Page 31 of Bleeding Hearts (Pine Valley College #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

B y the time we leave the studio, we’re blushing and covered in paint, but we’re grinning. We take our paintings with us and drop them off at her room before we head out. Our mood sours as reality kicks back in.

There is another game tonight, and it’s where we are going now. Lally doesn’t seem nervous, but then again, she never does. I am, but I guess worrying all the time comes with loving someone.

Are they okay?

Happy?

Have they eaten or slept enough?

Are they safe?

It’s all I think about, and walking into danger with her feels wrong, but I won’t stop her from doing this. Loving Lally means respecting her decisions no matter what.

Grassroots Road is hard to find, but when we do, we share a look.

It’s a wide dirt lane leading into the middle of nowhere, and I get flashbacks of the coffins.

That was horrible. I still remember the feeling.

Holding Lally’s hand, I steal some of her strength as we wander down the road.

When we pass a line of trees, bright white lights fill the area. I blink, my eyes watering.

Five greenhouses sit in a row with lights on. Only one is open, and a crowd is gathered outside.

“A greenhouse?” I ask as a bad feeling grows inside me.

“I’ll be right here, okay?” Lally tugs me closer and kisses my head. “We’ll be okay, just like we have been so far. I won’t let anything happen to you, I promise.”

Nodding, I let her lead me over to the crowd. She stands close to it, with me on the outside so we can see the open glass door. Above it is another Risk card, this one with a plant on it.

“What’s the game?” Lally asks someone.

“Not sure yet,” a person responds. She rubs my back as we wait, and the night draws on. I think they like making us wait. It wouldn’t surprise me if they liked to watch our fear grow.

Finally, the telltale Risk glitch noise comes through hidden speakers, and then a disguised voice fills the air.

“Tonight, you will face another fear. Every day you make decisions that affect your life, and tonight is no different. Step inside the greenhouse, where our wranglers await, and make a choice. Can you trust yourself to make the right decision? Will you risk it?”

“The fuck does that even mean?” I mutter, but no one answers since we don’t know.

We step in after the others, and Lally keeps us to the side and back.

Two long tables are situated down the middle of the space.

Each has cracked black and gold plates and what appears to be sections of plants on them.

“You will choose which one to eat,” one if the masked people announces, “in order of winners. Then, we will go down the line. You must consume it or you will fail.”

“Are they deadly?” someone asks. “Not every plant is edible.”

“Ten plants here can kill you. That is your choice. Pick well,” the wrangler replies as he steps back.

A screen lowers from the ceiling with names rolling on it like dice, and then it stops. Lally’s name is in the top ten, and that only worries me more.

Lally turns to me and leans down, pressing her mouth to my ear as they start to choose.

“Listen to me. We don’t have time. Choose as well as you can, okay?

It’s hard to tell what is poisonous and what’s not.

I’ve been camping a few times, but I’m not an expert.

Trust your instincts. Don’t choose anything with sharp leaves. ”

“I’m worried,” I admit.

She wraps her arms around me and kisses my head. “We’ll be fine. I promise.”

Lally’s name is called by the wrangler. She smiles at me reassuringly and steps forward.

Like the others, she walks down the tables, eyeing them with a tight expression.

We can’t trust what they are because everything in Risk is about life or death.

If we choose wrong . . . My heart hammers as I think of the consequences.

She stops in front of a dish and nods at me.

There are a few others before me, and then it’s my turn, and I step up.

All of the plants look similar, but I follow her advice and discard any that look like they have sharp edges.

Only about half are left now, so I pick one on the closest table a few down and opposite Lally.

It’s green with brown roots, the leaves rounded and soft.

It appears edible, but I know that could be a trick.

I trust my instincts, though, like she said.

Waiting for everyone else to choose is nerve-racking, and the last person doesn’t even get to select which plant they want.

She steps up next to me, silent tears sliding down her cheeks.

Her body shakes as she stares at the plant before her.

