caged 00 - complete series by Kellie McAllen

Author:Kellie McAllen [McAllen, Kellie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lounge Chair Literature
Published: 2017-12-25T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

I sat on the floor between their beds for five days, alternating between them with a wet cloth, an ice pack, or a glass of water as Phoenix and Griffin recuperated from their injuries.

No one dared insist that I return to class. Sarah brought me my homework, and one of the cafeteria workers brought us trays of food.

A doctor stopped by to check on the boys at least once a day. They hadn’t gone to the hospital — there would be no way to explain the cause of their injuries. But the school had an arrangement with a doctor who made sure students got the medical attention they needed.

Jaxson convalesced under lock and key in a special room on campus. I went to see him once, just to appease my own guilt. He had a concussion, just like the twins, but he would be okay. I didn’t stay long enough for him to apologize; I’m not even sure if he intended to.

Phoenix had two cracked ribs, and bruises bloomed across his back in large, black and purple splotches. Griffin had a huge knot on his head and a dazed look on his face, but the rest of his body was okay.

They slept for most of the first two days, and didn’t say or do much for the next two, but by the fifth day, they were wide awake and growing restless. The doctor discouraged them from doing anything too stimulating, said their brains needed to rest, so I set out to find some kind of mindless amusement to keep us all from going insane.

I returned several minutes later with a board game under my arm. I knew something had changed the minute I walked into the room and saw their faces. They immediately stopped talking and glanced back and forth between themselves with a mix of fear, guilt, and hope flashing across their identical features.

I set down the game and raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

More furtive glances. Finally, Phoenix spoke up.

“We don’t want to play any more games, Lexus.”

Tension hung in the air, and I tilted my head in confusion. Why did I think they were talking about something other than Monopoly?

“Let’s go for a walk outside or something,” Griffin suggested. “I could use some fresh air.”

“Oookaaay. Phoenix, can you handle walking?”

“Sure, I’m fine,” he said, but gasped when he tried to pull himself off the bed. Griffin and I both rushed to help him.

Phoenix draped an arm around each of our shoulders to take the weight off his ribs, and the three of us hobbled down the stairs and out into the yard. The bright light stung our eyes after so many days inside.

“Do you want to walk through the garden? It’s really pretty,” I suggested.

They nodded, and I led them towards the path that Jaxson had shown me, the one that ended at the fountain. I tried not to let the awful memory of that day sour the beauty of it.

“Wow, this is gorgeous,” Griffin said, glancing around at the pink and red flowers spilling out of the planters.

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