“Yes, that would be fine. I am sure she is anxious to see her niece,” Mrs. Truance left the room and Principal Saint turned his attention back to me. “Our discussion will have to wait. I am sending you home for the day, and strongly suggest you take the rest of the week off to recuperate. Kingsley does not tolerate sick and fainting students.” He said it with finality and stood to take his leave.
“Oh my word, Eden are you all right?” Aunt Syl was through the door and in front of my face before I could react. She was still in her green doctor’s scrubs, and her hair was frazzled. She reached out to put my face in her hands and I inhaled the strong smell of hospital soap.
“I’m fine, really, I’m fine,” I tried to reassure her, but she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small flashlight to begin examining my eyes. I attempted to push her away but she was persistent.
“They said it was a seizure, I was so worried,” she exclaimed, finally giving up the impromptu checkup and hugging me tightly.
“Aunt Syl, I can’t breathe,” I said, struggling for oxygen.
“Oh, I’m so sorry dear,” she pulled back, but didn’t take her hands off my shoulders.
“I have excused her for the day, as well as the rest of the week,” Principal Saint interrupted from the doorway. “Please, take this time to recover, and we will see you back here on Monday, healthy. I will have Ms. Mason bring over your homework and make sure you are caught up on classes.” With his final instructions, he left us alone, closing the door behind him.
“What happened?” Aunt Syl asked exasperatedly. “The school called me at the hospital and I rushed over here right away.”
“I guess I had some sort of seizure or something…. I don’t really remember to be honest. But I feel much better now; I think I’m fine. Let’s just go home,” I looked up at her with pleading eyes, giving her my most charming smile, hoping to convince her.
“Nice try, but seizures are serious Eden. I am going to take you to the hospital for a full checkup, and then we will go home…. Ok? Who is Ms. Mason?” Aunt Syl was serious. I knew there was no getting out of all of the tests I was about to have run on me. I inwardly groaned, not sure if I was up to being poked and prodded. Still, I wondered if there was a diagnosis for blood made out of lightning.
“Lilly, the girl I was telling you about yesterday,” I hopped off the cot and adjusted my uniform. Aunt Syl checked out with Mrs. Truance before we left; but we eventually made our way down to her car, parked slightly askew in front of the school.
Before we could begin our escape and to my utter despair and frustration, I noticed Kiran jogging down to us from the Administration Building. I cringed, unsure why he just couldn’t leave me alone. Since I was still not feeling like myself, I was in no mood to deal with him.
“Eden,” he called from a few feet away as I tried to slide into the passenger’s seat as quickly as my trembling appendages would let me. “Eden!”
“Who is that?” Aunt Syl was both impressed and confused by the unbelievably good-looking boy jogging in our direction.
“What?” I shouted exasperatedly, stepping back out of the car and closing the door, hoping to shield, whatever this was about, from my aunt.
“Are you Ok?” he came to a stop too close for comfort, but thankfully I only felt the soft hum of electricity that had come to be normal.
“I’m fine,” I said quickly, hoping he would just get to the point.
“Are you sure?” he reached out to hold my hand, reminding me of the dream I had about him last night. I let him hold it for a moment, feeling butterflies instead of overwhelming energy, before taking it back. He smiled slightly.
“Yes, I’m sure, but my aunt is taking me to get a checkup anyway,” I said with slight irritation. “What do you want?” I hoped he was not here to ask me about the trashcan in the theater again.
“I just wanted to make sure you were Ok,” he smiled wider and I found myself smiling back. I couldn’t help it. He was just beautiful with his perfect white teeth, surrounded by perfect lips and perfect dimples. Even his eyes smiled at me.
“Thank you,” I said softening a little. “But really, I’m fine. Like I said, I’m going to the hospital, and I am sure they will tell me that there is nothing wrong with me. So.... I’ll see you later,” I tried to turn away from him and get in the car, but he was not finished.
“I brought you your backpack,” he blurted, never taking his eyes off mine. I reached out to take it from him, willing myself to look away from his shining turquoise eyes. I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, and let my hair fall in front of my face to hide the embarrassing blush.
“Thank you,” I mumbled again. I took the backpack and our fingertips brushed softly together. Butterflies and electricity surged through my body this time, and I realized it was time to get out of there before Aunt Syl would witness one of my “episodes.”
“Can I bring you your homework tonight?” his eyes wavered for a second and I realized that he was nervous.
“Um, actually I think Lilly is going to bring it,” I replied in a rush.
“Mr. Kendrick, get back to class,” Principal Saint’s voice called from the top of the hill. Clearly annoyed, Kiran looked up, and then looked back at me. His entire body tensed; I could see that he was torn. Surprised by his reaction, I could still relate to it. Every time that Kiran tried to talk to me, Principal Saint showed up out of nowhere to keep us apart. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe not.
