Chapter 99: Bug.
『"This is personal."』
Ethan’s hands were steady on the wheel as Caroline rumbled through the city streets.
The silence inside the van felt heavy.
Raj stared out the passenger window, jaw tight, one leg bouncing restlessly.
When they finally pulled up to the hospital entrance, Raj was already unbuckling.
"You gonna be okay?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah." Raj’s voice came out rough. He opened the door. "I’ll be fine."
"I’ll wait in the car."
Raj paused, then gave a quick nod. "Okay."
He rushed through the automatic doors of the hospital without looking back.
The moment he stepped inside, the familiar dread hit him like a wave.
The sterile white walls. The sharp smell of antiseptic mixed with something colder underneath which ironically made him feel sick. The constant low buzz of fluorescent lights that gave him a headache.
"I hate hospitals." Raj shook his head hard, forcing himself forward.
At the nurses’ station, it was extremely busy. Phones were ringing, papers were flipping, and monitors were blinking as nurses moved back and forth with urgency.
Raj approached carefully, then leaned over the counter. "I’m looking for Priya Patel."
The nurse looked up. "And you are?"
"Rajesh Patel."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Relation?"
"Her brother," he answered.
She checked her tablet, then pointed down the hall. "Room 616. Third floor, on the left."
"Thanks." Raj moved quickly, stepping into an elevator and tapped the button for the third floor.
"Room 616..." he said to himself once he arrived on the third floor. His head turned, searching for it.
Room 616. He found it at the end of the hall, door slightly ajar.
He hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed it open and looked in.
Priya lay in the bed, swallowed up by the too-big hospital gown. She looked smaller, frailer than he remembered, and dark circles hung heavy under her eyes.
In the chair beside her, their mother had dozed off, head tilted at an angle that would leave her with a sore neck. She looked like someone who hadn’t slept properly in days. The restaurant hours, probably.
He stepped inside quietly and closed the door. The sound alerted Priya, and her eyes fluttered open to find him.
"You’re here," she whispered with a tired voice.
"Why wouldn’t I be?" He reached over and gently took her hand. "I’m here, Bug. I’m not going anywhere."
A faint smile touched her lips at the nickname, but it faded quickly and she looked away. "Mom said you’re busy."
Raj pulled up a chair and sat. "Mom says a lot of things."
Her fingers tightened around her blanket, and Raj noticed immediately. "What is it?"
Priya hesitated. "I haven’t been sleeping."
Raj nodded slowly. "Okay."
"When I do sleep..." her voice dropped. "...I dream."
Raj straightened on his seat. "What kind of dreams?"
Priya frowned. "A weird one."
"Well dreams do tend to be weird," Raj said.
Her eyes went distant as she searched for the right words. "I’m somewhere I can’t explain, Raj. There’s no up or down, left or right. And then there are these four women there."
"Okay, that is weird." He stroked his chin. "Four women you say?"
"They looked like sisters." She clutched her blanket tighter. "And one of them keeps reaching out her hand to me."
"Bug," he said carefully, "have you noticed anything else weird? Things moving when you’re upset? Seeing things that other people can’t?"
"You think I’m crazy." Her voice went defensive.
"No. I think you’re special." Raj took her hand. "And I think maybe you’re starting to see things that most people can’t. Which could mean—"
"It’s not just the dreams," Priya interrupted, her voice dropping as she glanced at their sleeping mother before continuing. "Raj, I... I think someone’s been watching me."
Every protective instinct in Raj’s body went on high alert. "What do you mean watching you?"
"At school. Walking home." She pulled her knees up to her chest. "Sometimes I turn around fast because I think I see someone." She shook her head. "But there’s no one there."
Raj’s fist clenched hard. "Can you remember what this person looked like?"
"I don’t know. That’s the weird part." She looked scared now. "Every time I try to remember, I can’t." Her eyes filled with tears. "But I can feel them. Always watching. Makes my skin crawl."
Raj’s jaw clenched, protective anger simmering beneath his own skin. He decided there and then that whoever or whatever was doing this to his little sister was going to answer for it.
"Raj?" Priya’s voice pulled him back. "What’s happening to me? Am I sick? Is it like... is it like what happened to Dad?"
Raj immediately squeezed her hand. "Hey, look at me. We’re gonna figure this out. You’re okay."
