Alden stood off to the side in the ER, near the curtain while the nurses and the doctor worked on Meg. They seemed to have her stable, but Alden had no idea what stable was supposed to look like. All he knew was that Meg hadn't woken up yet. Grey-eyes was still nearby too, standing next to him totally invisible. He brushed against her occasionally as he swayed in place, too upset to stay still.

  They're experts, right? They know what to do. She's choking. That's a normal thing. They can get her breathing again.

  Except… Meg was dying due to magic. Who knew what normal medicine could do to help that?

  "Isn't there anything you can do?" Alden murmured, low enough that none of the nurses would hear him, but he knew Grey-eyes definitely could.

  "This has never happened," she whispered. "Nobody's ever gotten stuck halfway… I did everything right, I just—"

  "Did it too late," Alden filled in.

  "I'm such an idiot," Grey-eyes whispered. Alden could feel the pain and regret in her voice. "Meg is—"

  "Don't say it," said Alden firmly. A nurse heard him and looked over, but Alden shook his head. He went back to work, confused, but professional enough to ignore it. They were still trying to find a cause, even though Alden had already explained the exact reason Meg could barely breathe.

  "But—"

  "Don't," he hissed. "She's gonna be fine."

  Alden's phone rang. None of the staff looked up, but Alden nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden buzz in his pocket. He grabbed it out without even looking at the screen. "Mom?"

  "...No?"

  "Hailey?"

  "What's going on?"

  "...How are you calling me right now?" he asked, confused. "Where are you?"

  "Somewhere over Ohio?"

  Alden turned away from the bed slightly. The doctor and most of the nurses were leaving now, since Meg appeared to be stabilized and they were needed elsewhere, leaving only one to keep Meg's breathing steady. He lowered his voice even further. "You're flying?"

  "Yeah."

  "But it's so quiet."

  "I'm blocking all the air around me to reduce drag. I think I'm going faster than the speed of sound…"

  "How are you calling me then?"

  The call dropped a second later, as if Hailey's phone heard Alden's question and decided to obey physics again. Alden stared at the screen for a moment, dumbfounded.

  It lit up again with Hailey's face. He answered.

  "I think I'm jumping between towers really fast," said Hailey quickly. "Where are you right now?"

  "Mason General Hospital in Shelton."

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  "Okay. I'm on my way." She paused. "Is Grey-eyes there?"

  "...Yes. How did you—"

  "Give her the phone."

  Alden held it out to the empty space next to him without a second thought… but nothing happened. "Grey-eyes?" he hissed.

  No response.

  "I think she's gone…"

  "...Dammit," said Hailey. "Can you—" The call dropped again. Alden waited for the next ring, and answered as soon as it came in. "You're with Meg, right?"

  "I called my parents. I'll be here. I'm…" Alden hesitated, lowering his voice again. "I'm using time magic to slow her down if anything bad happens, so they can help her before she—"

  "Good," said Hailey. "If Grey-eyes shows up again, tell her to call me. Right away. Don't take no for an answer, got it?"

  "...Okay."

  Her voice softened. "Hey Alden?"

  Alden coughed, his voice catching in his throat as emotion suddenly overwhelmed him. He'd remembered the last time Hailey had been rushing to a hospital… and what had happened there. They hadn't been able to help in the end… what if…

  "She's gonna be okay. Keep her alive until I get there, all right?"

  He nodded, but of course, Hailey couldn't see him—and he was barely able to see himself, with how his eyes were filled with tears. Somehow, it already felt like his little sister was going to die… but Hailey sounded so confident. She sounded… like herself again, months ago, before everything happened.

  "Okay," said Alden.

  "I'm on my—"

  Her voice cut off again as the call dropped. Alden waited, but she didn't call again. It was okay now though. He could hold it together.

  Alden sat down on the stool next to Meg and took her hand. It was warm, much warmer than his own, but not so much that she felt sick or anything. The nurse glanced at him, and Alden realized it was the same one they'd explained he could use time magic to.

  "Did you tell anyone else?" Alden asked quietly.

  She looked startled. "Huh?"

  "What we told you before. What I can do. Did you tell anyone?"

  "...Not sure I believe it myself, to be honest," she said, taking a seat on the other stool, and adjusting something with Meg's oxygen supply. "If it's true—"

  "It is," said Alden.

  "Then… well, we're already taking overflow from Olympia here due to last night," said the nurse uncomfortably. "Can you slow things down if any of these alarms go off?" she added, pointing at the sensors now attached all over Meg's skin, tracking her vital signs. "So we can get here in time."

  Alden nodded. "Go help whoever you need to. I'll be with her."

  "...You're a good brother," said the nurse, getting to her feet. "If you need anything, just shout. Someone's nearby."

  "Thanks."

  The nurse left, and Alden settled in. The machines beeped a reassuring steady beat around Meg. Carts bustled past as nurses wheeled sensors and machines between curtained beds throughout the emergency room. Alden felt a faint breeze on the back of his neck, though he wasn't sure where from. It made him think of Hailey, now hurtling through the sky across the country to reach them.

  Meg would be so happy… her hero's coming to save her…

  Alden squeezed her hand tighter, as if he could will her to wake up. He tried to press magic into her, but it was blocked, just like everything was—everything besides time magic, it seemed.

  Why just that? Why can't I heal her, or do anything else useful? All I can do is slow down her dying…

  He realized suddenly how Hailey planned to save her. She had the full page—the other way to awaken. If it worked… Meg would be as powerful as her, and the rest of the eight. Or the seven… Since Lily isn't one, and Hugo never awakened. Maybe it was always supposed to be Meg.

  Fate again. Alden wondered how Rika was doing. He'd considered going after her when she left the Summit, but he hadn't wanted to leave before Hailey did. Still, his thoughts were dominated by her—and now, with Hailey blitzing across the country, there would be even more focus on Rika as the sole awakened on trial back in D.C.

  All Alden could focus on was Meg. His parents were probably still about an hour away at best, if they'd left right away. Hailey was even further—he had no idea how fast she could fly when really pressed. The internet calculated her at over seven hundred miles per hour when she'd flown from Portland to Lakewood. He tried to do the math in his head, but… he couldn't think straight, and he didn't want to take his eyes off his sister for a second.

  Oxygen was pumped into Meg's lungs every couple of seconds by a machine. Her eyes were closed, and he didn't see any movement there. She could be asleep for all he knew… and she looked peaceful enough. All he could do was watch and wait… and pray, every moment, that Meg would wake up.

  My turn to stay by her bed til she gets better, I guess.

  Alden settled in. No matter what, he wasn't moving from that stool until Meg woke up.