Chapter Five — The Infirmary
Nyra woke to white.
Not blinding. Not empty. Just… sterile.
Ceiling tiles. A humming fluorescent light. The sharp, clean scent of antiseptic that reminded her of scraped knees and school headaches that never quite went away.
Her head ached — deep and dull, like pressure caught behind her eyes.
She shifted.
The bed was narrow, the blanket thin, but her body responded. Slow. Heavy. Present.
“Oh—hey.”
The voice came from her right.
Nyra turned her head.
The girl from class sat beside the bed, leaning forward slightly, hands clasped together like she’d been waiting. Relief crossed her face the moment Nyra moved.
“You’re awake,” she said. “Are you okay?”
Nyra swallowed. “Yeah. I think so.”
“Good.” The girl let out a breath. “You scared everyone.”
“Sorry,” Nyra murmured.
“Don’t apologize,” she said. “You didn’t face-plant. That’s a win.”
Nyra almost smiled.
“You fainted,” the girl added. “Just went down. I caught you before you hit the floor.”
Nyra winced. “Great first impression.”
“It could’ve been worse.”
Before Nyra could ask how, the door flew open.
“NYRA.”
Kael burst in like he’d been launched, eyes wide, hair slightly out of place, breathing like he’d sprinted the whole way.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Oh my god—are you okay? Did you hit your head? Are you bleeding? They said you just dropped—Kevin came running like—”
“I’m fine,” Nyra said quickly. “Promise.”
Kael froze, staring at her like he was checking for cracks.
“…Okay,” he said finally, exhaling. “Okay. Good.”
He scrubbed a hand down his face. “Kevin nearly passed out too, by the way.”
Nyra blinked. “What?”
“They had him sitting in a chair,” Kael said. “Pale as a ghost. Nurse was about two seconds from dragging him in here too like, congratulations, you’re sharing.”
“That’s dramatic,” Nyra said weakly.
“He was panicking,” Kael replied. “Full spiral.”
As if summoned, Lina appeared in the doorway with Seris just behind her.
“She’s awake?” Lina asked urgently.
“She’s awake,” Kael confirmed.
“Oh thank god,” Lina said. “Because Kevin looked like he was about to faint on top of her and I did not sign up for that.”
Seris nodded solemnly. “That would’ve complicated the situation.”
Another head leaned into the doorway.
Rowan.
“For the record,” he said, “you saying ‘don’t come in’ almost didn’t work.”
Kael didn’t look up. “And yet you’re still alive.”
Rowan nodded toward Nyra. “She fainted.”
“She’s sitting,” Kael said. “Breathing. Making jokes. That’s a full recovery in Nyra terms.”
Nyra blinked. “I don’t make—”
“You do,” Kael said, without looking at her.
Rowan crossed his arms. “I was worried.”
Kael finally glanced at him. “You’re always worried.”
“That’s because she’s—” Rowan stopped himself. Cleared his throat. “—because fainting isn’t normal.”
Kael raised an eyebrow. “Neither is hovering.”
Rowan scoffed. “You’re her brother, not her bodyguard.”
Kael shifted just enough to block the doorway. “Correct. Bodyguards get paid.”
A beat.
Rowan sighed, lifting his hands. “Okay. Okay. I just wanted to check on her.”
Kael nodded toward the bed. “Checked.”
Rowan looked at Nyra. “You good?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I just fainted dramatically.”
Rowan winced. “Please don’t do that again.”
Kael smirked. “See? Audience.”
Rowan shot him a look. “If she sneezes, I’m blaming you.”
Kael shrugged. “Join the fan club.”
The nurse appeared moments later, clipboard in hand. She checked Nyra’s vitals, asked a few questions, then nodded.
“Stress and lack of sleep,” she said. “Your mom’s on her way.”
Nyra groaned. “Great.”
Kael gave her a look. “You’ve barely been sleeping. I knew this would catch up to you.”
When the nurse left, Kael squeezed Nyra’s shoulder. “I’m gonna wait outside before Mom interrogates the entire building.”
“Smart.”
He glanced at the girl. “Thank you. For helping her.”
The girl nodded once. “Of course.”
Kael hesitated. “And if she faints again, I’m suing the school.”
Rowan gave a thumbs-up. “I’ll testify.”
The door closed behind them.
Quiet settled again.
Nyra shifted slightly, then glanced back at the girl. “I’m Nyra.”
“I know,” the girl said. “Everyone was saying your name.”
“Oh.” Nyra hesitated. “I didn’t catch yours.”
The girl paused — just a fraction of a second.
“Ilyra,” she said.
The name struck Nyra like something bruised.
Her chest tightened. Heat flared behind her eyes — stone, ash, something burning just out of reach.
She sucked in a breath.
“Hey,” Ilyra said immediately. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Nyra lied. “Just a headache.”
Ilyra studied her for a moment, then nodded.
“My mom’s going to ask a million questions,” Nyra sighed.
Ilyra smiled faintly. “Mine too.”
The lie slid into place too easily.
Nyra didn’t know why, but it made something in her chest ache.
“Ilyra,” she said slowly. “That name feels… familiar.”
Ilyra tilted her head. “Does it?”
“Yeah,” Nyra admitted. “Like it hurts. But not in a bad way.”
Ilyra smiled — small, careful. “Maybe it’s just one of those names.”
“Maybe.”
Footsteps echoed in the hall.
“I guess this is where we pretend this was a normal day,” Nyra said.
“For now,” Ilyra replied.
Nyra looked at her then — really looked.
The calm posture. The careful way she held herself. The way she hadn’t let go earlier.
“Hey,” Nyra said. “Thanks. For staying.”
Ilyra’s smile softened. “I wasn’t going to leave.”
Something about the certainty in her voice made Nyra’s chest ache.
As if, somewhere deep inside her,
a part of her already knew that was true.
