Flames and Starlight
NINE

Peter prayed for patience as he sat in his hospital bed, eating the terrible hospital food and listening to his parents yell at his doctor. He woke up yesterday after falling from the sky last week and the doctors at the hospital couldn’t figure out what made him fall and his parents were refusing to accept that answer.

The doctors and nurses kept trying to explain they’d run all the tests they could and still couldn’t find an answer but his parents weren’t letting up. Peter had pleaded with them to stop but they weren’t listening. He was trying to be understanding that they were thinking about Michael and it was leading them to be extra protective but he wished they would stop already. It was mortifying and they were wasting the doctors’ time.

Peter shook his head and looked out the window, wishing he could get out of there already. He wanted away from the hospital and his parents so much he was ready to bolt out of there then and there. He couldn’t stand his parents hovering anymore.

Finally, the doctor threw up her hands and said, “Look, I don’t know what else to tell you. We ran all the tests we could, and we found nothing, he will be discharged tomorrow, and that’s the end of the discussion. Now I have to go check on my other patients and I will not discuss this with you anymore. And if you continue to make a scene I will have security throw you out.”

The doctor walked out despite his parents’ protests. Peter didn’t blame the doctor one bit. He would have done the same thing.

“She’s so unprofessional,” his mother said and shook her head and his father agreed.

They turned and started fussing over him like he was a little boy instead of a twenty-one-year-old shapeshifter. Peter closed his eyes and wanted to sink into a black hole from embarrassment.

His mother shook her head as she was fixing his tangled hair. “These doctors. I can’t believe -”

“Mom,” Peter said through clenched teeth and gently removed her hand from his hair. “I need a minute. Please leave.”

A hurt expression passed over her face. “But Pete -”

“Please!” he snapped. “You’ve done enough already. I just need five minutes to myself.”

His mother appeared like he was going to protest but his father put a hand on her shoulder and said, “Elizabeth, come on. Let’s give him a minute.”

She gave Peter a hurt look but nodded and followed his father out. Once his parents left Peter slumped back against his bed in relief. He knew his parents meant well and they were terrified of losing him like Michael but he couldn’t take their hovering anymore. If they continued he was going to go insane.

He groaned when he heard a knock at the door. “Guys, I said I wanted a few minutes. Go away.”

“Alright, but you won’t get any of these donuts.”

His eyes snapped open and he saw Ruben and Laura standing in the doorway, holding a box of donuts.

Peter exhaled in relief and said, “Sorry, come in.”

Ruben set the donuts on the table and he and Peter fist-bumped each other. “How’s it going? Ready to go home?”

“I’m actually feeling fine. I’m not in pain or anything. I’m sick of the hospital but I don’t want to go home. My parents are driving me crazy. I know they’re worried about me but I can’t take their hovering anymore.”

“They just want to look out for you,” Laura defended them.

“I know, I just want to be able to breathe for a few minutes.” He shook his head. “They’ve been pestering the doctors all day for an answer about what happened and they keep explaining they can’t find anything.”

“Anything?” Ruben asked, his eyebrows raising.

“Nope.”

“Do you think it might be magic?”

“That’s the thing. They brought in sorcerers who specialize in tracking any attack magic that could have caused this but they couldn’t locate anything. They said this must’ve been a freak accident and to just count my blessings that I’m okay.” He shook his head. “Enough about me. What’s going on with you two? Anything interesting happened in the past week?”

Laura and Ruben exchanged a smile and Peter sat forward.

“What?” he asked.

“I moved in with Ruben a few days ago,” Laura said.

Peter couldn’t help but grin. “Finally. How’d it go with your folks?”

“About as well as you could expect. They were pissed as hell but there was nothing they could do about it.”

“And how’s that been? Living with each other?”

“Great,” said Ruben as he and Laura exchanged another loving glance. “We love it.”

“I thought the day would never come,” Peter said jokingly. He knew the way Laura’s family was and agreed she needed to move out a long time ago.

“Me too,” Ruben said and gave Laura a meaningful look.

She playfully swatted at both of them and asked Peter, “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? When your parents called us it sounded like you were seriously hurt.”

Peter rolled his eyes. “I’m honestly fine. You know them, they exaggerate the smallest detail and think a scab means I’m bleeding out.”

Ruben shook his head and started pacing back and forth. “This shit is getting way out of hand. I think it has to do with the hooded figure.”

Peter frowned and sat up. “Did something else happen since I’ve been in here?”

Ruben nodded. “Yeah. There’s another reason why we came today. Some serious shit has gone down since you’ve been in here.”

“Tell me.”

“It has to do with Hannah.”

Peter felt his pulse begin to race. “What about her?”

Ruben told him about meeting Hannah, her visions of them, and the sketches she had drawn of them, and going down to the Guardian station to give their statements. Peter listened intently, feeling his heart speed up more and more as they told him what happened.

“So where’s Hannah now?” he asked them.

“She’s still at the shelter. We’ve seen her a few times but only briefly. She’s trying to get a job and get her own place and we’ve been busy with school and work.”

“You should try to sit down and talk to her. Her having visions of you is important. It means something significant will happen with the three of us.”

“Like what?” Laura asked. “Like we’ll be friends? She said the type of visions she had just consisted of us hanging out.”

“Maybe it could just be that, or it could be bigger. We need to stay in contact with her. A sorcerer’s visions are always important and they should be taken seriously.”

Laura nodded. “We’ll try to find her soon. But for now, just rest and take care of yourself. Even if you’re not in pain right now you still don’t know what made you fall in the first place.”

He nodded. “I’ll do that. Let me know if you find her, okay?” He was suddenly exhausted. He felt his eyelids droop and found it difficult to keep his head up. He gave his head a shake and said, “Crap, my meds are kicking in.”

“We’ll let you rest,” Laura said and she and Ruben walked over to the door. “We’ll try to find Hannah.”

“Thanks,” Peter said before his eyes closed all the way and he quickly fell asleep. Despite telling the doctors he wasn’t in any pain they still gave him a lot of medication in case there were any injuries they could’ve possibly missed and to cast out any dark magic that might not have been detected.

He dreamed of Hannah as he slept. They walked along the beach, laughing, and holding hands. She wore a yellow sundress and had her hair in a bun and her blonde hair was dyed with streaks of red. He was wearing jeans that were rolled up to his ankles and a white shirt. He laughed with Hannah and was so happy to be with her. He wondered where she had been all of his life.

Ruben and Laura were walking ahead of them, holding onto each other. Ruben was wearing a tux for some reason and Laura was wearing a long blue dress and had her hair back in a braid.

Peter suddenly picked up Hannah and spun her around in his arms. She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Ahead, Ruben picked up Laura and ran into the water with her in his arms. She yelled and swatted at him but was laughing. They ran into the water and she splashed water at him.

Peter grinned down at Hannah and her eyes widened.

“Don’t you dare!” she yelled but he was already running in the water with her in his arms. She squealed as they sank into the water and she splashed water at him.

He woke up sometime later, smiling. It was night now, the moonlight streaming in through the window. He settled back in his bed, thinking of that dream.

He didn’t know why Hannah entered his life, but he knew it was important and he wanted to find out why. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

He leaned back in bed and fell back asleep, still exhausted. In the shadows, he was unaware of the dark entity watching him closely, knowing the plan was falling into place.

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