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  “Sorry, sis. Still groggy? You never did do good with drugs.”

  “Yeah, I’ve slept for three days and I can barely keep my eyes open,” I said and noticed my voice was still raspy from too little use.

  Celeste was there too, hugging me as well. She didn’t say much, but it was hard with Danny there to get a word in.

  Jeff even walked through the crowd to hug me, which surprised the heck out of me, and Merrick too, from his surprised face. I hadn’t seen Jeff touch any of us let alone hug anyone.

  “I’m glad you’re ok. I’m sorry for what I had to do to you,” Jeff whispered in my ear and then quickly exited the room.

  After a few more pleasantries, I couldn’t muster one more ounce of it. As politely as I could, I asked if Celeste or Margo could help me with a shower, Celeste jumped at the opportunity to help. As she put her arm under mine we all saw Calvin running down the hall.

  He jumped up and put his arms around me and it was all I could do to keep from screaming as his arm scraped across my shoulder.

  Apparently my face didn’t hide my pain well and he was berated by Celeste quickly.

  “I’m sorry, Sherry! I forgot,” he said with a quick enthusiastic apology.

  “It’s ok,” I breathed. “Calvin, I’ve missed you.”

  I blew out a sigh trying to cover my deep painful breaths. No one bought it and I was soon handed a couple pills and a glass of water, then carted off by Celeste at the insistences of several others. Merrick threw me a sympathetic glance. He knew I hated being made a fuss over and he had apparently seen this recovery before. This must be what Jeff meant by ‘the poison makes for a painful recovery’. No way just a gash would hurt like this hurt, taking my breath away.

  The water pressure was bad. The place did have power, somehow, but no water pressure. At least Celeste’s bathroom didn’t. The shower, though much needed was torture on my shoulder and face and I hurried though it.

  Once I stepped out, Celeste helped me towel dry and dress in some pajamas, some of her hip sleep pants and matching camisole.

  “You have such a cute body, Sherry. I wish I was short and cute. It sucks being taller than most of the boys my age,” she sweetly babbled on and on, for my benefit I assumed, taking my mind off the pain. She giggled. “I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore, do I?”

  It was night time already as she sat me down on the bed to brush my hair for me. She braided a long low ponytail and continued to tell me all about my wonderful brother. How he had saved her from the beast and had no idea that I had been hurt. Once the ‘he is so sweet’s started, I tuned out for a bit, throwing in a few mechanical nods.

  With the mention of Merrick’s name, my attention was brought back around. She said he never left my side, not once. In fact he slept nights in the chair next to my bed. He would sponge off my face and shoulder and bandage it daily. He was constantly peeking in the hall, looking out the window at Danny, asking people passing by in the hall to make sure he was ok, calling Danny in his mind. I could feel the warmth spreading out in my heart.

  Jeff, Ryan and Kay came in quite a bit to check on me too. Everyone felt so guilty for having to do what they did to me. Celeste told me she could hear the commotion and my screams in the next room.

  I had a few questions about all this. For Merrick. Why hadn’t he told us about this before and was this as weird as it was gonna get?

  Celeste walked me to my room, continuing to try to fill me in on the last three days. We took up a few of the rooms in one hallway, all right beside each other.

  I caught a glimpse of myself in the hall mirror. It could be worse. My eye and cheek didn’t look as bad as I had imagined, just a little pink and purple but healing. Celeste had made a very pretty braid of my normally unruly hair and it rested over my shoulder.

  Danny caught me in the hall, just before his door. He hugged me again. This time lifting me and holding tight for a long while. I let him, though his grip is tight on my sore body. I know he felt just as bad if not more so than Merrick and the rest.

  I was so proud of him all of a sudden. When Celeste spoke of him earlier, I didn’t catch it before, but she wasn’t saying he was some crush that she had.

  She was saying he was becoming a man. A man that took charge in a situation and took care of her and others. He did what had to do be done with me as well. I was beginning to see the Special in him. Maybe his time was coming sooner than we think.

