16: Nearly killed. Again.

The next morning, I wake up with a horrible pain in my wings. I twitch one and clench my jaw. I can't tell Jack. He'd demand to see Carson. A knock on my door catches my attention.

"Come in." I groan. Carson walks in with a grin on his face. But when he sees my expression, he frowns.

"Are you alright?" He asks. I get out of bed and spread my damaged wings. He blinks. "Oh god. Damn, I'm really sorry." He says giving the cuts on my wings a worried stare. I fold in my wings and smile.

"It's okay. I might take the day off from school, but other than that nothings gonna happen." I explain. He hugs me, rubbing the space between my wings.

"Okay. I'll visit at lunch." He offers. I nod.

"If you want."

He grins and walks out the door. Looking over his shoulder he says,

"I'll see you at noon, then."

And then he's gone. I run a brush through my hair and walk into the kitchen. Sasko taps my shoulder.

"What happened to you?" He asks. I roll my eyes.

"I'm fine." I say, sitting at the table. He pokes me and my wing instantly moves to smack him in the face. He dodges me and holds my wings out, examining them. He whistles.

"He got you good."

I yawn and stand up, nearly falling. Someone catches me. I look up. Carson...? I lean into his embrace and close my eyes. He chuckles and carries me back to my room.

"Maybe I should stay here to make sure you don't trip and break your arm." He chuckles. I glare at him, and he laughs. I plop onto my bed.

"We could make you better. I could train you more." Sasko offers. I smile.

"Sounds good." I say. Carson follows us outside to watch. I take off into the air, still in my pajamas. Suddenly, a force hits me in my wings and I gasp. I turn around, falling a couple feet before spreading my wings again. My wings are frozen with a layer of ice.

"Make sure your opponent doesn't have any way to escape you." He grins as the ice on my wings breaks off. I clench my jaw and fly towards him. I grab his arm and spin him around, landing a solid kick to his spine. He hisses at me and swings me to the right. I hit a tree and talk to the ground. He lands in front of me. He's...different. His eyes...I squint when suddenly he grabs my neck. I cough and gasp.

"Sasko, stop..." I wheeze. His jaw is clenched and his eyes are darker. I tap his arm and my eyes start to close. Suddenly, I'm released. I look up, seeing two of everything. Carson is hovering over Sasko, hissing, and standing over me protectively. Sasko blinks and looks around.

"What happened..?" His question echos. I don't hear anything after that, because I end up blacking out.

I open my eyes to find the room spinning. I run to the bathroom and hurl, coughing. My throat hurts and my lungs burn. Carson appears is the mirror behind me, looking extremely tired. He has bags under his eyes, unlike any other time I see him. I turn around to face him and he pulls me into a hug. I close my eyes and sigh.

"What're you doing here?" I ask. His voice cracks.

"I had to make sure you were okay." He whispers.

"Where Sasko?" I ask, pulling away. Carson clenches his jaw and leads me to Sasko's room. He's on his bed, looking stressed. He glances up and bolts to me, hugging me.

"I'm so sorry, damnit." He says, softly. I sigh, and look away. He nearly killed me. Carson is tense as Sasko wraps his arms around me.