Free Sojourner by Maria Rachel Hooley

well.  Is it the flu?
    “Gail is right about you.”  He shakes his head and steps back.  “See you on the flip side.”  Then he walks away.
    I’m too tired to worry about his injured male pride right now.  I close and lock the locker before heading to history.  Just before I reach the door, I have to stop and blink a few times to refocus my gaze.  It swims with the florescent lights.  It is then that I feel someone touch my shoulder.
    “Griffin, can’t you just leave me alone,” I mutter, feeling as though it’s taking everything I have to keep standing.  I refuse to look at him.
    “The good news is that it’s not Griffin,” another male voice says.
    Lev stands there.  The minute he sees my face, he frowns and shakes his head.
    “You don’t look well.”
    “I’m okay.”  I force myself to walk inside the room and put my books at the desk, ignoring Griffin’s harsh stare.  Then I walk up to the front of the room to Mr. Maguire.
    “You look terrible, Ms. Moon.  Are you all right?”
    “Yeah,” I manage, still shivering.  “May I get a drink?”
    The bell rings right then and he nods.  “Are you sure you should even be here?  You’re sweating like you have a fever.”
    “I just need a drink,” I say, quite sure that is far from all I need.
    “Go ahead.”
    “Thanks.”  The hallway is deserted and I use my hand to feel along the wall as I head to the fountain.  My body is sluggish, as though I’m already in a dream.  But at least there are no soldiers here.  No Lev who wants me dead.
    Ten feet from the fountain I realize I should have stayed home as the dark curtain of the world slips down and I fall with it.
     
    “Lizzie?”  Jimmie’s voice.  He tries to coax me from the blackness, but I roll over, trying escape.
    “Let me sleep,” I murmur. 
    I feel a hand upon my forehead.
    “You’re burning up.”
    Then I drift back.  Soldiers appear everywhere.  Guns.  One looks at me and raises it.  Then the strangest thing happens.  The Lev in my dreams appears in front of me.  He raises his arms, and the air shines around him.  The soldiers walk past me.
    Lowering his arms, he turns and looks at me, his skin reflecting the brilliant sunlight, and I feel the cool ocean of his eyes wash over me.
    “You’re safe,” he whispers, his voice strong and sure.
    In the sluggish real world, someone wraps their arms around me, cuddling my body, but the draw of exhaustion is too great.  Lev is still there in my mind, and suddenly I slip down the rabbit hole of dreamless sleep.
     
    A throbbing in my head forces me to rise to the surface of the blackness.  It’s like swimming in dark water and realizing that I’m too deep so I begin to paddle upwards.  When I open my eyes, my surroundings blur in dim light and a stabbing pain tells me how much unconsciousness has muted the discomfort.  Then I shiver, suddenly freezing.  I reach down, searching for my comforter, but only a sheet covers me, and I can’t find a blanket.  Although disoriented, I don’t feel the nightmares, as though they have just been inside my head, creeping around.
    Where am I?
    “Lizzie?” Jimmie says, suddenly leaning forward in a chair beside the bed.  I know it’s his voice despite my still blurry vision.  “You awake?”  He strokes my head, probably checking my temperature. “Still too warm,” he murmurs and stands.
    “It’s cold.”  I try to draw the sheet higher.  “Can I have a blanket, please?”  I keep blinking and the surroundings slowly begin to focus.
    “No,” Jimmy says.  “Your fever is high and covering up will only insulate the temperature.”
    “But it’s cold!” I say, on the verge of tears.  I’ve never liked the cold.  Shivering, I cling to the sheet, but it’s not enough to drive away the freezing sensation.
    Jimmy pushes the nurse button on the bed rail and starts pacing.  One hand rakes through his hair and he looks haggard.  Rough stubble lines his