Chapter 2: Can You Hear Me?The Brothers Who Let Me Burn

Weston hurried over. He turned my face toward him, and his eyes widened. "Freya? Freya!"

He pressed two fingers to my wrist, then lifted my eyelid and checked my eyes. "How do you feel? Tell me. Does anything hurt?"

I opened my mouth. My throat felt like it was packed with scorched cotton. My tongue moved, but no sound came out.

"Come on, say something!" Weston was getting frantic. He cupped my face in both hands. "What's wrong?"

I could not answer.

All I could do was clutch Weston's hand, digging my nails into his palm as I squeezed with everything I had.

Garrett came over, frowning. "Something's wrong. She really looks like she's trying to say something. We should get her checked out first."

Weston was about to answer when a voice came from the doorway. "Where did you guys go?"

Piper stood barefoot around the corner in the hallway, twisting the hem of her nightgown between her fingers. Her eyes were red.

"I woke up, and you were all gone. I was scared. Did you leave me again? Am I all alone again?"

Weston let go of my face.

All three of them turned and rushed toward her almost at once.

"Why did you come out here by yourself?"

"Did you get scared?"

"How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

Piper curled into Garrett's arms, her voice trembling. "Every time I close my eyes, I think about ten years ago. I see Dad dying in that fire."

Stellan reached over and gently stroked her head. "Don't be scared. We're here. We won't leave you alone."

Piper sniffed and peeked out from Garrett's arms, looking in my direction. "What about Freya? Don't you need to stay with her?"

Only then did they remember me.

Garrett glanced back at me. "She really does look like she's trying to say something."

I opened my mouth wide. A sweet, metallic taste flooded my mouth. My lips trembled violently, but only a breathy rasp escaped through my teeth.

The more I struggled, the more the burns deep in my throat seemed to tear open.

Weston frowned at me for a few seconds, then turned to Florence. "Florence, take her to—"

"Is Freya just upset?" Piper cut him off, her voice soft and gentle, as if she were trying to make excuses for me. "She's always been like this. It's really nothing. She just wants you guys to pay more attention to her."

She bit her lip, as if she hated to say it but felt she had to. "But she can't even say where it hurts. She's probably afraid you'll keep asking questions and realize she's pretending, so she's putting on this whole act."

Weston's expression changed. The hint of panic disappeared completely, replaced by impatience.

He finished what he had been saying. "Florence, take her to the end of the hall. Don't let her block the way here."

Florence bent down, released the brakes on my bed, and started pushing me farther down the hall.

I heard Piper's voice fading behind me. "Don't be mad at Freya. She's just scared. She'll be fine once she calms down."

As we passed the third hospital room, I summoned every last bit of strength I had left. Blood and air churned together in my throat, scraping across my raw vocal cords. "Help… me…"

The sound was so faint it was almost nonexistent, but the hallway was so quiet that everyone heard it.

Florence stopped pushing.

Everyone froze.

"Did Freya just… speak?"