by Mandi Oyster
Chapter 18
Revenge
I woke up Wednesday to a thousand wings flapping in my stomach. Maybe Samantha and Cody were right and this was a bad idea, after all. Who am I kidding? There’s no way things can go well with Bryce and Cassandra. They’re stubborn and proud. I have to try, though. Don’t I?
I dressed and got ready for class. Then I stood at the window, waiting for Cody to arrive, all the time wishing I didn’t have to worry about walking by myself. I wanted all of this behind me. I longed for the day when I could look back on this and laugh about some of the things that had happened.
My reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door. I hadn’t noticed Cody, but it was time for him to be here. I threw on my jacket and grabbed my backpack. An uneasy feeling came over me when I reached for the doorknob. I frowned. Was it just the confrontation or something else? I shook my head. “Quit being paranoid,” I whispered, not wanting to wake Samantha.
I opened the door and instantly tried to shut it. The Potato Heads stood in the hallway. Cassandra and Vanessa pushed on the door with all their weight, making it impossible for me to close it. Bryce and Alvin reached through the opening, grabbed my arms and pulled me into the hallway. I opened my mouth to scream for help, and Vanessa shoved a rag in it.
“Keep quiet,” Bryce ordered. “Don’t try any of your hocus pocus crap, and this will be over with quickly.” He nodded to the cast on his right hand. “I owe you.”
My chest tightened. My lungs were suddenly unable to take air in. I scanned the hallway, searching for help. There were no signs of any other students. The one time I would have loved to see Marcy, she didn’t come rushing out of her room. Where is Cody anyway? Will he get here before I have to hurt them?
Cassandra pushed my hair back from my ear, scratching my cheek with her fingernails. “Cody won’t save you,” she stage whispered. “We took care of him.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I think he’ll be laid up for a few days!”
Unshed tears blurred my vision. A lump caught in my throat. Oh, God, what did they do to him? I lowered my head, defeated.
No. Now was not the time to give up. I needed to free myself and get to Cody. He needed me, and I couldn’t let him down. I had no choice. I would have to use my powers—but could I?
Bryce and Alvin held my arms and dragged me down the hallway with Cassandra in the lead. Vanessa followed. We were almost to the stairs when panic struck me.
A bulletin board hung on the wall near the steps. I concentrated on it, visualizing it flying off the wall like a rocket and smashing into Bryce’s injured hand. I felt the thrill of success when I heard Bryce whimper, but he didn’t free my arm like I intended. I opened my eyes just in time to see Cassandra’s fist flying toward my face.
Her punch landed squarely on my jaw and knocked my head backward. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. “Don’t even think about trying anything else,” she said through clenched teeth.
At the top of the stairs, Cassandra said, “This will do.” She turned to face me. “Remember you brought this upon yourself. It’s time for you to learn where your place is in the world.”
She and Vanessa bent down and reached for my feet. I kicked out at them, but Bryce yanked my arm, pulling me off balance. The four of them lifted me into the air and swung me. My stomach lurched when they let go.
How did I let them get the upper hand? Why did I care if I hurt them? The muscles in my neck and jaw tightened. Not today. Today I won’t let them win. I twisted in the air until my feet were under me, stopping myself before I hit the ground. Maybe I’d celebrate this victory later, but right now I only cared about finding Cody.
I flew to the top of the steps and hovered in front of my stunned attackers. Fear held them frozen in place.
I pulled the rag from my mouth and threw it at Vanessa’s feet. My body trembled with rage and fear for Cody. “Where. Is. Cody?”
Bryce’s eyes were cold and hard. A muscle in his jaw jumped. “Find him yourself.”
Vanessa muttered something to Cassandra, and Alvin glanced around uneasily.
Anger and anxiety gathered together in the pit of my stomach. “That”—I pointed at Bryce’s hand—“is just the beginning of what I can do to you.”
“Whatever, freak.” He spat at me.
