A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

I lie under the desk, curled up in a little ball with Bast in my arms. Ashton continues to plead with me. At first he begs me to sit up, to talk to him. When I don't respond he changes his method and asks me to just move. To give some indication that I can hear him. To let him know if I'm injured. I know I should respond, move, do something, anything. But I can't. Everything is all too much and I can't seem to get my mouth to cooperate, much less the rest of me. I just focus on trying to breathe in and out. When it becomes clear that I won't be answering, Ashton is forced to step back and someone else kneels beside me, George. I should be relieved to see that he's alive, but I just don't have space in me for any more emotion. I'm stuck somewhere between misery and complete numbness. I really just wish that the numbness would take over. Feelings hurt too much. My eyes run over George and I can see a nasty looking burn running up one of his arms, the sleeve of his shirt is all burned up and charred. I shudder and close my eyes. Maybe if I keep them shut I can force myself to fall asleep so I can just forget.

George tries talking to me softly. He explains that the fae have gone, that I don't have to hide anymore. Then so quietly I can barely hear him, he tells me that he's sorry about my dad. I still can't answer. There's a rustle of movement and I crack my eyes open again. Ashton tries to squeeze in next to George.

"We cannot just leave her here. I will pick her up and we can take her somewhere away from..." he trails off. George gives a slow nod.

"Okay." He backs away to give Ashton more room.

"Kat, sweetheart. I am going to pick you up, okay?" Ashton says softly, like he's talking to a skittish cat. He reaches towards me but freezes when Bast hisses at him. He immediately backs up and looks at someone behind the desk. "Fin, you said that Bast put you to sleep. How long ago was that?" He murmurs.

"Maybe an hour ago? I am not sure exactly how long I was unconscious for." Fin admits.

"Do you know how much of a break a fae cat needs after knocking someone out to use their magic again?" Ashton continues.

"I do not. It depends on the age of the cat and the conditions. I believe they need blood and sunlight to refuel. It is unlikely that the fae cat was able to defend her after using magic earlier, but some time has passed. It is possible that he has recovered enough now." Fin admits reluctantly. Ashton sighs.

"Bast, I understand that you are concerned about Kat, but she cannot stay here forever. I just want to help her." Ashton tries to reason with the cat. He reaches towards me again but Bast just hisses louder.

"I cannot get close to her. What should we do?" Ashton sits back, his frustration is clear on his face.

"I have an idea." Fin answers. The room goes quiet for a moment and I think I can hear the faintest ringing sound. Is he making a call?

"Lucy? Kat needs you. Come to the station immediately."

A little while later I hear Lucy arrive. Someone must have already explained to her what happened because when she gestures for Ashton to move away and kneels beside me, I can see that she is crying. "She will not respond or move. I do not know what to do." Ashton tells her. Lucy sniffles and nods.novelbin

"Kat, I'm here. I'm so sorry. I know we can't fix this, can't make anything better. You don't have to talk, don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you want to stay under this desk that's fine, I'll stay here with you. When you're ready, let me know and we can move somewhere more comfortable." Lucy says gently. She moves down to lie on the floor across from me so that we are face to face. She gently reaches out and after a slight hesitation, strokes a hand down Bast's back. He tolerates the caress, probably because she isn't trying to get me to move.

"What a good cat. I heard that you took good care of my friend. It was very brave of you. Thank you for protecting her. She is the best friend I've ever had. I don't know what I would do without her. Things are bad right now, they're never going to be the same again. It might be selfish of me, but I'm still relieved that she is alive. I loved her dad too, you know. He was like family to me. It's going to be hard without him. But he would be so glad to know that Kat is alive, even if she isn't okay right now." Lucy whispers to Bast while keeping her eyes on me.

"Kat, I know you aren't okay right now. You don't have to be. I can't promise everything will be alright, but I can promise that I won't let you be alone. If everything is too much for you right now, I will take care of it all. All you have to do is keep breathing, okay? Just keep breathing and take your time." She goes quiet.

I don't know how long Lucy lies on the floor with me, but I listen to her breathe and try to match my own breathing with hers. Eventually something in me loosens. I'm nowhere close to okay, but it's like it sinks in. She really doesn't expect me to do anything. Lucy is strong and capable, she can make decisions for me until I'm ready to do things myself. All I have to do is just let her know that she can. I meet her gaze and in a movement so tiny she probably wouldn't notice if she wasn't watching me closely, I give a slight nod. Lucy responds with a sad smile and sits up.

“Leave it all to me Kat. Ashton? You can pick her up now. We're going home. She needs a bath and bed." Lucy decides. I hear someone objecting that I need to give a statement, someone else says I should be seen by a doctor. Lucy gets to her feet. I can't see her properly, but I can imagine how she looks. Arms crossed in front of her, glare on her face.

"Kat is in no condition for any of that right now. You are all going to back off and leave her the hell alone. When she is ready to speak to you I will call you." She responds in a threatening tone. No one questions her. Lucy might be a sweetheart most of the time, but when she puts her foot down even grown men are terrified of her.

"I will make sure she sees a doctor eventually. But right now she is clearly stable and her life isn't in danger so it can wait until she is able to consent to the care. I won't have someone poking and prodding at her." She insists.

Ashton kneels beside me and gently carefully scoops me up, Bast still in my arms. This time the fae cat doesn't stop him. I don't know how intelligent Bast is exactly, but he's clearly capable of realising that I've accepted this. Ashton carries me from the room, following after Lucy who clears the way with glares and commands given softly but firmly. On the way out I can see that someone has covered my dad's body with a sheet. I'm relieved to not have to see it again. I already can't erase the image from my mind, I don't want to make things worse. Ten minutes later I'm in the back of Lucy's car. Ashton is still holding me tightly in his lap and doesn't appear to have any intention of letting me go. I'm stiff in his arms at first, but the motion and rumble of the car soothes me a little and I find myself relaxing against his chest.