She knew she needed to stay in the cool water. But it was so, so, so, so hot. She wanted to be bathed in ice.
No one was coming back for her. A familiar fear settled into her stomach. She would die here, by herself.
No one would care that she was gone.
And then, just as she thought this was how she would end, that she would be found drowned in the water—
Winter came rushing back, vaulting into the pool with a loud splash.
She couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or not. She thought she might be crying in relief. Or maybe it was just the water. She couldn’t tell. She saw him holding a hand out to her and then wrapping his arm around her back, gently urging her to lean forward, to drink something. He looked soaked.
She looked on weakly as he popped the vial’s lid, flipped it upside down on a syringe, and loaded it all with one hand, as if he’d been doingit all his life. Another surprise, in what seemed to be an endless string of surprises. So he’d been paying attention during their training after all, even when she’d only demonstrated this to him once, had probably practiced on his own.
He pointed the syringe at her lips. “Drink,” he ordered her.
His voice was low and steady. If he was scared, she couldn’t tell. She felt his cool fingers gently cradling the back of her neck as she tilted her head enough to take the syringe contents.
She could barely swallow. The pain of it seared down her throat like fire. She winced, coughing and gagging. The antidote stung as it coated her lips.
“You have to finish all of it,” he said.
She managed to glare at him, but still forced herself to do as he said.
Almost immediately, she felt the fever inside her break. And then the world around her no longer felt like a tundra, but like a baking desert, as if all the heat suffocating her body had rushed out into the world. She couldn’t bear it simmering around her. Her entire body burst into sweat. She couldn’t stop. She could feel it pouring down the sides of her face and drenching the collar of her open shirt, dripping down the damp strands of her hair, leaking into the water.
She could feel herself finally able to take a full, gasping breath of air.
“It’s okay,” Winter said repeatedly. “Can you hear me?”
She nodded numbly. His hair was wet and studded with dew, glistening from the bright light coming in. Beads of water ran down his face. Vaguely, she became aware that his hands were on either side of her face, holding her in a firm, gentle embrace. He was staring at her as if she might disappear at any second.
Maybe she was hallucinating. The water seemed unusually bright, its surface glittering under beams of sunlight. She could feel herself falling asleep, and the realization filled her with dread. She tried to focus on Winter’s gaze, as if looking at him could keep her awake.
If she fell asleep, she might not wake up.
“You were right,” she finally managed to say. The words slurred from her mouth.
He blinked, as if surprised and relieved by her words. “About the poison?” he asked, the urgency plain in his voice.
“About my lungs,” she whispered. They gave a painful spasm as she said it. “You were right—about my lungs—I haven’t told them yet.”
An understanding rippled across his gaze. He shook his head. “And I won’t, either,” he replied. “Just stay awake. Okay? Just stay awake.”
“Don’t go,” she tried to say. Her hands gripped feverishly at his sleeves.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied.
She counted out the seconds. Gradually, gradually, she could feel the world around her gaining some sense of focus, although her head still felt light and fuzzy.
“Winter,” she now breathed out his name.
He nodded at her, his eyes still on her, his hands still on the sides of her face. Now she was starting to gain some feeling in her arms again, some strength in her muscles. She could feel the slight warmth of his skin against hers. She could sense the calluses on his palms and the slight stirring of his breath against her face.
One of his hands came up to wipe something wet from her cheeks. She realized she was crying.
“You’re okay,” he murmured to her in his lovely, melodic voice, and it was the most soothing sound in the world. “You’re okay.”
“I’m okay,” she whispered. Her words sounded more like hers now. “I’m okay.”
