Galdoni Read Free

couldn’t see anything
past the black blur. “Where am I?”
    “ My friend Nikko’s house.
My brother Jayce, Nikko, and I found you in the alley. There was so
much blood I thought you'd die, but Nikko’s dad’s a doctor. He came
to help when we got you back here.” I heard the scrape of a chair
across a wooden floor. “Nikko told me to call him as soon as you
woke up. Dr. Ray had to teach a class, but he'll be
back.”
    I grabbed where I guessed her hand would be
and found her fingers. She let out a small squeak of surprise but I
didn’t let go. I fought back nausea at the pain rolling in waves to
the point that I almost blacked out again. “Wait,” I managed to get
out.
    She held very still until the pain cleared
enough that I could think again. I realized that my hold on her
fingers was a lot harder than I intended and loosened my grip.
“Sorry. It’s just. . . .” I couldn’t find the words to describe the
way my heart pounded at the thought of strangers I couldn’t see
filling the room.
    She seemed to guess my thoughts. “You can
trust us. We brought you here because it’s safe.” I let go of her
fingers and she stepped back. Her footsteps seemed to hesitate,
then a door opened and they faded away.
    The need to escape pulsed through my veins.
I tried to sit up again and fought back tears as the weight of my
bandaged wings pulled against the wounds. A splint kept my wounded
knee straight. I eased it to the ground, then gritted my teeth and
pushed up against the bed.
    The second my weight settled on my knee, it
collapsed under me and I fell to the floor. A cry broke from my
lips as I hit the ground. I rolled to the side and fought to keep
from losing control as wave after wave of pain and nausea coursed
through my body. Hurried footsteps rushed down the hall. Muffled
voices spoke quickly, but I couldn’t make out the words past the
roar in my ears. Darkness swarmed my mind and I gratefully gave in
to it.

Chapter Two
     
    Voices whispered in a low cadence nearby.
Instinct kept me still as I slowly regained consciousness.
    “ . . . dangerous, what
with the police declaring them suspects. You should turn him
in.”
    “ He’s hurt, Dad, almost
dead. You said yourself he shouldn't have made it through the
night. Now you want to hand him over to them? They'd probably just
let him die.”
    A few moments of silence, then, “You're
putting everyone at risk.”
    “ We know the danger.
Everyone's had a say, but something doesn’t feel right about all of
this. Until they give us more information, he should stay. Please
keep helping him.”
    A sigh. “Alright, but you need to be
careful. Keep the door locked and don't let anyone in. He's still
dangerous.” The door opened and closed behind them and their voices
faded away.
    “ They’re gone,” a soft
voice whispered close by.
    I jumped in surprised, then clenched my jaw
against the pain.
    A hand touched my shoulder. I fought not to
shy away from it. “Sorry,” she said, her tone genuine.
    I opened my eyes and found to my relief that
the darkness had lessened somewhat. I could make out a dim shape
near the bed that moved with the sound of a chair creaking in
protest. “How did you-” The words came out rusty.
    Her voice showed her smile. “When you’re
awake, you breathe shallow because of your ribs.”
    I noted that for the future. “You’re
quiet.”
    “ I’ve made an art of it.”
Her tone softened but she didn't expound. She turned away and my
throat burned at the sound of water being poured. “You must be
thirsty. Dr. Ray said you could drink as much as you wanted when
you woke up.”
    A straw touched my lips and I sucked
gratefully at the water until I heard a gurgle of air.
    “ Wow, thirsty,” she said.
“I’ll get you some more.”
    I shook my head, then put a hand to it to
stop the spinning. “No, I’m okay.” I pushed up from the bed, slower
this time.
    “ What are you doing?” she
asked in alarm.
    I held my ribs and leaned