  As I pushed open my room door Merrick was inside. I turned to say my thanks to Celeste but she was gone already. Giving us privacy. Hmmm.

  I turned to Merrick to see a new face, a happy one with a relieved smile. I smiled too.

  “See. Now that’s more like it,” I said closing the door.

  “I was just getting your things put away in here. New sheets and blankets,” he said placing the pillows back on the bed.

  “Thanks.”

  “Tired?”

  “Surprisingly so. You?”

  “Very.” He chuckled, as if for some inside joke with himself.

  “I heard from Celeste what you did. I guess I didn’t make such a good pit stop choice after all, huh? Thank you. That was very sweet of you to look after me,” I said stealing Celeste’s description, but it fit Merrick just as well. “I have a lot of...questions but can we talk about everything tomorrow, maybe?”

  I watched his happy expression change to unhappy, to disappointed, to trying to look not unhappy and disappointed. I figured I knew why, so I saved him before he could start to feel too bad.

  “Merrick, would you mind staying with me? I really...don’t want to be alone.”

  The happy face was back.

  “Um, sure. If that’s what you want.”

  “It is.”

  I grabbed his hand leading him to the bed before he could suggest another arrangement. I switched off the lamp before crawling in and waiting in the dark to feel him climb in beside me. I felt nothing.

  “Merrick?”

  “Are you sure you’re comfortable with this? I can sleep in the chair again, it’s no problem.”

  “Merrick, I know you, I know you would never do anything I didn’t want to. I just don’t wanna be alone, at all. Please...unless you’re uncomfortable?”

  We weren’t back to this were we? But I felt the mattress depress as he climbed in under the covers. He opened his arm up for me to fold myself into and I laid my head on his chest and took a deep breath, his arm lightly around me. He was so incredibly warm as always and smelled like soap and shaving cream.

  “One question,” I said baiting him.

  “Ok.”

  “Why didn’t you ever mention those creatures before? Or the fact that you’re faster than everyone else?”

  “That’s two by the way,” he laughed softly, “and you noticed that, huh?” He sighed. “I didn’t want to scare you or worry you anymore than you already were. Things were weird enough as it was. Those creatures, the Markers, are supposed to be extinct. We haven’t come into contact with one in many, many years. And I move just a tad faster, marginal.” He laughed a quick breathy laugh.

  “Anything else I should know about?”

  “I missed you like crazy,” he whispered, tightening his arms on me.

  “I missed you too, kinda. It was actually a pretty quick three days for me.”

  “Not for me.” He chuckled a humorless laugh.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize,” he chided.

  “You didn’t have to do that, stay with me, but I’m glad you did...I had a dream...about my fourteenth birthday. Remember it?”

  “Yes. The day your dad gave you that necklace. You looked happy that day. Mostly.”

  “It was the clearest dream I’ve ever had. I’ll never understand our parents. We’ll probably never see them again. But I feel guilty because I should feel worse about it. But they chose, and it wasn’t us. I had all but forgotten how much they use to bicker back then. I always wondered if the reas
on for the fight that day was the necklace.”

  “It was.”

  I couldn’t believe how much I loved talking to him about my life. I didn’t have to tell a whole storyline to get to a point. He knew exactly what I was referring to and he liked it. He liked to reminisce about my life and I liked that he liked it. I liked it a lot. I liked him a lot.

  I felt him chuckle beside me.

  I’m glad you wanted me to stay with you. I was trying to think of ways to convince you to let me at least sleep in the chair tonight. I feel like I need to be here.

  “Well, I’m glad too. I want you here, I feel safer with you.”

  “Good. I want you to feel safe. I was worried you’d be traumatized after what happened, but I should’ve known better. You’re so strong and level-headed. You don’t let much get you down.”

  For some reason, I blushed at his praise.

