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I opened my eyes and flinched, instantly blinded by the overhead light. My face twisted and I groaned. “It’s too bright.”
“What? Right, the light. Sorry. I’m used to having it on,” Shado said at my side.
“Please tell me I am not laying on one of your exam tables.”
“It was the only place we could fit you,” Jackson said. There was a creek of metal, and a warm hand touched my shoulder in a latex glove.“Besides, I didn’t think you would want to wake up on a slab in one of the drawers.”
“Gross,” I said, opening my eyes again. The light was gone, replaced by Jackson’s concerned pout, and Shado’s relief. “Help me up, please.”
“Not so fast,” Jackson said. “Your wound is barely healed. You can’t get up yet.”
“I’m laying on a table that is frequented by dead and decaying bodies. I need to at least sit up,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“I do clean the tables you know,” Shado grumbled as Jackson growled. “Can’t you just relax for a second? You’re hurt. You shouldn't move yet.”
“Oh, calm down, Fido,” Shado scoffed. “She’s gonna be fine.”
My cousin offered me her gloved hand and helped me sit on the edge of the table. My head swam, and I started to pitch forward but Shado and Jackson both reached to steady me. The skin of his wrist brushed my arm, and I flinched as a gray image flared across the darkness behind my eyes. I felt my fingers burn as they wrapped around his throat and then in a flash the vision was gone.
I doubled over and fell forward off the table. “I’m gonna be sick.”
Shado gasped and shoved a silver basin under my nose, as Jackson’s arm caught me around the waist. I retched and the sparse contents of my stomach exploded from my lips. Jackson eased me onto my hands and knees and one of them pulled the hair back from my face.
Jackson shifted into my peripheral vision. “I’m sorry, Rebekah. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know.” I coughed. “It was an accident.”
I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. Not yet. All I could see in front of me were his eyes. Those cold gray lifeless eyes. It made my skin crawl.
Shado squeezed my knee with one hand and slid the basin away when she was sure I’d finished with it. “Jack, can you do me a favor? Can you go down to the employee lunchroom? I’ve got a stash of peanut butter cookies. They’re in a box in the cabinet closest to the fridge. Can you bring them here, and a bottle of water? She needs to fill her stomach.”
“Yeah… sure. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait,” I croaked. “Did you heal him? He was hit with the venom too.”
Jackson sighed. “I told you I’m fine.”
“Please, check him, Shado. If it’s in his blood—”
She leapt to her feet and grabbed him by the arm with one hand. He tried to pull away, but her other hand smacked onto his forehead, and an aura of white light radiated from her palm. Jackson shivered, and staggered to the side.
“You idiot. You were seconds from passing out,” Shado snapped, swatting his shoulder.
“Ouch, I was fine.”
“You are an absolute moron, I swear. If you died—"
“Shado, is he okay now?” I asked, cutting off what I knew would be one of her famous tirades.
“What…Oh, yeah. He’s fine,” she said, shoving him towards the door. “Be a good boy, now, and go get the stuff I asked for.”
“But—”
“Jack, just go get the things I asked for,” Shado snapped.
He blinked at her in shock, and then disappeared out the door. I lifted my gaze to Shado’s concerned face, and a sob burst from my lips. My fingers clawed at the ground, and I shook my head. “It hasn’t changed. The vision hasn’t changed. Everyone’s fate changes day to day, but not his.”
“What’s wrong? What did you see?” Shado asked, sinking to sit beside me.
