“Oh, my gods!” The high-pitched declaration came from the changing room entrance. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is that River fucking Waterborn, half an hour early for her shift?”
River spun around; an enormous grin stretched across her face. She’d gone directly from the temple to the hospital, and she was happier than ever about that decision.
Her best friend, Ember Ash, waltzed through the door before letting it fall shut behind her. Even in the crappy hospital lighting, Ember looked like a model. It wasn’t just her height; although at 6’3, she towered over most people, including River. Her russet skin glowed effortlessly, her dark brown eyes shone with life, and her midnight hair was piled into a messy bun on top of her head.
The fire fae wore a pair of black leggings and an off-the-shoulder oversized grey sweatshirt that would’ve looked lazy on anyone else. Somehow, River’s best friend managed to make it high fashion by pairing it with the barn-sized fuchsia purseslung over her shoulder and the matching four-inch heels on her feet.
“Em!” River squealed, shoving her locker shut before racing across the room and flinging her arms around her best friend. “You’re back!”
The tall fire fae laughed and returned the embrace. “Always so observant, Riv.”
“Oh, hush. What brings you back early?” Ember wasn’t supposed to be back for another week.
“I’ll show you.” She pulled out her phone and tapped a few times on the screen before holding the device in front of River. “See this?”
An eight-legged creature filled the screen, with two enormous pincers at its front and a curved tail. River’s skin crawled, and she instinctively took a step back. “Em, tell me that isn’t a scorpion.”
“I wish I could.” Ember crossed her arms and shuddered, her phone dangling from her fingertips. “But unfortunately, itisa fucking scorpion. That was the third one this week, and it was the last straw.”
River’s hand cupped her throat, and she shivered. “Gods, I don’t blame you for hating them. They lookdisgusting.”
River would rather lie down in a pit of live snakes before touching a single scorpion. By the Black Sands, the creatures looked like they had crawled straight out of a nightmare. She had never seen one in person, but she’d heard enough tales from Ember and Nikhail, who’d both grown up in the Southern Region, to know she never wanted to.
“They truly are awful.” Ember opened her locker, hanging up her purse. “I told Mom and Dad I’d be back in a few months if they needed more help, but I’m here for now. I called aheadand got myself put back on the schedule.” She slid off her heels, swapping them for a pair of white running shoes. “Besides, I heard my best friend’s been having trouble without me.”
The first thing River had done after Doctor Collins’s reaming was go home, shower, and call her best friend. Ember knew everything that had happened, from how their boss had taken her off the surgery to her waking up in Nikhail’s bed the next morning.
Ember had been outraged on her best friend’s behalf and ready to return to Lakewater that second, but River had insisted she stay in the Southern Region. After all, she was doing good work there.
Still, she wouldn’t deny that it felt good to have her best friend back in the same city.
Tugging on her running shoes, River bent to tie the laces. “I’m so glad you’re back, Em. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Ember rubbed her temples. “These trips are good, but gods help me, they’re so draining.”
River studied her best friend. She was undeniably beautiful, but no amount of makeup could hide the dark shadows beneath her eyes. For quick healing fae, they were as telling as someone screaming,“I’m exhausted!”from the top of their lungs.
“Did you sleep?” River asked.
“Enough.” Ember lifted a shoulder and pulled out her hair elastic. Shaking out her hair, she raked her fingers through it before putting it in another bun. “You know how it is. There’s always so much to do, it feels never-ending. I swear, every time I go to the clinic, there are more people who need our help. Mom and Dad are doing their best, but it feels like they’ll never get to everyone.”
An only child, Ember had been adopted at birth into afamily of doctors. Her grandmother, Lucille Ash, was a renowned fae surgeon in Golden City, and her parents ran a not-for-profit clinic in the Southern Region.
The Sunrise Clinic served poor and underprivileged youth and their families—the ones that the Representatives conveniently seemed to forget existed. Since she was still doing medical work, Ember had been granted a leave of absence from LGH to go to the clinic.
River popped into the restroom to take care of her personal needs while Ember finished getting dressed. She was washing her hands when Ember appeared over her shoulder.
“Is Doctor Assface still being a jerk?”
River’s eyes widened, and her head whipped towards the door so fast, she nearly pulled a muscle. It was still closed, and they were alone.
“Hush, Em,” she quietly admonished. “If he hears you, he’ll tan your hide.”
Ember, the gods bless her, rolled her eyes.
“I’d like to see that smarmy man try to get that close to me.” Pulling a tube of pink lip gloss out of her pocket, she applied it to her lips, smacking them together. “We both know he’s afraid of me.”
Ember was right. River wasn’t entirely sure why, but their superior seemed to steer clear of her best friend.