Page 65 of Two Who Live On

“Excuse me?” Katherine tilted her head, and her glasses slid to the end of her nose. “We most certainly did not lose. We had a stalemate which is way better than most of the teams out there.”

“Carter, can I talk to you?” I stood beside him, eyeing the neighboring beds. Perhaps Tara had closed off her curtain. Or worse—the injuries she’d endured were more extreme than our standard infirmary for students. Showcases did tend to overwhelm the three nurses staffed than the usual injuries throughout the school year.

“I’m busy with—”

“I’m fine, Carter.” Katherine smiled.

He begrudgingly stepped away and allowed the nurse to work. Unable to find the right small talk, I decided I needed to dive directly into this conversation.

“You’ll notice most of the work done here is medical, not magical.” I gently grabbed his shoulder, finally facing a conversation we needed to have months ago. “You’ve got an incredible branch. One you’ve had to find amazing versatility with and new capabilities in, which I blame myself for.”

“What? No. I should’ve—”

“You should never have been in that situation, having to stretch and manipulate the limits of your vitality. You found a way to helpme when no one else could. I’m so proud of how much you’ve grown since arriving at Gemini, but you need to remember carrying the weight of the world doesn’t always make you a better or stronger witch. Sometimes, it’s the very thing that’ll hold you back from success.”

“I just”—Carter took a deep trembling breath—“want to make sure I do my best, my part, without giving up. I almost...”

Flashes and words flung in the air, surrounding Carter’s frightened mind from the task he’d been assigned during the warlock incursion. His only job was to stop the bleeding, close the wounds, and save me. So much blood flooded his mind. So much guilt for how each second he spent channeling his magic, he’d also considered running away. All he wanted at that moment was to run and hide.

“But you didn’t,” I said, reeling Carter from his haunting thoughts. “In fact, you did quite the opposite.”

Carter’s eyes were glossy, holding back tears.

“I need you to stop holding onto what you could’ve done, what you wanted to do. In that moment, you stepped up in a way that should’ve never been asked. You didn’t hesitate. You doubted yourself, but that didn’t stop you. You fought through your fear that day and accomplished the impossible. But please, for me, for yourself, and for the benefit of everyone you’re going to help in the future…stop holding on so tightly to fixing every situation.”

Carter buried his face in his sleeve, sniffling. There was a long silence between us, but I listened to a few of the fears Carter clung to in his mind wash away with the sadness pouring from him. After wiping the worst of the tears, Carter wiped his splotchy face, and nodded.

We sat together while the nurse finished mending Katherine’s injuries. I didn’t press the discussion further, allowing Carter time to absorb and reflect on the words.

Caleb walked over, mind buzzing with concern for Tara, reminding me of the reason I’d come to the infirmary.

“I’m fine.” Katherine side-eyed Caleb’s scrunched expression and worried gaze. “I swear I’ve had bigger papercuts from my grimoire and wish everyone would stop apologizing. How’s Tara?”

“She’s okay.” Caleb shrugged. “Jamie was…”

“An asshole. I told you,” Katherine said. “Personally, and I do mean from every single person on the planet, I wish you would’ve broken more than his jaw.”

Caleb flinched. He wanted to agree because he despised Jamie, yet he worried indulging that type of philosophy would steer him away from his industry goals. A guild witch, the best of them, ensured to do no harm. That was what Caleb strove to achieve. I sighed. He had so much to learn about the murky corruption of the industry he wanted to join. A lesson for later in the year, perhaps. Maybe I’d wait until they’d reached their second year.

As things settled between Katherine, Carter, and Caleb, I took my leave. Making my way through the infirmary, I stepped into the hallway leading to the more intensive care areas. Before I reached Tara’s room, I spotted Chanelle standing over Jamie as a nurse held his chin while drawing symbols along his fractured jaw. The etchings wouldn’t heal the cracks but serve as a less intensive hold to mend the injuries as opposed to wiring his jaw shut. Honestly, this was one time I wished we didn’t have magical-medical solutions. The world would be a bit nicer if Jamie couldn’t talk for a few weeks.

I hung just outside the private room.

“Consider this a mild lesson in the importance of collaboration,” Chanelle said.

“Fuck that. He broke my jaw.”

“It’s not broken,” the nurse chimed in. “Well, mostly. You’re up; you’re talking.”

“Unfortunately,” Chanelle muttered.

“He should still be disqualified for attacking his teammate.” Jamie snarled. “There’s gotta be a rule about that.”

“There are lots of rules in place for the Spring Showcase. You should know since I thoroughly explained them as you filled out and signed the forms during homeroom.”

Jamie scoffed.

“The behavior you displayed was absolutely uncalled for, and as such, I’m going to have to disqualify you from the finals.”

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