Twinepathy (Part 41): A Bit of Trouble

Hullo, everyone! Well, look who missed two parts… I didn’t mean to hold you in terrible suspense, but… it kind of happened. Sorry (sort of)! 😉 New? Part one is here.

The fuzziness clears – will I ever get used to this? – and I look around in surprise. A light breezes waves little strands of loose hair off my face, and palm branches flutter slightly overhead.

I jump in surprise as cool ocean water splashes against my ankles, soaking my tennis shoes. The water pulls back and buries my feet in the wet sand. It’s nearly impossible to get my feet out of the sand without my shoes coming off, but somehow I manage and slog over to where Blaze is. He’s laying Ezra out on the hot sand and is checking her over.

“Why are we here? Shouldn’t we go to headquarters?” I ask grumpily. My hands ache like crazy. My shoes are fairly new, and now they’re covered in mud. I may not be a girly-girl like Brooklyn, but unnecessary waste like this is… wasteful.

“We will be going to headquarters,” Blaze growls through gritted teeth. “I just want to make sure she’s alive.”

The blood drains out of my face. I hadn’t considered the fact that Ezra might be dead. I’d just assumed she was unconscious. I’m suddenly very grateful that Denver’s not here. What would he say? Probably nothing, he’d probably be hyperventilating. My legs get weak and wobbly, so I kneel down next to Blaze. “Is she okay?”

He nods, sitting back on his heels. “Her pulse is fine, I think, so she’ll probably be okay. I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but I’m not a doctor or anything.”

No, he’s not. Neither am I, but I can tell that something’s wrong, from her unconsciousness and pale, bruised face. I really hope she’ll be okay. “So let’s go to headquarters.”

Blaze nods, and after a second, we’re kneeling on the icy floor of Jen’s office. Jen is heading towards the door, but she stops in surprise when she sees us. She recovers almost instantly and hurries over to us, kneeling next to Ezra. Jen’s hand flies to her ear. “Com, cancel the call for Trav and bring in Medic. Volt is here, 33. Tell Pop and company that Jazz and Blaze are back.”

Jen closes her eyes, inhaling slowly, deeply, calmly, and places her hands on Ezra’s arm. I notice a few small flashes of blue light where her hands are touching Ezra, but that might be my imagination, since nothing else changes. Jen removes her hands with a frown on her face.

The door opens, and a boy enters. He’s skinny, which makes me think of Maddie, and I’d guess he’s about her age, too. He kneels down next to Jen, only giving Blaze and me a passing glance.

“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Jen says, smiling at him encouragingly and ruffling his hair. I’m shocked by how casual and laid back she is with Ezra lying unconscious on the floor in front of her. I’m about to give some kind of snippy remark when Blaze nudges me and gives a pointed look in the boy’s direction. I get the message: this is for the boy’s benefit, for whatever reason, so I keep my mouth shut, for once.

“She just has some chloroform in her system,” Jen begins. “If you can get that out, and heal the bruises, that would be great.”

The boy nods and places his hands on Ezra. Her face gets a little less pale, and the bruises disappear. He removes his hands and looks at Jen for approval.

“Great job, Medic,” Jen says in a fake solemn voice with a smile. “You’re free to go.”

“Wait,” Blaze says, gently grabbing my wrist. Medic pauses, looking between the two of us, and Jen lifts an eyebrow. Blaze turns my hand over, revealing my raw, bloody palm. “You might as well take care of Jazz’s hands while you’re here.”

Medic hesitates, but a nod from Jen is enough to make him come over. He gently touches both of my palms, as if he thinks I’m going to break. The torn skin moves back into place and fuses together in a slow, mesmerizing pattern that should be disgusting but really isn’t. He also touches my knuckles where I punched the guy, and the bruises disappear. He gives me a shy, adorable smile and hurries out of the room after another nod from Jen.

Ezra shifts slightly on the floor, her eyelashes fluttering as a soft moan escapes from her lips. Jen lays a gentle hand on her arm. “Now that that’s taken care of, we can talk.”

I have a feeling this might not be pleasant.