back to grip Beck's hand and then took her hoodie off and laid it over Beck's torso before gripping her fingers again. I cranked the heat higher and tried not to think about Maggie being cold in her camisole.
But when Maggie finally leaned over to put her head on my shoulder and fell asleep, I knew that it was done. The night had ended as well as it could have and my Maggie was spent. Her gift had saved her friends.
I just hoped that we could write off all the weird stuff from Maggie's gift with Beck as just a hallucination. If not, well, we were going to have a problem.
Chapter Five
Maggie
Beck was trying as hard as she could. S he leaned hard on me as we made it up the stairs to our hotel room. Caleb was lugging Ralph behind us in a similar manner. They were better after munching on crackers and downing some Gatorade, just tired.
There could be no hospital visit. We didn't know how closely the Watsons were keeping an eye on things. But it was without a doubt them that did this. Caleb and I both knew it in our guts.
And we weren't taking any chances.
So we lugged them to the hotel and watched them carefully to make sure they were all right. They were talking and walking…sort of. So we assumed they would make it with a lot of rest. We put them straight to bed. It didn't matter that they were dirty.
They were asleep within a minute flat. But the sweetest thing ever? Ralph searched for her with his hands until he found her in the sheets and when he did, he heaved with all his strength to pull her into his chest. I felt all the relief and just everything hit me like a sledgehammer as I watched my two best friends cling to each other in sleep. I felt my eyes well.
Then Caleb' s arms were around me from behind. He moved my short hair out of the way and kissed the back of my neck. "It's over, baby," he whispered, his lips moving on my skin with each word. "You found them. You did good."
I nodded and turned into him. He pulled me right to the bed, our clothes on and all, and laid me in the covers. I kicked my shoes off as he kicked off his. He climbed in with me and wrapped me up just like Ralph was doing to Beck.
She was safe, he was safe.
I sighed into Caleb's chest and went right to sleep.
I was awakened with the sound of the shower. I peeked up to find myself alone in the bed. Beck and Ralph were still passed out in the next bed. More like sprawled like the dead. I smiled.
They were safe.
I woke with the blanket up to my chin and an unnatural warmth in the room. We never turned on the air when we came in last night. I threw the blanket off and went to turn on the air, to stir the stale room and make it easier to breath e . The steam pouring from under the door wasn't helping things.
I checked both Rebecca and Ralph's breathing - ridiculous, I know - and then stopped at the bathroom door. I thought about knocking. I thought about just bursting in. With my hand poised on the old brass knob, I remember ed straddling the line w ith him. I felt my cheeks pink with pleasure and a blush, too. I couldn’t lie about that. It was all so new, but so welcomed and my body was calm an d inviting it.
So I compromised. I knocked gently, but opened the door without waiting for an answer. I heard him say, "Hey."
"Hey. Couldn't sleep?" I went to the mirror and wiped it with a hand towel.
"Nah. Dad texted me and woke me up. He's…kinda pissed."
The frosted glass was obscuring my view just enough to keep me from making him out behind the door. I could tell he was washing his hair though. "What for?"
"Well, apparently, running off with the Visionary into the mountains alone isn't what is proper of the Champion of our clan." His voice was mocking. He was pissed at his dad, too. I hated that. I hopped up on the counter.
"I'm sorry. You did it for me."
"I'm not complaining. He just can't understand sometimes, especially over the phone, that I'm not a fifteen year old boy anymore that needs to be fed the rules
But when Maggie finally leaned over to put her head on my shoulder and fell asleep, I knew that it was done. The night had ended as well as it could have and my Maggie was spent. Her gift had saved her friends.
I just hoped that we could write off all the weird stuff from Maggie's gift with Beck as just a hallucination. If not, well, we were going to have a problem.
Chapter Five
Maggie
Beck was trying as hard as she could. S he leaned hard on me as we made it up the stairs to our hotel room. Caleb was lugging Ralph behind us in a similar manner. They were better after munching on crackers and downing some Gatorade, just tired.
There could be no hospital visit. We didn't know how closely the Watsons were keeping an eye on things. But it was without a doubt them that did this. Caleb and I both knew it in our guts.
And we weren't taking any chances.
So we lugged them to the hotel and watched them carefully to make sure they were all right. They were talking and walking…sort of. So we assumed they would make it with a lot of rest. We put them straight to bed. It didn't matter that they were dirty.
They were asleep within a minute flat. But the sweetest thing ever? Ralph searched for her with his hands until he found her in the sheets and when he did, he heaved with all his strength to pull her into his chest. I felt all the relief and just everything hit me like a sledgehammer as I watched my two best friends cling to each other in sleep. I felt my eyes well.
Then Caleb' s arms were around me from behind. He moved my short hair out of the way and kissed the back of my neck. "It's over, baby," he whispered, his lips moving on my skin with each word. "You found them. You did good."
I nodded and turned into him. He pulled me right to the bed, our clothes on and all, and laid me in the covers. I kicked my shoes off as he kicked off his. He climbed in with me and wrapped me up just like Ralph was doing to Beck.
She was safe, he was safe.
I sighed into Caleb's chest and went right to sleep.
I was awakened with the sound of the shower. I peeked up to find myself alone in the bed. Beck and Ralph were still passed out in the next bed. More like sprawled like the dead. I smiled.
They were safe.
I woke with the blanket up to my chin and an unnatural warmth in the room. We never turned on the air when we came in last night. I threw the blanket off and went to turn on the air, to stir the stale room and make it easier to breath e . The steam pouring from under the door wasn't helping things.
I checked both Rebecca and Ralph's breathing - ridiculous, I know - and then stopped at the bathroom door. I thought about knocking. I thought about just bursting in. With my hand poised on the old brass knob, I remember ed straddling the line w ith him. I felt my cheeks pink with pleasure and a blush, too. I couldn’t lie about that. It was all so new, but so welcomed and my body was calm an d inviting it.
So I compromised. I knocked gently, but opened the door without waiting for an answer. I heard him say, "Hey."
"Hey. Couldn't sleep?" I went to the mirror and wiped it with a hand towel.
"Nah. Dad texted me and woke me up. He's…kinda pissed."
The frosted glass was obscuring my view just enough to keep me from making him out behind the door. I could tell he was washing his hair though. "What for?"
"Well, apparently, running off with the Visionary into the mountains alone isn't what is proper of the Champion of our clan." His voice was mocking. He was pissed at his dad, too. I hated that. I hopped up on the counter.
"I'm sorry. You did it for me."
"I'm not complaining. He just can't understand sometimes, especially over the phone, that I'm not a fifteen year old boy anymore that needs to be fed the rules
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