Milayna (30 page)

Chay tried to push past me. I held my arm out to stop him.

“It’s okay.” In my mind, I was visualizing hitting the idiot that slapped me. I turned quickly, hit the guy under the chin with a palm-heel strike, kneed him in the balls, and pushed him away from me.

He lay on the ground, holding his crotch. I walked over to him and crouched down.

“Don’t ever touch me again,” I whispered.

“You’re either fearless or a badass,” Drew said from my side when I’d stood. I didn’t have time to answer. The rest of the demi-demons rushed us.

Before I could turn around, one had me in a bear hug from behind. I elbowed him in the stomach. He let go and I turned, kicking at his balls—always my favorite move on a guy—but he caught my foot and twisted it. I landed on my stomach with a grunt—the concrete ate away the flesh at my elbows.

I pushed myself off the ground and punched behind his knee. He fell next to me. I landed an uppercut. I could feel his teeth clamp together when the hit connected, sending jolts of pain through my hand.

He looked at me with such hatred that I flinched. He got one good backhand to my face in before I rolled, jabbed him in the side, and swung my arms, jumping to my feet.

I was fighting off my doofus of a demi-demon when a heard a commotion to my left. Shouting, scuffling, Chay cursing a violent string of words, a grunt, and then nothing.

The guy I was fighting took advantage of my distraction and got a good hit to my head. I shook off the stars I saw floating in front of my eyes just in time to block his next blow. He threw another punch, and I ducked. He hit nothing but air. It threw him off balance enough that two good kicks had him lying on the ground.

I ran to Chay. There was a group of demi-demons, and I only saw Drew and Jake fighting them, but I knew Chay was in the mix. I’d heard him.

What’s Jake doing here? He had football practice tonight.

The closer I got to the group, the stranger I felt. My stomach swirled like someone was using a hand mixer in it. Around and around it went, scraping the sides of my body. A heat built in my chest and radiated through my body down to my fingers and toes. I looked at my fingers. They looked the same, but they tingled, like how it felt after I’d slept on my hand, when it prickled and tingled.

Pushing my way through the group of demi-demons, I braced myself for them to fight, but they ignored me, too preoccupied by the show in the middle of the circle. When I broke through the circle of people and saw what had their attention, my breath stalled and I was frozen in place. My eyes refused to translate the image I saw to my brain.

Then Jake hit him again and blood flew out of Chay’s mouth and splattered on my leg.

I pushed off as hard as I could and barreled into Jake. He was huge. A football player, he worked out in the weight room regularly. I knew I didn’t have a chance in hell against him, so I was counting on the element of surprise. I barely budged him, but I prevented him from landing another hit on Chay.

“What the hell are you doing?” I screamed.

“Fighting with my team.” He gave me one of his movie-star-handsome smiles.

“Your team? Since when do you fight against us?”

“Since I joined with Azazel.” I just stared at him. Another demi-demon came close and assumed a fighting stance. Jake waved him away. He stepped toward me and cupped my cheek. “Don’t look so surprised.” His body almost touched mine. Not quite, but I could feel his heat. His hand still held the side of my face, and his thumb rubbed over my cheek. “Come with me. You’d have everything you’ve ever dreamed of.” He leaned forward, and his lips skimmed mine. “We’d be good together, Milayna.”

What in the ever-loving hell is going on? Jake, what have you done?

Jake leaned in to kiss me a second time, and I spat in his face. With a growl of disgust, he pushed me away so hard that I landed on my butt—not really a place you wanted to be in a fight. Jumping to my feet, I had just assumed a fighting stance when I heard sirens in the distance. I knew they were coming for us. The demi-demons scattered, disappearing into the night.

I scrambled toward Chay, who was lying on his side on the ground, and Drew, who was facedown a few feet from him. I came to Drew first. For a second, I was paralyzed with fear at what I might find if I touched one of them. I could feel the tears building in my eyes and a ball of pain gathering in my chest. I placed my hand on Drew’s back and let out a huge breath when I felt it move up and down.

Breathing. Good. That’s good.

“Muriel! Jen! Hey!” I motioned them to Drew.

I knelt down to look at what I could see of Drew’s face and jerked back.

Oh no, no! Get someone. Ambulance…

My hands shook as I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. I pushed the button for emergency and slid it across the pavement to Jeff. “Jeff! Ambulance.” He grabbed my phone and gave me a thumbs-up.

Drew. Okay, Jen has him. Chay.

I hurried to Chay. I put my hand on his chest and let out a half laugh, half sob when my hand moved up and down with his breaths. “Chay?” I smoothed his soft, dark hair off his forehead and replaced it with my lips. “Can you hear me?” My breath came in small pants, and my heart thundered in my chest so hard I thought it would burst free.

Please, please be okay.

“Yeah,” Chay muttered.

Okay, okay, he’s talking. That’s good. It’s even a one-word answer. That’s so typically him. So we’re good. Okay.

“Where are you hurt?

“I hurt friggin’ everywhere. Help me up.” Chay started to push himself into a sitting position.

“No, no. I think you should wait for the ambulance before you get up.”

“Crap, Milayna, tell me you didn’t call an ambulance.” He let out a frustrated breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Well, I guess you’re not hurt too badly. Your pissy attitude is still intact. And, yeah, Jeff called an ambulance because while I’m over here talking to you, everyone else is over there, trying to get Drew to wake up. He hasn’t regained consciousness.”

“What?” Chay jumped up. “Whoa.” He held his hands out from his sides. I grabbed him around the waist to support him. “The ground is moving.”

“See, you need to go to the hospital and get checked. You’re dizzy. You might have a concussion.”

“I’m not dizzy. My feet are just wobbly.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, Chay.” I knelt next to Drew. The ambulance had just pulled into the parking lot, and the EMTs were unloading their equipment. “Is he awake?” I looked at Muriel. Her mouth was turned down.

