“It’s okay. You’ll be okay,” I assured him, not knowing if it was true.
“Brooke,” he said in a weak voice. His eyes fell shut again.
The crowd parted for the paramedics. Justin, who hadn’t left Marcus’ side, helped me to stand and walked me out of the way.
Marcus made no other sound or movement. He was placed on a stretcher and loaded into the ambulance. Stunned, I stood there, oblivious to the crowd around me, until I heard Evan’s voice.
Something strange happened to me in that moment. A fresh shot of adrenalin rushed through me. I grabbed the amulet and silently asked it to give me strength. My palm grew warm against the metal. It penetrated the skin of my hand, warming my body on the inside. A wave of electrical energy washed over me and through me. And in a motion so fast it nearly lifted me off the ground, the energy engulfed my body, penetrating every cell, until I felt weightless and electrified.
Evan’s voice boomed inside my head. I let the amulet drop to my chest. He didn’t seem to care that his brother was on his way to the hospital and it was because of him. I tightened my jaw and felt the heat rise to the surface of my face.
Before I realized it, I was standing in front of him. Furious, I smacked his arm. He didn’t budge. He looked at me as if he’d just noticed me there, an amused look on his face.
“Why did you push Marcus?”
“I didn’t push anyone. You should get your facts straight.” He didn’t look like the evil Evan, just the obnoxious one.
“I saw you. You pushed him from behind,” I said through clenched teeth. “I know who you really are.”
Instantly the smug look vanished from his face.
I continued to glare—to fake bravery. I hadn’t backed down from Maggie or Sammy, and I wouldn’t back down from Evan.
A smirk spread across his face. “So, Claire, if you know who I am, then come back to me and I’ll lay off Christian.”
I watched his eyes darken as he transformed into the evil Evan.
My courage wavered slightly. I swallowed hard and then blurted, “I’ll never leave him.”
“Not even to save him?” A curious eyebrow rose to a point.
“Stay away from him. We’re both more powerful than you will ever be. Don’t make us hurt you.” I bluffed, only assuming my threat was true.
Evan threw his head back in a roar of laughter. Before I could take another breath, his arms were around me. His mouth pressed to mine with such a force, our teeth scraped together. My eyes bulged. I tried to push away, but he was too strong.
“Hey man, what the hell are you doing?”
Dave, who was standing nearby, grabbed Evan’s shoulder, twisting him away from me. I sucked a huge breath of air deep into my lungs, wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, and looked around. People scurried around us to get their things together. At the Ravens’ bench, Amy and Christy were keeping Luke busy by flirting with him. No one was paying attention to Evan and me. It was obvious no one had even seen Evan knock Marcus down. Evan jerked his upper body out of Dave’s grip.
“I’m warning you, leave her alone,” Dave said, glaring at Evan. “What’s the matter with you? Your brother’s on the way to the hospital.”
Finally, Evan conceded and walked away—but not far.
“You okay?” Dave asked me.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
“Okay, let me know if he bothers you again.”
I nodded.
The moment Dave left me, Evan came back and grabbed my arm. His muscles flexed, his grip tightened. His eyes were fierce, and his mouth was set in a tight line. For an instant I was scared and cowered.
“Don’t ever threaten me.” His words were sharp and low. The black pits that were his eyes held no life, no spark.
I gripped the amulet and felt my arm flex under Evans grip. A blast of energy rose to the surface of my skin, bursting through. With a pained look, Evan snatched his hand back, and for a second, he looked like the one who was scared. I didn’t know what it was that I’d done, but I felt it too, only to me, it was not unpleasant.
“You witch!” With a feral look on his face, Evan raised his fist as if he were going to hit me.
I cringed.
“Hey, take your hands off her,” Luke said in his tough-boy voice.
Oh, no. Luke couldn’t get mixed up in this. By the time I’d turned around, Luke was already at my side shoving Evan backwards.
“Luke, don’t. Please. Let’s just go.” I knew from experience that once Luke had gotten his feathers ruffled, there was no stopping him.
Evan raised his fist ready to throw a punch, his eyes black as pitch. A whistle blew.
“Hey, you two. Break it up.”
I was the only one who turned in the direction of the coach’s voice. Evan and Luke had a good grip on each other.
“Evan, you’re already suspended from soccer, do you want a suspension from school, too?” the coach bellowed.
I jumped in between Luke and Evan. “Luke, c’mon let’s get out of here.” I pushed on his chest. “I need you to take me to the hospital.”
He hesitated, probably deciding what was more important; me, or not losing the fight.
With an angry tone, I said, “Luke, you can’t win, now c’mon.” I pulled at his T-shirt until he finally conceded and walked away with me. Luke was the first to back down. I would never hear the end of it.
Evan’s smirk returned.
“I’ll deal with you later,” I said to him, acting brave now that I had my bad-boy at my side. I turned and walked toward the parking lot with Luke.
“I’ll look forward to it,” Evan called out. “And thanks for the kiss. It’s been a long time.”
I cringed.
