Surviving
2571 Words
Olivia's POV
I’m in and out of consciousness. Voices drift in and out around me, distant and muffled, like I’m underwater.
I try to focus on what they’re saying, but everything feels blurred. I can only make out pieces of the conversation.
“...shouldn't speak about your Luna...”
My eyebrows pull together. Luna? What does he mean?
I try to force my eyes open, but my eyelids feel extremely heavy. The voices fade again. Then there’s silence. Well, almost complete silence. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The steady sound is the first thing I truly recognize.
My head throbs, I could feel it pulsating. My entire body aches as if I had been hit by a truck. My throat is dry, and even breathing feels uncomfortable. I slowly try to open my eyes. Bright white light immediately floods my vision. I squint and turn my head away.
“Where...?” My voice comes out barely beyond a whisper.
I try again. “Where am I?” Nothing. Panic begins creeping into my chest. I force my eyes open again, slowly adjusting to the light above me. A memory flashes through my mind. Fighting. Screaming. Darkness
I gasp. The memory disappears before I can grab onto it.
“What... happened?” I try to move, but pain shoots through my body. A groan escapes my lips.
“Olivia?”
I freeze. That voice. I know that voice.
“Olivia, are you awake?”
My eyes slowly move toward the chair beside my bed. James. He's sitting there with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together. His hair is messy, and there are dark circles underneath his eyes. He looks exhausted and scared.
“James?” My voice cracks.
He immediately stands.
“Yeah. Yeah, Liv. I'm here.” He moves closer, but stops beside the bed. Tears began to fill his eyes. “It's me.”
I stare at him for a moment before everything inside me breaks.
“James...”
He reaches for my hand. I let him take it. His fingers tighten around mine.
“I’m so sorry, Liv.” His voice trembles. “I should've protected you. I should've done more. I should've—”
“Stop.” He looks at me. “This isn't your fault.”
“But—”
“No, you didn't do this to me.” My voice is weak, but I mean every word.
James looked away. I see him wiping his face.
“You didn't do this,” I repeat.
He nods, but I can tell he doesn't believe me.
I take a shaky breath. “What happened?”
James looks back at me.
“What?”
“After I passed out.”
His expression changes just slightly. But enough that I noticed.
“What happened after I passed out?”
“You don't remember?” he said.
I stare at him.
“I remember pieces.”
His face goes pale.
“What pieces?”
I close my eyes. Images begin flashing through my mind. I open my eyes again.
“They're going to come after me.”
James immediately stiffens.
“Who?”
“My dad, your mom, even Avery.” My breathing quickens. “They're going to come.”
“Liv, you're safe.”
“No, I'm not!” I try to sit up. Pain shoots through my side. I cry out and grab my ribs.
James immediately reached for me.
“Whoa, whoa. Don't move.”
“We have to leave.”
“Olivia—”
“We have to leave now!” My heart is racing. “They'll find me.”
“Liv, listen to me.”
“They WILL kill me this time!”
James grabs my shoulders gently.
“Olivia, calm down.”
“Don't tell me to calm down!” Tears begin streaming down my face. “We need to get out of here. We need to run before they find us.”
James looks toward the door.
“Liv, we're no longer at—”
The door slowly creaks open. My entire body freezes. Someone is coming. My brain doesn't even have time to process it.
My body reacts first. I scramble backward, pressing myself against the headboard. “No.” The door opens further. “Please—” My hands fly over my head. “I'm sorry!”
James turns toward me. “Olivia!”
“I'll never do it again!” My voice cracks. “Please forgive me! I'll be good!”
Footsteps approach slowly. I squeeze my eyes shut. Then I hear a voice so soft and gentle.
“Olivia?”
I slowly lower my arms. My breathing is still uneven. I open my eyes. Jackson stands in the doorway. James's best friend.
His expression is completely different from what I saw when I first saw him. He isn't smiling. He's staring at me like he's afraid one wrong movement will make me fall apart.
“Jackson?”
He nods.
“Hello Oliva.”
