chapter 15
Trinity finally pulled herself out of bed and made it to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she noticed that she would have to double up on her make-up, less everyone would know she had been crying.
She showered and got herself ready for work. Heading down the stairs, part of her hoped that he was still here. The other part of her didn’t think she could keep it together if he was.
Entering her kitchen, she saw a large figure leaning over and looking into her fridge. Her heart leaped and then crashed when he spoke.
“Hey, you got any tomato juice? I got a massive hangover.”
Gemariah stood up and turned around. The look he gave her said that he had a pretty good idea what was going on. All she did was glare. It wasn’t his fault, but she found herself mad at him none the less. She needed comfort…she needed her friend.
“I’m going next door, don’t follow me! And don’t eat all my food either!!” Trinity walked out the back door without giving him another look before making her way over to Nicci’s.
She grabbed the knob to walk in and found the door locked. What? She never locks the door in the mornings. Of course it had been forever since she had been home to notice anything different. She chided herself once again for being a bad friend.
Knocking on the door, she waited. She had almost turned around to go back when she heard a faint scratching noise. The door finally creaked open to reveal a much skinnier and much paler Nicole.
“Oh my gosh! What’s going on?” Trinity pushed her way inside and noticed that all the curtains were pulled and the house was almost all dark except for a few lit candles.
“I’ve been sick. It’s no big deal.” Nicci didn’t give her another thought as she made her way into the kitchen.
“Of course it’s a big deal! How did I not know this?” Trinity was shocked.
Finally, Nicci raised her eyes toward her. “You’ve been busy lately.”
Trinity felt horrible. It was true, she had a lot going on, but she had all but ignored her best friend. “I’m so sorry. What can I get for you? Have you seen a doctor?”
Nicole waved off her concern. “It’s not as bad as it looks. I just can’t seem to keep any food down. Everything makes me queasy; food, moving around, sunlight, just the basics.”
“That’s a little more than the basics, don’t you think?”
She lightly lifted her shoulders in a shrug while pouring herself something to drink.
Trinity started tidying up the house. “I would stay and take care of you today, but I’ve scheduled a few meetings with different parents today. When I get home…” She stopped talking to rush towards Nicci before she poured chocolate syrup into her drink. “Wait, Nicci! That’s orange juice, not milk. Do you want me to make you some chocolate milk?”
“No. I know it’s weird, but it settles my stomach.” Trinity watched in disgust as Nicci made herself a chocolate…orange juice?
After picking up a few more things, Trinity had to leave for work. That means going back to her house and collecting her escort. The thought reminded her why she came over to begin with, but now all she could think about was how worried she was about her friend.
“I meant what I said. It might be later, but I’m going to come check on you when I get home.”
All Nicci did was nod her head and snuggle herself onto the couch. The place Trinity had found out she had been sleeping, to avoid using the stairs.
Trinity quietly slipped out the back door after locking it and made her way back to her place. When she got there, Gemariah was standing by her front door and holding her jacket. When she got close enough, he held it open for her.
“I don’t need your sympathy.” Slipping one arm in, she turned her back toward him to maneuver into the jacket.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He responded to her in a nonchalant manner.
As they were walking out of her place, Gemariah nodded towards Nicole’s side of the house. “Everything alright over there?”
“Yeah. She’s got the stomach flu.” Looking up at him, the expression on his face looked a lot like concern, and Trinity smirked. “What’s this? I thought you hated her.”
“I don’t hate her; I just don’t like her much. There’s a difference.”
They got in the car and he started driving towards the school. When she pulled out a granola bar for breakfast, Gemariah looked scandalized. “What the hell is that? Please don’t tell me that is all you’re going to eat this morning.”
“There’s nothing wrong with a granola bar. It’s quick and easy.” She was already in a bad mood and did not need her breakfast insulted as well.
“What are you…a bird?” He groaned and reached into the back seat. “Here” He placed a container on her lap that was emanating the most wonderful smell. Opening the box, she saw a breakfast fit for a king. More like two kings with the amount of food that was there; all double servings of eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, the works. “It’s mine, but I guess I could spare a little.”
“Thanks, but I’m not that hungry.” Trinity would love to dig right in, but her stomach was telling her it was a bad idea.
“Sure you are; I worked hard on it. Now eat up.”
She looked over at him skeptically. Gemariah never shared anything. “Why are you doing this?”