  “Thanks. Though I don’t feel that way about myself.”

  “Well, I could sit here all night and tell you all the ways you are those things but I’m already fighting to stay awake.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. Of course, I’ll shut up,” I said feeling guilty as he had already said once how tired he was, because of looking after me.

  “Never. I would love to go back and forth with you about how you’re as great as I think you are, this body is just tired, that’s all.”

  I felt him chuckle again and I managed a giggle, that hurt an awful lot, but tried to not let him know.

  “Alright. Whatever you say. Goodnight, Merrick. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  My heart swelled. I smiled and shifted so I was laying more comfortably on him and his hand came up to rest on my lower hip, lower than it ever had before. I felt myself tense, he noticed.

  “Is this ok? I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to overstep-”

  He immediately removed his hand and began to move away from me altogether but I stopped him.

  “Of course you weren’t. It’s fine, better than fine.”

  He remained still. I fiddled for his hand in the dark and found it, replacing it on my hip and snuggling in closer. He moved it higher and I sighed. I grabbed it again and pushed it lower.

  The last thing I want is for you to conform to whatever idea I set for us as what is passable behavior if you’re not comfortable. I want you to say so, not just do it or let it be done so my feelings won’t be hurt. I won’t take your decisions away, so many people before me have done that. I just want you to be happy even if that doesn’t include me at all.

  “I know that. That’s one of my favorite things about you,” I said with certainty. “I did choose. Right now, everything is right where I want it.”

  I patted the hand on my hip and sighed happily before hearing his long breath release.

  “You’re sure?”

  “I promise. You aren’t making me do anything I don’t want to. I adore you too, ya know,” I repeated his earlier comments to him.

  He laughed softly in my ear.

  “I don’t think anything could make me happier than hearing you say that,” he whispered into my hair and I smiled as I let sleep take me.

  The next day I woke and Merrick was gone. Well, not gone but away from me, in the chair. Most of the day was spent pretty much lying around. I was so, so tired. So drained, so achy still. Merrick stayed with me a lot but I slept a lot too. I tried to relay how grateful I was to him for taking care of me with little touches of reassurance.

  Then at nightfall, I was still incredible tired but had been thinking about some things.

  After pulling him down with me when he checked on me, I laid on his chest, a repeat of last night, and I pondered how I felt about all this. How I would feel if I knew I’d never see him again? How would I feel if he stayed with me forever? Where did I think this was going, what with the invasion and all?

  All the things that Merrick has done for me. He was everything I ever thought I’d wanted in a guy but didn’t know to look for it. I was so in like with him but another thought hit me. A painful thought.

  I sat up to face him in the darkness on my knees. He sat up too, wordlessly, sensing my distress.

  “Sherry?”

  “What happens, Merrick? What happens when Danny’s task is done. When the Lighters leave and everything’s normal again.”

  “If that happens, we...would go home.”

  I reached up with my good arm to touch his face and he covered my hand with his. I let out a strained sigh. I told Jeff that I wouldn’t ask Merrick to stay, but that was a lie. I wanted nothing more and that was precisely what I was going to do.

  “You are home. I don’t want you to go,” I breathed against his cheek as I leaned in and wrapped my good arm around his neck.

  He pulled his arms around my waist.

  “I don’t want to go. And none of us will until we’re done here.”

  “Please...don’t. I don’t want to fall-” I was gonna say ‘fall in love and then have you leave me’ but that seemed a bit too soon and crazy. “Don’t leave,” I whispered into his neck.

  He lifted one hand up to my chin and tilted my face up with his thumb though I couldn’t see him, he could see me, then he took that thumb and ran it over my bottom lip. I could practically feel his anticipation, his hesitancy but also his wonder.

  We hovered there for a few seconds, feeling the heat of each others lips so close but not touching. My heart rate couldn’t have been more erratic.

  “I’m not going anywhere, Sherry. No matter what happens. I can’t leave now.” He took a deep breath and then repeated firmly, “I can’t.”

