orenda [leo valdez]

lxxiv. The Bright Blue Cast

❝and now that you don't have to be perfect,

you can be good.❞

⤷ john steinback

△△△

Kira scowled she she woke up with a bright blue cast on her arm.

The pain was still there, but it wasn't unbearable anymore. She flexed her fingers, but they felt numb. She felt thick bandages on her chest, covering her broken ribs. Bruises and scrapes still lined her skin, but it definitely wasn't as bad as before.

She wobbled when she tried to sit up, her head filling with cotton. But she didn't let the pain stop her, she managed to stand, covering her mouth from an outburst. She wobbled to the main room, where she was immediately caught by Leo.

"Babe," He whispered. "What are you doing up? You're ribs were broken!"

She shook her head. "I want...I just want to be with everyone else."

She didn't say that she was afraid to be by herself at the moment, but Leo seemed to understand. He helped her lay on the couch, her head on his lap. He played with her hair as she tried to get comfortable.

Josephine and Emmie knelt by the sofa where Georgina lay shaking, crying, and giggling. Emmie tried to get the little girl to drink some water. Jo dabbed Georgie's face with a washcloth. Next to them stood the Throne of Mnemosyne.

The dragon had curled up as tightly as possible, but he still took up a third of the room.

Calypso was fully recovered from yesterday's jaunt to the zoo. She dashed around the room, bringing food, drink, and medical supplies to the rescued prisoners. Some of the folks they'd freed made themselves right at home, helping themselves to the pantry, rummaging through cabinets.

The two emaciated boys sat at the dining table, trying to pace themselves as they chewed pieces of fresh bread. Hunter Kowalski, the silver-haired girl, stood in a tight circle with the other Hunters of Artemis as they muttered together and cast suspicious glances at Lityerses. The Cornhusker sat in a recliner in the corner, facing the wall, his wounded leg now properly bandaged. Kira refused to meet her eyes, even though he kept staring at her.

Sssssarah the dracaena had discovered the kitchen. She stood at the counter, holding a basket of fresh henhouse eggs, swallowing each whole, one after the other.

Jimmy was up in the griffin roost, making friends with Heloise and Abelard. The griffins allowed him to scratch under their beaks—a sign of great trust, especially since they were guarding an egg in their nest. Jimmy had put on clothes. He now wore a caramel-brown business suit with an open-collared dress shirt.

The rest of the freed prisoners milled around, nibbling on bread and cheese, staring in awe at the stained-glass ceiling and occasionally flinching at loud noises, which was completely normal for those suffering from Post-Commodus Stress Disorder. Headless Agamethus floated among the newcomers, offering them his Magic 8 Ball.