Pure Blood

  Chapter 35

  A few days later, they released Holidee, but she stayed in the hospital. The staff had let Mer stay in Crix’ room. Holidee had seen Zeke, who they had released a day before her. He had suffered from shock. Rip was in Crix’ room. Rebekah and her parents arrived not that long ago and waited to see him. Only two people were allowed in the room at one time. Mac had come and stayed in the waiting room, along with Zeke’s mom and Tom’s mom. Zeke and Holidee wanted to visit Tom. They opened the door slowly, but didn’t see him in his bed. They walked into the room and looked around. Then they saw him. Tom was huddled up in the corner of the room, a bandage wrapped around his head. He couldn’t see them, but he heard them and he was looking right at them.

  “Tom?” Zeke walked toward his friend. “Tom, it’s me, Zeke.” Tom didn’t say anything. He didn’t move either. “Holidee’s here with me. We wanted to see how you were doing.” Zeke went to touch Tom’s shoulder, but Tom shrank away from him. Zeke retreated and looked at Holidee, who stepped forward.

  “Tom? It’s Holidee. Why won’t you talk to us?” Holidee knelt down in front of Tom. “Tom, it’s okay.” She touched his face gently with her hand. He jumped at first, but then felt its warmth and relaxed.

  “I can’t see you.”

  “But you can hear us. We’re here, Tom. You don’t have to be afraid.”

  “But I am. They said I’ll never be able to see again.” He turned his head toward Holidee. “I’m permanently blind.” Holidee looked at Zeke, who she thought would go into shock again. Then she wrapped an arm around Tom and hugged him. She leaned close to his ear and whispered.

  “You can still see. You have a full Oceain soul in you. Look for the ocean, Tom. It will guide you now. I’m here. Trust in me.” Holidee helped Tom stand up. Then he hugged Zeke, who embraced his friend back.

  “We’re here for you, Buddy. Through thick or thin.” Tom wanted to cry but couldn’t. He realized that he was very lucky to have friends like Zeke and Holidee.

  “Thanks.” Then they left him alone with his thoughts. Holidee was still worried about Crix’ condition. It had not changed over the days and the doctors were getting less hopeful.

  One night, while everyone was sleeping, Holidee stayed up and hummed a little tune, while holding Crix’ hand. Mer had gone to sleep in a bed for the first time in days. Zeke was in Tom’s room. Rip and Rebekah were in the waiting room. Holidee let go of Crix’ hand. Her engagement ring was still around her neck, and it hung out of her shirt, but she didn’t care at the moment. No one was in the room with them and Crix wasn’t awake. She laid her head on Crix’ bed and closed her eyes.

  “What’s this?” Holidee opened her eyes, but didn’t believe what she had heard. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her. She slowly lifted her head. Her eyes met Crix’ as he fingered the tiny ring on her necklace. Holidee was speechless. She forgot about the question and hugged Crix. “Hey, Ocean Eyes.” Then she leaned back and looked into his eyes. They had changed. They were no longer a misty gray. They were blue. They were as blue as hers. Holidee looked into Crix’ eyes and saw her father’s eyes, her eyes.

  “Crix-”

  “So are you going to answer my question or not?” She looked at him. He didn’t know. He wouldn’t know.

  “Zeke proposed to me over spring break while you and Mer were in Australia. I was going to tell you after I officially graduated.”

  “He’s a fine young man, Holidee. I hope it’s me that gets to walk you down the aisle.”

  “I’d have it no other way.” Crix smiled and closed his eyes. “I love you, Crix.”

  “I love you too, Holidee.” Then he fell asleep. Holidee couldn’t get his eyes out of her mind. Why were they like hers? What had happened? She walked down the hallway and to the cafeteria to grab a snack. Then she remembered the voices and the orbs. The ancestors. They had helped her bring Crix back to life. They entered Crix’ body and poured life into it. Could that have changed his eyes? Is he more than half now? Is he as powerful as she? Holidee bought a yogurt and walked back to the waiting room. Everyone was still sleeping. Rip stirred and opened his eyes.

  “Holidee? Why aren’t you asleep?”

  “Crix woke up.”

  “Well, that’s great, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah.” Rip studied her face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “His eyes. They’re different.” Rip just stared at her. “They’re like mine. They’re blue like the ocean and when you look into them, you can see the waves roll across.”

  “But that’s impos-”

  “No. It was because of the ancestors. They brought Crix back to life. They entered his body. They made him more than half.”

  “So he’s a Pureblood now?”

  “I don’t know.” Holidee rubbed her head free of a headache. “I don’t understand.” Then Holidee explained what happened to Zeke, Tom, her, and Crix. They stayed up all night talking. They fell asleep shortly before everyone else woke up.

