Chapter 98: Moby

"Moby," I hear someone calling my name, but they're so far away I don't recognize it.

"Moby." Their insistence is beginning to irritate me. There's more than one voice, but I'm unable to distinguish who they belong to over the hum of the television.

The fingers on my face smell like the lavender soap in the bathroom. When they pry my eyes open, there stands a blurry Dax, with Brooks and Landis in the background. Unable to focus on them, they allow my lids to close, or maybe it was my inability to communicate with them. Inability or unwillingness, I'm unsure which.

Floating in and out of awareness, I fight like hell to regain my bearings when I hear Piper breaking down. I see her between the slits sobbing into her hands; my brother's arms are wrapped around her to keep her from sinking. Reaching toward her in an effort to comfort her, I start to fall.

"Whoa, Moby. Just stay still. The paramedics are on the way." My oldest brother. Always taking care of everyone else. "Piper's