He just shrugged his shoulders and glanced her way. “You’re Mal’s girl. That’s almost like family.”
“I’m no one’s girl.” Trinity looked out the window, already wanting this conversation to be over. It felt like the knife that was lodged in her heart had just gotten a swift twist.
“Just eat the food.” Gemariah grumbled as he focused back on the road.
Those were the last words spoken between them until lunch, when Gideon came to take his place. The start of the day went by incredibly slow, but eventually she felt herself relaxing and enjoying what she was doing. That’s what happened whenever she came to work. It was the same reason she chose the interest she did. There was something about the sound of a shutter and the smell of developer that soothed her and helped clear her head. Of course Nicci always joked that she was getting high of the chemical fumes, but she knew it was more than that.
By the time her lunch period came along, she was ready to meet with the parents she had scheduled conferences with. There were different students that were falling behind in her class, and she wanted to talk with the parents along with the child and see what their options were. One boy’s father called her for a meeting, so she just decided to schedule the other two she needed around the same time.
Two out of the three conferences went better than expected. The kids were willing to try harder and even do extra work to get caught up. Everyone was happy in the end. What was surprising was, that the man who had called her left a message asking to reschedule for later that evening.
Knowing that Nicci was home sick, Trinity really wanted to get back there and help out, but at the same time was not ready to go back home to the reality of what was going on in her life. Figuring six o’clock was early enough that she could still make it back to Nicci, she agreed.
Getting ready for the new wave of students coming in, she headed back to her classroom with Gideon obediently following behind her. She didn’t want anything to burst the euphoric bubble she had created, so she tried to ignore him as much as possible. Just the idea of constantly being followed would definitely do it.
Sitting down at her desk, she started sorting through paperwork.
“Okay. What’s your deal?” Gideon’s voice broke into her comfortable silence. “I’ve been here for almost an hour and you haven’t said one word to me.”
“And what would you like me to say?” Trinity tried to sound aloof as she stared unseeingly at the papers in front of her.
“You’re never at a loss for words. You can think of something.” He responded almost bored like.
“Not today.” Trinity sighed, her bubble slowly thinning. “I’m just a little tired is all.”
Gideon looked down at his watch. “Well, your day’s almost over, you can go home and get some rest soon.”
“Not today. A parent rescheduled a conference with me until this evening. There’s no point in going home then coming back, so we’re here till then.”
He slouched back in his chair and answered sarcastically. “That’s just wonderful.”
Trinity heard him mumble something under his breath and thought she caught the word “babysitting”.
POP! There went the bubble! Shutting her eyes, she tried to tune him out, but the damage was already done.
Not saying anything and deciding to let it go for now, she buried her nose in her work and she started grading the pop quiz she gave this morning over the techniques of photography.
After all her classes were over, she used the time to finish her grading. Gideon was checking his watch and sighing every fifteen minutes, and it took all her will power not to snap at him.
Finally hearing enough of it, she decided to spend the rest of the time in the very quiet and very serene darkroom. Being a glutton for pain, she pulled out her black and white film strip of Malachi and started making a print.
Looking down at the photo paper immersed in the chemicals, she watched as his strong facial features started to form. While admiring the portrait, she admitted that his eyes were the main focal point of the shot. They drew anyone in that dared to look directly into them.
Just then the rotating door swung open, and Trinity’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. The figure that entered the room was dark, but she understood that grumble anywhere. Why couldn’t Gideon have just stayed away from her right now?
He walked over to her and looked down at the picture. She saw him roll his eyes before shaking his head. “You’re going to break your camera if you keep taking pictures of that ugly mug.”
“Did you need something?” Trinity sighed.
He walked around; turning knobs and flipping switches on the enlargers that she knew would have to be fixed before tomorrow.
“Just waiting to get out of here.”
She replied back in a bored tone. “You know I have a meeting in an hour.”
Gideon didn’t look happy when he glared at her. “How about the next time we schedule something so late, maybe you could take into account the people that also have to stay here and sit on our ass doing nothing.”
Trinity gritted her teeth but didn’t cower to his remark. “Wow. You’re an extra ball of sunshine today. Someone push the stick further up your ass?” She never cursed and was surprised by what she had said.
“No. No. Same old, same old. Everyone gets to go to the different assignments and I get to be with you. It’s not enough that I have to miss one of the more dangerous assignments that we’ve had in a while, happening tonight. No…it’s just insulting that instead of participating and being there protecting my team, I am the one that has to be the babysitter.
