Chapter 131
Ellie POV
I wake up with the distinct feeling like I’ve been dropped in a pool of acid, everything burning, how, and my body somewhere I didn’t agree to be.
The ceiling above me is too white, too bright, the light humming faintly as it presses against my skull. My head throbs dully, not sharp like before, but heavy, like someone packed it full of wet sand and forgot to take it back out.
I blink a few times, trying to orient myself.
“Holy-” My hand move to my head.
The Infirmary.
The realization settles in slowly, along with the ache in my limbs and the faint taste of metal at the back of my throat. I shift, immediately regretting it when nausea rolls through me in response.
“Easy,” someone says, and a healer steps into view. One of my instructors. “You fainted. Try not to sit up just yet.”
I swallow dry. “What… what happened?”
Oh gods is that what my voice sounds like? It’s rough like I’ve been smoking a pack a day for years.
“We ran a full scan,” she says, already sounding bored with the answer. “No abnormalities. No infection. No neurological indicators. Sometimes the body reacts to prolonged stress like this.”
Stress.
I almost laugh, but it comes out as a weak huff instead. “You’re wrong. Run more. Because that doesn’t make sense.”
She gives me a look that suggests she’s heard that sentence before. “Stress manifests differently in different people.”
“But I’ve been stressed before,” I insist, frustration creeping in despite the fog. “I’ve pulled all-nighters. I’ve gone weeks barely sleeping during exams. I didn’t feel like this.”
She offers a polite, empty smile. “Your vitals are stable. Physically, your healthy. Sorta. Try to rest.
And just like that, she moves on.
I stare up at the ceiling again, my thoughts circling uselessly. Something about the explanation doesn’t sit right.
That can’t be it. Stress wouldn’t make my legs feels like fifty pound weights.
The door opens softly.
I turn my head, expecting another healer, and instead see Lucas step inside.
Relief and confusion hit at the same time.
He crosses the room quickly, worry etched plainly across his face as he pulls a chair close to the bed and sits. “Hey,” he says gently. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a carriage,” I mutter.
That earns a small, strained smile. “You scared everyone.”
Before I can respond, one of the healers reappears, glancing between us. “You’re lucky,” she says to Lucas. “You reacted fast Carried her straight in.”
I frown. “He did?”
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Lucas nods. “Yeah. You just… went down.”
That’s not… how I remember it. Or who, I should say.
I close my eyes briefly, replaying the moment in my head. The training hall. The noise. Dominic’s arm under my hands. His voice saying my name —
“I thought-” I start, then stop. My memory feels slippery, unreliable. “Never mind.”
Lucas notices the hesitation immediately. “What?”
“Nothing,” I say, forcing a small smile. “Thank you. For helping me.”
He reaches out and takes my hand. I let him this time-not like I had a choice-but it was warm, grounding in a way that’s hard to explain.
“You don’t need to thank me. I just want you okay.”
“I am,” I say automatically, even as my body protests the lie. “I think.”
His thumb brushes lightly over my knuckles, concern softening his expression. “Do you need help standing? Wanna get lunch? Can I help?”
I stare at the ceiling and realize slowly, horrifyingly, the feeling in my legs isn’t getting lighter.
My head turns his way. “L…might need some help.”
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