  “You guys are overwhelming me with cards.” Everyone laughed. They were all standing around Crix’ bed. All but one. Crix smiled at everyone and thanked them all again.

  “Where’s Tom?” They all fell silent. Holidee was the only one who answered him.

  “He’s still in a hospital room. He’s awake and walking around and stuff, but…” She looked at her feet. “He’s permanently blind. He lost his eyesight when James poured some kind of chemical in them.”

  “He’ll never get it back?” Holidee shook her head. “Do the doctors know what happened?” Holidee shook her head again.

  “We made up a plausible story.” The subject was quickly changed and, after several minutes of visiting, they all left, except Holidee. She lingered a while. She pulled a mirror out of her pocket and handed it to Crix. “How are you adjusting to your new eyes?” Crix looked at himself in the mirror.

  “My whole life I wanted to have eyes like your dad’s, and now that I do, I don’t really care. I’ll get used to them. They’re still my eyes, just a different color.” Holidee half-smiled. Crix handed the mirror back to her and leaned back against his bed, which was propped up. Holidee placed a hand on Crix shoulder.

  “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then she turned and walked out of the room. Crix closed his eyes for a few seconds but couldn’t sleep. Then he thought of Tom. He knew it must’ve been late. He slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He ripped wires off his skin and stood up. His legs were wobbly at first, but then he got used to them. He quietly walked down the hall. He reached Tom’s room and opened the door. He crept inside and looked around for Tom. He was huddled in the far corner of the room.

  “Who’s there?” He was looking around. Tears stung Crix’ blue eyes, but he fought them back. He walked closer to Tom.

  “It’s me, Tom. Crix.”

  “Crix?” Tom straightened up, but was still crouched in the corner. “You’re okay? They let you go?” Crix knelt in front of Tom. Tom faced him, even though he couldn’t see him. He could feel his presence.

  “I’m fine. A little tired, but fine. They didn’t let me go. Not yet. I snuck out of my room to see you. How are you doing, Tom?” Tom didn’t answer him. He had told everyone else that he was fine, but they knew he wasn’t. “Tom?” A bandage was still around his head, covering his eyes.

  “I’m scared.” Crix looked at Tom perplexed. His black hair stuck up every-which-way above the bandage around his head. Crix reached a hand out to Tom. When his fingertips touched his shoulder, Tom cowered away.

  “Tom-”

  “I can’t see, Crix. I won’t ever be able to see again. Not the ocean. Not my friends. Not Bek’s smile. Nothing. I can’t…I’m so…” Tom laid his head on his knees and wrapped his arms around them. Crix put an arm around him.

  “You can still see. With your mind. Just imagine those things. It’s okay to be scared, Tom, but don’t forget to ask for help from your friends when you
need it. They still love you. And once we get past these speed bumps, we’ll open that school. All of us. Together.”

  “But it burnt down.”

  “We’ll rebuild it.”

  “I can still teach there?”

  “Of course you can! Tom, no matter what, you will always have a spot at that school. No matter what.” Tom hugged Crix. They sat up all night, talking.

  “Graduation is tomorrow.”

  “They won’t release Tom.”

  “He has to be there.”

  “He can’t, Holidee. How will he know where he’s going? He hasn’t learned to use a stick yet.”

  “But this is-”

  “We’ll bring his diploma to him.” Tom leaned back against the door. He had been listening to Holidee and Zeke argue about him, and although they meant the best for him, it still hurt Tom to hear them. He wanted to go to Graduation. He wanted to get his pictures taken with his friends. He wanted to accept his diploma like everyone else. He wanted to be normal again.

  But he knew that would never happen again. His life was forever changed and all he could do was make the best of it.

  Graduation day came and Tom was stuck in the hospital. The sun rose and fell, but he never noticed. He felt the hours go by and he knew it had to be pretty late, but Holidee and Zeke had not returned. He figured they had gone out with Rebekah and Rip and their families to celebrate. He wanted to cry, but tears wouldn’t come to his eyes. His friends were having fun while he was stuck in a room alone. He wanted them to have fun, though. They deserved to have fun. He just wanted to be with them, beside them. Tom fell asleep in the corner of his room.

  “Tom. Tom, wake up.” Tom lifted his head. “Hey. We brought you something.” Zeke handed something to Tom. Tom took it and slid his hands over it. It was a leather book. It was small and smooth. He opened it. He felt smooth paper with lifted writing on it. He traced the letters, trying to decipher each word.

  “Thomas Theodore Becket.” Then he traced the other letters on the paper. “High…School…Diploma.” Tom smiled. His friends hadn’t forgotten about him. They had changed his diploma so that he could read it. “Thanks, guys.”

  “We thought you might like that.”

  “The ceremony was long, hot, and boring. You’re lucky you didn’t have to sit through it.” Tom smiled again.