  Then I could take no more. Weeks had built up to this and I knew after that whole decisions speech yesterday he’d never make the first move. So I made the choice.

  I closed the distance and pressed my lips to his warm ones. I felt him let out a breath of pent up longing against mine. I ran my hand through his short dark hair. His hand on my chin moved up to hold my jaw and cheek. I felt his grip on my waist tighten but my sore body didn’t protest this time. He was very careful of my shoulder and as we kissed, there was nothing but electricity. My skin tingled everywhere he touched me and everywhere he doesn’t.

  His lips were hesitant and shy at first but soon relaxed and explored, parting with mine at my urging. It didn’t take him very long to get the hang of it and he began to urge me on instead. I could taste mint, toothpaste. I felt his thumb grazing the bare skin of my waist just under the hem of my shirt. If I had opened my eyes there would have been no doubt that there were static sparks in the air.

  It was like something in us collided.

  Then his fingers dug into the flesh of my waist deliciously and desperately and when his tongue brushed mine...

  I forgot that this is all new to him. For someone who had never done it, he was awfully good at following my direction. He was awfully good at this kissing thing. I was no expert, having only ever kissed a few frogs but never like this. The few boys I’d kissed had never made me feel this way. So precious and looked after, so wanted. It felt like so much more than just kissing.

  This was exquisite.

  I tried not to be too aggressive, taking it easy on him, but I couldn’t help myself as his lips were rubbing mine, my mind stopped and my body took over. When I caught his lower lip between mine he groaned and pulled away slightly, both gasping loudly.

  “Sherry,” he could barely breath, let alone speak. “You’re making this very difficult for me.”

  At first I was horrified but then he laughed roughly so I laughed too, getting his meaning.

  “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry for that.” He laughed breathlessly and then moved both hands up to my face. “I am so glad you’re ok enough to do that.”

  “Merrick. I-” He stopped me with a thumb on my lips, and the electricity started again, I felt my eyelids flutter with passion.

  “Let’s get some sleep,” he said gruffly and I could tell it was just as
hard for him to stop as it is for me. “We can talk all day long tomorrow, I promise but I want you to rest if you still feel like you can. You’re a long way from recovered.”

  “Ok,” I conceded but I pulled him back by his shirt collar to my lips for the lightest touch of his lips, shocking myself at my boldness.

  Short and sweet.

  We laid back down, him settling his arms around me, cradling me from behind. I could feel the rise and fall of his chest, his wonderfully warm breath on my neck.

  “Goodnight,” I said, trying to tell my body to calm down and find the closing of my eyes, sleep was calling me again.

  “Goodnight, Sherry.”

  He wrapped his arms around me tighter, knowing the warmth would end the struggle with my eyelids. In no time, I was out like a light.

  I awoke to something warm on my face. I blinked and realized, Merrick was still right here with me and I had turned toward him sometime in my sleep. He kissed the very tip of my forehead lightly. I couldn’t help the huge grin spreading across my face.

  “Did you sleep comfortably enough?” he asked, a grateful grin on his face.

  Looked like he almost thought I wouldn’t be happy to see him there with me.

  “Yes! I slept great.” My eyebrows tightened just a bit at my embarrassing enthusiasm, but he didn’t seem to notice.

  “Feeling any better today?”

  “I feel ok. Not quite as achy and stiff.”

  “Hungry?”

  “Mmmhuh,” I mumbled and nodded but I didn’t move from his chest.

  Too comfortable and warm, he’d have to pry me off, and soon he did. Picking me up effortlessly and setting me on the floor, he checked under my shoulder bandage, carefully unwrapping and rewrapping.

  He then turned my face to see my cheek and eye. I watched his face as he worked. I’d never met anyone so genuinely concerned for me before.

  “Looks a lot better. I don’t even think this one will scar,” he said as he brushes my cheek with his finger making me shiver.