"Thank you, Master Rune. Please get some rest as well."
I listened to the fading footsteps and heard the door close. I fought to open my eyes that felt as though they were weighted with bricks. From the conversation I overheard, I assumed I must have shifted.Why though?My mind was still muddled and things weren't adding up.
I opened my eyes, squinting at the bright light.
"Celestia? Hold on," the soft-spoken male announced.
I heard his feet shuffle along the floor; the bright lights above me dimmed. I sighed in relief, letting my eyes close for a few seconds before opening them again.
"Where am I?" I pondered.
A handsome male with bright green eyes looked down at me. He gave me a sad smile. "Cutie Pie. Do you have amnesia? Magnor did say you experience it from time to time when you shift," the male asked.
"Um. Maybe? You're...Pixie...Boy? The cute one...I mean, no. Not cute," I stuttered as my cheeks tinged with embarrassment. I hated when this happened. If I did shift into my unicorn form, then I was totally dealing with memory loss and the other side effects that came after. As long as I didn't have a giggle fit or start talking about saving starving children, I guessed it wouldn't be too bad.
He gave me a wide grin and removed something from my forehead. I noticed it was a pink face cloth and watched as he dipped it into a bowl of water.
"Yes, Cutie Pie. I'm Pixie Boy or Finn. Magnor said your memory would come back in waves so don't sweat it," Finn explained.
I tried to sit up, but I felt nauseous even from the slight movement.
Finn pressed his hand on my shoulder. "Easy, Cutie Pie. You're not in a stable state yet. Magnor said he'd make something to help you recover faster," Finn confessed.
"Right...why are you in our house? Wait, this doesn't look like my room," I realized, glancing around the white-curtained box my bed was stationed in.
It looked more like some type of medical clinic, like the one Magnor once took me to when I was sick and he got concerned.
Finn chuckled. "You’re even cuter when you’re confused, Celestia. Why don't you rest a little more before we play Twenty-One Questions? But to reassure you, you're in a medical ward in Aslan Academy. Magnor went to have a meeting with the headmaster. He'll be back later," Finn explained.
"Oh," I replied, resting my head back on the pillow.
That made sense...I think?
"At least you’re cooperative," Finn acknowledged, squeezing the excess water from the face cloth before laying it back on my forehead.
I sighed in relief at the cold fabric against my hot skin. I wanted to ask more questions, but a nap was rather tempting.
"Celestia, go back to sleep. I'm not going anywhere. Our team is knocked out and they won’t tell us what happened until everyone is fully rested, including you," he explained.
"How about you?" I asked, opening my eyes slightly to analyze his smooth skin.
For a guy, he sure has lovely skin. I wonder if he uses facial products?
"I'm fine. I slept enough already. You need to worry about yourself, Cutie Pie." He brushed his hand against my cheek.
"Why?"
"Why what?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.
"Why are you taking care of me? You don't know me...or well, barely. Everyone thinks I'm useless...a liar that doesn't deserve Magnor's training. I don't know why he cares, either. You don't need to be here, yet you are. Why?" I asked.
The smile on his face fell and a sad expression replaced it. I didn't mean to make him sad or upset. I just couldn't comprehend why anyone would care. All those years of loneliness, and the countless days I sat in the garden and wished for even one friend. Now here I was, in some medical ward with a man who was willing to stay up and take care of me in Magnor's stead. It made no sense and I wished to understand.
"Because we're friends, Celestia. Friends don't abandon one another. Even if we've just met...you put your life on the line for people you hardly knew. To you, this may seem fast and even preposterous, but I can speak on the others’ behalf that we care about you. And to be fair, we wonder the same thing. How did we meet a girl who could mingle with us so easily after such a short amount of time? Why would this girl put her life on the line to protect us, a group of misfit shifters who she knew nothing about other than our names and a few minor details?" he explained.
Even with my current memory loss, his words made sense.
He continued, "For the first time, I sat around a campfire with a group of shifters that were happy to be around me. Even though this was an exam, we tried to get to know each other. I know for some, friendship takes days or months to develop, but to me, if you’re willing to risk your life for another, that counts as friendship in my book and I take care of and protect my friends. So...we're friends," he concluded.