Chapter 19 Fire in My Veins
Maddie Pov
Combat class again. My least favorite time of the week. Every time I walked onto that field my stomach twisted into knots. Every time I had to watch everyone else be strong while I pretended to be weak.
Today felt different though. Heavier. Like something bad was coming. I tried to shake it off. Tried to tell myself I was just being paranoid. But the feeling wouldn't go away.
"Something's wrong," Gory said. Her voice was tense. Alert. "Be careful."
"I'm always careful," I muttered. "Careful is all I am."
I walked to the benches where we kept our stuff. Dropped my bag. Started taking off my jacket. The field was already filling up with students. Some stretching. Some talking. Some just standing around waiting for class to start.
I sat down on the bench. Started unlacing my shoes. They were old sneakers. Worn out. Barely held together. But they were comfortable. Familiar. The only shoes I had that didn't hurt my feet.
I pulled the first one off. Set it aside. Reached for the second. My fingers worked at the laces. Pulling them loose. Getting them untied.
Then I put my foot in.
Instant fire.
Pain exploded across my foot. My toes. My heel. The top. Everywhere the shoe touched. Like someone had poured acid inside. Like my skin was melting off.
I screamed. Couldn't help it. The pain was too much. Too sudden. Too intense. I ripped the shoe off. Threw it across the ground. My foot was burning. Actually burning.
I looked down. My skin was red. Blistering. Smoking. Little wisps of smoke coming off my foot. What the hell?
"Wolfsbane," Gory gasped. "There's wolfsbane in your shoe. Get it off. Now."
I grabbed my other shoe. Ripped it off my foot before I could put it on all the way. It hit the ground. Rolled. White powder spilled out. Coating the dirt. Burning where it touched.
Both my feet were on fire now. The pain was unbearable. Worse than when Dawson broke my nose. Worse than anything I'd ever felt. Like someone was holding my feet to a flame.
I collapsed. Curled into a ball. Clutching my feet. Trying to make it stop. Trying to breathe through the pain. But it wouldn't stop. Just kept burning. Kept searing. Kept destroying.
People were gathering around. Staring. Some looked concerned. Most looked amused. A few were actually laughing.
"Did she step in something?" someone asked.
"Looks like wolfsbane," another voice said. "How'd that get in her shoes?"
"Maybe she put it there herself," someone else suggested. "For attention."
More laughter. My vision was blurring. Tears streaming down my face. I couldn't see straight. Couldn't think straight. Just pain. Only pain.
"Help," I tried to say. But it came out as a whimper. Barely audible. "Please help."
Nobody moved. Just stood there watching. Like I was entertainment. Like my pain was funny.
"Weak," someone said.
"Pathetic," another voice added.
"Why is she even here?"
The burning was getting worse. Spreading. Up my ankles. Into my calves. The wolfsbane was in my bloodstream now. Poisoning me. Killing me slowly.
"Maddie!" Elara's voice cut through the crowd. "Oh my god. Maddie!"
Then she was there. Shoving people aside. Dropping to her knees next to me. Her hands hovered over me. Not sure where to touch. What to do.
"What happened?" Elara demanded. Looking around at everyone. "What did you do to her?"
"Nothing," someone said. "She just put her shoes on."
Elara looked at my shoes. At the white powder spilling out. Her face went pale. "That's wolfsbane. Someone put wolfsbane in her shoes."
Gasps. Murmurs. The crowd shifted uncomfortably.
"Who would do that?" someone asked.
"I don't know but I'm going to find out," Elara said. Her voice was hard. Angry. "And when I do they're going to regret it."
She turned back to me. "Okay. Okay we need to get you to the nurse. Can you stand?"
I shook my head. Couldn't speak. Just whimpered. Curled tighter.
"Alright," Elara said. "I'm going to carry you. This is going to hurt. I'm sorry."
She slid her arms under me. One under my knees. One under my back. Lifted. I screamed again. The movement made everything worse. Made the burning intensify. Made my whole body light up with pain.
"I know. I know. I'm sorry," Elara kept saying. She started walking. Fast. Carrying me across the field. Away from the crowd. Away from the stares.
I buried my face in her shoulder. Tried not to scream. Tried not to cry. Failed at both. The pain was too much. Way too much.
"Stay with me," Elara said. "Don't pass out. Just stay with me."
But I was fading. The edges of my vision going black. My body going numb. Not from relief. From shock. From my system shutting down.
"Maddie," Elara's voice sounded far away now. "Maddie stay awake. Please stay awake."
I tried. Tried to keep my eyes open. Tried to stay conscious. But the darkness was pulling me under. Gentle. Tempting. Promising relief from the pain.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. Though I wasn't sure what I was apologizing for. For being weak. For causing trouble. For existing.
"Don't apologize," Elara said. "This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault."
But it felt like my fault. Everything always felt like my fault. My parents dying. Jace cheating. Getting bullied. Getting hurt. All of it felt like punishment for something I'd done wrong.
"Almost there," Elara said. "Just a little further."
I heard a door open. Felt the temperature change. We were inside now. Out of the cold. Into warmth.
"Help!" Elara shouted. "I need help! Now!"
Footsteps. Running. Voices overlapping. Hands touching me. Moving me. Taking me from Elara's arms.
"What happened?" A woman's voice. The nurse maybe.
"Wolfsbane in her shoes," Elara said. Her voice was shaking. "Someone put wolfsbane in her shoes."
"How much exposure?" the nurse asked.
"Both feet," Elara said. "Full contact. For at least thirty seconds before she got them off."
"Get her on the table," the nurse ordered. "Now."
I was lifted again. Set down on something hard. Cold. A table. Medical table. Straps came around me. Holding me down. In case I thrashed. In case I fought.
"This is going to hurt," the nurse said. Not to me. Just a statement. A warning.