A shaky breath leaves my lungs. I didn't even realize I'd been holding it in. The moment I recognize him, something inside me breaks.
I start crying. Not the quiet kind of crying. I'm sobbing. I cover my face with my hands as my entire body shakes.
Jackson takes one step forward. Then stops.
“Can I come closer?”
I nod.
He slowly walks over and crouches beside the bed. “You're okay.”
I shake my head.
“No, I'm not.”
“I know.”
He doesn't try to tell me that everything is fine and, for some reason, that makes me cry harder. James sits beside me.
Neither of them speaks. For a few moments, the only sound in the room was my crying and the machine beside my bed.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Eventually, I wiped my face and calmed down a little bit.
“What happened?”
James looks at Jackson. Jackson looks back at him. That look again. The same look James gave me when I asked what happened the first time. They're hiding something.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing,” James says.
I stare at him.
“Don't lie to me.”
“I'm not.”
“Yes, you are.”
James opens his mouth, but no words come out. I look at Jackson.
“Did something happen?”
He looks away. My heart begins pounding again.
“What aren't you telling me?”
“Olivia,” Jackson says carefully, “you've been through a lot.”
“I know.”
“You need to rest.”
“I need answers.”
Jackson sighs. James reaches for my hand.
“Liv, you almost died.”
I go completely still.
“What?”
James looks down.
“You lost a lot of blood.”
My stomach twists.
“How much?”
He doesn't answer.
“How much, James?”
“Enough that the doctors weren't sure you were going to make it.”
I stare at him.
Suddenly, the room feels colder. I look down at my arms. Bruises. Cuts. Bandages. An IV. I don't remember any of it.
“How long have I been here?”
James hesitates.
“Three days.”
My eyes widen.
“Three days?”
He nods.
I stare at the ceiling. Three days. I've been unconscious for three days. Then another thought hits me.
“Who found me?”
Neither of them answers. My eyes move between them.
“James?”
He looks at Jackson.
“Who found me?”
Jackson finally speaks.
“We did.”
“You?”
“And James.”
I stare at them.
“Where?”
Another pause.
“Olivia—”
“Where did you find me?”
James closes his eyes.
“When we got to you, you were already on the verge of going unconscious. You said your final words to your dad and passed out.”
“What?”
He doesn't answer.
“James.”
His eyes meet mine.
“You don't remember?”
I shake my head.
“No.”
Jackson slowly stands.
“We should let her rest.”
I look at him.
“No.”
He stops.
“I want to know more.”
“Know more about what?”
“What happened?”
Jackson's jaw tightens.
“Not tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because you're not ready.”
“How do you know?”
He doesn't respond. I look between the two of them. There's something here. Something they're not saying. Something bigger than what happened to me. Then I remember the voices from earlier. My eyebrows furrow.
“I heard you.”
James looks confused.
“Heard what?” they both ask.
“People talking outside”
His expression changes.
“What were they saying?”
“I couldn't hear everything.”
I pause.
“But I heard something about healing.”
Jackson goes completely still.
“And something about a Luna.”
The room becomes silent. Not normal silence. The kind of silence that makes your stomach drop. I look at James. Then Jackson.
“What?”
Neither of them moves.
“What is wrong with the Luna?”
James's face suddenly loses all color.
Jackson looked toward the door.
“James?”
He doesn't answer.
“What's going on?”
Finally, James looks at me. His eyes are filled with something I can't explain. Fear. Not fear for me. Fear of something.
“Liv,” he says quietly.
“What?”
“There are some things you need to know.”
My heart pounds harder.
“Then tell me.”
He looks at Jackson. Jackson shakes his head almost imperceptibly. James looks back at me.
“You're not supposed to know about any of this yet.”
My stomach twists.
“About what?”
He doesn't answer.
“James.”
He takes a shaky breath.
“About who you are.”
I stare at him.
“What does that mean?”
He looks like he regrets saying anything at all. Before he can answer, the door suddenly opens.
A woman wearing a white coat walks inside. She looks at James. Then Jackson. Then me. The woman in the white coat steps closer to my bed. I recognize her voice. Dr. Blake. She was the one I heard earlier. Well, I guess not earlier, but 3 days ago.