At that moment, I no longer felt sorry for Bryce. I no longer cared if I hurt any of them. My fingers burned. I looked down to see a small fireball appear in the palm of my hand. It grew to the size of a tennis ball, and I asked again, “Where is Cody?”
The color drained from their faces. Vanessa clung to Alvin’s arm, and Bryce stepped in front of Cassandra. A small, shaky voice came from Vanessa. “He’s … uh …” She glanced at each of her friends, then pointed. “He’s behind the bushes, against the building.”
Just then, I could see him, like I was there. Unable to get up. Unable to move at all. He had a cut on his forehead. Both his eyes were swollen shut, and his leg was bent at an awkward angle.
My heart clenched, and the flame in my hand flickered. Before it completely fizzled out, I turned and flew down the stairs and outside.
I found Cody lying exactly as I had pictured him. I knelt down next to him. My vision blurred, whether from tears or rage, I didn’t know.
Black clouds blocked out the sun’s light. Lightning flashed, only to be immediately answered by the crash of thunder. Not now. I tried to stop the storm, but my emotions were too out of control.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I whispered in a quivering voice, “Hey, Cody, I’m here. I’m going to help you.” I ran my fingers through his hair while I tried to figure out how to get him to the nurse’s station before the storm cut loose. “Do you think you can lean on me and try walking?”
He cringed and nodded his response. I wanted to hurt all of them for what they did to him. Hatred built inside me with every breath I took. I grabbed Cody around the waist and helped him to his feet. His eyes pinched shut as he tried to stand.
Fat raindrops fell around us. Somehow, I lifted Cody to his feet, and we walked to Nurse Heron’s office. Rain fell behind us only occasionally hitting Cody or I. Stay back was a constant medley running through my head.
Cody’s arm was draped over my shoulders. I held onto it with my right hand. My left arm was wrapped around his waist. His weight should’ve pulled me down, but it didn’t inhibit me at all. Maybe he’s not injured as badly as I thought.
A glance in his direction told me that wasn’t the case. His head drooped forward. His shoulders were hunched, and his feet hovered above the ground.
I looked up to the heavens and said, “Thank you.” Then I hurried to Nurse Heron’s office, hoping my luck wouldn’t run out. I opened the door and pulled Cody inside, lowering him to his feet. Thick sheets of rain poured down, splashing against my legs before I got the door shut.
“Oh, my!” Nurse Heron said. “What happened to him?”
Cody tried to answer but only winced in pain.
“I left my dorm and found him this way.” It’s not a lie. It’s just not the whole truth. “Can I use your phone to call Sa—uh, Dean Aspen?”
“Yes, dear”—Nancy pointed—“it’s over there. Help me get him back here first, though.”
Nancy and I let Cody lean on us as we led him to the cot.
“I’ll be right back,” I whispered in Cody’s ear after we got him situated. He grabbed my fingers and squeezed.
My hands shook so much; it took me three tries before I managed to dial the number to Sarah’s office. She answered on the fourth ring. “Sarah…” My voice broke.
“Dacia, is that you? You sound terrible. What’s wrong?”
“Cody’s in Nurse Heron’s office. Can you come?” I fought to hold my tears back. Be strong, I told myself. Cody needs your strength.
&nbs
p; “Yes, Dacia, I’ll be right there.”
Nurse Heron closed the door to her examining room. I paced the floor, waiting for Sarah to arrive. The thunder and lightning diminished as my anger melted into worry, but rain pelted the roof, making it impossible to hear what was going on behind the door.
Sarah stepped into the office and sat her umbrella down. “What happened? Is he okay? Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”
“Cassandra punched me.” I forgot about that when I only gave Nurse Heron part of the truth. I’m surprised she didn’t mention it. I told Sarah everything, swiping angrily at the tears that spilled.
“Oh, my.” Sarah’s face tightened. “Is Cody okay?”