He leaned closer. "Bug, I need you to do something for me. Go stay with Aunt Meera for a while. Tell Mom whatever excuse you need to, but I want you somewhere safe."
"Why?" Her voice trembled. "What’s going on?"
"I just need you to be safe. That’s all."
Before she could press him further, their mother stirred. She blinked, then her face lit up.
"Rajesh!" She stood and pulled him into a tight hug. Raj had to squat down to her level so she could reach his forehead for a kiss.
Then she cupped his cheek. "Aren’t you supposed to be at your scholarship program?"
"Got a break." He kissed her cheek. "No way I wasn’t going to show up."
She nodded, though worry still lingered in her eyes. "Okay. I need to get back to the restaurant, but call if anything changes."
Raj waited until she gathered her things, then pulled out his phone once she left the room. He texted Ethan:
Staying a bit longer. You can head out. I’ll be fine. Call if I need anything.
Ethan replied a few seconds after: You sure?
Yeah. It’s okay.
***
Meanwhile, across town, Amara and Sophia stepped out of a corner convenience store, the bell jingling behind them.
Sophia carried a carton of beer and snacks under one arm, while Amara held a smaller bag, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Sophia shot her a sideways glance as they walked. "Alright, spill it. You’ve been quiet since we left the diner. What’s going on in that crazy head of yours?" She tore open a bag of chips with her teeth.
Amara let out a soft breath, the breeze catching her hair. "At the diner... when Ethan was leaving, he was about to say..." her cheeks turned red. "Instead he goes ’yeah’."
Sophia grinned around a mouthful of chips. "Classic ’almost dropping the L-bomb.’"
"I don’t know what to do," Amara admitted. "I don’t want to put him on the spot by asking outright."
Sophia snorted. "Why not? Just say, ’Hey, you almost said you loved me. What’s up with that?’"
Amara shook her head. "It’s not that simple."
"Fine." Sophia bumped her shoulder. "Then get him really drunk. Loosen those brooding lips. A couple drinks and he’ll probably sing like a canary."
Amara looked at her. "You want me to get Ethan Bass drunk so he’ll accidentally confess his feelings?"
"I want you to create an optimal condition for honesty," Sophia said. "Same thing."
Amara looked hesitant. "I’m not sure about that..."
"Come on," Sophia pushed, her tone surprisingly persuasive beneath the sarcasm. "One night of liquid courage won’t hurt. Worst case, he gets sappy and you finally get some answers. Best case? You both stop pretending."
Amara was quiet for a few steps, then a small smile broke through. "Alright. We’ll try it your way."
Sophia laughed triumphantly and lifted the carton. "Then in that case, we’re gonna need a lot more of this."
***
Back in the hospital room, Raj sat with Priya.
"So are you going to tell me the real reason you want me to go stay with Aunt Meera?" she asked.
Raj didn’t answer right on. He didn’t want to worry her. "Like I said, I just want you to feel safe is all."
Her voice rose a little. "Raj, I’m not a child."
"You’re fourteen."
"Exactly." She rolled her eyes. "I’m practically an adult."
He sighed. "Just trust me, okay?"
"I trust you," Priya whispered. "But Raj? You look scared. And you never look scared."
"I’m not scared," he lied. "Who are you calling scared?!" He pinched her cheeks, and she laughed.
He stayed until sunrise, watching over his sister, scanning every shadow and every movement beyond the window while his mind turned over what Priya had described.
Someone who could hide from direct observation. Someone who left no clear memory of their appearance.
Now that he was thrown into the world of weird, the possibility of an Awakener or something else being involved was no longer out of the table.
And if they were stalking Priya specifically, right when she was starting to show signs of Awakening... it couldn’t be coincidence.
By the time dawn broke, Raj had stopped trying to talk himself out of it.
He wasn’t telling the team. Not yet anyway. The moment he did, it became an Institute matter, and his sister would be reduced to a report in someone’s filing system.
This was Priya. This was personal. And personal meant he handled it first.
He had a spirit weapon that made him incredibly strong. He had power. This meant he was going to use every bit of it to find whoever was threatening his sister and make them regret it.
Raj kissed Priya’s forehead as she finally drifted into uneasy sleep, whispered promises he intended to keep, and left the hospital as the morning shift arrived.
He had hunting to do.