Chapter 8

Is it snowing outside?

That was the first thought that went through Nora's mind as she began to slowly tap into her senses. Every joint in her body was locked as she steadily began to realize she was laying in bed.

Why is it so quiet? Nora's heart began to race wildly. No, no, no.

Not wanting to relive the terrifying moments all over again, Nora sat up in bed and threw off the sheets that kept her warm. Her breaths came out in urgent gasps as she pushed the pillows off and tried to scurry off the bed.

She did not want to see her dead mother's face. Those eyes...those open eyes that had stared at Nora for hours in the night as she slept. She felt her heart shrink to the size of a pea and her throat dry up as fear gripped her soul and pulled her down to hell.

Panicked, disoriented and frightened, Nora kicked with her legs and paddled backward with her hands, desperately trying to get away from seeing her mother's frozen face. Her hand slid off the side of the bed, causing her to tilt backward. She was headed for the floor when suddenly a pair of arms scooped her up and held her off the ground.

Nora's heart stopped. She kept her eyes tightly shut and shoved with her hands at whoever had caught her. The unconscious part of her mind that was still stuck in the land of fear was terrified to see who it might be. She wasn't going to risk opening her eyes to see her mother.

"Nora!" Hayden snapped, trying to hold her steady.

Nora's eyes flew open, snatching Hayden's breath away.

Everything grew silent.

The brown in Nora's eyes was otherworldly. They were unsettlingly deep, with craters and mountains. There were hills and canyons. A whole world resided in the brown of her eyes. As Hayden gazed on, he suddenly had a longing for a place he had never been or known. A place far far away with rich brown soil and mountain ranges so perfect that they could put mother nature to shame.

The jinn would have happily vanished into the strange world without a care for what or who he was leaving behind if it weren't for the whimper that caught his ear. Hayden's gaze moved away from Nora's eyes as she began to make little sounds that were starting to feel like someone was stabbing him.

For the first time since he had seen her wake up like a storm in the middle of the sea, Hayden began to notice the petrified look on Nora's face. Her eyes watered as she bit down hard on her bottom lip and held back a sob that almost came out but got caught in her throat. His arms immediately loosened up around her as he carried her over to the bed and sat her down.

Hayden didn't know what to say as Nora practically pushed away from him and settled on the farthest corner of the bed. She pushed her messy hair out of her face and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand before swallowing the lump in her throat. Her long wet lashes lifted as she stole a peak at Hayden.

"It's okay," Hayden said, crouching by the side of the bed. "You're okay now. You're in the infirmary."

Nora looked around the room before looking down at her hands and noticing the IV and other monitoring devices she was hooked up to.

"What happened?"

Hayden flinched as soon as he heard the way Nora's raspy voice cracked. The doctors did say she had injuries to her throat. But he didn't expect it to be so severe.

Nora's eyes widened as soon as her ears picked up her own words. Her hands flew up to her throat and her fingers wrapped around the areas with white gaze.

"Nope, no," Hayden reached out and stopped her hand. "Don't do that. Your cuts need to heal."

"Cuts?" Nora asked.

Hayden wished she would stop talking. Her voice sounded as if it was seconds away from disappearing. The words would pick up pitch in the beginning and then vanish completely by the time she got to the end of it. Nora tried to clear her throat but every time she coughed, a flash of pain poured over her face.

"Stop that," Hayden frowned. He pulled her other hand away from her throat and pinned them down on her lap. He scowled as he stared at her.

"What happened?" Nora asked again, trying to pull her hands back.

"Kiara didn't recognize you for a few seconds on the beach," Hayden's hand tightened around Nora's wrists. He knew as soon as he let go, they would find their way back to her throat.

"Is she okay?" Nora asked.

Her question made Hayden want to shake with laughter. Was she really asking if Kiara was okay?

"What?" Nora's voice squeaked as she stared at the strange look on Hayden's face.

"Yes," Hayden held back a laugh. "Kiara is okay."

"Is Killian okay?"