I stare at her, no one is saying anything. I narrowed my eyes.
“Why is everyone being so weird?”
James reaches for my hand.
“Liv, you just woke up. You don't need to worry about all of this right now.”
“I think I do.”
I pull my hand away.
“I've been unconscious for three days. I wake up in a hospital I don't recognize, surrounded by people I barely know, and everyone keeps talking about things I apparently don't know anything about.”
James looks down. I turn toward Jackson.
“And you.” He looked at me. "What were you going to say before the Doctor walked in?"
“I don't want to overwhelm you.”
“Then tell me what's going on.”
He takes a step closer.
“You're safe.”
“That isn't an answer.”
“I know.”
“Then give me one.”
Jackson looks toward Dr. Blake. She gives him a small nod. He looks back at me.
“You were brought here because you were badly injured.”
I almost laughed.
“I know that, Jackson.”
He nods.
“But you were also given wolfsbane for a long time.”
My expression changes. “I know.”
“You do?”
I stare at him.
“What do you mean, you know??”
I take a breath.
“The wolfsbane wasn't just keeping me from shifting. It was slowing down my body's ability to heal.” I looked down at my hands.
“So that's why I never healed properly.”
“Yes,” Dr. Blake chimed in.
I think about all the times I have been hurt. All the bruises. All the cuts. All the broken bones. I swallow.
James and Jackson exchange another look. There it is again. They're hiding something.
“What?”
Jackson shakes his head.
“Nothing.”
“Don't lie to me.”
He sighs.
“Your wolf is still weak because of the wolfsbane. Once it's completely out of your system, she should become stronger.”
My heart skips.
“She?”
Jackson nods.
“Your wolf.”
I look away.
“Her name is Onyx.”
Both James and Jackson look surprised.
“You remember her?” James asks.
“I've met her before.” I pause. “Only once.”
Jackson's expression softens.
“She's still there.”
I nod. For some reason, hearing that makes me feel a little less alone. Then I remember the conversation I overheard.
My eyes move toward the door.
“What about the Luna?”
Jackson freezes. James looks at him. Dr. Blake suddenly becomes very interested in the chart in her hands. I sit up slightly.
“Why does everyone keep getting quiet when I say that word?”
Nobody answers.
“Is there a Luna here?”
Silence.
“Does this pack have one?”
Still nothing. I look at James. “You know something.” He shakes his head.
“I don't.”
“James.”
“I swear.”
I turn toward Jackson.
“And you?”
He looks at me for a long moment.
“I know something.”
My heart pounds.
“What?”
He steps closer to my bed. “But it's not a secret I'm ready to tell.”
I stare at him.
“What does that mean?”
“You'll understand eventually.”
“Eventually?” I scoff.
“Everyone keeps telling me I'll understand eventually. I don't want eventually. I want answers now.”
Jackson's eyes soften.
“I know.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can't.”
I look away, frustrated.
“Fine.” Nobody speaks. I close my eyes and try to breathe. Maybe I'm imagining everything. Maybe I'm just exhausted.
Maybe I'm still confused by everything that happened. But then I hear footsteps outside my door. Multiple people. Whispering.
I can't make out everything they're saying. But one word catches my attention.
“Luna.”
My eyes snap open. Jackson immediately looked toward the door. James does the same. I look between them.
“Why are they calling someone Luna?”
Jackson's jaw tightens.
“Don't worry about it.”
I stare at him.
“That's exactly what everyone keeps telling me.”
The footsteps continue down the hallway. The voices slowly fade. I look back at Jackson. He looks worried. Not for himself but for me. And somehow, that scares me more because whatever everyone is keeping from me has to be about me. I just don't know what it is yet. I sink back against the pillow and close my eyes. I don't know who these people are. I don't know why they keep whispering about a Luna. And I definitely don't know why Jackson looks at me like I'm something precious. But I'm going to find out. I might not know it now, but I will eventually. Even if I have to uncover the truth myself.
TBC...
- Writer
