by Lola StVil
CHAPTER TWELVE: LONG OVERDUE
I bolt upright and shout out Randy’s name. I look around and the team is there minus Aaden and Randy. Dread creeps into my bones. I’m afraid to ask if they are okay. I don’t think I can handle the reply.
“Hey, lie back. Randy is with the Healers, and Aaden went to check on a few things,” Key says.
“What happened?”
“We knew we’d never be able to beat the Bitters, so Aaden figured we should go around. We blasted as much of the rocks and debris as we could. We saw Randy get inside the harness, but we weren’t sure we could get to you in time,” East says.
“That fall was…how is Randy still alive?” I wonder.
“The Sobe mixture added a layer of protection. And we must have the luck of the Paras, because he landed just shy of a jagged rock that would have spilt his head wide open,” Bex says.
“So Randy is really okay?” I ask.
“Yes, unlike you,” the Healer says as she enters the hospital room.
This Healer is tall with dark hair and glasses. She looks down at me and speaks in a firm voice.
“Tell me, Ms. Cane, how often do you plan to visit us here at the Clinic? Should we expect you and your team here every day? Should we reserve beds for all the Noru?”
I was about to reply but I suddenly start to feel very weak. I lie back like I’m told.
“What’s wrong with me?” I ask.
“You are operating at barely ten percent of your power. You are lucky to have powers at all. Bitters normally don’t leave angels alive. Thankfully you are far more powerful than most. But had you been a regular angel…” the Healer says.
“Thank you for your help,” I mumble.
“I know you will ignore my warnings, still I am obligated to give them: Do not overexert yourself. In fact, try not to use your powers at all. It will take weeks for your wings to fully heal according to our Wing Repair specialist.”
“Will I be able to fly?” I ask.
“Yes, however, it would be wiser to use a Port. You nearly lost your wings. And far worse, you nearly lost your life. Whatever your team was seeking in the Cave of Nor…I hope it was worth it,” she says as she heads out the door.
“We got the dagger, right?” I ask, fearing that I might have imagined the artifact.
“Yes. We’re waiting for the Movatu to make contact. We’re monitoring Randy’s emails,” Bex says.
“Why haven’t they responded? How much time do we have?” I ask.
“A little over fifteen hours,” Key replies.
“Damn it! We have to reach out to them. We are out of time!” I beg.
“We have sought help from the angel channel, we have eyes and ears everywhere looking for them. You know how the Movatu are; they show up when they feel like it,” Bex reminds me.
“I can’t believe Randy is really okay,” I say, mostly to myself.
“His body is far less complex than ours. It took the Healers no time to mend his wounds,” Key explains.
“Wait, where’s Ruin? We can’t let her stay in the house. She could be doing Omnis knows what!” I shout, getting back up.
“Carrot, chill. We got it,” Swoop assures me.
“You know you make a horrible patient,” East teases me.
“Seriously, is someone watching Ruin?” I ask.
“Yeah, she’s with…” East starts but doesn’t finish.
“Aaden is with her?”
“Yeah,” Key says.
“He’s just keeping an eye on her,” Swoop says.
“Okay,” is all I can think to say.
The thought of the two being together alone in my house makes my blood run cold. I’m sure she is finding ways to keep Aaden’s mind off his troubles.
“I just want to say, it’s really low of Aaden. I mean, a member of his team is in the hospital and he’s off having wild monkey demon sex?” I reply sharply.
“Monkey demon sex? How exactly does that go?” Bex asks.
“Well first you need a steady table…” East begins.
“It was a rhetorical question,” Bex corrects him.
“Hey, you asked,” Swoop replies.
“He calls and texts every ten minutes to check on how you and Randy are doing,” Key says.
I nod and smile. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help but be disappointed that he’s not here in person. Then things start to really suck when, without any warning, flashes of Ruin and Aaden being together come to mind. I feel like it’s pulling me down into the deepest, saddest part of my soul. Eager not to sink into depression, I try and get up from the bed.
“Where are you going?” the twins ask in unison.
“To check on Randy,” I reply as I hold on to the railing on the bed to prop myself up.
“You are not supposed to get up,” Key reminds me.
“I’ll be fine,” I reply.
They help me walk to the room across the hall. Randy lies on the bed, staring out the window. His skin has been healed. There are a few bruises that remain but they should disappear in a few days. I’m so happy he’s okay.
“Hey!” I say weakly as the team helps me to his bedside.
“Are you better?” he asks in a somber voice.
