I can't think straight.

I'm terrified of what the poison can do to Nathaniel. Not only will it temporarily paralyze his body but he'll begin hallucinating in a while if the poison isn't extracted soon.

Nathaniel's head rolls on my shoulder so that his cold cheek is pressed against my bare skin, his shallow breaths fanning my collar bone.

Dad didn't reply to my text informing him that Nathaniel had been poisoned with a Volatis grade poison. But the glaring seen under it means that he is taking longer than expected because he's arranging for an antidote. Being seen zoned has never felt so nerve wracking until now.

I could cry because of all the pent up anticipation and worry.

Outside the dark, abandoned lighthouse, the high school summer party continues- the crowd of intoxicated teenagers completely oblivious to what was happening inside. But it's better that way.

I glance at the open window through which faint rays of moonlight wash over us. It's where Nathaniel's attacker escaped from. They probably jumped down and the sand must have somewhat cushioned the impact of their fall.

"Why is Dad taking so long?" I mumble nervously before glancing outside the lighthouse window, biting my lower lip as I curse under my breath, "There must be something I can do."

Time stretches endlessly, each second feeling like it was being drawn out thrice as long, as I wait for Dad and his agents to arrive and stabilize the situation properly. I blink, drawing in rapid breaths as my mind races.

As I see it, this secret meeting was planned and his informant expected him to come alone. The only reason he was stabbed with the poisoned dart was because I arrived at the scene unexpectedly. But how and when was this meeting planned? And by who? This entire thing was giving me a headache.

"Nathaniel?" I call out, patting his cheek gently.

My lips are quivering, a layer of perspiration forming above their bow shaped depression.

"I'm going to suck out the poison." I declare, foolish courage pushing me to the edge of making insane decisions.

A faint growl erupts from his throat and he struggle to open his eyes, reaching out to hold me back. But his hands lack the strength to do so and he only manages to hold my shoulders lightly as I shift beside him and settle down on my knees in front so that I have better access to the curve of his neck where the silver dart is embedded.

Shivers run down my spine as I lean forward. For a brief moment I wonder if I'm being stupid. Maybe I am, but I have no choice. I can't bear to lose my only friend right now. I need Nathaniel just as much as he needs me for his ruse.

I fleetingly glance at Nathaniel's face. His eyes are glazed over as he stares at me, but the tense warning is evident in his eyes. I quickly look away. There's nothing he can do to stop me anyway.

Holding my breath, I adjust my fingers around the cool surface of the syringe like dart as I use my other hand to tilt Nathaniel's head to the side to give make it easier for me. His hands slide down from my shoulders slowly. I don't think he has the strength to hold them up any longer. He doesn't seem to notice that one of his cold palms comes to a rest on the bare skin of my waist which makes goose bumps erupt on my skin reflexively. It's not helping me think clearly at all.

Focus Ariya!

Inhaling deeply, I yank out the dart as quickly as I can and drop it on the floor. Before I think better of it, I bend down and close my mouth around the open wound from which blood tainted with poison spills out. I lick the area, removing the poisoned blood that has seeped out before pulling back and spitting out as much as I can. It tastes vile. It's bitter and stings my tongue, making it go numb slowly. I'm careful not to swallow my saliva at all.

I press around the punctured skin with my thumbs, before bending down and sucking this time. I suck inwards violently, pulling out as much of the poison as I possibly can before pulling back to spit again. This time my head feels light and I can feel my limbs becoming heavier by the second.

Fuck! Some of the poison must have been absorbed into my bloodstream through the blood capillaries under my tongue even though I'd been careful not to swallow.

My throat feels dry and I struggle not to swallow to remedy the dryness. It makes me gag uncontrollably and tears spill out of the corner of my eyes. Nathaniel's fingers press a little into my skin, I'm not sure whether that is supposed to be reassuring or that he's going under.

As if on cue, I hear the faint sound of the lighthouse door opening below. I pray that it's Dad and someone else. I don't have the energy to come up with a convincing lie if anyone sees Nathaniel lying helplessly on the floor.

My head is throbbing now. And it's already getting harder to keep my eyes open, my lids feel like they have cast iron weights pulling them down.

I untangle myself from Nathaniel's limbs and crawl backwards towards the staircase slowly to see who it is. I peep over the edge of the staircase and catch a flash of colourful beach shorts and toned torsos. I frown, squinting at the incoming group of people.

I'm about to pull myself up and go down to drive them out when I see Dad's familiar silhouette enter through the door. With a quiet sigh, I allow myself to close my eyes and drift into the drowning darkness of my mind.

•><•

I stir slowly, sleep briefly contemplating abandoning me. I don't remember falling asleep and I have no clue how long I've been out. But my slumber has been fitful. So much so, that I wake up with a head stuffed with unanswered questions and ears ringing with dead silence.

I don't open my eyes immediately, taking a couple of minutes to listen to my surroundings. It's quiet mostly, except for the sound of tense breathing beside me and the occasional gust of wind.

I don't need to open my eyes to see who it is, it's a sound I used to be quite familiar with a few years ago.

Turning onto my side slowly, I tangle my legs further into my comforter and open my eyes slowly. Just as I expected, Dad is sitting in an armchair drawn close to the side of my bed frame. He's still wearing the worn-out black cargos that he had on when he arrived at the lighthouse, but his maroon and grey flannel jacket have been replaced with a loose worn-out cotton t-shirt that says World's Best Dad. One leg crossed over the other, he has a laptop propped on one knee and a small notebook open on one arm of the plush chair as he makes notes in shorthand.

