I know places (Brandon)

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Adonia was getting tired of coming in and out of consciousness. She had vague memories, flashes of what had happened. The ship had exploded. Only three students were brought into the Hospital room she was now in. She couldn't tell who they were, but one of them was taking out not long after. Were they dead? Did they have worse injuries that had to be treated elsewhere? Where they better? How long had it been? And where was Maria?

Finally, when she was able to open her eyes for more than a split second, she was able to take in her surroundings. She was clearly in a hospital, in a room with four beds but only hers and one other were occupied. A healer was at her side, a pretty girl with dark hair and hard eyes. Adonia tried to speak and the girl shook her head. "Not yet. We'll get some water in you," she said. Then the girl moved over to the other bed and Adonia blinked more, trying to see better.

The healer brushed the hair out of the other patients face, who seemed to still be unconscious, and gently brushed her lips against his forehead. That was weird, were healers supposed to kiss their patients? Then, she slowly started to black out again...

A little while later she opened her eyes once more, her throat didn't feel as dry. They must have watered her in her sleep. She coughed a little, but it felt okay to cough. She took in a shaky breath and opened her eyes all the way and they started to focus... her right arm was bandaged up and in a sling of sorts and her right leg was, too. She couldn't feel the pain right now, thank goodness, but she knew it was bad under those bandages. She wondered, briefly, what kind of spells and potions had been used on her so far.

She looked over at the other bed and her eyes focused. Brandon. "Brandon?" she said, unsure if he was conscious.

@brandon
(if he's not yet then I'll do one more after your post before he wakes up

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He wasn't dead. That seemed to be all Brandon knew. He came to a few times, but couldn't stay awake for longer than a few moments. He felt ... Brandon wasn't exactly sure how he felt. Sometimes he remembered the explosion, and remembered seeing Adonia. Was she all right? What about the rest of their classmates? A part of him was worried about them, but the other part was so exhausted that it was hard to be concerned for them or anyone. Even himself. 

He came in and out of consciousness, never bothering to say anything or even open his eyes. He was too ... out of it, he supposed. At least, he felt like he was too far out of it until one time he thought he heard someone say his name. The voice sounded familiar, though he couldn't place it right now. He groaned, surprised by how dry his throat was. He tried to roll over, but couldn't. He moaned louder, fighting to open his eyes. "W-where am I?" he croaked, trying to turn his head, but not being able to. What was going on? 

@adonia

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He moved, his eyes clearly moving around under his eyelids. Adonia tried to turn more toward him but, of course, he was on her right side which meant she couldn't do much. He asked where he was, "Saint Mungos Hospital, Brandon. You-We-" Maria. She felt a sob bubbling up in her throat and pushed it back down. Her father had always told her it was silly to cry. That she shouldn't waste a second of her life on tears. Every minute was meant to be enjoyed.

But how could she enjoy this.

"Brandon, don't try to move. The healers said you're in bad shape," she heard the kissy one talking about that. She was smart and firm sounding, yet she kissed Brandons head, what was that about? "Something about your spine," she remembered, somewhere in the haze.

@brandon

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The voice started talking again, the familiar one. It explained where they were and suddenly he recognized it. Adonia. If she was here ... why was she here? Did she get injured as well or was she visiting him? She didn't really seem like the visiting type though. His mind raced through all the different options and possibilities, and he tried to remember what happened. Adonia and he had been on the ship, headed home when ... something exploded. He gasped as the memory hit him. 

He heard her telling him not to move, that he was bad and it had something to do with his spine. Was that why he couldn't move? Was his body under a numbing potion or something to make it so he couldn't move. "Adonia," he breathed, unable to hide the nerves, "I can't move. D'you think they gave me something to make sure I stay still?" Please say yes, please say yes. Despite how much he wanted her to say it, he didn't think that was the truth. Something was wrong with him. He closed his eyes tightly, anxiously. At least he could control them. "What about you? What happened to you? I ... don't remember much," he said softly.

@adonia

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He said her name and that choking, sobbing sound in her throat finally broke out. She wanted nothing more than to go over to him but... that would take a few more days, they said. "I think so, Brandon. I think they're medicating you more than me or Viola," and that was it. Just the three of them. No one else.

He asked what happened to her, saying he couldn't remember much. "my whole right side is completely destroyed," well, she would be able to use her arm and leg again someday, but the verdict on when was still up in the air and for a girl who lived in the moment, that was a very, very long time. Her lip started to quiver, along with her eyes moistening. "The ship exploded Bran-" she paused and swallowed hard, "everybody's dead."

