Revolution- Runaways 3 [EDITING]

Chapter 10: Peyton

I barely heard the front door open before I sprung off the couch. I grabbed my crutches, hobbling toward them as quickly as I could. I didn't care how silly I looked.

I spotted Eli first, blood soaking the front of his shirt and soot covering his face. But he was smiling, so it must not have been his blood. He broke from where he'd been standing in the middle of them and hugged me. "I'm so glad you're okay," I said into his neck. He nodded against me.

Then it hit me. They were all covered in soot. My heart sank. There must have been another fire.

Adam cleared his throat, causing both of us to look up. I noticed the blood that was covering the front of his shirt too, though it was much darker and more prominent than what was covering Eli's. Was he...shot? I wasn't sure if I really wanted an answer. "Hey, I get the reunion and all, but can you let the rest of us in the door?"

Blood rushed to my cheeks. "Yeah, sorry," I apologized sheepishly. Adam just chuckled as we backed away to let everyone else inside. Only Anna and I had stayed here, and we had still been on standby in case anything went horribly wrong.

Once the door was shut, Britt suggested that we should get some rest, and we would revisit tonight's events in the morning. Her face was expressionless as she spoke, giving no hints as to how successful the night had been.

They all headed toward the door leading downstairs, but Justin beckoned Eli and me toward him. He was standing with another boy our age, presumably from Kamiah. A mop of brown hair covered his head, and his slender frame stretched a few inches taller than Eli.

"This is Alex," Justin explained. The boy smiled briefly before ducking his head. "I figured we would get this out of the way as soon as possible, Peyton. I just need to get something to cut through your cast with."

My eyes widened as he retreated to his bedroom to find the tool. I had been so worried about Eli and Luke that I had almost forgotten that someone from Kamiah was going to be able to heal me. The concept still seemed foreign, even as Eli and Alex repositioned me on the couch.

Justin returned a moment later with a motorized circular blade in his right hand. He bent down to my level, and without warning, he started sawing through my cast.

I held my breath, knowing that if I twitched in the slightest, I could cause him to nick me by accident. Although, I realized, Alex could probably fix that too. It was a strange thought.

"I'm sorry, this is probably really weird for you," Alex told me.

I shook my head. "No, it's okay. I'm glad to be rid of this thing," I assured him, waving a hand at the cast on my leg. Just then I realized that if Adam had been shot, Alex could have healed him before they even got here. I would have to ask Eli about it before we fell asleep. Adam was supposedly his accomplice tonight since they had decided to pair everyone off at the last second.

Justin finished cutting open one side of my cast and started slicing through the other. Eli, who was standing behind me, ran his hand through my hair soothingly. I relaxed despite the dull pain that was beginning to make my ankle throb. It was a relief to know that I'd only be in pain for a few more minutes.

As soon as the cast fell away, Alex crouched down in front of me, carefully taking my ankle in his hand. Even his steady hand was a small comfort. I watched in awe as I felt the bones literally fusing back together in my ankle. He finished in seconds, and it was like nothing had happened at all. I twirled my ankle in circles, shocked at how easy the movement was.

"Thank you," I said, unable to think of anything else.

He smiled again. "You're welcome."

"Okay, you can all go to bed now. It's well past midnight," Justin informed us. "Michelle is coming back on her own in a few minutes, and then the rest of us will turn in too."