Estelle
I woke up with a ringing in my ears and a humming of the oxygen machine. 
September was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, his thick eyelashes resting on his cheekbones, a stark contrast to the paleness of his skin. 
The mask on my face blows cold hair onto my already chapped lips. 
I look down at the familiar plastic robe, which wasn't comfortable at all. 
I could see Dax's hair outside the window, and Latonya's tiny figure next to him. 
Leeciy must have been home caring for Cirus. 
It takes about five minutes for the ringing in my ears to cease, and everything was silent, so silent, I could hear myself blink. 
I watched the window, a few nurses walking past, but other than that, no traffic. 
Well, until Lexon walked down the hall, and threw open my door. 
September jumped up, his hand searching for some sort of weapon on his body. 
"You sure do have a knack for ripping stitches!" Lexon yells, once he walks in. 
I watch him with wide eyes. 
"You are completely and totally USELESS to me while you're immobile!" He roars. 
September stands. "Who are you to be yelling at a wounded woman?" 
"Who are you to be standing up to me?" Lexon says. "Sit human, I am your superior." 
September scowls before sitting back down. 
Lexon turns to me. "You are the most asinine person I've ever seen! Falling off a balcony?" 
I stay silent, just watching his rampage. 
He grabs the IV in my arm, kinking it. 
The pain in my side flares up immediately as he does so. 
"Maybe I should let you bleed out." Lexon breathes. 
"Over my dead body." Luca says from behind him. 
Lexon spins around, letting go of my IV.
The pain goes away instantly. 
"You should leave." Luca says. "I heard from someone you're not supposed to kink the IVs." 
Lexon exhales angrily. 
"Lexon." I call, my voice weak. 
He turns and looks at me. 
"Leave." I murmur, glaring at him. 
He growls, before walking out. 
Luca laughs, before sitting down on my cot. "Hey, Estelle, nice to see you." 
"Nice to see you too. How's being a shooting instructor?" I ask. 
He shrugs. "Teenagers aren't very nice." 
"Who was being rude?" September asks. 
"Some kid named Clovis, thought it would be funny to shoot at some younger girls' feet." Luca says. 
"Was everyone okay?" September asks. 
Luca nods. "Nobody ended up being shot, but still." 
September nods. 
"I heard you fell off your balcony." Luca says, looking at me. 
I nod. 
"It was so scary." September says. "Leeciy got her up, then she passed out, then caused a minor earthquake." 
"I felt that." Luca says. "Thought it was the subway train."  
"I caused an earthquake?" I ask. 
September nods. "It was pretty cool. Leeciy and Gabrie were panicking though." 
"I bet." Luca laughs. "Anyway, I really hope you don't rip your stitches again, I've heard you have a knack for doing that." 
I smile slightly, watching the door open and a nurse walk in with about five people following
Luca notices them too, and steps aside so they can get to me. 
"This is gonna feel like a little pinch the nurse says, putting a needle into my skin. 
It didn't take long for my eyes to flutter closed. 
***
"Wake up." I hear someone say, laughing. 
I open my eyes and see the familiar ceiling of August's house. 
August was leaning over me, his minty fresh breath tickling my face. 
"Aug?" I ask, sitting up. 
He nods. "Who else would it be?" 
"You're dead." I murmur. 
He nods. "That is a fact, I'm here to talk to you." 
"Go on." 
"I miss you." He murmurs. "And it makes me so happy to see you frolicking around with my baby brother, and helping Ned with his baby, but God I wish I could touch you." He says. "I wish I were alive again, then by now, we'd probably have a baby of our own. Little Joshua, remember?" 
I nod. "I remember that." 
He laughs, his hand hovering over my face. "You're so pretty." 
I look away. "I don't love you anymore." 
"I know, you like that white-haired boy who treats you oh-so-wrong." August sighs. "I'd kill him if I had the chance, I should have, when he carried you home back in Willowdale, I had a gun on the table, ready to go. My plan was to greet you, pull you inside, go outside for a word, and nail him in the head." He says. 
I look over at him with wide eyes. "Why would you do that?" 
"I saw how he looked at you, that's how only I can look at you." August growls, leaning forward and grabbing my hand. 
I pull away standing up. 
"If I were still alive, we'd run away together." He says. "Run back to Idaho." 
"You had a job." I say. "I have a kid." 
"Your kid is my brother." He says. "And it's not like he's blood. In fact, he's a different color of blood. Purple runs throughout you, red through him." 
"Red runs through you too." I say, trying to open the door but failing. 
August stands up, walking toward me. "You can't escape." 
I pull at the door harder, slamming my hand on it. 
I feel a hand on the small of my back. "I'm angry with you."
"Why? You haven't a reason to be." I mutter, turning toward him. 
"You're trying to get away from me, to him, and I don't like him." August nearly growls. 
"I don't remember you being so possessive." I counter. "Or so disturbed." 
"Watching your one-true-love float away from you does that to you." August says. 
I press my head onto the wall. "You aren't my one-true-love, Leeciy and I aren't even together and he's already made me happier than you, and feel safer than ever." 
"You're feeding yourself lies, E." The nickname makes my skin crawl. 
"I go by Estelle." I say, glaring at him. 
August laughs, pulling something out of his back pocket. "Yeah, once I died you shed all trace of me." 
"And that's how it'll stay." I growl. 
August lifts the mystery item, which was a throwing knife that looked exactly like Yeeva's. "You haven't shed everything." 
"What am I missing?" I ask. 
He laughs, throwing the knife. "You still wear the bracelet I gave to you on Christmas." 
I look down at the simple band that I wear occasionally, then at the knife in my stomach. 
August walks up. "In fact," he grabs the handle of the knife twisting it. "It's what ties me to you." 
I try to come up with an argument, but it wasn't long till my world went black.