Who Are You?
Caitlyn laughed, the gentle sound washing over Vi like a tidal wave.
Vi did her best to return a smile and not show just how weak-kneed her girlfriend’s gorgeous blue eyes made her.
But was she her girlfriend, though?
It was still too early in their relationship to call her that. They had only been dating for three months after all. Three months since the day they’d sat together on a bench watching the sunset wash over Piltover and Caitlyn had pulled her in for a kiss.
A month since Vi realised that this was the woman who had stolen her heart, who was everything she had been searching for and more, who saw everything in her favourite shade of blue.
And yet, now feeling Caitlyn’s hand in hers and seeing the way her navy hair moved with the wind… Vi was overcome by the selfish need to pull Caitlyn closer to her and claim her forever.
But it was Caitlyn’s birthday. It wasn’t the right time to be greedy.
“There it is.” Vi rounded a corner and stopped, pointing across the street so Caitlyn could see her birthday surprise.
The look on Caitlyn’s face made Vi want to cry tears of joy.
I must be favoured by fate for you to want me as much as I want you.
“Vi!” Caitlyn gasped, whipping around abruptly and yanking Vi closer toward her to seal their lips together.
Because right across the street, at Caitlyn’s favourite restaurant, Vi had mobilised her family and Caitlyn’s, their college friends and all the people Caitlyn loved and valued to celebrate her 25th birthday.
“Alright, cupcake.” Vi pulled away, drinking in the pure excitement on Caitlyn’s face. “We have time for this later, okay? Just head on over there. They’re all waiting for us.”
“Race you there!” Caitlyn squealed, and before Vi knew it, her girlfriend was darting toward the road, eyes fixated purely on her waiting surprise.
Vi grinned, watching her race across the street with those long, long legs, and then…
Her smile melted off her face as she took in the pickup truck barrelling around the corner, headed toward Caitlyn at full speed…
“Caitlyn!”
Vi heard her own voice, raw with panic, screaming out Caitlyn’s name. She felt her feet flying across the tarmac, catching up to Caitlyn in no time.
She barely had time to register her own fear before the condensed shock in Caitlyn’s sapphire eyes met hers. Vi felt Caitlyn in her arms, felt her own body turning away from the truck, felt the shake in her shoulders as she shut her eyes…
And then she felt the impact, the truck slamming into her back with full force, her mind hardly registering the pain wracking her entire body before the world went dark.
~~~
“Caitlyn?”
Caitlyn blinked, disoriented, and struggled to regain her senses.
Blinding white lights screamed at her, forcing her to shut her eyes and lift a hand to shield the light. She felt a hand wrapped around her own, and heard a familiar voice calling her name.
“V-Vi?” she whispered hoarsely.
“I’m not Vi,” said the voice, and Caitlyn felt a pang of guilt as she realised it was her mother.
For a moment, she lay there in a mess of white sheets and soft mattress, waiting for the stab in her eyes to subside.
When it did, she forced herself to sit up and take a look around.
A hospital.
She was in a hospital.
And suddenly, the memories rushed back into her skull, leaving her reeling.
A truck, charging toward her at full speed.
A pair of strong arms wrapping around her.
Something… someone standing between her and the truck, absorbing the impact.
She felt herself let loose a breath she didn’t realise she had been holding.
Caitlyn took a moment to assess her own condition. She had a few scrapes and stitches — which she could feel pulling on her skin when she moved — and an IV inserted into her hand. Her left wrist felt a little… restricted, a little tight. Besides that, no visible injuries.
Her mother was sitting on the right side of her bed, hand resting on the bedrail, the cerulean eyes Caitlyn had inherited filled with worry and somehow also relief.
“Mother,” Caitlyn managed. “Is Vi… where’s Vi?”
Cassandra’s eyes flickered downward, to where her other hand was folded in her lap. “You… sustained no major injuries, which was good. A few cuts and bruises, sprained wrist, a mild concussion, but that’s it.”
Caitlyn narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t answered my question.”
Cassandra’s reaction told her everything she had to know. The way her eyes remained in her lap, the way she picked her nails nervously — Cassandra was a Councilor, the leader of House Kiramman. She had enough poise and professionalism to not engage in such nervous habits, as she herself would have named them. And she never dodged questions. Not like this.
“Mother,” Caitlyn said again, trying to keep her voice steely despite the building knot in her chest, “where is Vi?”
“Vi, um…” Cassandra started. “She’s, frankly, a lot worse off than you.”
She pulled back the curtain to show Caitlyn, and Caitlyn felt her blood freeze in her veins.
“She used her own body to protect you, Caitlyn. In doing so, she suffered several broken bones, internal bleeding and a severe concussion.”
Through the ringing in her ears and the tilting in her vision, Caitlyn managed to choke out one more question, though she heard her voice crack.
“Will she live?”
“Your father is optimistic,” Cassandra said, but her tone made it clear that Vi’s survival would come at a cost.
And that was it. Caitlyn felt the dam break free, and the tears that had been building up were finally let loose. She felt them sinking into her collar, felt her own body shaking and shuddering with sobs as she saw Vi’s broken and bloodied state — the bandages, the IV tubes, the heart monitors — it was all too much.
Caitlyn had gotten so childishly overexcited. She let her emotions take control of her actions, and she had been reckless enough to run across the road without looking out for traffic.
And because of her foolish mistake, Vi would pay the price.
~~~
The hours crawled by, slowly and painfully.
Caitlyn spent most of her time sitting at Vi’s bedside, resting her head on the sheets and holding Vi’s hand.
The same calloused ones that had cupped her face the night they first kissed.
Even when night fell, Caitlyn refused to leave Vi’s side. Why would she? With the uncertainty of Vi’s condition and the worry plaguing her mind, sleep would just continue to evade her.
And, if she could, she wanted to spend every waking moment with Vi, regardless of whether or not Vi was awake.
So, she stayed.
Which also meant she was the first one to know when Vi woke up.
It took her a brief second to register the silvery eyes fluttering open, the head of pink hair moving across the pillow.
“Vi!” Caitlyn surged up from her seat, bracing her hand on the mattress so Vi could see her.
“I'm right here, Vi.” Unconsciously, Caitlyn felt her hand moving across the sheets to interlace her fingers in Vi's.
“I'm here.”
But the relief was short-lived. For the first time, Vi's gaze locked onto her, and instead of the joy or recognition Caitlyn was hoping to see, she was met with a blank stare.
She felt Vi’s hand jerking away from hers.
Oh, no.
When Vi opened her mouth, Caitlyn's heart stopped as the cold realisation sank into her bones.
She felt tears tracking down her cheeks when Vi's words hit her like a punch to the gut.
“Who the fuck are you?”