“No, he looks awful.” I slumped down in a chair and covered my face. “Nancy hasn’t been out since I brought Cody over here. I … I—” I tried to keep from sobbing so I could talk to Sarah. “I don’t know if he’s going to be okay. I’m so scared, Sarah.”
She patted my back. “I’ll see if I can find out how he’s doing.” She knocked on the door and went inside.
I paced. I concentrated on my breathing, but nothing stopped the deluge.
After an eternity, Sarah came out. “Nancy cleaned Cody’s wounds. She can’t do anything else for him here, though. She called an ambulance to take him to the hospital in Althea.” She put her hand on my shoulder and led me to the door. “Why don’t you go in and see him? I’ll let Nancy know it’s all right.”
What I saw of Cody’s face looked somewhat better now that the blood had been cleaned off. An ice pack covered his eyes. I went over to the cot and laid my hand on his. I stared at his face realizing for the first time he also had two fat lips.
I will get them back for this, I vowed to myself.
“Dacia—” Cody struggled to talk “—thanks for helping me.”
“Yeah,” I said, trying my best to sound brave. “I just wish I could’ve stopped this from happening.”
“You need to—” Cody shuddered.
I squeezed his hand. “Don’t talk.”
“Calm down … stop rain.”
I looked out the window. “Yeah, it’d make it easier for the ambulance.”
“I want you to—” he winced “—to come to the hospital with me.”
“I’ll follow the ambulance. I won’t let you go alone.”
“No, ride with me … I need you.”
“I will if they’ll let me, Cody, but I can’t promise anything.” I twined my fingers through his and rubbed his hand with my thumb. “Why don’t you try to save your energy now? I’ll stay right here with you.”
The rain slowed but didn’t stop. The dreary day matched my melancholy mood. Cody and I stayed silent until Nancy and two paramedics came in. The first one was over six feet tall, muscular, with red hair and eyes. “Ma’am, we’ll need you to move,” he said as he pushed by me. The name on his uniform was Trent.
The other one, Matt, was shorter and a little heavier. He had brown hair and green eyes. He looked at me and mouthed, “Sorry.”
“Cody wants me to ride along with him,” I said.
“Are you related?” Trent asked while checking Cody’s pulse.
For Cody, I lied. “Yes, I’m his sister.”
Nancy raised her eyebrows and cocked her head but didn’t say anything.
“As soon as we get him in, you can climb in the ambulance,” Matt said. They moved Cody from the cot to a stretcher while we talked.
I walked out into the main office. “Sarah, I’m riding along with Cody. He asked me to.”
“I’ll get Samantha, and we’ll be down before too long.”
“Samantha doesn’t know about any of this. She’s probably still asleep,” I said, realizing for the first time I hadn’t thought to call her. “She’s going to be really upset with me.”
“I’ll let her know you didn’t want to worry her until we knew how bad it was. She’ll be all right.” Sarah walked with me to the ambulance.
Trent made the ride to the hospital uncomfortable. He kept asking questions I didn’t know the answers to—“What insurance do you have?” “What’s your medical history?” “Does he have any allergies?”—and I didn’t want to tell any more lies. We couldn’t have arrived at the hospital soon enough. I waited outside while they took Cody into the emergency room.
Chapter 19
Fruits Of Revenge
While Trent relayed information to the emergency room doctors, Matt turned to me and said, “Your boyfriend’s going to be okay with time.”
He caught me off guard, but I managed to spit out, “He’s not my boyfriend but thanks for letting me know.” I smiled at him, grateful for the information. To this point, nobody had said anything to me about Cody’s injuries.
“He might not be your boyfriend, but he’s definitely not your brother.” He shot me a knowing smile. “I don’t know any sisters who look at their brothers the way you look at him.”
“You’re right,” I admitted. “He’s not my brother. He’s my best friend. I’m sorry for lying.”
“Don’t be,” he said. “I would’ve let you ride no matter what, but Trent’s a stickler for the rules. It’s a good thing you said you were his sister.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, take care. We need to get out of here.” He waved.