“We’ll see about that,” he whispered before turning around and jogging back up the hill. I stood staring after him for a moment, wondering if he was talking about class or my homework tonight.
Kiran left me once again confused, but excited at the same time. With so many mixed emotions, no wonder I couldn’t keep control of myself. Thankful I would have something to distract me the rest of the afternoon; I climbed back in the car. I was almost looking forward to the promised MRI and CT scan; maybe Aunt Syl would even throw in a PET scan just for good measure…. one could only hope.
Chapter Ten
I never thought I would miss school, especially Kingsley, but sitting in front of my window Sunday night, I could not wait to get back there. Or rather, I could not wait to get out from under Aunt Syl’s watchful eye.
The tests at the hospital all came back normal. I knew they would, I knew that whatever was wrong with me was not going to show up on a hospital chart or graph, unless maybe it was a mental hospital.
Aunt Syl was less than convinced when they told me everything was fine and I could go home. Since she decided to use some of her accumulated vacation days just to be sure I didn’t die, I was under constant supervision.
My week was full of manicures, pedicures, hair appointments and hours and hours of yoga. I had done enough up-dog, down-dog, Warrior-two for a lifetime. I enjoyed spending so much time with Aunt Syl, but so much relaxing proved hard for both of us to accomplish.
My aunt, an important ER doctor, was most comfortable with constant movement and nights of sleeplessness. I was accustomed to her absence for days at a time, and taking care of myself. I wasn't sure if we had ever spent that much quality time together. It was nice at first, but we were both in the habit of being alone.
Finally, that afternoon, she could stay home no longer and found an excuse to go to the hospital. Since I had never experienced an episode at home, I was sure she believed I’d be Ok by now.
The only other person I had seen was Lilly. She faithfully brought me my homework every night and stayed for supper. She also sat with me for hours explaining it, especially French. She was just as fluent as everyone else; having already finished her required French classes and moved onto Latin. Why I didn't think to ask her for help to begin with was beyond me.
Lilly was what Kingsley called a “boardy”; which meant that her parents lived elsewhere and rented her an apartment during the school year. Apparently, most of the students at Kingsley lived like that. Their parents, all super important and super rich, sent their children far away and provided them with all of the teenage necessities: food, lodging, chauffeurs, cooks, maids, tutors and no-limit, black, American Express cards.
I had heard of that sort of thing before, but my idea of a prep school, worth all that trouble, was located usually near an ocean, not in the middle of nowhere. When I asked Lilly why these students didn’t go somewhere like New York, or North Carolina, she informed me that Kingsley was the trifecta for people of our stature. Since that only confused me more, she explained that Kingsley was not only the best of the best in the world of academia, but it was located where students couldn’t find too much trouble and most of the parents were either close friends with the school board or Principal Saint.
I doubted that I fit in to any of those categories for attending, but remembered Aunt Syl’s sizable donation to the science department before my admission forms were accepted. Despite all of her freedom, however, I could tell that Lilly was lonely. Thankfully, Aunt Syl loved her just as much as I did, so she spent most of her time at our house, refusing only to spend the night. Eventually I figured I would just convince her to move in with us.
The flash of headlights in my driveway pulled me out of my musing. Aunt Syl must be home from the hospital. I threw an oversized navy-blue Kingsley sweatshirt on over my tank top; it hung down over my shorts, making me look like it was the only thing I had on. I gave up on my Calculus homework and headed down to the kitchen, hoping she brought home something to eat with her.
The cooler weather brought a nice breeze through the windows, giving the house a freshly mowed grass smell. I inhaled the pleasing aroma, thankful the humidity was finally letting up a bit. Soon the leaves would be turning colors and the rain would come; fall was my favorite time of year.
Just as I entered the kitchen, the doorbell rang. I turned around and walked back through the living room to the front door. Wondering why she chose the front door instead of the garage, I flung the door open, expecting to see my aunt. To my utter shock, Kiran was standing in the doorway looking like a page out of magazine. What was he doing here?
“What are you doing here?” I blurted out, completely aware of what I was wearing and the mess of hair piled on top of my head.
“Don’t you look cute?” he said mischievously, in his crisp English accent. He gave me his signature smirk and let his eyes drift over my legs. His wavy blonde hair, slicked back away from his face and wearing a black motorcycle jacket, he could have been cast in a scene from “Rebel without a Cause.”
“What are you doing here?” I repeated, stunned and practically drooling.
“I came to see if you were Ok. You haven’t been at school all week; I thought maybe something terrible happened to you,” he stepped past me into my house and I inhaled his scent, feeling suddenly dizzy.
“Um, come in then,” I still managed some sarcasm though my mind was swirling and I could feel the pin pricks of electricity start to return.
“So are you… Ok?” he turned back around to face me, his smirk still playing at the corners of his lips. His voice relayed no real emotion of concern and I could tell that he knew I would be fine before he came.