“He answered some questions when we asked him, but he didn’t open his eyes.”

“Move out of the way, kids. Let us through.” The medics shouldered through us.

Muriel, Jen, Jeff, and I watched while the EMTs loaded Chay and Drew into the ambulance.

“What hospital are you taking them to?” Muriel asked.

“St. Mary’s.” The EMT got into the ambulance and it drove out of the parking lot, lights flashing.

***

We followed the ambulance to the hospital. We weren’t allowed to see Drew or Chay because we weren’t family. Pacing the emergency room waiting area, we raided the vending machines and waited, not too patiently, for news. Drew and Chay’s parents met us there and kept us updated on their condition.

It didn’t take long for the doctor to finish his assessment of Chay. He told Chay’s parents that his head CT scan was clear, and his ribs weren’t broken like they feared, but if they wanted to be cautious, the hospital would admit him for a twenty-four-hour observation period, but he really didn’t see the need. I was sure it had more to do with Chay’s unbearable attitude and the doctor’s eagerness to get away from him. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts took Chay home, making me promise to keep them updated on Drew’s condition.

Drew’s parents rarely left his bedside. He still hadn’t opened his eyes, although he would respond to some stimuli. When we asked what was wrong, the nurses would only say a doctor would have to determine his diagnosis. I didn’t like that answer. Around midnight, Drew’s parents sent us home, promising they would contact us as soon as they knew something.

“Now what?” Jeff asked.

We stood in the hospital parking lot, frozen. We didn’t talk, move, I wasn’t sure we even saw what was in front of us, but rather the images of Chay and Drew beaten, bloodied, and unconscious on the ground.

Head trauma. That was what the EMT said in his little walkie-talkie attached to his shirt. I kept hearing it over and over. Head trauma.

I balled my fists at my sides and clenched my teeth so hard that my jaw hurt. One name came to mind when I thought about Drew. And it wasn’t the name people might’ve assumed. It wasn’t Azazel I wanted to see beaten and cowering at my feet. No, it was someone else. Someone we trusted. Someone we thought had our back. Someone who’d pay for this.

Jake.

***

It was no surprise that Drew didn’t make it to school the next day. It was during calculus that my phone vibrated. I dug it out of my pocket and read the text message.

Drew: Sprung! Yay! No more barrel-butt nurse wanting to know how much I peed.

Me: TMI, Drew.

Drew: Yeah, well, it was creepy.

Me: It’s creeping me out thinking about it now.

Chay: I’m not sure I like knowing my friend is talking to my girlfriend about peeing.

Me: I didn’t know this was a three-way. Wait, that came out wrong.

Chay: Ha!

Muriel: It’s a four-way.

Me: And things get even creepier. How long have you been in the convo?

Muriel: Since measuring pee. By the way… gross.

Me: Second that.

Chay: Yeah. Gotta say I could have gone without knowing that.

Drew: Yeah, well, there isn’t much to keep you entertained there.

Me: Everyone want to come over for pizza tonight?

Drew: Yup.

Muriel: Yes. Gotta go.

Chay: Yes. Why?

Me: Good. TTYL.

I clicked out of the conversation. I knew Chay would interrogate me the first chance he got. He was so predictable. As soon as calculus was over, he leaned his hip on the locker next to mine and drummed his thumb against his books. “What’s up with the pizza party tonight?”

“I just want to have a meeting and see how everyone is doing now that Jake’s turned. I worry about Steven.” Shutting my locker, I turned toward Chay.

“I know.” His voice sounded strained, and the skin between his eyes wrinkled. “Me too.”

I pushed off my locker. “You sound funny. Why? Did something happen with Steven?”

“No. Not that I know of, anyway. You have the visions—you tell me.” Chay placed a quick kiss on my nose, and we started toward our English class.

“I haven’t had another vision about anyone turning.”

“So, see, we’re fine. When do we meet at your house?”

“Around six.” I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head that I was missing something. It felt like a brick had fallen into my stomach. And the harder I searched my mind for whatever was nagging at the fringes of my memories, the farther it moved from my reach.

***

The group filed into my house at six o’clock on the nose. When pizza was involved, they were all over it.

“Can we eat and talk? I’m starving,” Steven said, walking through the door.

I smiled. He seemed like his normal self. And I hoped Jake’s turning didn’t affect him like I worried it would.

“It’s on its way. So we have to talk first.”

Steven gave me a disgusted look, and I laughed. Yes, definitely his normal self.

We all sat in the living room. The room was full of noise from everyone talking at once. I stood and cleared my throat—no one paid any attention. “Hey!” I called. No one even glanced in my direction.

“Maybe if we start making out, they’ll pay attention,” Chay said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes. His answer to everything, although I was usually more than willing to oblige. “No?”

“No. The only person’s attention you’d get is my dad’s.”

“Hmm, okay.” Chay let out a loud whistle, and everyone turned and looked at me.

I didn’t waste time on small talk. There was only one question I needed the answer to. So I asked it. “I’ve had another vision. Who’s changing?”

No one answered. I didn’t really need them to. I was gauging their expressions, watching their body language. I couldn’t always see what I was looking for, since some people had a more pronounced tell than others.

As I looked around me, studying each face and body movement, I felt a current of electricity sizzle through the room. It seemed to stretch from me and touch everyone in the room. A wave of panic washed over me, and I stumbled backward a step. Chay’s arm darted out and steadied me.

The electrical impulse didn’t hurt, and I forced myself to take two deep breaths to calm myself. When I started to relax, I remembered what my dad had told me: ‘You can’t read minds, but you will develop the ability to read people’s emotions and perhaps even know what they might do just before they do it.’