Biting my lip, I glance at Lally to see her looking at me. She nods, and I smile tightly.

“We will begin.” The wrangler stands beside a player at random. “Consume.”

The skinny man pushes his glasses up with a shaking hand before he reaches down and lifts the cut pieces to his mouth, then he hesitates.

“You have five seconds or you will be classified as a failure. Five. Four. Three?—”

He shoves it in his mouth, wincing as he chews, and then swallows. The greenhouse is silent, bar panicked breathing as he waits. When he doesn’t drop dead, we relax a little.

The wrangler on this side picks a girl, and with a cocky expression, she shoves her plant in her mouth and chews before sticking out her tongue.

The wranglers take turns picking players at random. Most people look terrified, but when wranglers start to count, they consume it. One person gets sick after, and they lead them away, saying they are out. Another two can’t bring themselves to eat it and walk away.

It’s cutting through the pack, that’s for sure.

The wrangler steps up next to Lally, and I swear my heart stops in my chest. I know she’s willing to risk it all, but as I watch her pick up the plant, I want to scream and beg her not to eat it.

Her life isn’t worth the risk, but she won’t stop, so all I can do is watch as she shoves it into her mouth. She sticks her tongue out, and I wait as the wrangler moves on. Lally smiles at me, giving me a thumbs-up.

“Love you,” she mouths.

She’s the same color, and she isn’t having a reaction, but I continue to stare as if to ensure nothing will happen when a cough suddenly rents the air. I turn to see a girl on the other side turning red.

She coughs violently, her hand going to her throat as red hives appear across her skin. Her eyes bulge as she coughs louder, clawing at her throat as she spins, looking for help. Lally goes to move from her post, but a wrangler pulls a gun and aims it at her.

“If you intervene, then you forfeit. In this case, that means your life.”

“Lals,” I implore, and she closes her eyes and steps back. All of us are unable to do anything as the girl bumps into tables and other contestants. Her face is purple when she abruptly drops to the ground.

“Allergic reaction,” the girl at my side whispers.

I turn to Lally, who’s pale, when the wrangler, without a hint of hesitation, stops at my side. Lally looks from him to me before forcing a smile. “You can do it,” she calls. “But it’s okay, baby. You can walk away.”

That would leave her alone in this, and I can’t do that.

“Five. Four . . .”

Closing my eyes, I grab the plant and shove it into my mouth.

The sharp taste mixed with dirt makes me gag, but I chew and chew, trying to force it down.

It tries to come back up, and I feel my eyes burn with fear, but I swallow it repeatedly, only to gag.

I turn my head as my stomach revolts, bile crawling up my throat.

Covering my mouth, I swallow my bile and stick out my tongue, still feeling queasy, but the wrangler moves on.

I wrap my arms around myself, swallowing repeatedly to get rid of the sick feeling, but all I can taste is that stupid fucking plant, and I want to gag.

Suddenly, something hits my feet under the table, and I look down to see water.

Lally gestures for me to drink, so I grab it and down it, thankful for her.

Wiping at my mouth, I look around to see everyone is as nervous as I was. I sip the remaining water, trying to settle my rolling stomach as the others proceed to eat. More leave, but then a man drops to the ground. We all watch in horror as he foams at the mouth, his body jerking before stilling.

“Is he dead?” the boy next to me asks.

A wrangler leans down and checks his pulse with a gloved hand before standing. “Contestant Bryant has failed.”

He’s dead.

Oh god, he’s fucking dead.

He ate a poisonous plant.

I stare at the man, unable to look away. He’s left there like garbage as wranglers step over him like he’s an annoyance. He fucking died, and they don’t care.

“Look at me, baby.” The voice catches my attention, and I drag my gaze to Lally’s, only then realizing that I’m crying. I stare at her as others complete their task, but all I can think about is that man.

His family and friends will never know.

My stomach aches and cramps, probably from the fear of seeing someone die, and I break out in a cold sweat. I discard it, knowing it’s just shock.

