my side, handing me napkins from the café as I pinched the bridge of my nose, leaning forward once more.
“I thought they were happening further and further apart?” I vaguely heard Emberly ask Finn as he traced soothing circles across my upper back, supporting me. My body tensed, pain spiraling upward from somewhere deep inside me as I folded in two, forcing myself to breathe.
In.
One. Two. Three. Four.
Out.
One. Two. Three. Four.
In.
“—more and more frequently.” I heard the end of Finn’s statement to Emberly as the wave of nausea subsided, and my focus returned.
I sat there, unable to move, focusing on slowing the blood currently flowing from my nose.
An iron taste lingered in my mouth, my body shivering as I collected myself. Peeking up through my lashes, I thanked the stars that my sister was still across the café, none the wiser to what had just occurred at our table.
It was a short episode. Far shorter than usual, as of late.
A slight smile crept up one corner of my lip in relief, only to vanish just as quickly as my eyes collided with Finn’s.
“What was that, Rae?” His voice cut in harshly. ‘That’s twice,” he emphasized, “in one day.”
“I’m aware,” I bit back in frustration, still rubbing at my forehead as though I could force the lingering feeling away.
“You said your episodes were less frequent,” Emberly pointed out casually as she looked at me, a hint of pity marring her otherwise serene features.
“I thought they were,” I replied, looking between them.
“You clearly thought wrong,” Finn wryly retorted.
“You don’t say,” I replied sarcastically, eyes narrowing on him. “It’s not like I can control when they happen.”
“No one said you could,” Emberly replied.
“But you are in control of telling yourbest friendswhen they start occurring more often.”
I sighed, my body exhausted as I nodded. “It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, it’s just?—”
“No, Rae,” Finn interrupted, frustration evident across his face. “That’s exactly it. Youdidn’twant to tell us. You felt like it would have been a burden, and you decided it was one youcould carry on your own, so you didn’t want to bring it up to us.”
“I—” But I didn’t have anything to say, because he was right. I didn’t want to burden them. “Fine,” I huffed. “You’re right, okay? Is that what you want to hear?”
He laughed, a hollowed huff of noise I despised. “No, Rae, that’s not what we want. We just want to be here for you.”
Kira slipped back into the booth at that moment, oblivious to the conversation that we’d been having. I shot Finn a venomous glare, ensuring he stayed silent about my episode as Kira settled into a seat.
“How long did it take before you could fly everywhere, Rae?” Kira asked for what we both knew to be the hundredth time this year alone. But I smiled anyway as her eyes lit up as I began recounting my flight adventures, knowing she was looking forward to learning to fly.