There were so many things that Gideon just said that didn’t sit well with her. She didn’t want Gideon here if it put Malachi in danger. She also had heard the word babysitter one too many times today.
Slamming the tongs down she was holding, she raised her voice towards him. “Well if you don’t want to be here than just go, because I don’t want you here either! You always act like you’re high and mighty…one of the best, but you get pushed around and told what to do. That doesn’t sound like you’re too important to me.”
It looked as if Gideon’s eyes were starting to glow. She must’ve really pissed him off this time. Pushing harder, she tried to actually get him to leave.
“Now tell me this…if you’re so “important”, shouldn’t you be at the risky assignment tonight?”
He took a step toward her. “You better be careful little girl, I could easily leave your happy ass to fend for yourself.”
Trinity didn’t even blink. “Good. Go!”
Gideon growled. “You are the most infuriating woman!” Turning around, he marched back to the door and stepped inside. Before spinning the door closed, he looked at her. “Fine. I’ll leave, but don’t come crying to me if you need something and I’m not here.”
Trinity picked back up the tongs and turned toward her now overdeveloped print. When she didn’t hear the door swing shut she said, “You still here?” in the snottiest tone she could manage.
She didn’t even look up to watch him leave. All she heard was an irritated grunt and the sound of the door turning.
Trinity cringed at the silence in the room. She hated being a bitch to anybody, but when she heard that Malachi might need Gideon, she knew she needed to get him there at any cost. Malachi and she might be having issues at the moment, but that didn’t mean she could stand the idea of him in trouble. Gideon was getting on her nerves anyway and she needed a break, no matter how small.
She worked the rest of the time in silence with no more interruptions. It hadn’t been that long, but she didn’t need much time to bring back her easy mood. Always losing track of time, she checked her watch and realized that her conference would start at any minute. She started moving around the room, cleaning up after herself, and adjusting back the enlargers that Gideon had messed with. She had just reached the drying racks to check her prints, when the safelights went out and plunged her into complete darkness.
She was not in the mood for this. Obviously Gideon chose not to leave after all and was playing a joke on her. “Come on!” She yelled out. “Don’t you have something better to do?”
When there was no answer and the lights never came back on, she sighed and felt her way over toward the door. Eventually, her hand came into contact with the door and she moved it over toward the light switch. It was still in the on position. There was a main switch in her classroom, but everyone was instructed not to touch it. Obviously, he had found it.
She stepped into the door and swung the walls around till she was staring into her classroom. Expecting to see Gideon there, she was surprised to find her room completely empty. Not only that, but the lights were off as well. A custodian must have come around and closed her room down, she thought; even though a custodian would never have thrown the switch to cut off power in the darkroom.
Ignoring the nagging thought, she moved across her room to open the door again and turn the lights back on. She didn’t want her student’s parents to get discourage when they came here and found her room closed and dark.
After opening her room back up and turning all the lights back on, she made her way back into the darkroom to finish cleaning up.
She made it in there, but the moment she stepped out of the door, the room went dark again.
This was getting frustrating!!
Making her way back into the classroom, she was surprised to see all the lights off again. Even more surprising was that the room was empty. She had made it back into her classroom quick enough where the person couldn’t get far.
All of her senses went on full alert. She studied the room to see if she could find anything out of the ordinary. It was dark, except for a patch of light shining in from the windowed door. It was enough to illuminate her desk and everything on it. What she saw made her heart stop. It was a single black rose.
He was here. She knew it was him, and of course, it had to be the night she sent Gideon away.
Throughout the years she had never gotten a black one. The only thing it reminded her of was death, so his meaning couldn’t be anything good.
Scanning the room once again, she made her way carefully to her desk. She had to get to her purse, but most of all, her phone. Eventually, she got there and crept around to the other side to open the drawer her purse was in. The whole time she was staring at the rose as if it was going to jump up and bite her.
Fishing her phone out of her purse, she dialed the only person she could think of. She just prayed that Malachi wouldn’t be as mad as she knew he would be, for what happened with Gideon.
She crouched on the floor behind her desk with her phone to her ear, listening to it ring. Constantly peering around her desk, she was trying to see if anyone was there. Just when she was about to lose hope, he answered.
“Hey baby, I’m kind of busy at the moment. Can I give you a call back?”
“Malachi!” She answered him in a whispered panic. “Malachi…Oh God…I think he’s here!”
