I woke to screaming by Natalie and Kate. I had been yelled at a lot, so thought nothing of that. I did wonder why Kate was there, though. Her territory was the Pacific Northwest, whereas Natalie looked over the Great Lakes area. I had the in-between up to the Rockies.
“Why’s Kate
here?” I said. At least I thought I said, the words echoed and muffled in my
head.
They were
still screaming, but I couldn’t make anything out. I tried to sit up, but
couldn’t. I was sore, everywhere, as if I had spent all day yesterday working
out. I felt drained, too. I was out of lightning and air, which was not
generally a good thing for a storm rider. We absorbed both ambiently, and I had
been full up not that long ago.
Or maybe not. How long was I out?
“Whoa!” I
made the time-out T with my hands. “I can’t hear you, so save your voices.”
The muffled
sound was gone, but the echo was still there.
The two
women looked at one another and began speaking in what I assumed was quieter
tones. Their mouths didn’t open as wide.
Kate nodded
to whatever Nat said, then they waited.
Ten minutes
later, and I was able to hear clearly. I still couldn’t sit up, though.
“What the
fuck happened?” I asked.
“You tell
us!” Kate yelled.
I shrugged
my shoulders.
“Reilly,
what’s the last thing you remember?” Nat asked.
“Waking
up.”
Nat smacked
me upside the head. Kate followed on with her own.
“Ow. Okay,
I was cloudsurfing chasing this . . . thing. Seven tentacles on its butt. I hit
it with some lightning and it went down. Don’t’ remember anything after that.
The women
looked at one another. Kate hauled on one arm and Nat the other, getting me to
a sitting position.
I looked
around. I was in a crater.
“This is not
my fault.”