@brandon

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She sounded like she was choking or something and Brandon felt the concern rise up in him. No. They didn't make it this far- to St. Mungos to be exact- just so something could happen and she could die. "Adonia, are you alright?" he asked, his voice still strained. Then she said that she thought he was being medicated the most and he frowned. He didn't like getting the most medication, he didn't like medicine in general, but at least that meant Viola and Adonia weren't as bad as he was. That was a relief. 

His mouth fell open when she explained what happened to her and Brandon wished he could turn to see her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't turn his neck. Something with his spine, indeed. "Is it ... healing well?" he asked, not sure what else he could say to that. "Are you going to need to be here for a while?" Terrible as it was, he hoped her answer was yes. Brandon did not want to be in the hospital wing all by himself. Then she mentioned that the ship exploded, which he already knew, and added that everyone died. "Ev-" he coughed, cringing at the slight pain. Was his medication wearing off? "Everyone? Except for Viola and you and me?" He could hardly believe it, hoped he was misunderstanding her. Surely not everyone was ... dead. 

@adonia

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He asked if she was alright and she whimpered a little, shaking her head even though he couldn't look at her. She didn't answer, waiting for him to speak about if she was healing well. Unless he was talking bout his own injuries. He added another question, asking if she'd be there for a while. "The estimate for me is about a week, maybe a few days more," she said glumly. There was nothing worse to her than being stuck in one place for a long time, not being able to move. "Yours might be a little longer. But don't worry, I won't let you be alone," she added, her tone somehow sounding a little stronger despite everything.

Then he was coughing and she turned back to look at him, since she could turn. He questioned everyone being dead and she felt her chest burning with the thought of Maria. "It's just us three, Brandon. The Beauxbatons carriage too I... don't know who made it," she realized she should have asked, but she was so focused on her own school mates...

@brandon

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Her whimper was enough. From that Brandon could understand that she wasn't, but he wasn't quite sure whether she had more issues with the physical injuries or with the emotional ones. He felt that as well. Not being able to move anything was terrifying, but knowing that there were only three from their school that survived ... Brandon couldn't wrap his mind around the thought and honestly didn't want to. He tried to think of something else, anything except for the injuries sustained on the ship. 

She said she would be there about a week but that he would probably be there a bit longer. Brandon moaned. He didn't want to be in a hospital for longer than a week! He wanted to get out of here and play his ... play his music. Could he do that still? Was he actually going to get control of his limbs again or did he lose them forever? Would he be able to play the piano? His guitar? A strange sort of anxiety filled his chest and, to his surprise, his own pain-filled whimper escaped. Not physical pain, but pain at the idea of losing his music, his joy, his life. 

He vaguely heard her mention that she wouldn't let him be alone and Brandon answered softly. "Thank you. I don't want to be alone here." Being alone would allow for too much time to think, which wasn't a good thing for Brandon right now. She confirmed that it was just the three of them and he closed his eyes, wishing he could shake his head. This wasn't happening, didn't happen. He didn't want it. "I'm sorry," he muttered. Adonia was good at making friends, he was sure that she knew most of the people who died. He knew a few and felt terrible that they died, but he had a feeling this part was going to be harder on Adonia than on him. "We can ask about them later," Brandon added belatedly.

@adonia

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He said he didn't want to be alone and she swallowed, trying not to cry. She hated crying. He said he was sorry and she shook her head, "No, no don't say that," she said softly, not even sure if she was talking loud enough to be heard. He said they could ask about the other kids later and she just nodded, not speaking more about that. "Get some more rest, I'm sure they'll check on us soon," she said, turning to look the other way. She just needed to gather her thoughts and emotions...

Two days or so later, she was able to move her shoulder and most of her arm but still not her hand. They had quite a few visitors, and the healer girl was really attentive. Serious, but oddly caring in a sort of cold way. Adonia was sitting up, with the help of the bed, reading her Shakespeare book when she looked over at Brandon, "how are you feeling?" she asked slowly.

@brandon

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She didn't want him to apologize, probably didn't want to think about everything that happened, and Brandon could understand that. It was hard to realize that people you'd known for years were suddenly gone and he didn't want to make Adonia feel worse than she probably did. She told him he should get rest and he heard her moving, though he couldn't turn to see what she was doing. She didn't want to talk, and Brandon was alright with that. As a general rule, he liked talking but right now he was trying to understand the effects that this ... "accident" had on him, and probably those he loved. 