“Wait, what? What are you talking about?” Trinity could tell he was confused.
She choked out a sob. “Here at the sch…” That was as far as she got before someone pulled her off the ground by her hair.
The pain was incredible and made her scream as she stood up quickly to relieve the tension. A hand was quickly clapped over her mouth to silence her.
Her instincts immediately kicked in and she started to struggle. She was using her hands and feet to attack, kicking and hitting anything she could make contact with. All of the sudden, pain radiated through her hand and she knew it had connected with something.
“Bitch!” She heard Seth yell out right before she was thrown into the chalkboard. The impact made her drop to the ground, and she watched as her phone skidded across the floor. Knowing that if he got her out of the school, the phone might be her only chance of being found. She had to get it.
When she hit the board, all the erasers and chalk fell to the floor. Grabbing what she could, she started quickly throwing things at him. One of the erasers connected with his face, and his hands went up to block his eyes. Thinking this would be her only opportunity; she dove for her phone and quickly tucked it under her shirt.
“I don’t think so, Princess.” He grabbed her ankles and pulled her back, obviously thinking she was trying to escape.
When he got her standing back up, he twisted an arm behind her back for control. She tried to reason with him. “Seth, you don’t want to do this. There are people always watching me. They’re not the type of people you want to mess with.”
All he did was laugh. The sound was more gravelly than she remembered. “Trust me; I know exactly where that boy toy of yours is. Ironically, he’s in a warehouse waiting for me to show up. Even better, he has almost everyone with him; the other left on his own. This couldn’t be any easier.”
Trinity once again kicked herself for yelling at Gideon. When he started walking with her, a new wave of panic set in and she started to drag her feet. “Wait! Where are we going?”
“Stop stalling and just move!” He yelled and swiftly hit her in the head, making her dizzier than before.
She obediently started walking down the hall the best she could. “You know, it’s too bad your friend left earlier. I was told I had to destroy his heart…I was looking forward to the experience of removing it.”
“Who told you that you had to destroy his heart?” Trinity was getting a picture of just how twisted Seth had become, but she wanted to keep him talking and maybe figure out where he was taking her.
In response to her question, he pulled her arm tighter and made her whimper in pain. “You’re not the only one with friends in high places.”
They had just cleared the door when she saw Hugh walking up the steps toward the school. Seth’s grip on her became tighter, an obvious warning not to say anything.
Hugh looked up at them, and she noticed the moment he could tell something was wrong. “Mrs. Bradshaw…?”
“What are you doing this late at school, Hugh?” She tried to keep her voice light, not knowing what Seth might do.
“Um…you ever have that feeling like you forgot something? I came here to see what it was.” He talked slowly as he looked back and forth between the two of them.
Feeling a slight nudge behind her, she knew she had to move on. “Okay, don’t stay too late. Good night.”
They started walking but Hugh stepped in front of them. “Who’s this guy? You and Mal through?”
“Beat it kid! Who I am is no matter to you.” Seth snapped and yanked her to the side to walk around Hugh.
Instead of letting them pass, Hugh stepped right back in front of them. “Yeah, I don’t think so, Old Timer.” He then looked toward her. “Ms. Bradshaw?” Her name was said in the form of a question and she knew he needed her go ahead.
“You need to walk away, Hugh.” She tried to project with her eyes the importance of the situation. She couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to him because of her. He was only seventeen and had his whole life ahead of him. He was also the type of person that always did what was morally right, and that is what she was afraid of right now.
Nodding his head, he stepped aside. Seth obviously found something funny about all of this, because he chuckled and opened his big mouth. “She told you.”
As they walked on, Trinity thought they were in the clear.
“Jackass”
That one word made Trinity’s world come crashing down. He didn’t say it loud enough to be a threat, but it was heard and Seth became livid. The grip on Trinity loosened and she felt him turning in Hugh’s direction.
“What did you say you little shit!?!” Seth reached to his side and unsheathed the knife he was wearing, before taking a step toward Hugh.
If she was a lesser person, she would of ran and saved herself, but this was one of her kids. Jumping in between the two of them, she faced Seth. “Please don’t do this! He’s just a kid!”
He wasn’t listening as he tried to push her out of the way, but she wasn’t budging. Hitting away his hands to deter him, she tried to yell at Hugh to run. The next thing she knew, she felt the impact on her chest and found herself soaring into the side of the building.
