Page 124 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“Mhm,” Will grunted, frustrated by the forced exertion that only highlighted his limitations.

“I’m sure the doctor told you to exercise,” Liam added in his defense.

“The exact opposite, he told me to stay off this leg.”

“And you are! It’s just dangling there!” Will braced himself on his crutches, shooting Liam a stern look. After navigating the final step, he shoved the small paperback into Liam’s hands. “But at the same time, you’re working the other one. And your arms. It’ll be good for you.”

Will held his tongue.

“Don’t be mad,” Liam said, then suddenly scooped Will up into his arms.

Will’s eyes went wide.

“Liam!” he cried out in alarm, still gripping his crutches.

“Let them go,” Liam said.

“You let me go!”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Li…”

Liam carried him to the living room (where Will had taken up permanent residence) and helped him onto the sofa. He then took the crutches, leaned them against a nearby armchair, and casually settled into the armchair, flipping through the manga.

“I hope you like it,” Will said, a little flustered by what had just happened.

“I’ll read it at home,” Liam announced, sharing none of Will’s awkwardness. “Want to watch something?”

March 25 | Tuesday

As he’d said he would, Blake visited as well. His visits were rarer and much shorter, usually over in just a few minutes. Today’s promised to be no different, so Will didn’t even get up from the sofa.

Blake walked into the living room and placed three plastic sleeves on the table, each containing a dozen or so pages.

“What’s this?” Will asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“Class notes. Literature, history, and tech.”

Will reached for one of the sleeves and started looking through its contents. It was nice of Blake to have photocopied his notes. Will had been dreading the terrifying prospect of having to copy endless notebooks right before exams. Alden’s handwriting was tiny but legible—the letters were even and neat, almost identical, as if they had been traced.

“Here’s the rest,” Blake added, placing two thick folders in front of him.

Will stared at him in amazement. They only had those three subjects together.

“I got them from people you have classes with,” Blake explained. “It’s everything but biology. I don’t know what possessed me to borrow Henry Wilson’s notes,” he huffed in frustration. “His handwriting is so bad, only a hieroglyphics expert could decipher it. I’ll bring them next time.”

Will chuckled.

“Thanks.”

Blake watched him for a moment, as if he meant to say something important, but in the end, all he said was:

“Study. It’s important.”

April 17 | Thursday

Norma finally came to visit.