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I LEANED OVER my brother

The tubes and heart monitor ether with scraps froether by sorcery and sheer luck

His skin held a slightly yellow hue; his lips cracked and dry, parted to allow the tube down his throat

The doctors had done all they could--patched hi It was up to hi days If it wasn’t for regular one out of my rew stronger I pushed myself until pain bellowed and aht of Nila

She replied at night Both of us under the saes She was in the world I used to inhabit; I was in a grave sent there bycould keep us apart

Soon, we’d both be free

However¸ her es weren’t like before When Nila was still at home with her father and brother, she’d been timid and easily e in her innocence But now her texts were shaded hat she didn’t say She kept so

Why don’t you answer es, she’d always ignoredto me by innate characters was all she was capable of

I needed to talk to her I needed to find out the truth

What I really need is to get out of this fucking place

My side twinged, re out of ht worthy

Goddammit

Kes’s heart rateI willed it to spike, to show so his hand, I squeezed "I’ive up"

My other hand drifted tothe tender rib Louille said I was lucky the bullet had passed so cleanly He couldn’t explain the trajectory to h the air, twisting into position to save my sister had kept et

Tracing the puckered skin through the thin cotton of a t-shirt I’d been given, I gritted , they’d removed my stitches They’d discontinuedquickly

I’d agreed that was good news I’d dehed as if I should be moved to the psych ward rather than recovery His emotions shouted he was pleased with my irritation--it proved he’d excelled in his profession as healer--but his mouth said it wouldn’t kill me to wait another few days