This was nothing like the chalkboard in her classroom. The brick was harder and rougher. Her head came in contact with the wall on impact, and she could feel every abrasion it caused on her way down. She didn’t remember him being this strong before, and obviously he had a thing with walls now.
Now she was sitting with her back against the wall and trying to see what was going on, except her eyes wouldn’t focus quite right. Knowing any minute she could pass out, she fought against the feeling even though the harder she fought the sicker she felt.
She squeezed her eyes shut, only to open them back up in hopes her vision would correct itself. Looking up, the scene in front of her was starting to come together. Seth and Hugh were struggling! “Stop!” She yelled out, but neither one was listening to her.
She had to get up. She had to protect Hugh, but she couldn’t get her legs to cooperate.
In terror, she watched as Hugh rushed at Seth and the hand holding the knife went up to meet his chest. Time stood still. Trinity held her breath, waiting for one of them to move. Everything was quiet and some part of her thought she heard Malachi’s voice.
As if time suddenly started again, they began to move. Seth smiled and yanked his hand away. What she saw made the bile rise up in her throat. Hugh’s shirt was quickly being coated in blood.
Putting a hand to his chest, Hugh pulled it away and looked at the red stain now on his hand. Looking at her again, she watched as he fell to the ground.
“No!!” Trinity started to scream. “You bastard!”
Seth knelt next to Hugh and changed his grip on the knife. Hugh was still breathing, but it looked as if Seth wasn’t going to let him stay that way much longer.
Trinity looked around helplessly; she had to stop him. Under the shrubs, next to where she was, there were river rocks. Grabbing the largest that she could make out, she threw it in Seth’s direction. She was aiming for his head, but that wasn’t where it went. As it flew to the side, luck must have been with her because it hit the hand that was holding the knife.
The force of the rock took him by surprise, and the knife dropped out to the ground. Not thinking about anything else other than protecting Hugh, Trinity lunged for the blade.
She got a hold of it before Seth, but was in a vulnerable position. Trying to defend herself, she tried to swing her arm around, but he got a hold of her arm before she could.
“Nah-ah…this is mine.” He went to grab the knife and Trinity flicked her wrist away, trying to keep it away. The blade came in contact with his hand and she could feel the slight tension from slicing through his flesh.
“Shit!” Even angrier than before, he took her wrist and slammed it against the ground. “Give…me…it…back!” With each word that was grunted out, he would slam her wrist down, again and again.
By the third hit, Trinity heard a crack and knew he had broken something. The pain was immense, but she held on as long as she could. Two hits later, her hand finally went slack and he got what he wanted.
The cloudiness was coming back and Trinity knew she would be unconscious soon. There was no fight left in her. Lying there, she looked up and watched Seth try to compose himself. It was as if he was trying to figure out what to do next. As if making up his mind, he wiped his sleeve across his nose and turned toward Hugh.
She was about to protest, when he stopped mid-step and tilted his head to the side.
“What do you mean “there’s no time”?” Seth spoke to thin air.
Trinity didn’t hear a response, but obviously he did, because he started talking again.
“There’s no way they found out this fast. They’re still miles away, they have to be.”
Pausing once more, he then shot a dark stare toward her. “Phone? What phone?”
She must be injured more than she knew. Who was he talking to? Looking around, it was only him she saw. Someone had tipped him off though, because he started marching toward her.
He started patting her down and checking her pockets. Trinity had no energy to stop him and just laid there as his hands roamed over her. At last, he lifted her shirt and found the phone. Pulling it out, he looked at it and sneered. Placing the phone to his ear, he cleared his throat.
“Hello.” He sounded so sure that someone was there.
She heard a voice coming from the other end of the phone. Who would that be? Searching back through her memory, a flash of her talking to Malachi came through. After that, she was grabbed by her hair, but she couldn’t remember if she had hung up. Oh God! Malachi had heard everything!
She couldn’t hear what was being said, but by the vein popping out of Seth’s head, it was really pissing him off.
“No, that’s where you’re wrong. She’s mine, always will be. Since she’s mine, I can do what I want with her. So if I were to do, say…” He held the phone toward her before bringing his foot back and kicking her side. She let out a noise that was a mixture of a moan and a sob the same time he said “this…” Putting the phone back up to his ear, he finished what he was saying. “There’s nothing you could do to stop me.”
Malachi was yelling loud enough now, that she could clearly hear his voice.