“I have the muscle strength of overdone pasta, but I’m okay. How are you?”
“Fine,” he says as he turns his attention back towards the window.
“Randy, are you sure you’re okay?” I ask again.
“I really just want to be alone. Can you guys leave, please?” he whispers.
“Randy, what’s the matter?” Key asks.
“You can just go,” he says again.
Key reaches out for his arm and he pulls it away.
“This is crazy, Randy, talk to me,” I beg him.
“I have nothing to say.”
Confused and baffled, we head out of his room. Before we can get out the door, he calls out to me.
“I’m sorry I almost got you killed,” he says.
“It wasn’t your fault. You helped us get the dagger,” I remind him.
He laughs sardonically and shakes his head.
“The only thing I did was screw up. The only thing I ever do is screw up. I got past the Bitters. And yeah, I was so proud of myself. For once, I wasn’t a loser. But then I freak out and for what? Spiders. Who gets past Bitters and loses it because of creatures no bigger than a mouse?” Randy demands.
“It could have happened to anyone,” Key says.
“No, it happened to me because I’m a wimp. You can say it, Key, I know it’s what you think.”
“That is not what I think,” she counters.
“Well, then you’re a fool or a liar.”
“Randy!” Swoop scolds.
“I’m sorry, but it’s true. We all know what happened in that cave. I was supposed to save the day. I was supposed to be the hero. I was so close and then I just…”
“We don’t think less of you because of what happened. In fact, we are amazed at how much courage you showed just by entering the cave,” I promise him.
“Pry is right. You did a courageous thing,” Bex says.
“If it was you, would you get that far into the cave and cry like a baby when a spider touched you?” Randy pushes.
“No, but I have powers--you can’t compare us,” Bex replies.
“Even if you and Silver didn’t have powers, you two would have jumped in to save Pry. Your whole team worked on rescuing her. Me, what did I do? I wept openly like a fucking child.”
“Randy, there really is no reason for you to be so upset. You did the best you could do,” East says.
“Yeah, and don’t you think that’s just a little pathetic? I nearly wet my pants. I put my best friend’s life in danger. I nearly lost the dagger and almost sentenced Rage to death because of my cowardice,” he shouts.
“That’s not true,” I counter.
“I thought being on these adventures with you guys would show me who I really am. And it
did. It showed me that I’m no one special.”
“You have to stop thinking that way,” I snap.
“No, you have to start being realistic. Pryor, I dreamed of being the hero. Being your hero. This team has done so much for me. All I had to do was not lose it for five minutes, and I failed. No matter what happens, I will always be the guy who reads about heroes.”
“So what if you’re not as strong as some people. You have a brilliant mind,” Key says sincerely.
“Yeah, and girls just really dig that in a guy,” he says sarcastically.
“Randy—”
“Key, can you go, please?”
“Why?”
“BECAUSE I FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHY MY MOM LEFT, WHY MY BEST FRIEND KEEPS HAVING TO SAVE ME, AND WHY YOU GUYS ARE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME: I’M A LOSER. AND I REALLY DON’T NEED AN AUDIENCE RIGHT NOW!”
*******
“Has Randy ever acted like this before?” Key asks me out in the hallway.
“Never,” I reply.
“Let’s give the guy a break. I mean, these past few weeks haven’t exactly been normal,” Bex reminds us.
“Yeah I know, but he’s never been this down on himself,” I inform them.
“What do you want us to do?” East asks.
“We should do something. His whole ‘broken’ in the center thing is ultra depressing. How can we help?” Key asks.
“Well, if Bex is cool with it, there’s a lot you can do for him,” East says mischievously.
“She hardly needs my permission,” Bex quips.
Key was going to reply, but then she thinks better of it and doesn’t say anything.
“For right now, let’s give him some space,” I suggest.
“Maybe Pry is right. Maybe Randy needs some time to himself,” Bex says.
“Aaden is checking Randy’s computer in case the four elements contact us. We should get back there and check on him. Randy should be fine here for a while,” Key says.
“Okay, but don’t be surprised if you go to Aaden’s room and find a tie on the door,” East says with a grin. Bex and Swoop exchange amused expressions; Key jabs East in his side, signaling for him to stop making jokes.
There better not be a tie on the door…
*******
When we get back to the house, we find Aaden in the kitchen hunched over Randy’s laptop, looking worn-out and frustrated.
“No word yet from the Movatu?” Bex asks.
“No.”
“They want that dagger, Silver, don’t worry, they will contact us,” Key says.
