“We’re on the same team,” I say through gritted teeth. Zara plays innocent with a dramaticoops.
Cat steps between us, draping her arms over our shoulders.“Isn’t this fun, ladies?” she says cheerfully. My eyes roll so far into the back of my head, I worry they might get stuck there. To appease Cat, I shake it off and keep going.
While we’re resetting, Essos switches to my team and stands next to me in a defensive position. “You all right? New legs today?”
I flash him a fake smile. “All good over here.” I adopt the same perky tone Zara has been using all day.
The next time Zara and I are on a collision course, she drops to the ground, grabbing her leg and feigning injury better than a professional soccer player. I pull back from her so fast, I almost fall over, but instead, I collide with Essos’s chest. His hands grab my shoulders, steadying me, and then he kneels beside Zara. She has managed to twist her ankle in her rush to both get in front of me and away from me and is bawling, holding her foot.
I want to scowl, but I think she might genuinely be in pain, even if it is self-inflicted. Cat jogs over to see what happened. I cross my arms as Cat leans on my shoulder, peering over me. I don’t want to crowd Zara, because Tiffany is now by her side and so is Essos.
“Oh no, please don’t touch it,” she whimpers as Essos reaches out to test her ankle. She actually swings away from his hand. I can hear him quietly trying to reassure her as he again reaches out to take her ankle. I can’t bear to watch and am thankful for the distraction of Sybil sprinting down the stairs to Essos’s side. I assume that it’s to render aid, but the panic on their face makes me second guess that.
“My lord, you have a meeting that you must attend immediately,” Sybil relays.
Essos looks up at them, Zara’s ankle cradled in his hands. “Can’t it wait?” he asks, clearly annoyed.
“I’m sorry, but this is in regard to the incident the other day. He’s here to discuss it.” Sybil’s voice is grave, and Essos nearly drops Zara’s foot but seems to catch himself. He gently places it on the ground.
“I’m sorry, Zara. Sybil will have to attend you—this is an urgent matter that I absolutely have to address.” He stands, looking frazzled. I reach out to touch his arm, and he nearly jumps out of his skin when I do so. His eyes meet mine, and this seems to relax him for only a moment. He searches my face, and I see the concern deepen.
“Ladies, please enjoy some yoga and a relaxing day. I’m sorry that I won’t be able to spend the rest of it with you,” Essos says before jogging away and taking the deck stairs two at a time.
I feel uneasy, as if I’ve eaten something rotten. As Sybil heals Zara, I take a staggering step back, gasping as a sharp pain lances through my stomach and side. Cat is quick to put a supportive arm around my back, and I cry out as the pain intensifies. My vision narrows until all I see is white and gold, the world overtaken by the sting and burn of a repeated stabbing sensation in my chest. My heart is pounding so loudly, the rush of my pulse becomes the only thing I can hear, until it feels like my heart will burst, and not in anI’m-so-full-of-love-for-youway. There’s a constant ringing in my ears, and hollow laughter that sounds far away.
Cat eases me down to the sand as the ringing gets louder and louder. Then, just as quickly as it all started, it stops. I take gasping breaths and clutch my chest. No more pain, no more ringing, nothing. Cat’s eyes are as big as saucers, nearly bugging out of her face as she sits next to me, her hand on my back. She rubs gentle circles, searching my body for some sort of indication as to what that was.
Sybil is towering over me, shaking their head. I notice now that Zara is standing beside them, arms crossed, and I am decidedly not a fan of everyone standing over me. I scramble to my feet and dust off the sand. Cat remains on the ground, brow furrowed. The mental calculations she runs in her head as she solves a problem are playing out on her face. Her brow twitches periodically until Zara distracts her.
“What was that, drama queen?” Zara asks, looking at me like I’ve grown another head.
“I’m sorry. I have no idea,” I say, averting my gaze from everyone. I wrap my arms around my middle and hug myself, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. That chill from the first day settles into my bones.
Sybil watches me closely, no expression on their face. “Do you feel up to yoga, or do you want to go inside and lie down?” they ask kindly.
I shake my head, not wanting special treatment. It doesn’t help that Zara is shooting daggers at me through her eyes. There will be days as a queen where I may not feel up to doing what I have to, and I want to keep going now. Even though Essos isn’t here to witness it, Sybil is.
“I’ll stay with everyone else,” I say weakly.
Cat rises and dusts the sand off her legs. “This has actually been a lot of excitement for me, so, I think Iwillgo inside.” She shrugs, watching me. “Why don’t you keep me company, Daph?” she pleads.
I see right through what she’s doing, and I love her for it. Sybil gives a small nod of approval to Cat. She holds my elbow as we make our way up to my room, where I collapse on the bed.
I curl up, and Cat sits behind me and pulls off my shoes. “Are you okay?” Her voice is soft. My insides are shaking as I look at her. I can barely shake my head, unable to find the words to convey how I feel. “Can I get you anything?” she prods.
I manage to squeak out, “Water,” and she gets up in search of it. When she opens the door, I’m not surprised to see Dave on the other side. He bounds up and settles himself in the crook of my knees, with his head resting on my hip.
“Dave will take care of me while you’re out.”
Her eyes look uncertain, so I wave her on. I take comfort in having Dave by my side while Cat is gone. What happened was terrifying, and I have no reasonable explanation for it, which makes it all the more scary.
I close my eyes, and when I open them, Cat is returning with a tray in her hands. Not only does it have water, but a grilled cheese sandwich as well. She sets the tray on my nightstand and hops onto the bed beside me. I sit up, much to Dave’s chagrin, forcing him to resettle.
“How do you feel?” she asks, studying my face.
I take a small sip of water. “A little better. Mostly just confused. How long were you gone?”
“About 45 minutes.” She holds out a triangle of grilled cheese to me. I take it and nibble at the long corner to appease her. “I was talking with Sybil, and they insisted that I bring you some food.”