Chapter 1
Trinity "Ty" Banks
~
San Francisco, California
April
"I'll be right back," I said with a fake smile aimed at the woman who was following me through the house. "I have to take a quick call," I added. I held up my phone as if it was ringing, which it wasn't. I could see her stop in her tracks, and as soon as I had my back to her again, I pressed the numbers to call Jacob.
I was nauseous before I ever went there. I had woken up not feeling right. But now my heart was pounding, and my head was light. I felt overwhelmed and confused, and there was a sense of underlying dread. I felt like my nervous system was going haywire, like this was representative of something bad happening in my body, something that would ultimately lead to my death. My body felt like it was actually dying currently. I held my phone to my ear weakly, feeling short of breath and praying that he would pick up. My back ached.
I kept walking, stepping outside onto the back porch. The muscles of my back were tight, and so was my chest. The side of my neck was sore and tingling, like I could feel the hot bloodrushing through my arteries. I was not okay. Things were not right with my body. This could end in a trip to the hospital. If I went to the hospital, at least they could monitor me and make sure my heart was still working. But it was my stomach, too. It could be an ulcer, and I heard if an ulcer got too bad, it might eat a hole right through my…
"Hello?"
He answered the phone, thank goodness.
"Hey, Jacob. What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm with Eddie. You knew that. We're going to get those shoes that just dropped. What's up?"
"I just need you to talk to me for a second. I wish I had some ice to put on the back of my neck. I'm at the luncheon, and I'm not feeling good right now."
He let out a breath of disappointment. "You were fine two hours ago, Ty."
"I know, but now they're asking me to say a few words about where the chapter's heading next year, and I wasn't expecting to… I'm not prepared for that, Jacob. I've got my own stuff coming up, and I'm not thinking about where the chapter's heading. People are here. People I need to impress. If I fail, then… I don't know what. But, I don't know what to say, and at this point, I don't even feel well enough to do it. I might actually need to go get checked out."
I had absentmindedly gone to my car, and I sat down, starting it and turning the air conditioning on full blast, letting the cold air hit my face. I was sweating, and my mouth was so dry that I could hardly swallow.
"And my back hurts," I added. "You're over my speakers now. I'm in my car. Jacob? Are you there?"
"Yeah, I'm here," he said, sounding none too pleased.
"You sound mad."
"I'm not mad, I'm just… I have no idea what you're telling me."
"I'm panicking."
"I get that."
"I need your help."
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I’m in the car with Eddie. I thought you were going to your big meeting. You were fine when I saw you two hours ago."
"I know that, Jacob, but when I arrived, Mrs. Lancaster told me that I was supposed to make some sort of speech about next year, and… I don't know what to say. I came here thinking I didn't have responsibility, and now I'm… my body feels like it's breaking. I don't know if I'd even be able to talk."
"You're talking to me now."
"Barely," I said, feeling like it was the truth.
He let out a little laugh, and I imagined he thought I was being dramatic. "Your body's not breaking," he said in a frustrated tone.
"It feels like it is."
"What's breaking? What hurts?"