"I believe that you must be feeling better now, Ariya." He says without looking up form his work, "You're lucky the neurotoxins didn't reach your brain after your stunt. You should have been more careful."

I hum softly in response, settling my gaze on his notebook. I try to read his words from his wrist movements.

"You could've at least waited until I was completely awake if you wanted to lecture me." I state simply, sitting up slowly and smoothing out my hair, "Although I suppose it's better that I didn't hear the entire thing. I know your standard speech about responsibility and being careful almost by heart now."

Dad as usual chooses not to dignify my snarky remark with a response. Instead, he nods his head towards a glass of water on my side table that is covered with a round wooden coaster.

"How long have I been out?" I ask, uncapping the glass of water and bringing it to my lips, looking around for my phone.

The water trickles down my dry throat, smoothing over the surface of my parched mouth. It hurts a little to swallow, an acrid aftertaste lingering near the edge of my tongue.

"Two and a half hours." Dad answers, shutting the lid of his laptop and placing his hands above it, drumming his fingers slowly.

"Great." I shrug my shoulders, steeling myself, "I suppose you're glad I won't miss my five mile run today then. Can't afford to be out of shape when we have kidnappers lurking around, right?"

My comment makes him shake his head in response. He studies me silently for a few moments, and I recognize the faint turmoil behind his masked expression. I look back quizzically.

"Please don't pull a stunt like this again, Ariya." He admits in a quiet voice, looking at me sincerely before averting his gaze like it's too painful for him to watch me, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you end up hurting yourself because of my short sightedness."

My gaze softens. Shifting towards the edge of my bed, reach out and place my small hand above his large and calloused one which is curved into a loose fist, squeezing it.

"It's not your fault, Dad." I smile, "I made an impulsive decision which luckily said off."

"And you're so sure because?"

I chuckle lightly.

"Well, I know for a fact that however much you love me, your love for work outweighs it. So if Nathaniel's condition was even borderline critical, you wouldn't be sitting here and waiting for me to wake up." I surmise thoughtfully, crossing my legs on the bed, "But in hindsight, you could also be sitting here because Mum would carve out your intestines with her surgical scalpel if anything happened to me on your watch."

A mildly amused smile plays on Dad's face.

"Is that so?" he asks, relaxing back into the chair a bit and setting aside his laptop and note back onto the side table that sits beside my bed.

"Yes," I nod, biting my cheek playfully, "She's been skeptical of your parenting prowess since you took me to the plate breaking place to vent out my anger and frustration when I came second in the final exam."

"But you felt after that, did you not?"

"Never mind." I shake my head, snorting, "How's Nathaniel doing?"

The light expression on Dad's face disappears immediately, replaced with a grave shadow.

"We got clearance for the antidote recipe from the agency archives and managed to brew it before it was too late." Dad runs the tension out of his temple with two fingers, "You sucking out a large part of the venom bought us a little more time, but his condition is bad."

"Oh." I manage to say.

I don't know what I expected the answer to be. Honestly, a part of me knew that the poison although not fatal could have a devastating effect but I really wanted to stay optimistic.

"He might not be able to walk on his own for a couple of days. So he shall not be going to school." Dad states contritely, pushing back the armchair a bit to stand up abruptly, "I'll call up the school and inform them that both of you have contracted influenza and will not be able to attend for a few days."

"Ok." I nod listlessly, my mind already reeling towards Nathaniel.

A volatile mix of emotions flicker within me. I'm furious that he'd been keeping things from me. Things that got him into trouble. I could almost pulverize him if he hadn't already had enough for the day. And it hurt me deeply to see him in pain. A light blush colours my cheeks and ears momentarily as I recall sucking the poison out of his neck. I wonder if the skin there has bruised. I didn't think much then, but the action was oddly intimate now that I think about it.

I pad after Dad towards the door slowly. I feel lightheaded and my head spins for a few seconds. I grip the door for support.

"Where do you think you're going Ariya?"

"Dinner obviously." I reply matter-of-factly, "And then I need to go on my five mile run before I check up on Nathaniel."

"As much as your newfound diligence impresses me, you must rest today. You've been injected with half a dose of the antidote just in case the poison reached your crucial organ systems." Dad sighs, "I'll bring dinner to you in bed."

I open my mouth to protest. I don't think I can sleep properly without seeing Nathaniel.

"But—"

"No more, Ariya." Dad cuts me off, reading my mind, "He's all right. You can see the boy tomorrow. "

Too tired to argue, I pull a sulky face and stand by the door hoping that he doesn't notice me slipping into Nathaniel's bedroom once he goes downstairs.

Halfway down the first flight of stairs, Dad turns to look at me.

"He's holding back useful information, Ariya." Dad says in a quiet tone, glancing at Nathaniel's closed door, "And I'm beginning to question his motives of coming here. Be careful."

•><•

Sometimes, I wake up with a hero complex. I really don't know what to make of it. Also, I apologize for taking longer than usual to update. I'll try not to let it happen again, but university coursework can be pretty hectic.

On a random note, it's raining here and I love the weather that accompanies the showers. Do you like it?

Do vote, comment, share and don't forget to spread the love!♡