Page 25 of Hospital for Immortal Creatures

“Why are you on the floor?”

Startled by the voice, she missed hitting her head on the wall behind by an inch. Turning to the side, she found a boy, around ten years old, standing in the nearest door frame. His pink cheeks and curious ocean-blue irises reminded her of her young brother Sammy at that age.

“Can you keep a secret?” she whispered. The boy nodded with eagerness. Amelia threw a worried glance towards the far end of the hallway. “Nobody can know I’m here.”

The boy’s eyes widened. “Are you hiding from the Tribunal?”

“Yes…” Whatever that is.

“Mom hates them. She says they’re perverted bastards. Oops! I said a forbidden word.” He covered his mouth with his hands and giggled.

Amelia attempted a smile. “I promise I won’t tell on you if you help me get out of here.”

The boy’s face became very serious. “The Hospital is one of the safest places in the world! You’d better just stay here. I’ll find someone to help you.”

“No, please don’t do that.” The word hospital rang in her head. So, she’d been right.

The lift at the other end of the hallway announced its arrival with a loud ding.

“Quick! Hide! It could be them!” The boy gestured towards his room.

Amelia kept low to the ground and slipped past him and into the room. No sooner did the boy close the door behind them that she got back up on her feet.

This is a hospital room, she realised.

Sure enough, a scrawny woman was lying on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling and her face twisted in an owlish smile. She paid no attention to Amelia or the boy.

He rested down on a little leather sofa in front of the only window, all the while staring at Amelia with inexplicable admiration. “What did you do to upset the Tribunal? Don’t worry about Mom, she’s in a coma; she can’t hear a thing.”

Amelia noticed the deathly pallor of the woman’s skin. “What happened to her?”

“She fell and hit her head. I was still very young, but a friend of hers saw it happen and brought her here.”

Amelia’s eyes darted to the monitors, following the woman’s vitals. Her blood pressure and heart rate were below average, but they appeared stable. From what she had studied, Amelia suspected the woman was suffering from a very rare neurological condition. A vegetative state with a bad prognosis would be her best guess. And she doubted it had been inflicted by a simple fall.

She ignored the urge to squeeze the woman’s hand just to confirm her unresponsiveness. “When did it happen?”

“Oh, a long while ago. About five years.”

Her heart filled with sympathy when she faced the boy once again. “Where’s your dad?”

He broke eye contact and gave no answer.

She shouldn’t have pried. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Don’t. I… I don’t know my father.” The newfound decisiveness in his features told her he was a lot stronger than one would have expected from a ten-year-old.

“I lost my parents. And my brother,” she told him.

They shared understanding glances. “I’m sorry. You must feel very lonely.”

“You have no idea how much I miss them.” This was the first time she’d admitted as much out loud, and the fresh, raw pain her words uncovered caused a weight in her chest.

“Please, don’t be sad. You won’t be lonely anymore. I’ll be your friend.” He stood and extended a hand. “I’m Dave.”

“Thank you, Dave. I’m Amelia.” She shook his palm.

He contemplated her for a second. “Amelia. Interesting name. Are you a nymph?”

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