“I still haven’t forgiven him. Maybe I will at orgasm number four thousand and twenty-one.”
For what, she never told us.
“What’s the count now?”
“One thousand four hundred and twenty-two. Anyway, this exam’s important, Yva. It’s sixty percent of the total. Concentrate harder!”
With a huff, I threw papers, notes, and organs on the floor. “I’m gonna fail.”
Makena shook her head, dark curls bouncing all over. “Stop. We all know you’ll get the top score anyway, as always.” She closed her laptop and ate a few pieces of melon from the fruit salad we’d made. “And if you don’t, ask Sillas for extra credit. That shouldn’t be hard.”
I almost choked on a piece of apple.
Then I threw a pillow at her.
Makena angrily left for a date with a guy that wasn’t Gaius—after finding a TikTok video of him and a fan, his face peppered with lipstick, of course—and I decided to take one of my nightly strolls with Zeus. It was a cold evening, where the clouds and wind fought for dominance with the birch trees as their victims, unable to escape their wrath.
Wearing only my brownHugs are the best medicinesweater and matching sweatpants, not bothering to remove my actual pajamas from underneath, it was me, Zeus, and a little white owl that eyed us from above.
“Come on, Z.” I stroked his furry head between the ears as his black nose lifted in the air, nostrils flaring.
A vibration came from my pocket, and when I saw who it was, I bit my lip and took a deep breath.
I would never, ever be too busy to talk to him.
I pressed the accept button, not bothering to put my earbuds in.
I sat down, bringing my knees up so I could prop my phone there. “What are you guys still doing awake?”
“There’s my star,” Dad cooed. His face took up the whole screen. “What areyoudoing in the woods? Post-study workout?”
Dad didn’t worry about my safety; he’d made sure I could take care of myself.
“Post-study stroll,” I corrected him.
“Vy-Vy!” Ian cheered from Dad’s lap. Dad lowered the screen. They seemed to be in a different room than his.
The tube he had on his cheek, held there with a long blue Band-Aid, perforated my heart.
A nasogastric tube was a thin, soft tube. It was passed through the child’s nostril, down the back of their throat, through the esophagus, and into their stomach.
I shouldn’t have reacted so viscerally. I was a doctor, trained to lock my emotions into a cold, unfeeling compartment. I’d volunteered at the pediatric cancer center; I’d seen the worst, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Not even the Matenapper. I’d watched death snatch little souls, the real kidnapper taking them away from us almost every week. We were left with too-thin bodies that hadn’t had any time to grow. No time at all.
Regardless, whenever I saw my little brother with that NGT on his pale face, it was a cold reminder that the clock was ticking down.
“When will you come visit, Vy? We need to watch the newJurassic Worldtogether! I’m waiting for you. Apparently, they have a new dinosaur that they invented genetically!” He smiled, eyes overflowing with excitement. Eyes that were a mirror of mine, the same Scottish blue tint. I tried to raise my lips ina smile, too, but instead they remained a flat line, unable to recover.
Flat like his lifeline in the future.
Shut up, shut up, shut up.
“I know, Ian, I know. I can’t wait to watch it with you.” My voice was small, throat clogging with tears.
I loved the little man so much that my heart was a volatile mine, ready to explode at any moment.
“After my exam, I promise I’ll stay a little longer this time!”
The squeal of happiness and his huge smile melted all my organs into a disgusting organ(ic) soup.
