By Monday, everyone and their best friend were discussing homecoming. It was funny. Miren didn't remember boys ever being this chatty. But since she was involved, her ears were unnaturally inclined to pick up any spoken details of that night.
"Did'ya hear that Soren found her? Tough break."
Yes, yes, she had heard that already. It was obvious; he was practically the one who placed her on the stretcher. A chill in Miren's spine froze her entire body. A stretcher. She prayed that Artemis' condition wasn't as serious as it seemed. But she wasn't moving the last time she saw her...
Miren forced her eyes to stay ahead. Calculus. She had to pay attention. But she was having trouble caring, just like the instructor was having trouble teaching. Mr. William's last marker had bled dry, and as he slowly searched for a new one, chatter ensued around her.
"Isn't it weird that the Homecoming Queen was pushed down stairs? At our school? Those Roz bitches  are never gonna let us live it down..."
It was kind of sad, really. Rinzen was looking forward to hosting homecoming after four years. But with the victory of the football match and a nicely decorated dance hall, came the epic loss of Artemis' wellbeing. She could just hear the Rosemunde Royals refusing to ever allow homecoming to happen on Rinzen ground again. She knew they had messed up, but now she feared their plan had destroyed everything.
"People are saying that Penelope pushed her. She probably did. Haven't you seen that YouTube video?"
Miren rolled her eyes, but she felt her spirits lighten with the boys' boisterous conclusions. If they were saying that Penelope pushed Artemis, then that must have meant the Rosemunde girls shared their feelings. Good. At least the plan wasn't a total bust.
"They say Artemis might be in a coma. Heard she broke her nose, too. Such a shame, she probably isn't pretty anymore."
That comment killed Miren. She exhaled, shaking her head. Gossip. It was just gossip. But somehow the boys' words seemed believable. They weren't giggling, or offering sly looks of gain from expelling reputation-shattering words. Instead, they were like reporters. And Miren hoped that what they were reporting wasn't true. It can't be.
Mr. Williams finally found a marker, and when he began writing on the board, most of the talking ceased. Miren tapped her fingers against her desk as she took notes. Schoolwork was usually her distraction, but now it was an outlet, producing thoughts she rather not think about.
Broken nose.
Coma.
Her fingers formed into a fist as she slammed it against the desk. A few stray glances turned to her way, but she brushed them off, springing to her feet the moment the bell rang. Straddling her backpack over her shoulder, she knew what she had to do. Fuck what Jeno said.
She was going.
**
Miren decided that she would have to do it alone. She briefly considered taking Chara with her, or maybe informing Wallace about her departure. But honestly, she didn't know how useful they'd be.
It was ten minutes to nine. Miren had finished her homework for the night. If you counted homework as researching the perimeter of Gloveria City Hospital, and the easiest way to get in and out without overexposing herself. She rose to her feet, cupping her hands behind her head in a stretch. A feeling a doubt pinched her when her eyes met Jeno's form, which was face deep in an AP Chemistry textbook.
Miren inhaled, forcing herself to gain confidence. All she had to do was leave. Five steps, and she'd be out the door and on her way to the bus stop. The night bus would be there in fifteen minutes. She had to leave now. Or never.
"I need a break from studying," she said, slipping on her sneakers. "I'm going to get a snack from the vending machine and watch a little TV in the lobby."
Jeno turned to her, his eyebrows slightly arched. "You could just watch TV here, you know." He motioned to a dusty mini screen sitting poised on top of his dresser.
Miren wove her hands. "No, no. I don't want to disturb you. I'm probably not going to watch anything..." Then what lie would fill in its place? She restrained from giving off a distressed look as she quickly thought of another one. "...I might talk to Wallace. With all the rumors swirling around I kind of need someone to vent to."
Jeno's gaze hardened. It was hard to tell if his expression was because he didn't believe her, or if he was a bit hurt that she would rather talk to Wallace than him. But then again, he did tell her that he wasn't much of a talker.
"Fair enough," he said, reverting his attention back to his text. "Curfew's at eleven."
Miren nodded, her foot already out of the door. "Okay, dad."
There was no moon above her, though Miren could still make out the darkened clouds. And then there was a rumble in the sky. She quickened her pace. The last thing she needed was rain on her parade to the hospital.
As she passed the Founder's Fountain and headed toward the front gates, an unfortunate thought struck her. How was she supposed to make it out of the main entrance? Unlike Rosemunde, the security guard here held strongly to his post as if he were protecting the Holy Grail.
Miren halted, tapping her foot against the pebbled path. She sighed; she'd have to go back. So she spun around, dashing toward Woodley Hall, passing it, and venturing into the woods. It was an eerie feeling being in this type of darkness alone. The trees had away of outstretching their demented arm-like branches toward her, making her feel like she'd be caught at any moment. Stumbling over an over-grown root, Miren caught herself, her adrenaline kicking in as she charged out of the woods at full speed. When she was out of the main forestation, the vague street light of the employee parking area filled her darkness washed eyes.
She tried to blink the blur away, until she realized that she wasn't wearing her contacts. She trudged forward; she didn't have any more time to waste. There was another bus stop near the parking area, but that didn't guarantee she'd make it.
Running over a stretch of greenery and hopping over the three-foot fence that divided the grass from the parking lot, Miren could see that she was almost there.
