  I stretched, feeling relief as my joints popped. I would only read one more Chapter. This was really going to be the final one. All the other Chapters were just warm up. After this, I'd put the book down and go to bed

  Only one more Chapter, really. This time I promise. I promise on my gummy bears. Wait no, I take that back. Darn it! I can't break a gummy bear promise. But I really wanted to finish this book. But what would Ashton say?

  

      "Read it, Elizabeth, he won't know," the red one said.

  

      "No! Don't read it!" The cola flavor one shrieked.

  

      Were the gummy bears talking to me?!

  

      "Of course we are! We're real, can't you see?" The green one announced proudly.

  

      This is one hundred percent not scientifically possible... this has to be a dream. Either that or Ashton accidentally bought me mutant gummy bears.

  

      I cleared my throat. It felt dry and scratchy. Why did I feel so thirsty? I tried to get up from the desk, but everything hurt. My muscles felt incredible sore, as if I'd been doing a marathon without a second of rest. My head was pounding 

  After discussing some more with Prinarch Cole and Prin Odette, we dispersed and went our separate ways. Brooke lingered behind, gazing sadly at the hawk. She couldn't sense its emotions like she could a human's, but still it hurt her to see it like that.

  

      I could still feel a dull throb at the back of my head, the remnant of the earthquake that shook through my skull a few minutes ago. It was weird. They were getting more frequent. I would have to go see a doctor. Perhaps they'd be able to tell what was wrong with me.

  

      I'd put off going for as long as I could. Being a medical student, my mind was running rampant and imagining all the possibilities that could be wrong with me. Most of the diagnoses pointed to me dying... which I would much rather not be the case.

  

      If my university roommate Nikki was here she'd chastize me for overthinking things and tell me

I stretched, feeling relief as my joints popped. I would only read one more Chapter. This was really going to be the final one. All the other Chapters were just warm up. After this, I'd put the book down and go to bed

Chapters later