Burn Bright by Bethany Frenette
Author:Bethany Frenette
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction - Young Adult
Publisher: Disney Book Group
The next few hours were a blur, a patchwork of moments stitched together, full of worried faces, voices speaking rapidly, sharp light above me, the sterile hospital smell of disinfectant. I drifted in and out of consciousness, retreating into the safety of slumber whenever I could. I woke in Leon’s arms, shifted, hid my face in his shoulder, slept again. Later, I stirred to the sound of my name. Feeling warm and drowsy, I nodded numbly to questions that seemed to come from far away. I registered that I was in the emergency room, that a nurse was speaking to me. Mechanically, I obeyed his instructions. My awareness divided into small, separate details: the nurse’s voice, low and soothing; the pale blue fabric of his scrubs; the cool feel of metal; the far-off sound of footsteps. I watched everything with detachment. X-rays were taken, tests were run. I had no broken bones, but my left arm needed stitches. My coat and shirt were ruined, slashed in several places, stained brown with blood. My mother arrived, looking pale and frantic. She hugged me tightly, then immediately began interrogating the hospital staff. Finally, it was determined that my injuries were superficial and I wouldn’t need to be admitted. I was given pain medication and sent home.
At home, there were more questions.
The feeling of unreality followed me. We went into the kitchen, where Mom led me to a chair. She crouched before me, tucked my hand in hers, and asked what had happened. My throat was raw, and speech was difficult. I answered in whispers and hisses. Then weariness descended once more, a heavy gray fog that filled my senses. My eyelids slid closed. I fought them open; they closed again. And then the dreams began.
In the dreams, I saw Susannah. I saw her smile, saw her tilt her head. Her hair was a cascade of fire that burned down her back. She shut her eyes, stepped out of her human skin. Her flesh melted away, pooling like mercury. She became formless, abstract, endless. But her presence remained. She was the watchful darkness Beneath. She was red stars shining above a barren street.
Daniel stood beside me.
“What were you trying to tell me?” I asked.
He lifted a finger to his lips. “She’s listening,” he said.
And then “I’m sorry.” His cold hand clutched mine.
When I woke again, I was in my bed. Morning light filtered through the blinds, warm on my face. I lay there a moment, feeling groggy and disoriented, then sat and blinked away sleep. Pain raced up my arm when I moved, but I swung myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom, pausing at the mirror. I grimaced. My neck was bruised, my left arm swollen and bandaged. Dark circles had formed under my eyes. My hair was so ratty and snarled it would have been an insult to birds to call it a nest.
“How are you feeling?” Mom asked when I trudged downstairs. She was at the kitchen table eating cereal, but rose when I entered.
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