Going Down in Flames (Going Down in Flames #1)(64)

Someone moved her arm. Bryn grumbled and attempted to turn over.

“Lie still,” a feminine voice commanded.

A hot sensation filtered through her right arm. She opened her eyes and saw Medic Williams staring intently at her forearm as she retraced an area with her finger.

“What are you doing?”

“You still have a hairline fracture. I’m mending it.”

Bryn could feel the heat in her arm but couldn’t figure out what was happening. “How’re you doing that?”

“Much the same way you change your hair color.”

Busted. “How’d you know?”

“I direct a flow of Quintessence into your body in order to heal you. I can feel where you’ve redirected yours.”

That made sense. Sort of. Either way, the process of healing with Quintessence intrigued her.

The woman ran her fingers over Bryn’s arm one last time. “All done. I wouldn’t recommend flying or competitive sports for a few days.”

“How’d you learn to heal bones?”

“I have a degree in Quintessential Medicine from the Institute. You should check into it. You’re a natural.”

Interesting idea. She moved her arm. “It doesn’t hurt. I feel pretty good. When can I leave?”

“I’d like to observe you one more day.”

Bryn’s stomach growled. “Can I eat?”

“Of course. I’ll send someone for a tray.”

Who would she send? Who would touch her food? “Can we have it tested for poison?”

“I see your point. I’ll send a friend to bring a tray from the dining hall. If they take it from the buffet line, we’ll know it hasn’t been tampered with.”

Half an hour later, Ivy and Clint arrived carrying three trays.

“We thought we’d join you.” Ivy gave Bryn a one-armed hug and then pulled a tray table over to the bed. After placing a tray loaded with chicken strips and fries within reach, Clint sat in the visitor’s chair, balancing a tray on his lap.

“Thanks, guys.” Bryn propped herself up with pillows. The savory scent of fried food made her mouth water.

Ivy sat at the foot of the bed. “How’re you feeling?”

“Tired. Angry. I can’t believe someone tried to kill me.”

“Some students think it’s because of the race,” Clint mumbled through a mouth of food.

“Chew and then talk,” Ivy said. “I don’t understand why they’d think that. It was a fun afternoon. Everyone said so. Everyone but Jaxon.”

Clint wiped his mouth. “I love that Rhianna beat him the second time. You should’ve heard him going on about how he was fatigued from the first race.”

How obnoxious would Jaxon be with a bruised ego? “Poor Rhianna.”

“Keegan came to visit a couple of times while you were sleeping,” Ivy said. “He asked if we’d been able to speak to you.”

While she liked Keegan, her true interest lay in Zavien. “What should I do about Keegan?”

“Date him,” Clint said.

“Ask him who his intended is,” Ivy suggested. “I bet she’s someone younger who’s not at school yet. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be free to date.”

Suddenly, she didn’t feel bad for harboring feelings for Zavien while seeing Keegan.

Ivy touched her arm. “You knew he’d have marital arrangements in place. Didn’t you?”

“I’m still adjusting to the whole arranged marriage thing. I must’ve blocked it out.” She shoved a few French fries in her mouth while she ignored the question her brain screamed for her to ask. Who was Zavien supposed to end up with? He was nineteen. His family would have petitioned for someone. He may already be approved. She pushed her tray away.

“What’s wrong?” Clint asked.

“The topic is killing my appetite.” She winced. Bad word choice. “I should say it’s dulling my appetite.”

“Ask him,” Ivy said. “I don’t know, and if I did, it wouldn’t be my place to tell you.”

“Whenever Keegan stops by, I’ll mention it,” Bryn said.

“I wasn’t talking about Keegan. That’s not who you’re worried about, either.” Ivy pointed at the tray of food. “Eat. You need to get your strength up.”

“Don’t make us go camping without you.” Clint spoke in a mock serious voice.

Camping? Wait, what day was it? She came up blank. Maybe she should start with time of day for better reference. “This is lunch, right?”

“Dinner,” Clint corrected.

“Today is Monday?”

Ivy shook her head. “It’s Wednesday.”

“It’s Wednesday night?” Bryn yelled.

Medic Williams appeared. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Wednesday. How long did I sleep? Why didn’t you wake me?”

The woman took Bryn’s hand. “Even though we purged your system, you had seizures for two days. The first time you were fully conscious was Tuesday. That was last night when you woke and spoke with Zavien and Merrick. You slept all day today until I woke you working on your arm.”

She’d lost three days. “The last thing I remember, it was Sunday. I ate cake. I had seizures and woke up here.”