“I could have taken him, Brooke,” Luke whined as we walked through the school parking lot.
I sighed. “Trust me, Luke; he would have taken you down.”
Luke looked upon me with disgust that I would even think such a thing.
“And when was the last time you saw someone take me down?”
I didn’t answer, because he was right. Luke always won his fights.
“That’s what I thought, never!”
“Just take a deep breath and relax, Luke. No one in Boston will ever know. I promise I won’t tell.”
I was trembling on the inside and almost at the end of my patience. It had been a while since Luke and I had hung out together. I’d almost forgotten all the trouble he used to get me into. Like the very trouble that caused my parents to send me to Deadwich in the first place, which, thinking about it now, seemed inevitable. Luke had just been a tool in some greater power’s tool box.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
So, where are we going?” Luke asked casually as he peeled out of the school parking lot.
“Salem Medical Center,” I answered frantically.
“Uh, is he your boyfriend?”
“Yeah.”
“That was quick.”
My body tensed. I turned and glared at him. “Not fair.”
He was right, though. On my last night in Boston, Luke had kissed me for the first time. Although it was in the police car, it was still our first and only kiss, and then I left him the next day. And technically, I hadn’t known Marcus very long. But already, it seemed as if it was a lifetime ago that we’d met—and in reality, it was. There was no way to explain it to Luke. He would just have to think what he wanted.
I held the amulet in both hands and wished for Marcus to be awake when I got to the hospital. I wondered where his parents were—if they knew yet.
“You like him a lot?”
I rolled my eyes. “Luke, please. Do we have to talk about my love life?”
“Sorry. Geez, you’re in a bad mood.”
“Ya think? Whose car is this anyway?”
It took a few moments, but once I was away from the chaos of the soccer field and on my way to the hospital, the numbness in my brain subsided and my senses rushed back to me. From a vent in the
dash, a stream of cold air blew lightly across my face, cooling my fever, and the scent of leather interior awakened memories of Marcus in his leather jacket sitting next to me on the bus for the first time.
“It’s my mom’s new ride.”
I listened for the lie in his voice, but couldn’t find it. “Are you sure about that? You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Brooke, I’m crushed.” He chuckled. “Seriously, she bought it last week. If you don’t believe me, you can check out the papers in the dash.”
“And she’s letting you drive it already?” I looked at him questioningly.
“Um, well, she doesn’t exactly know I have it. My parents are out together in my dad’s car today.” He grinned sheepishly.
I pursed my lips and stayed silent. I couldn’t get Marcus off my mind. I should have gone to the hospital with Amy and Christy and sent Luke home. I would send him home as soon as he dropped me off.
A half-hour later we pulled into the Salem Medical Center parking lot. I unfastened my seatbelt and twisted my upper body to face Luke.
“Thanks. I’ll get someone to drive me home.”
“That’s it? You’re just going to leave?” he asked, surprised.
“There’s someone pretty important in there that I have to be with. Please understand.”
“But I haven’t told you the news I came to tell you,” he whined.
I sighed impatiently. “What news?”
“Um, well—”
“Spit it out, Luke.” I tried to remain calm, but I couldn’t contain the anxiety in my voice.
“Well, Courtney and me, uh—”
“What about you and Courtney?” My hand was on the door handle.
“We’re sorta together.”
It took me a minute to comprehend what he’d just said. “Whatdoyamean ‘together’? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
For half a second, I forgot about Marcus. Images of Courtney and Luke flooded my head, only they were separate images. I couldn’t see them together.
“Will you say something?” Luke asked after a long moment.
“I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“For one thing, you can wipe that confused look off your face and replace it with a happy one.”
“I’m not very happy right now.”
“Oh, right. So do you approve or what?”
“What does Courtney think?”
“Duh, we’re together. She obviously thinks the same as I think.”
“Of course. Well then, I’m happy for you both.”
I wanted to tell him to be good to her, but he would’ve taken it the wrong way. Instead, I smiled and reached over the console and gave Luke a big hug.
“I’m sorry, Luke. My head’s really messed up right now.” I looked at him apologetically.
He gave me a familiar boyish grin. I couldn’t help but smile back.
“Wow, you and Courtney huh?” I laughed softly. No wonder she’d been texting me like crazy the past couple of days. I’d been too distracted to look.
At least the lie I’d told Marcus at his uncles wasn’t a lie anymore. Not that I was exonerated from having told the lie in the first place, but somehow I felt better about it now.
“Yup. She wants to come and visit you soon.”
“That’ll be awesome, but let’s wait until things get better around here okay?”
“Sure. Give us a call.”
“Thanks for coming today. I really do have to go now.”
“It’s okay. I understand. Take care.”
“Stay out of trouble.”
I smiled quickly and shut the door. I didn’t look back. Marcus was the only thing on my mind now.
The scorching heat from the sunbaked pavement didn’t slow me down as I dashed across the parking lot. I bolted through the front entrance of the hospital, not stopping until I slammed into the front desk. Breathless, I asked the woman where the emergency department was. After a couple of wrong turns, I found it right where she’d directed me.
