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But had Brett?
Mrs. Dimitri hadn’t answered, and I forced myself to swing my legs out from the bed. The covers were tucked in tightly under the mattress and I had to fight against them, but I finally managed my way out. She rushed over, grabbing me by the elbow to force me back onto the bed.
“Miss Bennett! What are you doing? You need to be resting, young lady, not trying to get up to galavant around.” Her hands were firm on my arm and she pushed me back onto the bed. I wanted to fight her, but I was so very tired.
“I just need to see Brett.” Even as I spoke, I realized that it was getting harder and harder for me to form words.
Mrs. Dimitri looked past me and nodded to someone. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a needle enter the IV tubing that led into my arm.
“What is that?” My tongue felt thick and suddenly I had to fight to keep my eyes open. The more I fought, though, the heavier they felt. I wasn’t going to be able to stay conscious for much longer. There was no way for me to know what they had put in my IV, but whatever it was, it had a kick.
I asked one more time for Brett, but as far as I know, I didn’t make any sense. My speech was slurred, and even Mrs. Dimitri did answer, blackness engulfed me before I heard what she had to say.
* * *
It was dark outside. At first, I thought that I hadn’t opened my eyes all the way. My eyelids were so heavy that moving them took a lot of effort, and by the time that I figured out that the lights were off and the sky was dark outside, I’d opened and closed them a dozen times.
Doing that was exhausting, but I needed to find Brett. Without Mrs. Dimitri here then I may be able to get up and look for him. Slowly I turned my head from side to side, looking for someone who may stop me, but I was all alone. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the IV from the back of my hand, letting the tubing fall uselessly by my bed.
Next was my covers. I had to lift them back to swing my legs out. Someone had put huge fluffy socks on my feet so they weren’t cold when they hit the tile floor, but I shivered in the hospital gown I was wearing.
It didn’t matter.
Finding Brett was the only thing that mattered.
I’d been in to see the nurse a lot since I came to Taylor Prep last year, but I’d never explored any of the rooms off of the main area where I’d been treated. Now, though, I was in a back room, and I immediately went to the door to try the knob.
It was still in my hand. Taking a deep breath, I twisted it hard to the right, then to the left. It still didn’t move and I closed my eyes before trying to open the door one more time. Someone had locked me in.
Panic rose in my chest and threatened to consume me, but I took a deep breath, trying to focus. Okay, I was locked in, but that didn’t mean that I couldn’t find a way out. I was smart, but more than that, I was driven to find Brett. There was wire running through the glass in the door’s window, so I knew immediately that I wouldn’t be able to break it and reach through to unlock it.
But that didn’t mean I couldn’t get out a regular window.
Shuffling back to the window as quickly as possible, I unhooked the latch and leaned on it, forcing it up. It opened with a groan and squeak so loud that I froze in place, terrified that someone would come.
Nobody did, and after I counted to 100, I leaned out the window. I was on the first floor of Taylor Prep, which meant that if I were careful, I should be able to climb out the window without getting hurt.
Now wasn’t the time for me to try to figure that out, though. Now was just the time for me to get out of here and try to find someone who could answer my questions. Mrs. Dimitri made it obvious to me that she wasn’t going to come clean on what was going on, so I had to find my own answers.
Taking a deep breath, I swung one leg out over the windowsill, carefully balancing in the window before swinging the other up and out. All I had to do was jump, land a few feet down, and I’d be free to walk around campus and look for Brett.
Something stopped me.
Whether it was a sound that I really heard, or just something that I thought I head, I froze in my spot. The moon was out, but I was completely hidden in shadow. Out of the darkness across the quad, I saw three figures walking.
The night was still and clear, but I still strained my ears a little to try to hear what was being said.
“At least she wasn’t with your cousin. Can you imagine the stink that your family would raise if he had died? This is bad enough, but if it were Jackie I think that your aunt would have an absolute shit fit, don’t you?” It was easily to tell Kelly’s nasally voice even from a hundred yards away.
Amelia answered. “Yeah, she would have killed someone, I think. Brett was just so hot, you know? Just a damn shame.”
Washot? My stomach dropped and I suddenly felt like I was going to be sick. The harpies walking across the quad were talking about Brett like he was dead. The thought made my stomach twist and I dug my fingers into the frame of the window, bits of wood ramming up under them, but I barely felt the pain.
They couldn’t be serious, could they?
“No.” The word leaving my mouth was a whisper. As much as I hated the harpies, hated everything about them, I had to know if they were telling the truth. Taking as deep a breath as I could, I jumped.
My feet hit the wet grass under my window and immediately slipped out from under me, sending me landing back on my ass. I struggled to my feet, gasping as I hit my left wrist. The pain radiated out, making me dizzy enough to lean against the building for support for a moment.
