Page 36 of Best Mistake Ever
‘Er, yeah. I guess so.’
‘Great. And you’re really okay holding the fort for the rest of the weekend?’
‘Totally.’
Dee lets out another sigh. ‘Thanks, Bea. Well, I’ll see you soon, I hope. Assuming the island doesn’t sink before we manage to make it off here.’
I smile to myself. My sister is such a drama queen.
‘I’ll see you soon,’ I say. ‘Don’t do anything silly,’ I add.
‘What do you mean, “something silly”? I might make the odd mistake but I’m not wilfully negligent!’ Dee sounds affronted.
‘No. Sure. Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Just stay safe. And look after Jem, will you. It can’t be easy for him being trapped there.’
‘Hmm.’
Her lack of positive response gives me a moment of worry. But there’s nothing I can do from here and to be fair, Jem’s perfectly capable of looking after himself. I don’t know why I’m worrying.
‘I’d better go,’ Dee says and before I can say anything else, she cuts the call.
I let out a loud sigh and slide my mobile back into my pocket. My sister is a walking disaster area. It’s one thing after another with her, although to be fair, she doesn’t have any control over the weather so I should probably give her some leeway with this one.
‘Are you Dee?’ someone asks behind me and I turn around to see a tall, slim man wearing a rainbow-print catsuit standing there with his right hand thrust towards me.
‘Yes,’ I say. ‘How can I help you?’
‘I cut myself when I put my hand into my washbag and caught my finger on my razor. It won’t stop bleeding. I think I might need some butterfly plasters or something. Someone thought you might have a medical kit I could look in.’
Before I can stop myself, I glance down at his proffered hand and see the deep cut he’s referring to at the end of this pointer finger, from which bright, glistening blood is escaping in pulses and running down his hand.
My stomach lurches and I experience the unwelcome sinking feeling of horror I get when I see an injury.
I suck in a deep breath.
I know I mustn’t let it get to me – I’m supposed to be in charge and the go-to person for help – but my squeamish mind has other ideas. All the blood seems to drain from my head and it suddenly feels too heavy for my neck to hold up. A darkness is descending over my vision, as if someone’s drawing a blind down over it and gravity appears to have increased tenfold and is pulling me down to the ground. My body is no longer able to fight against it and I give in to it, dropping to the floor in a crouch then pressing my forehead against the carpet, praying I won’t pass out completely.
‘Hey? Are you okay?’ I hear the guy say, in a distant-sounding voice. It’s as if all my senses have been dulled and the only thing I can hear properly is my blood rushing in my ears.
‘I’m… I’m okay…’ I whisper, but I sound completely unconvincing. ‘Be okay in a minute…’ I’m breathing in short gasps now, trying to get more reviving oxygen into my body.
‘Dee?’ I hear a deep, familiar-sounding voice say nearby. But whoever it is, it sounds like they’re underwater.
My mind is in freefall. I can barely concentrate on anything except the feeling that I’m about to be sick.
‘She’s not here; she’s stuck on an island,’ I say, wishing my sisterwasactually here right now to look after me. She is always really good at pulling me out of these states. She has a knack of saying just the right thing to distract me.
I’m aware of someone kneeling down next to me and I feel the weight of a hand on my back. ‘What’s going on? Are you ill?’
I shake my head a little, but quickly stop when it sends another wave of nausea up from my stomach.
‘Just… blood. Can’t look at blood. Feel sick.’
‘Okay, I’m going to get you a glass of water. I’ll be back in a minute. Okay?’
‘Yes. Yes,’ I say, unable to fully process anything other than trying to keep myself in the here and now.
I focus on my breath. In for five, out for ten, hold for five. Then repeat. Until my racing heart begins to slow and blood returns to my head.