“Tonight’s game is concluded. You may leave now,” the voice states. “Thank you for playing Risk.”

People run for the door, and Lally rushes to my side. Taking my hand, she leads me outside, then we wait for the crowd to flee before we walk down the dirt road. “We did it,” she murmurs, relief in her tone.

I nod, unable to speak. My stomach is rebelling, and if I open my mouth, I might vomit. I don’t want her to worry, so I force it down. My skin feels too hot and too cold all at once, and my stomach cramps so badly, I want to cry.

This isn’t just a reaction to his death. This is something else.

I stop and turn to tell her when my stomach finally gives up its fight.

I spin, and vomit spews from my mouth.

“Alice!” she yells. “What’s wrong? Oh, baby.”

She holds my hair back as I puke on the side of the road, her other hand rubbing my back. “That’s right. Get it out, baby. It’s okay,” she murmurs as I continue to be sick. Snot runs from my nose, and when I go to wipe my eyes, my shaking hand catches my attention.

My fingers are covered in red droplets.

“Lals,” I whisper as I show her my fingers.

Her eyes widen as she turns my face to hers, and terror crosses her features for a second.

“Lals?”

“Your eyes . . . Your tears are red,” she whispers. “Blood. There’s blood coming from your eyes.” She turns and looks at my vomit. “There’s blood in your puke.”

I stare, unsure what to say or do.

She sweeps me into her arms and starts to run. “Lals?”

“I’ve got you. You’ll be okay,” she says, chanting it over and over, and I turn my head.

“I’m going to be sick,” I whine.

“It’s okay. Throw up on me, baby. We can’t stop,” she tells me, so I try to swallow it, but I throw up over her shoulder. She runs faster than I’ve ever seen her, and when we reach the road, she flags down a taxi and shoves us inside.

“The closest hospital, now!” she shouts before cupping my face as I gasp, weakness flooding me. “Shh, baby, it’s okay. Just stay with me.”

I nod, trying to promise her that I will, but my lips feel funny and no words come out. I try again. “Am I going to die?” I slur.

“No, baby, of course not,” she soothes, her forehead resting against mine. “You’re just sick, probably a bad reaction. You aren’t dying, not tonight, okay?”

I feel my tears fall harder as I shake, and all the energy I seemed to have floats away. “I’m scared, Lals,” I rasp.

Her tears splash on my face as we cuddle together in the back seat. “Shh, don’t be. I’m right here. I promised I’d never let anything happen to you. You’ll be fine. It’s all fine, baby.”

“I don’t want to die,” I croak.

Her sob makes my heart shatter. “You aren’t dying!” she snaps. “Just focus on me, nothing else.”

I nod and try to do as she asks. I can’t die.

I can’t break her heart, not like Tommy did.

My death would be the end of Lally, and this world needs her.

Even though oblivion claws at me, trying to claim me, I fight it for her.

I’ll never leave her, not like Tommy did.

We finally come to a stop, and she drags me out, keeping me in her arms as we burst through the doors of the emergency room.

The lights are so bright they hurt my head, so I close my eyes.

“Help me! Please, help me!” she shouts, her voice tight and panicked. “Please! She’s hurt. Please, help me!”

I feel people moving around me, and then I’m on something soft, but it feels distant and blurry. Even my ears are ringing.

My body feels wrong . . . numb.

I force my eyes open and see white tiles whirring above us, then I realize I’m on a bed and we are moving. A doctor and a nurse are at my side, yelling as they run.

“I can’t lose her,” Lally sobs, her voice pulling me back from the numbness for a moment. She sounds upset. I need to reassure her. I turn my head to see her glazed eyes, her hand in mine. “Please, I can’t lose her. She’s all I have.”

“It’s okay. We’ll take care of her, but you need to give us room.” A nurse tugs her away, and our hands break apart, both of us reaching for each other as I am wheeled away. The last thing I see is Lally crumpling to her knees before everything goes dark.