Light blue, pink and hues of orange streaked across the front of Jewel's vision as she laid there, smiling, still in amazement at how numb she felt. The sun was rising in the east. Jaimie was wide-eyed with relief, kneeling closer to her bloody hair. She pulled napkins from her jacket pocket, tensing up at the pain she felt in her wrist.
Barely conscious, Jewel felt the pressure applied to the side of her head as Jaimie parted her hair revealing a wide cut. Her stomach twisted into a knot at the sight of it. She began focusing on her breathing and pressed against the wound. Water was nowhere nearby. Instincts told her they'd be fine without it for a while. "Look...look...," Jewel let out with breath coming and going slowly. Pain took her by surprise and she stayed silent. The small silhouette of a half filled water bottle caught her attention before she squeezed her eyes shut. Fear and surprise flooded her mind. The only thing she knew for certain was that Jaimie would call Azure.
Minutes had passed since pulling her from the wreckage and she was panic stricken until hope approached. Gasping, she jerked her arm back patting her other pocket for her phone. She felt the lining outside of her jacket and it's shape was immediately familiar. Reaching inside, she was ready to accept a dead battery. The glass exterior was fractured but she could still unlock the device and call for help. "I can't believe I'm doing this," and dialed her family emergency service line. After calling, she quickly hung up. It was too easy to signal the family hospital; she misplaced her phone a lot as a student and her peers played way too many jokes.
Jewel's breathing steadied and her eyes remained close, opening slightly when she felt the pressure of her friend's touch for a few seconds. She thought of her relatives, her once-upon-a-time mother and father, forever unknown and believed in their past. One that was imagined, but a past she could have of her own. More memories of her backseat car rides to and from Jewel's estate came to her, feeling the same surprise in her youth as she did at the sight of water in this moment.
Restlessness took over Jaimie and she began to fight the feeling of uselessness. Jewel was still treading along consciousness but enough so to let rest alone. She lifted her head gently and placed it upon the car door. Lifting herself up was nothing. The breeze against the cuts on her arms was painfully refreshing, a gentle reminder that even more hope awaited if she found water. After taking a few steps away from Jewel she looked to make sure everything was fine. She continued to wander, skeptical of putting her hands under any of these loose pieces of metal surrounding the car.
The same glimmer of water Jewel saw caught her attention and she approached the front end of the car. Glass covered the crippled hood and non-existent windshield wipers. Peering and second guessing herself, Jaimie carefully tossed aside chunks of the windshield revealing an intact bottle. Scooping it hurriedly, she jogged back to her resting companion, kneeled again, and placed her head in her lap. Withdrawing her last cheap napkin, she let out a sigh and delicately dampened it before pressing it against Jewel's head. She pressed a bit harder this time making sure she had ceased any bleeding and thought about the next step immediately. "No time to disinfect this," she aggressively stated and allowed herself to refocus and remind herself that help was on the way. She withdrew from Jewel, letting her head rest on her arm. Attempting to warm her, she started to feel so comfortable with someone who was probably thinking about life and death. A private smile came over her and couldn't help but look at Jewel with the same gaze for a moment. "Should let her have the rest of this," she convinced herself of and reached across both of their bodies for the bottle. Removing the cap and lifting it to her lips felt like a ritual or ceremony where the most precious is often the most sacrificed. The imagination carried her away as she helped Jewel swallow the water and take small breaths. An approaching helicopter's sound was a distant happening.
Jaimie continued to comfort Jewel until the sound of the helicopter was no longer a vague sensation. It was slowing as it neared, lowering itself closer to the top of the cliff they had fallen from. Wind picked up the dust and small remnants too light to stay in place forcing everything outwards and away from the wreckage.
She peered up, not yet fighting the sunlight and made out Azure's silhouette pushing off a rope ladder. He looked over for a moment before the co-pilot appeared with the same concerned gaze. The second man made no effort to let Azure repel and immediately dropped his rope. He pushed Azure's off the moment he made his dissent and gave him a resolute nod. Jaimie stared at the the two ropes and ladder just barely scraping the ground, dumbfounded at the speed at which all of this was happening. After a moment, the unknown man and Azure appeared above her repelling down, each carrying a piece of the gurney. Each kicked up dust as soon as they touched down, dropping their equipment and meeting to build the gurney. Both were wearing dark green jumpsuits with Jewel's family crest on each shoulder, and one over the heart. Her disbelief at their presence still gripped her. All she paid attention to was a light ringing and the sound of the helicopter landing to the right of the wreckage. The man she had yet to ask about extended his hand, breaking the silence. Jaimie snapped back to attention, noticing their attempt at lifting Jewel onto the bright orange gurney. Her hands were shaking horribly. She attempted to smooth Jewel's hair while they strapped her arms and legs down, but just barely got the hair out of her eyes. Nothing more.
"Your friend is in bad shape, we need to move now for everyone's sake," Azure stated with a businesslike grip on Jaimie's shoulder. Azure was wise and almost 10 years older than Jaimie. Serving her family for so long kept him sharp and aware of when to urgently act. "This is Jake...started serving your family a year ago. He's a specialist like me so no worries Jay." Teaming up to secure both ropes, they lifted Jewel off of the ground and dragged their equipment closer and closer to the buzzing helicopter.
Jaimie followed behind, breathing heavily and covering her mouth to avoid a mouthful of dust. She stood beside the helicopter, sensing her own panic and how long she had avoided her family. Now all of a sudden she needed them; Jewel needed them. Azure and Jake fastened Jewel to the helicopter's foundation, turning around a second later to reach for Jaimie. She was already trying to pull herself up with one leg just barely making it on before having the rest of her dragged aboard. Jake helped her up and gave a judging look to her as if he was thinking, how did this even happen?
Jewel laid there breathing steadily as the other three looked on in awe, sweating profusely and feeling their stomach tighten up at the rising flight. They were 50 feet off the ground before Jaimie realized it. She stood up carefully, bowing her back until she reached a seat in the rear of the helicopter.
Jake still gave her unloving looks, even as she backed away from Jewel, still wanting to be near her. Azure's satisfactory expressions towards Jake weren't unseen. Jaimie didn't understand why the hell this guy Jake had come along but she was happy enough that Azure trusted him. He kept his promises close to him and secrets even closer. Jake didn't know anything about their past. Things started to make more sense in the moment. Azure was surely smart enough to keep quiet about her state of illegality. They knew a bonus awaited them for the girls' whereabouts and retrieval but certainly wouldn't admit it. Jaimie let the sweat overpower her attention more so than Jake's greedy ass.
Streaks of sunlight were already warming the air as they glided through the sky. The pilot turned around and gave them a wave with his right hand, a gesture of certainty. Jaimie breathed steadily, twisting the empty bottle of water in between her legs. Full of exhaustion, a sensation of exchange dawned on her and Azure put a full bottle in its place. He closed his eyes and she waited for a moment before opening it. Cracking the top, she took a small sip smiling and looked down at Jewel. Kneeling down once again, she attempted to give Jewel a bit more. She drank and Jaimie placed her self safely in the seat again next to Azure. It made her nauseous at first but she was happy to see both of them without having to blink.