The emergency waiting room was overflowing with sickness and suffering—a new chaos. The sounds of babies crying and children whining were enough to drive anyone insane. As I rushed to the desk before anyone could get in front of me, I lost my focus and almost tripped over a man pushing a walker.
Behind the desk, through the window of a large grey door, I saw two paramedics wheeling a stretcher down a hallway. My heart thumped wildly.
“Can I help you?” a small voice asked.
I pulled my gaze away from the sights behind the grey door and looked down at the older woman, who sat looking up at me, obviously stressed after a long shift. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and took a deep breath.
“I’m looking for Marcus Knight.”
Silently, her eyes spoke the words, “More information,” to me.
“He was just brought in by ambulance,” I added.
“And you are?”
“Um, I’m his … sister.” I knew I wouldn’t get anywhere with her if I’d told her I was merely his girlfriend.
“And your parents are where?” She looked on either side of me, her eyebrows raised.
I thought fast. “They’re not here yet. I can’t reach them.”
She ran through a couple pages of computer database. After a couple intense minutes, she looked up at me. “Yes. Here he is. He was brought in twenty minutes ago.”
“Through this door, room twenty-one. Tell the nurse at the desk inside who you are before you enter the room.”
“Thank you,” I said, already halfway through the grey door.
My stomach twisted into knots as I walked down a hallway lined with stretchers, filled with people waiting to be attended to. I wondered why Marcus had been taken to a room ahead of these people. The knots in my stomach tightened.
I came upon the number twenty-one, which was pasted to a wall beside a pulled curtain that closed off a room. “Please be awake, Marcus,” I whispered.
“Can I help you, Miss?” a woman in floral scrubs asked.
“Is this Marcus Knight’s room?”
She checked the chart that hung on the wall beside the curtain. “Yes, but I’m afraid you can’t go in.”
My stomach constricted.
“Why can’t I go in?”
“I’m sorry, but the doctor is with him now. There’s a waiting room at the end of the hallway if you want to wait there.” Her smile was rushed as she went off in another direction.
There were too many sick people here and not enough emergency rooms, which confirmed my fears. Things were bad with Marcus if he had a room already.
From the direction I’d just come from, I heard a distressed female voice utter Marcus’ name. I snapped my head toward the grey door.
A tall, fair-haired man and a medium-height, tanned woman with dark hair were being led my way. Not wanting to be seen, I ducked to the other side of a portable linen tower and peeked over a stack of sheets.
“Is he okay? What happened to him?” the frantic woman, who I assumed was his mother, asked the nurse.
“Come in and I’ll let the doctor explain,” the nurse said in a gentle voice.
The curtain opened for them, allowing them access to Marcus and then closed after them. I stretched my neck so I could hear their conversation.
“His vitals are good,” the doctor explained. “The laceration on his forehead is minor. However, he should have woken up by now. We don’t know exactly how the head trauma was sustained.”
“Head trauma?” his mother uttered in a weak voice.
“Mom, Dad, how is he?”
My heart did a back flip. Evan had arrived, playing the concerned brother.
“Evan, did you see what happened?” his dad asked.
“Yeah. He fell during soccer and hit his head on the bench. It’s just a scratch isn’t it?”
I could barely breathe. I needed to be in there, but there was no way I could show myself. Weakened, I leaned back against the wall,
my hand absentmindedly fondling the amulet. I realized what I was doing when it warmed beneath my fingers. Its warmth was comforting. I tried channeling its energy to Marcus.
An orderly passed by me and walked into Marcus’ room.
“This is Sam,” the nurse said. “He’s going to take your son for an MRI scan.”
Oh, my God, this is bad. On weakened legs, I sneaked down the hallway and found the private waiting room. I ducked inside and curled up in a large green chair and waited.
I waited until I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to use the washroom, and remembered passing one in the emergency waiting area.
“Brooke!” Amy and Christy chimed together. “How is he?”
“I don’t know. His parents and Evan are with him.”
“We brought your purse,” Amy said, handing it to me.
“A bunch of guys from the team are here,” Christy said. “Come on.” She put her arm around me. “Let’s go get a drink.”
I walked with them to the cafe down the hallway where half the soccer team was waiting for news of their friend. They circled me; all with the same questioning look on their faces.
“How is he?” someone asked for the group.
“They took him for a cat scan. He hasn’t woken up yet.”
There were low murmurs. The bulk of the crowd broke up and went back to their tables.
“Come sit with us.”
Amy pulled me along by the hand. I let her. I had nowhere else to go.
“How long does an MRI scan take?” I asked a while later.
“I dunno,” Christy said.
They both shrugged.
Someone checked periodically to see if there was any news on Marcus. He hadn’t come back to the emergency room.
After a couple of hours, I was too anxious to sit around and listen to the unimportant ramblings of teenagers any longer.
“I have to go and check on him,” I said, standing up.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Amy asked.
“You can if you want to.”
The three of us walked back to the emergency department. I was allowed to go right through the big grey door, but Amy and Christy had to wait in the waiting room.