Days later, Brandon wasn't feeling better. Mostly because of his attitude. He was aware of that fact, but at the same time he didn't know if there was anything he could do to change it. He was bitter. After two days of healers extracting the shattered pieces of his bones that were in places they shouldn't be and drinking more Skele-Grow than was probably healthy, he was showing no improvement. Sure, the removal of the bones was good, and apparently his spine was re-growing, but it was a slow process and he still had nothing to show for it. He couldn't move a thing and it was hard to not let the bitterness take over. Sure, he got visitors, and Callisto came in frequently to check on him, but while that helped in the moment, every time he found himself in silence, his thoughts turned dark. What if it didn't work? What if he grew his spine back but could never move again? What about his music?

He startled when Adonia started talking to him. She was a good friend to have nearby, but they didn't talk all the time and sometimes he forgot she was there. "The same," he answered her question, fighting to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He wondered if he was the only survivor showing so few signs of improvement. "You?" He hoped she felt better. Really, he didn't want anyone to be stuck in the same kind of situation as he was.

@adonia

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Adonia didn't mean to startle him, but his mind must have been pretty wrapped up in thoughts. He said that he was the same and she frowned. Then he asked about her and she shook her head, "okay," she answered, not wanting to tell him that her arm was feeling better. "I had an idea," she said, smirking a little despite the fact that he sounded so sad. She grabbed her wand from the beside table and gave it a little wave. Her bed slowly moved until it was right up against Brandons, as if they had one bed. She flicked the wand again and the door closed. She turned to look at him, now much closer. "See, now we can talk softly and tell secrets and no one will overhear," she said, her tone trying to be mischievous. Sadly, he was on the right side of her so he was on the side the casts were on. She reached her left hand across to clasp his shoulder, but it was awkward. "Isn't this nice?"

@brandon

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Adonia hesitated before telling him that she was feeling okay and Brandon realized he wasn't sure what that meant. Did it mean she wasn't getting better- like him- and was trying to be cheerful, or that she was feeling better and didn't want that to make him feel worse. He was overthinking things. Ugh, that happened too much here. He needed music. He needed to play something to get his mind off this ... but he couldn't. Every time that realization hit him, he felt sick. He missed his music. 

Then Adonia said she had an idea, her voice sounding a little more cheery. He couldn't see what she did, since Brandon still couldn't turn his face, but he heard something moving. It bumped his bed and Brandon wished he could turn and see what she was doing. He could see something out of his periphery, but not enough to know what was going on. Then he heard the door close. She mentioned them telling secrets to one another and a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. "Oh? What sorts of secrets do you have in mind, Adonia?" He heard her move again, but he couldn't see her yet and didn't feel anything. She asked if it was nice and he hesitated. "Yes ... what exactly did you do though? I can tell you're closer. Did you walk over here or ..." he trailed off. If she walked over to him he should have been able to see her by now. This was maddening.

@adonia

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He started to smile, almost, asking what kind of secrets she had in mind. But before she answered he asked what she did, saying that he could tell she was closer. "I pushed our beds together," she explained with a sad sigh. "When my arm and leg are all fixed up I'll be able to sit up so you can actually see me," this was awful. Just awful. "About the secrets, though..." better subject, "we can talk about our plans for the future, our lovers, our enemies... anything you want," she spoke softly, squeezing his shoulder but realizing that he couldn't feel it. She frowned, bringing her hand back to her stomach instead, since there was no reason to reach across to him now.

@brandon

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Her voice sounded sad and Brandon wasn't quite sure why. It could be because of the question, that she had to explain what she was doing, or it could be because she was hurting or because she knew he was. Honestly Brandon had no idea and he didn't really want to think about it. He smiled, "You'd better. I'm getting really tired of looking up at the ceiling." Brandon was teasing, trying to lighten the mood a bit, but he was also serious. Seeing people was a nice change from what he had to look at now. Then she brought the topic back to secrets. "Anything I want? Ooh," Brandon pretended like he was thinking for a minute. "Well you already know my plans for the-" he paused a moment, realizing as he spoke that those plans might not actually happen. After a pause he continued, "future. So how about you tell me yours?" Please. Anything to distract him from his current thoughts. He couldn't think like that, he didn't want to. He'd play again someday. He would. He was determined to.

@adonia

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He said he getting tired of looking at the ceiling and she nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "It's not as beautiful as me, I know. Must be hard," she chuckled. Then he pretended to think, making an 'oooh' sound that made her chuckle. He said that she already knew his plans for the future, but stopped. Her breath caught, and for a moment there was a pause, and neither of them said anything. The silence was like a cloud of smoke, billowing between them and seeping into the cracks. But then he finished the sentence, and asked about hers. She took a deep breath, "oh, you know. Just to be an actress, that's all," that was all she really knew. "To have fun, that's the most important thing," she explained.

@brandon