Lyra's POV
The infirmary nurse finally released me hours after my conversation with Vivienne. She insisted I avoid any strenuous activity for the remainder of the week. Since it was Wednesday, that only meant missing one Basics session. She handed me a medical excuse note along with some pain medication before dismissing me.
Walking past a mirror near the exit gave me my first real look at the aftermath of my confrontation with Xander. The entire right side of my face displayed a canvas of mottled purple and blue bruises. My right eye had swollen to nearly twice its normal size. What had started as an elegant twisted hairstyle now resembled a bird's nest of tangled strands. Both Xander's blood and my own had stained my clothing beyond recognition. Several cuts split my lower lip while others marked my scalp. Though the medical staff had reset my fractured wrist, it remained encased in a bulky air-cast.
I resembled something from a horror film.
