Page 17 of Strangers in Love

It washard to believe that this was our last week here. The last Monday I’d wake up in the room Freedom and I shared. The last Monday I’d go to that little kitchen to get some coffee, so I’d be alert when my students arrived.

Freedom would already be in the classroom, straightening things that probably didn’t need to be straightened. She was a complete perfectionist and one of those crazy morning people that got up hours earlier than necessary. I didn’t bother trying to keep up with her. I’d learned a long time ago that it was impossible.

As I hovered in that place between sleeping and waking up, I was tempted to try for another ten or twenty minutes of sleep. I hadn’t woken up enough that it’d be difficult to drift off again. Sleep hadn’t ever been difficult for me, especially when I was this tired. The jet lag had been awful the first two days, but once I’d adjusted, I’d expected to feel the same way as I did back home.

Except I’d forgotten that I’d never actually spent that much time teaching at one go, and I’d never been solely responsible for everything an entire class was doing. Sure, Freedom was helping, but her role was translating, so she just had to say what I said or tell me what a student was asking. She didn’t have to actually come up with the lessons, figure out what was important, what things I should teach in what order. We only had a set amount of time, and I was the one who had to decide what the most important things were for them to learn.

It’d taken a lot more energy than I’d realized it would, hence the reason I was still so tired even after a full night’s sleep. Well, one of the reasons, anyway. I wasn’t sleeping as well as I did back home, even after the mattress stopped being so unfamiliar. It wasn’t the heat or noise either. I’d grown up in L.A., so I was no stranger to either of those. No, it was the lack of security that had me jerking awake at random sounds.

I kept telling myself that I was being stupid. Neutral Ground did thorough background checks on everyone. The compound had locks on all the doors and a security code to get in through the front gate. People didn’t just come wandering in off the street.

The thing was, I’d lived in the exact same house in L.A. until I’d moved into the apartment in Stanford, and I was self-aware enough to know that both places were high-end, with quality security systems that were extremely difficult to breach. I’d never had a single moment when I’d questioned my safety. I wasn’t exactlyquestioningit now, but it had been in the back of my mind the whole time we’d been here, even if I hadn’t wanted to acknowledge it.

A pained sound from below me pulled me to complete wakefulness as I realized Freedom was still in bed. I’d taken the top bunk because I was shorter and less likely to hit my head if I sat up, but it’d made it easier for Freedom to leave early without bothering me. It was also why I hadn’t realized she was still here until now.

I rolled onto my stomach and leaned over until I could see where Freedom was curled up into a ball under the thin, scratchy sheets. “Freedom? You okay?”

“Aline?”

A sharp stab of worry went through me. That didn’t sound like my sister. I scrambled down the ladder and immediately went to her side. I could see now what I hadn’t been able to see from my bunk. Her hair was dark with sweat, plastered to her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed. What freaked me out, though, was that her lips were white, pressed together into a line so thin I could barely see them. She was in real pain.

“What’s wrong?” I reached toward her to touch her but stopped before I made contact. I didn’t want to hurt her more.

“My side.” She opened her eyes. “I think it’s my appendix.”

Our mom had needed her appendix removed a couple years ago, and Freedom had been at the hospital the whole time, asking all sorts of questions. If anyone would be able to self-diagnose appendicitis, it’d be my sister.

“I’m going to get Miss Little.”

Odessa Little was one of the two founders of Neutral Ground and the one that was heading up this particular trip. She mostly kept to herself, but she was nice enough. I’d thought it was strange that someone who seemed so shy was in charge of something where she had to constantly meet new people, but my few interactions with her had been positive, so I was confident that she’d be able to take charge of the situation.

I hurried down the hall, making it halfway to her room before I realized that I hadn’t put on any shoes or a bra. I wasn’t about to go back to my room for either one, though. I knocked on the door, probably harder than I needed to, and called out, “Miss Little! My sister needs a doctor!”

I forced myself to stop and wait a minute to give her the opportunity to open the door, and fortunately, she did just that before I had to knock again.

“Miss Mercier?” Miss Little blinked up at me as if she wasn’t quite sure she was awake.

“Freedom’s appendix,” I blurted out. “She needs a hospital.”

To her credit, Miss Little woke up all at once. “Is she in your room?”

I nodded, pressing my hands together so they wouldn’t shake.

“All right. I’m going to call someone. You go back and sit with her.”

I nodded again and jogged back to the room, relief coursing through me, chasing the adrenaline that had already made its way through my system. She was still awake, so I talked as I quickly changed into clothes better suited for riding with her to the hospital. I asked if she wanted to try to get out of her pajamas, but she shook her head.

While I waited, I put some clothes and a couple scarves in a bag for Freedom. I didn’t know how the laws about clothes for women were enforced in hospitals, which meant it’d be better to err on the side of caution and give her whatever she could possibly need. While I did all this, I kept talking.

“I’ll call Mom and Dad once we find out what the doctors want to do. I don’t want to give Dad any worse of a shock as we have to. At least we’ll be able to tell the doctors that cost won’t be an issue since we can just have Mom wire us whatever we need. I’ll stay as long as you need me.” I went back to her and put my hand on her overly warm forehead. “But I don’t want you to worry about anything here, though. I’ll make sure everything’s taken care of here. You’ll be able to rest and get better. I promise.”

I lost my train of thought, but it didn’t really matter. I doubted Freedom was really paying attention to what I was saying. I just wanted her to hear my voice and know that I was here for her and that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

It was my turn to be the protective, responsible sister, and I wasn’t going to let her down.

Fourteen

Aline

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