“Yeah, but we are down to only a few hours. If they call after the deadline it won’t matter. My dad will still be dead,” he rages.
She goes over to the cabinet, takes out a bottle of Coy and pours him a glass.
He thanks her and downs it in one gulp.
“Are you better?” he asks me.
“Yeah, I’m just fine,” I reply coldly.
“I’ll go see if any of my connections have heard anything about the four elements,” Swoop says, taking Key with her.
“Where’s your demon?” I ask.
“She’s not mine, and she’s gone,” Aaden replies.
“Really? Where did she go?” I ask.
“She didn’t say. She’s mostly healed. I told her to stay until she was fully recovered but she wouldn’t listen to me,” Aaden adds.
“Randy just got an email!” Aaden says.
We wait with bated breath, but moments later Aaden tells us it’s just spam.
“Damn it!” Aaden says, on the verge of throwing the laptop on the floor.
“Okay, I’ll man the computer. You can take a break,” East says.
“Yeah, we got it. Go Recharge,” Bex says.
Aaden gets up, walks past me, and goes up to his room. I follow him inside.
“The waiting is maddening, but hang on a little longer,” I encourage him when he turns to find me in his space.
“He now has less than eight hours,” Aaden replies hopelessly.
“We can still do this. We can still save him.”
“How’s Randy?” he asks.
“Upset that he didn’t save the day. He wants to be alone,” I reply.
“I get that. But going in that cave was no small feat,” Aaden says.
“We told him that, but it didn’t help.”
“He’s a good guy. He didn’t have to risk his life for my dad. If he needs anything, just let me know,” Aaden offers.
“I will,” I reply as I make myself leave the room, only to walk right back inside again. Why? Because I am a complete mess.
“What is it?” Aaden asks.
“First, I admit what I’m going to say is silly and petty,” I warn him.
“Okay…”
“Aaden, I don’t get it. You save my life but you can’t make time to check on me at the hospital?” I say, sounding far more vulnerable than I intended.
“Saving your life is my job as your second in command. Checking on you after I’ve saved you is what a friend would do. You made it clear we weren’t friends, remember?” he replies.
“I’m not surprised that you hurt me just now. You’ve been hurting me for a while now. I’m just shocked by how good you’ve become at it.”
He doesn’t reply. Instead he turns his face away from me. Exhausted with even the thought of Aaden and me, I motion towards the door. He calls out my name. I turn to face him.
“Can you do me a favor?” he asks.
Pissed off and highly irritated, I walk up and confront him, leaving very little space between us.
“You’re seriously asking me for a favor?” I reply.
“Yes; can you at least try and be safe? I know you’re our leader, but when danger calls you don’t always have to be the first to answer it.”
“I am the ‘First’ Noru, so yes, I do.”
“You had your whole team there, you should have conferred with us and not just jumped into a cave with Bitters!” he erupts.
“I didn’t have time to take a vote. Randy needed me and I did what I had to do.”
“You should have told us your plan--that way we could tell you that it was a bad idea,” he counters.
“Randy risked his life to help and I wasn’t going to let him die.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you get to risk your life too!” Aaden rages.
“I didn’t really have any other choice, and anyway, what the hell do you care? You only saved me because it’s your job; you don’t give a damn if I live or die.”
Aaden forms a fist and launches a deadly blow towards me. I look on, shocked as he aims straight for me. But instead of making contact with me, his fist lands on its real target, the wall just above my head.
“Never say that to me,” he says in a deadly whisper.
He looks down at me; there’s a five alarm fire raging behind his eyes. His expression is dark and lethal. I’m afraid. But not for myself, rather I’m afraid for him. The reaction from my statement isn’t just causing him anger; it’s causing him anguish. Something about what I said has shaken him to his core.
“Okay,” I reply.
“You can question everything when it comes to me, but never say that again.”
“Okay, I won’t,” I swear softly.
He looks at what’s left of the wall above my head and then backs away as if realizing what he had done for the first time. He walks towards the window, rakes both hands through his hair, and interlocks his fingers behind his neck.
“Sorry, about the wall. I didn’t mean to…” He sighs loudly, but does not finish his thought.
“I’m sorry too, you’re going through so much, with time running out on your father. I shouldn’t have…I didn’t mean to upset you,” I reply.
“I stopped,” he says, still facing away from me.
“What?”
“I was tunneling to get to you when something popped into my head: What if I’m too late? That made me stop. I was paralyzed at the thought
that you might be…”