“Trust me; I know what you’re capable of. I know what you are, and therefore know how to kill you. I’ll be looking forward to that day, but until them I’ll be f*cking her till you’re out of her system. Choke on that freak!” Seth slammed the phone against the concrete, officially destroying it.
A roar of an engine was heard in the distance and the three of them looked in the direction it was coming from.
“No, I’m not leaving her again!” Seth started yelling to himself. “There has to be another way.”
Trinity watched as his shoulders sagged. Looking down at her, Trinity could swear she saw his skin ripple. He shuddered, then narrowed his eyes down to her. “Then I’m going to make it so he no longer wants her.”
Seth started toward her and she tried to pull away with her good arm, but it wasn’t fast enough. He started kicking her again, but this time including her face. Trinity now prayed for unconsciousness. The pain was unbearable and it was everywhere. She vaguely heard muffled crying and shortly realized that it was herself.
He was out of breath when he knelt down next to her. When he grabbed her jaw to turn her face towards him, a sharp pain shot strait through her. She saw as he put the knife up to her cheek, and she jerked her face out of his grasp. He grabbed it again, but only after hitting her hard upside the head.
“Hold still now. This will only hurt a minute.” He growled at her as she kept trying to dislodge his grip.
The roaring of the engine was getting louder, and she could tell the sound made him uneasy.
She couldn’t struggle anymore and squeezed her eyes shut once she felt the blade again. Just when she was expecting pain from the cut, he was no longer holding her. Opening her eyes, she saw that Hugh had made it over to them and had somehow hit Seth off of her. Obviously using up the last of his strength, Hugh was now laying there like a sitting duck.
Seth was going to kill him! She knew he was. All her energy was gone, and she knew there was no way she was going to make it to him in time.
Seth had his eyes on Hugh before his head cocked to the side once more. He looked livid! “Fine! I get it!!”
He stood up and looked down at the two of them. “This is far from over.” Without another word, he took off running around the opposite side of the school.
Trinity looked over at Hugh. He needed help or he was going to die. Gathering up all the strength she could, she pulled herself toward him. When she got to him, she found the wound on his chest and placed her hand over it. She couldn’t exert a lot of pressure, but she thought that even a little might help. Looking down at his face, she started to talk.
“It’s going to be okay. Stay awake! You were so brave, stupid, but brave.” He was breathing way too fast for her liking. “There is no way I can repay you. I want to try though, so you need to stay with me. Got it?”
He looked up at her before giving a thumbs-up. The action made Trinity chuckle before realizing how much it would hurt. After that, his eyes slowly shut, and she started to panic.
“HELP!! SOMEONE HELP ME!” No one was coming, but she continued to yell. She yelled a few times more, but her energy had drained completely away. Keeping her hand where it was, she laid down to stop the spinning.
In the back of her mind, she thought she heard the squeal of tires and running footsteps, but she couldn’t be right. They were alone out here. No one was coming, and they were probably both going to die.
“Oh, f*ck me!”
She knew that voice. It took her a few seconds to figure it out, but Gideon’s voice was unmistakable.
She slowly turned her head to look at him. “Hi.”
When he ran over toward them, he rolled her onto her back and in doing so, knocked her hand off Hugh.
“No! He needs help! Help him first.” Trinity didn’t even recognize her own voice it was so distorted.
“Stop that.” He said when she kept swatting his hands away. “Just let me look at you.”
“Please Gideon…he’s just a kid.” She begged him to go over to Hugh.
Groaning loudly, he moved over to Hugh and started examining the wound. Trinity watched as he placed his palms on Hugh’s body and shut his eyes.
“What are you doing? You have to stop the bleeding!”
“Shut it! I’m trying to concentrate.” He snapped back as he shook out his hands and put them back in place.
All of the sudden, Gideon’s hands started to glow a brilliant gold color. She squeezed her eyes shut once again and quickly opened them to clear her vision. She had to be seeing things! Concentrating intently on what he was doing, Trinity jumped in surprise when Gideon snapped.
“Dammit! It’s not working.” He took off his jacket and tried to pack the wound. When he got it in place, he moved back over to her. “He needs Mal. It’s too advanced for me, but let me look at you.”
Trinity just stared at him in awe. He was looking down at her, and all she could picture were the glowing hands. “What are you?”
That was the last thing she remembered, before the pain finally overtook her and everything went black.