Hayden nodded his head and laughed, "Yes, Nora. Killian is fine. And before you ask, I'm okay too."

"I wasn't going to ask."

Hayden arched a brow, "So to hell with me?"

"You're right here," Nora motioned with her chin. "I can see you. You seem fine to me."

"I am."

"Good."

"Great."

Nora shut her mouth and tried to free her hands once more. This time, Hayden only hesitated for a few seconds before releasing her and rising to his feet. Nora didn't bother looking up to meet his eyes as he pulled the chair closer to the bed and took a seat.

The room suddenly grew silent once more. Nora looked up and searched the bedside table for a TV remote or something. The occasional beeps of the machine weren't enough to keep her fears at bay. She needed to fill the silence with something.

"Nora..." Hayden spoke up.

He stared at his hands as he leaned back on his chair with one of his legs resting over the other. Hayden didn't seem to notice how Nora's eyes were jumping around the room. He was too busy trying to string together words and explain to her what had happened.

"I couldn't touch you," he said.

"What?" Nora paused and looked at the half Jinn.

"In the water," Hayden looked up and turned his head towards the window. He took in a deep breath before running his palms on his lap and finally dragging his eyes back to Nora staring at him.

"In my jinn form, I can't touch you," he explained. "I would have burned you."

"Oh..." Nora felt her heart sink.

"I don't want you to think I didn't want to save you."

"For a few seconds, I thought you didn't."

Hayden's face fell. He visibly grew uncomfortable as their eyes met. Nora was caught off guard by how green his eyes were.

"Sorry," she suddenly said, her voice cracking.

"For what?" Hayden asked, keeping his voice casual.

"I..." Nora shrugged. "You seem disappointed with what I said."

"You don't have to apologize for speaking the truth."

Nora slowly nodded. She looked away from his gaze and slowly moved back to the center of the single bed. Hayden lowered his leg and bent down to pick up the pillow off the floor and hand it back to her.

"Thanks," Nora said, taking it from his hand.

"You really thought I was going to let you die on that ship?"

"Yes?"

Hayden nodded.

"Did I say something wrong?" Nora asked.

"No," Hayden shook his head. "Nothing wrong."

"You look angry."

"How did you get to the island?"

"You're dodging the question?"

"Did you swim there?"

Nora narrowed her eyes as she stared at the boy. He held her gaze with his face unreadable.

"No, I didn't swim there," Nora said. "I woke up on the beach."

"Alone?"

"With a mermaid, actually."

"Mermaid or Merman?"

"Mermaid."

"Did she say something?"

"She couldn't speak."

"Must have driven you crazy," Hayden muttered.

"Why?" Nora asked.

"You don't seem to like quiet things."

"You actually noticed?"

"How can I not?" Hayden rolled his eyes. "Haven't had a moment of peace and quiet since you walked in here."

"Why are you here?"

"I work here."

"No," Nora clicked her tongue, "Why are you in here? Talking to me. You obviously like quiet things. I'm sure your office is just to your liking right now."

"I need your statement."

"You are rude."

Hayden narrowed his eyes.

"That's a statement," Nora shrugged. "It's not a question or a declaration or a command."

For a split second, Nora thought she saw the corner of Hayden's mouth twitch. But it was gone just as fast as it had appeared.

"How did you get on the ship, Nora?" Hayden asked.

Nora took in a deep breath and slumped her shoulders forward, "Um....I...I needed to get in touch with you. The comps weren't working. I thought maybe I could step outside of the van and get better service."

Hayden listened patiently.

"I opened the van and there was this lady outside. She had short dark hair and a silver nose ring. She said she saw me on campus and then she....." Nora's eyes widened.

"What?" Hayden raised a brow.

"Justin," Nora gasped. "Oh my god. She shot Justin in the head."

Hayden slowly nodded, "Yeah....they found his body in the van."

"Oh god," Nora placed her hands over her eyes. "Oh god!"

Hayden didn't know what came over him as he lifted out of his chair and moved over to the bed. He took a seat in front of Nora and once again gathered her wrists in his hands. He slowly pulled them down and ducked his head to look into those unreal brown eyes.

