Page 97 of Burning Embers

“No—” I attempt to break free of my brother’s grip, but his hand simply tightens on my shoulder, turning into a vise.

“I’m sorry, AJ.” His eyes darken as they flick towards something over my shoulder.

Or someone.

A needle pierces my neck.

Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind, I recognize it as a tranquilizer dart alphas use to control unruly, young pups.

My brother…just drugged me.

Isabella…

Her name plays on a continuous loop in my head.

But then darkness claims me, and I think of nothing at all.

Thirty-Two

IZZY

First, there was pain.

Unspeakable, agonizing pain as if my veins had been doused in gasoline and then lit on fire. Then that pain took on a numbing, icy quality.

And slowly, that numbness transformed into confusion when I blinked open my crusty eyelids to find Ansel kneeling before me, his features set in concentration and his tongue poking out between his lips.

And I must’ve hit my head, because I could’ve sworn I saw green light emanating from his hands.

Now, that confusion has been replaced by horror as everything comes back to me with a staggering intensity.

The football game.

The player tackling me.

The breaking of my bones.

Only…I must’ve imagined that audible crack. I’m able to move most of my limbs, and the pain I thought I felt is nothing but a distant memory.

Even still, I feel groggy and lightheaded, almost as if someone shoved a thousand wet cotton balls into my head, and now they’re sticking to every available surface.

“An ambulance is on the way,” a feminine voice says. “Don’t move, sweetheart.”

Huh?

What?

An ambulance?

Why do I need an ambulance?

I blink a few more times as I will the world to come back into focus. It does—slowly and painfully, almost like colored pixels congregating together to form blurry, indistinct images.

Blink.

I spot a few school officials attempting to corral the growing crowd. Their murmured words go in one ear and immediately out the other.

I hear the words, “She’s going to be okay,” more than once.