My arms windmill.
No, I’m falling.
Wind rushes past me. Faster and faster.
My heart is about to explode.
I’m not in control of my body.
I’m out of time.
Helpless.
No one will care if I die. No one cares.
A big, rough hand slips into mine, and it feels like a lifeline. Time stops. I hang suspended in the air, my body reflecting in the windows of a skyscraper.
Slowly, I open my eyes to find a familiar white ceiling and harsh fluorescent lights. The unsteady beep of a heart monitor welcomes me back to the real world.
I’m not dead.
Jerking upright, I pat my arms and stomach. I half expect my guts to be sprawled out in front of me, but I’m in one piece.
I massage my legs and move one and then the other.
Then I wiggle my toes. Everything responds to my brain’s commands.
Elated by the results of my inspection, I turn my head and fall into a pair of emotionless black eyes.
My heart jolts.
Finn stares me down. His hair has pieces sticking up, and he’s wearing the same outfit from yesterday. There are deep bags under his eyes.
Was he by my side this entire time?
“W-what happened?” I croak.
Finn rises to his full height, and I try to look up, but my neck hurts because he’s so tall.
“Ow.” I grab the back of my neck.
“Don’t move. You got whiplash from the fall.”
Whiplash? That’s it? Sounds like gravity gave me a pat on the wrist and sent me on my way.
I blink slowly. “Where’s Dr. Kenji?”
“Doing rounds.”
I press my finger against the puncture wound where Elise stuck a needle in my neck. There’s a bandage over it now. “Did the Kardimonex flush out of my system?”
Finn watches me for a long time instead of answering.
I squirm. “What?”
“It’s my turn.”
I stare at him in confusion.