"I hope you're not blaming yourself in any way," he said.

"I'm not," Nora shook her head. "But it still hurts."

"Why?" Hayden asked. "You barely knew the guy."

"A man just died, Hayden!" Nora shrieked but her raspy voice just cracked and squeaked.

"Men die all the time."

"He died in front of me!"

"People die in front of me."

"Well, you're you and I'm me," Nora snorted. "This is a human reaction."

"I am familiar with human reactions," Hayden said.

"But you don't seem to understand them."

"I think they make things complicated."

"Do jinns not have emotions?"

"We do."

"Do things not get complicated for you too?"

Hayden suddenly realized he was still holding Nora's wrists. His eyes dropped to where his fingers wrapped around her skin.

"They do..." Hayden picked at the edge of the surgical tap on Nora's wrist. "Things get very complicated at times. A little too complicated."

"Then how are we any different from one another?" Nora watched the boy's face.

This time, the corners of Hayden's lips did curve up. It was no longer Nora's eyes playing tricks on her. She watched the jinn laugh before he lifted her wrists.

"We're different because," Hayden opened Nora's palms. "I can do this..."

Nora gasped as grains of sand suddenly poured out of thin air and onto her palms. Her fingers bent to create a scoop with her hands as she did her best to keep the golden grains from spilling. She stared with wondrous eyes as the sand began to swirl like a mini dust storm on her palm before forming a shape and eventually melting to become a desert rose.

"Show off," Nora laughed. "Is this how you pick up hot dates?"

As soon as the words left Nora's mouth, she wanted to smack herself. Her eyes fluttered up as she braced herself for Hayden's clap back. But to her surprise, the jinn just laughed and released her wrists.

"I have other tricks up my sleeves," Hayden said.

"You're just full of surprises."

"Just a guy with many layers."

"Like an onion?" Nora smiled. "I like onions."

"Which ones?"

"The red ones."

"They are superior," Hayden nodded.

"The white ones are gross."

"Depends on what you make with it."

"What do you cook with white onions?"

"Chili."

"You can cook?"

"A guy with many layers."

"How is any of this relevant to her statement?"

Hayden and Nora's heads snapped up as Heyder's voice startled them from the doorway.

The jinn raised a brow as he stared at his son and the girl. He had a look of annoyance in his eyes as he spun the rings on his fingers and shook his head slightly. Hayden cleared his throat and slowly rose to his feet. Nora remained unmoved as her eyes bounced back and forth between the two jinns.

"Hello, sweet pea," Heyder tilted his head and grinned, catching Nora's eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Nora nodded.

"Wow, Kiara really did a number on you, didn't she?" Heyder shook his head.

"Could have been worse," Nora shrugged.

"Could have been," Heyder nodded. He let out a breath before lowering his hands and looking at Hayden. "Are you done talking about onions? Or were we just getting to shallots and leek?"

"They were supposed to be after the chives and sweet onions," Hayden turned towards the door.

"When did you become an expert on onions?" Heyder asked, stepping aside to let Hayden pass.

Hayden didn't answer him as he walked out into the halls. When he looked back over his shoulder, he found his father waving to Nora.

"Feel better, peanut," Heyder said, before stepping out of the room and closing the door. The jinn looked at his son and raised a brow, "A desert rose?"

"You have to admit, it was kind of cool," Hayden said. "Did you see the way it melted?"

"Hey!" Heyder flicked Hayden's ear. "Focus!"

"Would you stop doing that? I'm not thirteen anymore."

"Leave the girl alone."

"I needed her statement!" Hayden said defensively. "Clare asked me to -"

"Of course," Heyder rolled his eyes. "Clare."

"What?" Hayden raised a brow.

"Nothing," Heyder muttered as he began to head over to Clare's office.

"Do you know something that I don't?"

"Clare had a bad habit of meddling," Heyder said, taking long strides.

"What does that mean?" Hayden followed.

