River hadn’t noticed the metal buttons that sat in front of each mat. That explained why Billy had taken such a specific position.Who wants to work out in a place where they expect so many emergencies that they build it into the studio?“Great, thanks.”
The instructor turned away, and Billy nudged her. “See? Even the uptown girls want a little rough and ready.”
She shook her head and used the mirror in front of them to scan the room out of idle curiosity. When she saw familiar dark hair and wide eyes staring back at her, she laughed. “What are the chances?” she said softly.
“Of what?” Billy instantly tried to see where she was looking, and then he whistled. “Is that your mean girl?”
“It is.” Although anyone else would look at Marina and see only her beauty, River saw the low, sickly-looking energy that surrounded her. She should be in bed, not in a sweat box. River wasn’t about to make the mistake of telling her what she should do, though. She gave a small wave, and Marina returned it, though her eyes had narrowed in suspicion.
“Okay, everyone. Let’s warm up.” The instructor lifted her arms, and the room went quiet.
If Hell offered yoga classes, this would, without question, be one of them. Sweat poured off her, dripping onto the mat and creating little ponds beneath her. Downward dog meant a waterfall coming off her forehead, while happy baby created a wet, squelching vacuum between her lower back and the mat, so it sounded like she was passing gas with every side-to-side rocking motion. She could only thank god that she wasn’t anywhere near Marina and that the music covered most bodily noises.
And the room stank like Hell’s locker room. Plenty of people were actually farting with abandon, and the acidic odor made her eyes water. Granted, the poses were helping with her stiff back, but she could have done that without feeling like she’d died and been forced into Satan’s sauna.
A couple of times, she glanced at Marina and noticed her energy flailing. When they did a back bend, what River noticed first was the way it thrust Marina’s chest forward in the sportsbra she wore without a shirt over it, and the way sweat was making her light olive skin glisten. The second thing she noticed was that her arms were trembling. The energy around her twitched and shivered in the air. Should River press a button and tell someone to take care of Marina? No. That was overstepping. Surely Marina would press the button herself if it came to it.
Finally, she flopped onto her back in a puddle for the relaxation part. How could anyone meditate when they were covered in sweat and suffocating in body odor? The music slowed, soft bells chimed, and her breathing calmed. She listened to the well-mediated voice of the instructor and felt her body sink into the floor. Okay, so it could work. Her jaw relaxed, and she rolled her head from side to side gently.
She startled awake when a gong sounded.
“Thanks so much. Namaste, and have a truly radiant day,” the instructor said and received a round of exhausted applause.
River struggled to her feet and downed the last of her water. It wasn’t nearly enough. The room cleared out, and she looked at where Marina had been. She was still there, on one knee, with a hand on the floor. She swayed a little, and River saw what was coming. She dodged a few people and caught Marina in her arms just as she toppled over.
“I…” Her eyes were unfocused as she looked at River. “I’m really sweaty.”
“I think you need to worry about more than being sweaty.” River smoothed her soaked hair away from Marina’s cheeks. “After last night, you’re probably way too dehydrated.”
The instructor knelt beside them. “There’s always one,” she said with a little smile directed at River. “A medic is on their way.”
“You have medics on standby?” River asked, continuing to stroke Marina’s hair.
“Of course. We go hard here, so we’re prepared for people who aren’t up to it.” She looked at Marina with sympathy. “Some just don’t know their limits yet.”
River nearly laughed out loud at the way Marina’s weak energy flared like the instructor had lit it with a match. She lightly touched her fingertip to Marina’s lips. “Shh. Save your energy for walking out of the room. You can prove us all wrong later.”
The instructor moved to make way for the medic, who gave Marina a bottle of fluid with electrolytes, and then checked her blood pressure and pulse. When most of the water went sliding over Marina’s chin because of the way her hand trembled, River took it from her and helped her drink.
“Everything looks okay, but I’m guessing she’s severely dehydrated. Can you keep looking after her? If she gets delirious, gets a severe headache, or develops a rapid heartbeat, she should go to the emergency room.”
River nodded, and Marina seemed to be coming around a little. “Sure, no problem.”
“I’m really sorry to sound heartless, but do you think she can stand? We have another class starting in half an hour, and we need to clean and air out the room before the next session.” The instructor looked genuinely apologetic.
“Marina, can you move? We should really get you out of this sweatbox.”
Marina nodded a little and leaned heavily on River’s arm as she pushed to her feet.
“Slowly. Take your time,” River said, aware that Marina’s energy was far from strong enough yet. They took four steps toward the door, which Billy was ready to pull open for them, when Marina made a sound much like a whimpering kitten, and her body sagged. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
River caught her and quickly lifted her into her arms. She carried her out of the room and into the lounge, where someone saw what was happening and quickly rolled out a yoga mat. River laid her down, and the decrease in heat around them was almost shocking. She shivered a little as her wet clothes began to cool.
“Coconut water,” someone said, handing River a bottle.
“Thanks.” River lightly tapped Marina’s collarbone. “Hey. Come on back.”
Marina’s eyes fluttered open, and she looked confused for second before she moaned and closed her eyes again. “Please tell me this is a nightmare and isn’t actually happening.”