Not knowing if I could go into the examining room, I went to the waiting area. I bought a bottle of water with a dollar I found stuffed into my jeans’ pocket and paced the floor waiting for Sarah and Samantha to show up.
The second hand on the clock didn’t move. It felt like hours had passed but mere minutes had gone by. I sat on the chair, waiting for somebody to tell me what was happening. My legs bounced up and down. Why hasn’t anybody come out yet? Tap, tap, tap. Matt said Cody’d be okay. Was he wrong? Did something happen? I picked up a magazine, but the words blurred together.
Cassandra’s voice echoed through my mind. We took care of him.
Hatred seeped into my heart. Its darkness spread through me. I jumped, scared by a clap of thunder. They’re going to pay for this. Another flash of lightning followed by booming thunder.
I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair. “I can’t think like this,” I whispered.
Samantha rushed in and threw her arms around me. “How’s Cody doing?”
“He’s pretty beat up”—I was on the verge of tears again—“but one of the paramedics told me he should be okay in time. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”
Sarah sat down beside me. “The storm’s getting worse.”
There was a question there that couldn’t be asked in public. “I’m scared. Nobody’s told me what’s going on.”
“The doctor hasn’t come out?” Sarah asked.
“No, not yet.” I nodded toward the examining rooms. “He went back with Cody ages ago.”
“I’ll see what I can find out.” Sarah pressed her lips together and stalked off.
Samantha turned to me. “How are you holding up?”
Through clenched teeth, I answered, “I want to hurt all of them for what they did to Cody. I want to hear them beg me for mercy.” My anger burned, hot and bright. The water bottle melted in my grasp. So much for control.
I closed my eyes to try to calm myself. When Sarah returned, I still hadn’t found my happy place; my emotions were too overwhelming for me to conquer on my own.
“Sarah”—Samantha’s voice shook—“Dacia needs your help. Her water is about to come to a boil.”
“Dacia, I want you to relax. Take a deep breath,” Sarah instructed as she placed her hands on my shoulders.
“I’m trying.” There was so much tension built up inside that it wasn’t as easy for me to let go as it had been in my lessons.
“Dacia, you need to
relax. Breathe deep. Concentrate on the cleansing air you are inhaling. And exhale. Let all of your anger out with your breath. Now picture yourself sitting by your mountain lake.”
Sarah’s voice sounded like it was getting farther away. Before long, I found myself sitting on the rocks looking across the water at the mountains. The scene was as breathtaking as ever, and the cool air was invigorating. I felt a peaceful sensation wash my anger and hatred away.
“Okay, Dacia,” Sarah interrupted my reverie. “I want you to open your eyes and find yourself back here with Samantha and me.”
Blinking back the light, I opened my eyes. “Thank you.” My water bottle was molded to my hand. I yanked it off and threw it in the trash.
“No problem, Dacia.” Sarah sat in the chair next to me. “You’ve been through a lot today, and sometimes we all need a little help.”
“I’m glad you’re calm now,” Samantha said. “But, I’ve got to know what the doctor said about Cody.”
Sarah had our undivided attention. “Dr. Sequoia took Cody into x-ray as soon as he got here. Cody has two broken ribs. His leg isn’t broken, but his knee is damaged. They won’t know the extent until they run more tests. He may end up needing surgery.”
Every word Sarah spoke felt like a punch in my gut. This shouldn’t have happened to him. The only thing they have against Cody is me. I should be lying in that bed. I covered my mouth and forced myself to keep listening to her.
“Until it heals, he’ll be on crutches. His nose is broken. They thought his jaw was broken, too, but it’s not. He’ll be swollen for a while. They’re going to keep him in the hospital overnight and reevaluate in the morning. They want to make sure he doesn’t have any injuries that were overlooked, and they’re not sure how well he’ll be able to eat. Right now, they’re getting him a room. As soon as they do, you two can go visit him.” She patted my leg. “I have to go make a couple of phone calls. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”