It reminded me too much of the hospital when I was young. I never really liked IVs, so the reminder made my nerves spike. I didn't feel like my boyish self, my heightened level of anxiety and nervousness not at all how I would feel when I was a guy.
It was strange to say the least that I had more confidence as a male, but it was probably a mental thing more than anything. My impression of a male was that they didn't show emotions like fear and worry, but I knew they experienced them and they could be just as powerful and nerve-wracking.
I guessed that having watched my father and brother, and the way our culture had stressed such things all played a role in my current mindset.
I wished it wasn't that way, but that was something I'd have to work towards and remind myself of whenever I went from Jewel to Jinn.
Maximus was back, his footsteps alerting me of his return.
I felt him slide my glasses onto my face and I opened my eyes to see a clearer view of what looked to be Brax and Maximus’ room. I blinked a few times, noticing Logan's arms crossed, resting on the edge of the bed with his head laying on his arms as he slept.
I realized he must have been on his knees and and just fell asleep there. Alice was curled up next to him in her fox form and Koa was perched on the end of the bed.
Logan looked exhausted even though he was sleeping. His hair was a mess and I noticed a section of dark bruising on his right hand where it poked out from beneath his rested head.
"Jewel, here." Maximus brought the straw to my lips and I mentally sighed as the cool liquid entered my mouth, drinking it slowly as I reflected on when I was younger in the hospital.
I drank about half when Maximus said I should wait a bit to drink the rest.
I nodded slightly, my head feeling numb and weird, but at least the headache was gone.
Maximus smiled, putting the glass on the nightstand.
I took the chance to look down at my body, noticing I was sitting at a 45-degree angle with pillows keeping me in that position and I was indeed in my female form.
I frowned, cautiously moving my head to check the markings on my left shoulder; the flower faint design was still present which left me even more confused, wondering if I did the spell wrong.
"If you're wondering why you're female, Ms. Landsford voided your spell. It worked just fine but you were expelling too much mana and we didn't want you getting weaker than you already were," Maximus explained.
I relaxed back in the comfy pillows.
"Oh."
"How are you feeling?" Maximus reached out and took my hand to rest in his.
I glanced at his hand in mine, the comfort of feeling his warmth and the show of worry and compassion from his actions and the relieved expression on his face.
"Would it be strange to say I don't know? Numb? I’m...just trying to play catch up and it’s not working."
My memories were all jumbled up and weren't planning on falling in order without me working up a headache.
"You want a recap?" Maximus smiled.
I matched his smile with a weak one of my own.
"Yes please."
He nodded, squeezing my hand. His thumb rubbed the back of my hand as he began to explain.
"We had our test for Physical Studies and our team was matched up with Eric, Andrew, and Nick. You and Zane were matched with Andrew and Eric, while Nick and I were delegators on the side. You fought and the goal was to push the other team out of the arena. The plan was to create a burst of energy that would push both sides back but you would have a stable net to catch and prevent you from being forced out of the arena."
I frowned, slowly remembering bits and pieces but my mind was still only at the beginning of the match.
"Um...what went wrong then? Sounds like a flawless plan."
Maximus’ expression darkened and he glanced away.
I copied his frown.