It was never effortless to love Aaron Warner. He was a difficult teenage boy who seemed to forget a lot of the time that that was what he was-a teenage boy. He'd always felt that loving or even caring for him would be impossible for all the world to...
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"I'M GOING TO throw up."
So I do. I dart into the bathroom of the plane—a plane which I still don't know how they got—and slam the door behind me. I spotted the toilet out of the corner of my eye moments ago and then my body refused to fight the urge to puke. So I clammed my mouth shut and clutched my stomach, rushing to the bathroom.
I hug either side of the toilet and release all the gross contents of my stomach. It makes me sick. God, literally. Everything. All of it. It has to be that. There's no other explanation. I heave everything in my body until I'm panting and leaning against the wall, my hand still resting on the toilet.
It's then that I realize Ella held my hair back and she lets it fall down my chest, concern swimming in those blue-green eyes. She crouches down before me, followed by the guys. They all look scared shitless.
So I say, "It's probably the tea Evie gave me."
Ella frowns. "She gave you a tea?"
I pause. "She didn't give you a tea?"
She shakes her head.
Isaac stares at me. "You didn't drink it, did you?"
I'm the one who shakes her head this time, my eyelids heavy. "No. Only pretended to."
Kenji places a hand on my shoulder. "You feeling okay, kid?"
I laugh softly but exhaustion is taking over my body. My skin feels slick with cold sweat and my heart rate is spiking scarily. What's wrong with me? Was killing Evie too much for my body after not using my powers for a fortnight?
"I'm okay," I whisper, closing my eyes. "I think."
It's Ella who takes my hand, I can feel it. "Hey, stay awake. We'll get you to bed."
"Don't," I choke out, "let me fall asleep before. . .before Aaron. I can't—can't leave without him. I won't."
"It's okay," Ella strokes my hair. "We won't."
"Juliette—" This, from Isaac.
She cuts him off softly, "If my sister says she wants to wait for Warner, so be it. I don't care how much danger that puts us in. And if you don't agree, you can leave us here."
I lift my hand to high-five her. "So right."
There's silence. Kenji whispers, "Is she insane?"
The sound of a slap. "Idiot," says Isaac.
"We can't do that, though," Kenji goes on. "I don't want to leave Nazeera either, okay? I'm finding it hard enough not to run in there and get her myself. But she can take care of herself and she can handle it. Her and Warner can. They'll be fine."
More silence.
Then I ask, dropping my hand and opening my eyes weakly, "Did something happen between you guys that we don't know about?"
