“Just this morning,” he chimed.
“It looks like you’re feeling much better,” Thomas added.
“Yes, much. It’s good to be back with all of my favorite people.”
“Well, it’s great to have you back, Henry,” I said.
He gave a little nod and proceeded down the hall toward the ballroom.
When we entered, I felt like I had been transported to another place. The room was bright and cheerful, beautifully decorated with balloons, flowers, and centerpieces in vivid colors. There was no way anyone could feel sad in this setting.
Courtney and Caleb were already seated, picking on some snacks, and as soon as Courtney saw me, she waved me over.
“Well, I guess you’re safe here,” Thomas said, letting me go.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll be watching you, and will come to collect you at the end of the night,” he said with an over exaggerated wink.
“Fine.” I giggled, rolling my eyes, heading for Courtney.
“Emma,” she exclaimed, waving. “Come, sit next to me.”
I was glad to see a smile on her face. The past few weeks had been really hard on everyone, especially them. I finally made my way over and sat in the seat next to her. She had a scar from the wound on her forehead, and her bruises were almost completely gone.
She leaned over close. “I can’t believe we’re leaving for a few weeks.”
“It’s only to keep you safe. You saw what happened. Alaine wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if anything ever happened to you or Caleb. You’re her life.”
“So are you,” she said.
“I know, but you’ve been with her longer than I have. She practically raised you.”
“Yeah, “ she sighed, then turned toward me. “But I’m really worried about you.”
“Why?” I asked, seeing the troubled look.
“I had a horrible nightmare last night about you and it scared me,” she whispered.
“What was it about?” I asked. She paused. “It’s alright, it was only a dream,” I whispered back. But deep inside I knew, especially in this crazy new world, dreams sometimes did come true.
She exhaled. “It was pitch black and I could hear you screaming, calling out for help. It sounded like you were hurt. I tried to find my way through the darkness to get to you, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find you. I yelled and yelled for you, but you kept screaming in pain. It made me so sick inside. And then, all of a sudden I saw you, lying in a pool of blood, and your eyes were red. No matter how fast I ran toward you, I couldn’t get to you. You looked helpless and in so much pain.
“I woke up crying, and had to turn my night light on. I slept with it on for the rest of the night. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Emma,” she said, leaning over and hugging me tightly.
I hugged her back. “Hey, don’t worry about me. I have Samuel, Alaine, and six of the best Guardians watching over me. I’ll be just fine,” I said, trying to be optimistic.
“I know, but there are a lot more of those monsters out there. Caleb told me there were thousands.”
“Which is true, but look at how many of them attacked us, and they were all killed. They can’t defeat our guys. They’re the best warriors out there, trained to fight and protect us. You don’t have to worry. We’ll be just fine.”
“I hope so,” she breathed, a single tear trickled down her cheek. “I just can’t wait until this is all over.”
“Me too, Courtney. Me too.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
Glancing at the tray in front of us, I was about to grab a small pastry puff when Courtney nudged me.
“Hey, look who just walked in,” she said, discreetly nodding toward the entry.
As soon as I saw him, my heart beat a little quicker and my insides fluttered with butterflies.
Kade.
I hadn’t seen him in almost a week, and even when I tried, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. He was with the rest of the Guardians, but he stood out of the pack. I felt the edges of my lips rise as I watched him laugh and talk to the others as they walked in. Seeing him was like drinking an ice cold cup of water on the hottest day. It quenched the fires of stress. His presence always made my world feel complete.
“You’re in love with him now, aren’t you?” Courtney questioned in a soft whisper.
“What?” I turned towards her cheesy smile, and remembered the first day I arrived here. We were in this very room when she asked me if I was in love with Kade. My answer at the time was no, because I barely knew him. But a lot had happened since then. That short time between then and now seemed like an eternity.