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Chapter 17

The pounding in my head wakes me. Muffled conversation sounds somewhere. I struggle to open my eyes. Everything is white.

I bolt upright. Have I gone blind?

No. I’m in the infirmary, and I was facing a wall. I recognize the room from when I was here before. Why am I here now?

I struggle to remember. Did it have anything to do with my trying to find the answers about the legend? Something about singing flashes in my mind.

The door opens, and Bash enters. “You’re finally awake. You had us worried.” He hurries over and wraps me in his embrace. “How do you feel?”

“Confused. How’d I get here?”

“You don’t remember?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be confused.”

He gives me a quick kiss. “We ate with the band, then after we left, you started crying out in pain.”

“Where?”

“Your stomach.”

“No.” I shake my head vigorously, making it hurt. “Where were we?”

“Oh. Outside the restaurant.”

“That doesn’t help.” I frown.

“The bar where we did karaoke.”

“We were there last night?” I struggle to remember.

He nods. “We ate that same dish, talked with everyone until they all left, then we left.”

That sounds vaguely familiar. “Was Neva there?”

“Yes! You remember?”

“Kind of. Still can’t recall anything else. We didn’t sing, did we?”

“Not at the bar. You were worried about—” He looks like he’s struggling to find the right wording. “The results.”

“You mean knocking people unconscious.”

“Basically.”

“So, we went outside and my stomach started hurting?” I strain to remember, but it just seems to make my head pound.

“You were kissing me. I was trying to get you back for curfew.”

Something about that sounds familiar.

He threads his fingers through mine. “How’s your stomach feeling now?”

“Better than my head. I could use some food, actually.”

“It’s almost lunchtime. Wanna eat at the dining hall?”