"What are you doing here? Aren't you grounded? You're going to get in trouble for being out here!" Morgan yelled.
"I couldn't let you three take him on by yourself. When Junior took you and Carmen away, I wasn't going to risk him getting away and losing all three of you."
Right as I said her name, I heard a groaning sound coming from Carmen's limp form. She sat up, Morgan and Lilith helping her to stand.
"Are you okay? What happened? How bad is it?" I asked, running back to where the three of them were.
"I'm fine. Just a little injured. I probably twisted my ankle or something. I just need to walk it off." Carmen responded, trying to shrug Morgan and Carmen off of her. She immediately crumpled to the ground, wincing as she fell.
"You're not fine. You need help." Lilith said as she helped Carmen up. "It's okay to accept help."
"No, it's not. Because if I go to the hospital, what if they check for other injuries? They'll scan everywhere and everything, and I am not letting that happen." she replied, pushing Lilith back. Lilith teared up, raising her voice.
"So you're just going to let it be and never worry about it again? That's how people die, Carmen! They ignore their issues until it overwhelms them, and then they die. I'm not going to stand here and let you do this to yourself! You're my best friend, and I'm not going to let you hurt yourself worse."
The field was silent for a few moments as we stood there. None of us really knew what to say, let alone how to say it. Morgan took a step forward, hooking Carmen's right arm over her shoulder. She didn't say anything, she just supported Carmen from the right side, as Lilith was supporting her left. I took a breath, preparing myself for what I was about to suggest.
"I may be able to help with your leg…" I said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Carmen asked. "If you're suggesting taking me to a hosp—"
"I'm not taking you to a hospital. There's no point in forcing you to go when I can just fix it here. But it's probably going to be sore for a few days. And it may hurt."
"Are you sure you can do this?" Morgan asked. "I don't want you to strain yourself. No offense, but I don't want you to hurt Carmen either."
"He can do it. He stopped Junior with his ability. Junior could've hurt me and brought me to where you two were, and we would've been trapped there. There's still room for improvement, but I trust him more than enough to do this. And you know I care about Carmen more than I care about myself." Lilith commented.
"It's better than going to a hospital. Just do it. At least it'll heal quicker. Besides, if it's as bad as you're saying, none of you will let me walk." Carmen said.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded and closed my eyes. Searching for the right strand, I found an orange one among the ones I hadn't yet used. There were four objects that could be altered with this strand, when there were only three earlier. I assumed they were animal—well, human, technically—life forms and began to weave it, hoping it was the right one. Everything was silent, and I felt a sense of weightlessness as I worked. I centered myself and was entirely detached from the world, focused only on the strand.
Opening my eyes, I saw Carmen on the ground, clutching her shin. She didn't seem to be in extreme pain, but it was obviously and visibly sore. When she began to get up, Morgan and Lilith both offered their hands, but Carmen refused them. Standing on both legs, she favored the one that hadn't been broken, but she could still use her other one. I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding, sitting down on the field.
"What are you doing?" Lilith asked. "I know you're probably tired, but you need to get home. You're not even supposed to be out here."
"She's right." Morgan said. "We need to get you home. Lilith, do you think you could take the three of us back?"
"Bold of you to assume I was going to let any of you go home any other way."
We rode back to Morgan's house, talking about the fight with Junior. Lilith began to speak, but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. After a few seconds, I realized that it was coming through the radio itself.
"I'll drop you two off, then I'll go make sure Jacob gets inside okay. I can change to a spider and see if anyone's in his room, or if he's clear to go inside." she said.
Lilith shifted back to herself, and we walked back to my house, making sure to stay out of sight of the windows. We barely made any sound, each step muffled by the grass. She looked behind her, as if to make sure Morgan and Carmen made it inside safely.
"Everything okay?" I asked. "You look pensive."
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just… Can I do something?" she asked, looking down.