Starting for the unguarded gate, Miren withdrew the blank access card from the Rosemunde raid. She closed her eyes, praying that its previous usefulness wasn't a one-time thing. Fortunately, it wasn't, and the gate clicked open. She worried for a moment, about how she would get back in. But she pushed the thought away when she saw the city bus heading toward the stop. And she was still a good ten yards away. Summoning the rest of her energy, she bolted for it, landing at the stop a few seconds after the bus.
She presented the driver with her student I.D. When he nodded, Miren took in the practically empty space. There was a middle-aged woman who appeared to be a late-shift factory worker, and a man who had white paint stains on his jeans and worn out shoes. No visible crack dealers.
Sitting toward the middle of the bus, against the window, she let herself relax. The Gloveria City Hospital was only a twenty-minute drive. The bus stopped a few times, bringing forth a few men who did look like crack dealers. One started harassing the factory woman. A rush of alarm began to surge through Miren until she realized that she was dressed as a boy. And as far as sexual advances went, she was probably safer.
As the Gloveria City Hospital pulled up into view, Miren pressed a button to be let off. A light drizzle began to fall from the sky when she descended from the platform. She pulled her hood up. It must have been 9:30 by now. And as she had expected, the main entrance, although bright and filled with both employees and patients, appeared to be sealed up.
Moving to her left, she headed for the emergency room entrance. It would have to be open at this hour, considering the fact that injury could strike at any moment. The emergency room entrance was in another building that attached to the others around it by a second-floor tunnel. Miren took in the relatively inactive night, walking the paved path silently, but quickly.
The shutter-like doors opened instantly, granting her access to the empty, white space. Her eyes readjusted in the illuminated light as the smell of antiseptic tickled her nose. She was in.
That was easy, she noted in relief, moving forward. But this wasn't a bank. Gloveria wasn't an exciting town and people had better things to do than break into hospitals. Her eyes found the corner of a wall. Cameras. She was on camera. She had to make things quick.
But it was hard to be quick when she had no idea where she was going. And that's why I don't make the plans. Turning a corner, her eyes scanned across a few slightly ajar rooms, nurses tending to patients, and some doctors practically power walking with medical files at hand.
Good. They were too busy to pay attention to her. There was a bathroom to her direct left, and she slipped into it. It was a family-styled restroom, which meant that she could change in peace. She slid a small bag, secured with gauze tape, from under her sweatshirt. She quickly pulled out her wig and glasses from it.
Miren glanced at herself in the mirror. She was definitely herself again, though she didn't know how Artemis would take her new hairstyle. It seems kind of weird, she considered, coiling the breast-length black locks around her fingers. But she shook away the thought, and replaced her sneakers with black flats, and took off her sweatshirt to reveal a simple long-sleeved tee shirt. She brushed her clothes clean of wrinkles after shoving all of her items into the bag. She glanced in the mirror again. There.
She looked like a calm, young lady visiting her sick friend. And she was. Even if she had no idea where Artemis was.
Exiting the bathroom, she continued forward, taking another turn. The hallway opened up into what appeared to be a reception area. There were only a few nurses working on post as doctors filed in and out of the circular space. Holding her breath, Miren walked toward an older nurse who appeared to be taking a coffee break.
"Hi," Miren began. The nurse's face slightly contorted at her voice. Miren's eyes broadened. She wasn't Miles. Not here. She cleared her throat, lightening her voice to its natural girlishness. "I was visiting my friend, Artemis El-Amin, and I got lost while getting a soda. Could you please redirect me?" She offered the nurse a smile that should have made any adult melt.
But Miren wasn't blessed with the power of charisma. Hell, she was more charismatic when she was Miles. So she wasn't surprised when the nurse offered her a puzzled look. She clicked something on her computer. "You do realize that visiting hours are over, right? It ended ten minutes ago."
"I do." Miren nodded. That's why she was here so late. "But I...left my textbook in there. Big test this week...pre-nursing classes."
The nurse clenched her teeth as a small hiss escaped them. "I'm technically not supposed to let you back in...But we nurses have to stick together." The older woman offered her a grin before typing. "Did you say El-Amin?"
Miren nodded as the nurse wrote down the information on a post-it. "She's on the third floor, room 315. But please hurry, I don't want you to get in trouble."
"Thank you." And Miren was off. She tapped her foot impatiently in the elevator as it rose. When the lips of the door opened, Miren busted through it, practically running through the hallway.
Until she saw Soren.
She thought about turning around and running back to Rinzen. But then she realized that she didn't care about his presence. Puffing up her chest, she quickened her pace. She wanted him to see her. Then he could go tell his stupid friends. Come at me bro.
But he didn't. As he exited the room, he turned without glancing in her direction. Miren took a deep breath before reaching the room. When she turned the doorknob, she scanned around the space, searched for the girl. She could see balloons, some vibrant flowers that decorated around the room, and a giant teddy bear sitting poised on a chair in the corner. But she couldn't see her. Miren stepped in further, closing the door lightly behind her. Artemis wasn't there.
Instead, a broken doll had taken her place.
An IV was attached to her left arm, but her right arm was not neglected. Instead, it was nestled inside a gray cast. Dark bags accessorized her battered, tired face. Her complexion was pale and sickly. Bruises kissed and left their mark on her exposed arms, neck, and right cheek. There must have been more under the covers, but Miren tried not to think about that.
The atmosphere was bleak and deathly. She wrinkled her nose as she stepped in further, evaluating Artemis' shallow breathing. This is what I caused.
No, she didn't make Artemis care about her. No, she didn't drag her upstairs. And she absolutely did not push her. But everything was a chain reaction that eventually led to everything being her fault.