CHAPTER THIRTEEN
1111 Words
Chapter 13
Grace
I didn't say anything. He turned and walked away, his silhouette disappearing into the dim light of the bar's upper floor.
I looked at the table, where the glass sat.
I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn't this. I looked at my hands, but there was no evidence of the magic I just experienced mere minutes ago.
I pressed my wrists, looking at the place where the glow had been strongest. The skin looked normal now, but I could still feel the vibration, I felt powerful in a way I hadn't felt in my entire life.
I also felt scared, I didn't understand this power, I didn't want it. Why was this happening to me?
I stayed seated, completely ignoring the low murmurs coming from the riders.
A soft tap sounded on the counter and I looked up.
"Grace?" It was Jinx. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet. "You are... upset. I brought some actual food. Not the bar stuff."
I didn't move. I didn't want to talk to him, I wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Go away, Jinx," I said, my voice sounding hollow.
"Look, I know he can be a prick," Jinx said, taking a seat beside me. "But he’s trying to keep the lid on, Grace. You have no idea how much pressure is building up out there."
"I know exactly how much pressure there is," I whispered, looking down at my hands.
I tried to tap into whatever it was that flared up earlier, I closed my eyes and reached for it and the cups on the counter rattled.
"Grace? You okay? The air feels... weird."
"I'm fine," I lied, pulling the power back inside me. "Just leave the food. I'll eat it later."
I heard him sigh, the sound of a tray being pushed towards me, and then his receding footsteps.
I was alone again, but for the first time in my life, the silence wasn't empty.
I remained sitting at the same spot while the bar moved around me. The riders got busy tidying up and set to welcome customers.
“Um… Grace?” I looked up to see Jinx fidgeting with his fingers. “I know you want to be alone right now, but I think you should go see the doctor”
“I told you, I'm fine. I'll go see her when—”
“Your arm is bleeding” he blurted out and I looked at my arm to see my shirt was soaked through with blood.
I hadn't noticed or felt it, I didn't even know how long it had been like that. It was weird, the arm was supposed to have scabbed over by now but the wound was refusing to close.
I stood up and stretched. “Let's go.”
He looked genuinely surprised that I asked him to come with me. “I don't know where her office is located,” I said with a pointed look.
“Oh, right!” He laughed a little to himself.
I glanced at the food he'd brought me and then at him, apologetically and he just shook his head, signifying it was alright. I didn't bother grabbing the phone on the counter and we both walked out. It was dark out now, I didn't even notice the sun had set or the fact that there were more people inside Venom.
The town felt different today. Every person I passed seemed to be watching me with a kind of predatory curiosity. I felt the weight of the gun tucked into the back of my waistband, a heavy piece of cold metal that offered a fake sense of security. I didn't know how to use it yet, but the weight reminded me that I wasn't ready to be a victim.
They were all living under the protection of a man who was older than the country, and I was the variable that was going to ruin their peace, so I understood their looks.
"Is there anyone he actually listens to?" I asked. "Anyone who can tell him he’s being a stubborn, overbearing prick?" There was no need to tell Jinx the ‘he’ I was referring to.
"Mara," Jinx said immediately. "The doctor. She’s the only one who can get him to sit still for more than five minutes. You want the truth without the drama, have a talk with her. But fair warning, she doesn't sugarcoat anything, she’ll tell you exactly how you’re going to die if you don't follow the rules."
"Lovely," I muttered. "A town full of sunshine and roses."
"Hey, we have a bar," Jinx joked, running in front of me so he could walk backwards. "And the best grilled cheese in three counties. It’s not all doom and gloom.”
“How nice, thank goodness I chose this fine town for my vacation”
He burst out laughing “sarcasm is really your thing, isn't it?”
I shrugged and laughed with him. I felt slightly better than I did earlier, so I continued the conversation with him as we walked.
The clinic was a clean, white-painted building that looked out of place among the rest of the town. I pushed the door open and was greeted by the sharp, sterile scent of antiseptic. It was the first thing that felt familiar since I got here.
We walked inside and a woman I assumed was Mara was standing by a glass cabinet, organizing vials. She didn't look up when I entered.
“You’re late,” she said, her voice steady.
“I didn't know I had an appointment,” I replied, stopping a few feet away.
She turned around, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. She didn't look old, but her eyes held a depth that made Kent's two hundred years look like two decades.
She seemed to glow under the white bulb in the clinic, her eyes the most beautiful shade of blue I had ever seen. Was this a Marked thing? Looking otherworldly?
She pointed to a high exam table. “Sit. Jinx told me you were stubborn, but I didn't expect you to let a sepsis risk walk around my town for two weeks.”
“I’m fine,” I said, even as I climbed onto the table.
“You’re a biochemist, aren't you?” Mara said, putting on gloves. “So you know the risks”
I merely hummed, it seemed everything about me had been broadcasted across the town.
“Relax, only the inner circle knows about you” she said as if reading my mind and started cutting away the sleeve of my shirt.
- Writer