"Sure. What are you go—" I was cut off as she stepped forward suddenly, wrapping her arms around me. I returned the embrace after a few seconds, and we stood like that for what felt like hours, neither of us knowing what to do. When she stepped back, her arms rested at her sides. We stood in silence, neither of us knowing what to say. After a few more seconds, I broke the silence. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was the hug for?"
"You don't know Carmen as well as Morgan or I do, but you still knew what to do better than either of us did. I know she's not the easiest to get along with, so it means a lot that you'd still consider her feelings when trying to help her. Thank." she said.
"You don't have to thank me. I'm just trying to help. And not to correct you, but don't you mean 'thanks?'"
"I said what I said, and I mean it."
I laughed, making my way towards my window. I didn't see a light, so I was hoping that no one knew I was gone. Lilith continued to walk forward, pressing her hands against the brick wall. Nearly a second later, Lilith was gone, and a spider stuck to the wall where her hand had just been. She walked across the wall with ease and managed to hold on to the glass just as well. Just as quickly as she changed forms, a web formed on the wall, forming a letter. That letter then formed a word, and that word a sentence. Even though I read as fast as I could, I still struggled to keep up.
"There's someone in there." I read aloud, my voice barely a whisper. "A woman."
Lilith changed back into herself as I quickly made my way towards the garage door, trying to make it inside before my mother saw me. I made it to the kitchen before Lilith caught my arm, stopping me. She turned me around, her voice a harsh whisper.
"What are you doing? If you go in there, she'll catch you and you'll be in even worse trouble." she said.
"Maybe I can make it to the bathroom before she gets in the hall. I can act like I just woke up. Now hurry before she sees you. Then I'll really be dead."
"Jacob, what are you doing up this early? You should be asleep."
I whirled around at the sound of my mother's voice. My heart pounded in my chest as I waited for the yelling to start. She didn't seem to see Lilith, but I knew that she would eventually.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." she said. "I just saw that you weren't in bed and wanted to make sure you were okay. Who were you talking to?"
Turning around, I realized that Lilith was no longer behind me. I felt something puddle around my ankles and realized I was standing in something. Looking down, I saw an empty plastic cup, water flowing from it. Figuring that Lilith had probably changed again, I slowly bent down to pick the cup up and set it on the table next to me. "Oh, no one. I was just thinking out loud. I was still half-asleep when you walked in." I responded.
"Okay, try and get some sleep. I'm heading to bed, because I have to be up early. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, love you." As soon as she left the room, I turned around to see Lilith sitting on the table where the cup was. She didn't say anything, but I could tell she wanted to. We stood there in silence until we heard my mother's door shut, our hearts still pounding. After we were sure my mother was in bed, Lilith jumped down from the table.
"I think I just had a heart attack." Lilith said, taking my hand. She pressed two of my fingers to her neck, and her heartbeat was as quick as a rabbit's. We stood in silence, punctuated only by the occasional sharp intake of breath. "I should really head back, though. Morgan and Carmen are probably waiting on me to get back, and we don't want you to risk getting you in any more trouble. Night, Jacob."
"Goodnight, Lilith. Sleep well and sweet dreams." I replied.
"You too." she said with a slight laugh. She shifted, slithering out of the door without another word.
Locking the door behind me, I made my way to my room. Just as I reached my door, I stopped, turning back to the door I came in. Wait, why weren't you locked? I thought to myself. Closing my eyes, I focused my ability on any lifeforms I could sense. There should've been seven people, but I sensed eight life forms. I couldn't tell where they all were, but I knew they had to be in the house, at least. Opening my eyes, my blood ran cold as I heard a rustling sound coming from my room.
Slowly opening my door, I listened as the rustling ceased. My door shifted, parts of it breaking apart and reforming. Staring in shock, my hand fell to my side. Is it possible that someone has my ability? I thought, stepping towards the door. Realizing that they may not be on my side, I stopped short. Preparing for the worst, I took a deep breath, pushing the door open. Before I had even fully opened it, it flung itself open. I barely had time to react before something was launched towards me, hitting me square in the chest.