"Nothing," Heyder paused. "Just leave the girl alone, okay? Don't bother her. She's human. They tend to be breakable."

"Yes, I am aware."

"Good," Heyder said. "Now, tell me more about onions? How do you know so much about them? Was this what Clare was investing your tuition money on?"

__________________________

Clare looked up from her mug of hot tea as Posey entered the room. Tobias looked over his shoulder and smiled tenderly as he held his hand out for his wife.

"How is she?" He asked as Posey came to take a seat beside him on the sofa.

"She's okay," Posey signed, patting Tobias' lap. "Killian is with her. She had some food."

"When is the ultrasound?"

"Later tonight," Posey smiled. "I am excited! I really hope it is a girl."

"Persephone," Tobias frowned. "You shouldn't be encouraging this."

"Is it going away?" Posey raised a brow. "Us being upset isn't going to change anything. And I am excited, why should I hide it?"

"They're so young," Tobias argued.

"I understand that," Posey said. "But we can't change what already happened."

"She's right," Ares spoke up, walking over from the window to sit beside Clare. "And so are you, Tobias. Killian and Kiara are both too young to be having a baby. But life happens. You two need to support them and help them."

"Of course, I am going to support them," Tobias snapped. "I'm not going to abandon my pregnant teen daughter."

"Good," Ares nodded. "Because Kiara really needs your support right now."

"We get that," Posey said, taking in a deep breath. "Now, what did you two want to talk to us about?"

Ares slowly turned towards Clare. Their eyes met and she gave him a small nod. Posey and Tobias shared a look of their own before moving over to the edge of their seat. They watched as Clare sat down her mug and tucked her dark hair behind her ears.

"I want Kiara to go through a psychological evaluation," Clare said.

"Why?" Posey's eyes widened. "Are you sensing something?"

"No," Clare shook her head. "I'm not really sensing anything. But then again, it's only been a few hours since she's been back."

"But you must have your reasons," Tobias said. "Why are you proposing an evaluation?"

"It's standard procedure," Ares said. "She's been through a lot. And we want to make sure she's okay."

Posey slowly nodded. But her husband seemed unconvinced.

"What are you not telling us?" Tobias narrowed his eyes.

"Tobias-" Clare frowned.

"What is it, Clare?" the god of the underworld demanded. His eyes turned dark as the muscles in his jaw jumped.

"I am concerned about Kiara," Clare slowly began. "We have people still cleaning up and searching the island. The numbers are still coming in. But currently, the body count is at 300."

Posey gasped. Her brown eyes grew as wide a saucers as she gripped her husband's hand. She turned to look at him and found his face completely void of any and all emotions. She hated when he did that dead thing.

"Tobias," Ares watched his uncle. "You get what we are saying, right?"

Tobias didn't answer.

"Kiara was petrified at the idea of taking a soul whose time was up," Ares said. "When someone like that suddenly kills 300 people at once...."

"She didn't kill," Tobias narrowed his dark eyes. "She's the angel of death."

"She's an eighteen year old girl," Clare stepped in. "An eighteen year old pregnant girl who has lived a very sheltered life up until this moment."

Tobias didn't reply.

"We don't know what happened on that island, Tobias," Ares said. "Kiara isn't giving us much an-"

"She just got back!" Posey protested. "Give her some time to breath."

"We get that," Clare said gently. "Trust me, we understand she just got back. But the sooner we handle this the sooner we can help me."

"We just want to make sure she's okay," Ares said. He turned his eyes on Tobias and paused for a few seconds, "Look, we both deal with some pretty dark stuff. I know what seeing people die can do to an innocent mind."

Tobias slowly nodded. Ares knew the god wasn't against anything they were saying. He was a father after all. He had every right to worry about his daughter. The caution in Tobias' eyes would have been the same if Ares was in his seat.

"She has an ultrasound this evening," Tobias said, after a long pause. "You can take her after. Maybe she'll be in a better mood after getting news about her baby."   

What did you take away from Hayden and Nora's behavior? 

And what is Heyder trying to say?