Don't move.

That's the kind of thing someone says to you when something bad is about to happen.

Or when they're wrapping your burned hands in bandages while your best friend hugs you around the chest, repeating 'sorry' over and over.

"Stay still," Mina says.

"Kind of hard with this twat hugging me," I mumble.

Elliot rests his head against my back, taking his arms off of me. "Sorry."

I sigh. "It's fine."

Mina finishes wrapping my hand and pats it gently. "There. Bandages will be removed in about a week, so hang tight."

"'Kay, thanks," I say. I flex my fingers and wince. Yep, that'll hurt for a while.

"I'm sorry," Elliot says.

"Don't be," I reply. "I knew the risks of pulling you out. But I wasn't going to lose you, and I think Mina would say the same."

Mina nods. "I was about to pull you out myself, but Archie got to it first."

He puts his back to mine. "I'm just sorry you had to go through that."

I lean against him. "We love you, you idiot. We're not going to let you get burned up in a tank."

Mina sits with us. "No, we aren't. We're never leaving you. Ever. So, get used to it."

"Ditto," I say.

The three of us have been thick as thieves since childhood. Mina was always the strong one, Elliot the determined one, me the. . .useless one.

I never really had any special talents or anything, so I don't know why those two still have use for me. Still, they hang around me.

Mina holds her hand to us. "Promise that no matter what happens, we'll stick together. The three of us."

I place one of my bandaged hands over hers, then Elliot puts his on mine.

"On three," I say. "One. . ."

"Two. . ." Mina says.

"Three!" Elliot says. We throw our hands into the air.

And that is our friendship in a nutshell.