Heroes and Wolves [book 1]

Chapter forty-two

Layla

The smell food hits me as soon as we come out of the training room.

I wriggle out of Maylock's and Zack's hold of me to show them that I can stand on my own two feet without support though my side is still aching a little. Bloody Abbey.

     "I have just got back" I hear Baymin announce. He is stood near the console carrying two brown paper bags but once he gazes at me, his face drops. "What happened?" His tone is firm with urgency and his eyes are wide as he studies me.

     "Guardian of the ring, Layla landed off the mat" Zack puts simply.

     "And I think she is in pain but is not willing to admit it" Maylock adds glancing at me.

     "I am fine, I'm just hungry"

     "You are going to take medilac anyway" Baymin states adamantly, handing the bags to Maylock and he walks into the medical room.

     "Abbey is no doubt already gone so I'll see you there" Zack goes over to the circle lock near the console and brings his angel up. The lock pushes in, spins and the grey door opens.

Baymin comes out with medilac in hand. I take it from him, displeased that I've been given this. Maylock and Baymin both look at me and wait for me to consume it so I open the pack, tip the cube onto my hand and pop it into my mouth, ignoring the vial taste that comes from it and manage to swallow it whole.

     "Happy now" I withhold the urge to burp and cough in reaction to what I just ingested. My stomach is protesting.

     "You should be. Now let's go and eat" Maylock walks with me to the door which has been left ajar by Zack.

We walk down the spiral stairs and head down the corridor.

     "It's just down here on the right" Maylock directs.

The smell of the food in the bags is overwhelming. The strong wafts of melted cheese, deep fried chips and cooked beef make my stomach rumble.

We reach a red door which Maylock opens and holds for me even though he is troubled by the two bags of food but he doesn't seem fazed.

     "Thanks" I walk in.

A dark round table stands in the middle of the room with a dresser opposite that holds plates and glasses within the three tiers behind glass panes. In the centre of the table is a similar statue to the one in Maylock's bedroom. All three Guardians are in armour but they are posed in different positions. One stood up in the middle while the other two are crouched beside them.

     "We get gifts every month" Maylock tells me as he places the bags down onto the table. Abbey and Zack dive into them like vultures as soon as they land.

     "Or when we do something badass" Zack adds, ripping the packaging off his meal like a happy kid at Christmas. "So, I should be getting one everyday" he smirks sitting down next to Abbey who takes a loud, rumbling sip from her drink.

     "Who are they from?" I ask.

     "The Mayor of Lakeintown." Zack states with a mouthful of burger. "She's really nice and has such love for the city but its her assistant that's a pain." he swallows making his voice clearer just for a second as he goes in for another large bite. "He wants to get rid of the public services" 

     "What, really? He can't do that" I speak over the slurps and slaps of mouth movements from the two hungry hippos in this room. 

     "What about hospitals and doctors? People need to be looked after" 

     "The hospitals and any other medical facility are safe. It's just the police and fire brigade that risk their funding being cut." Maylock looks in both bags and hands one over to me.

A burger chip special is Burger place's most popular meal although it's basically just a hamburger with the usual cheese, lettuce and tomato, but what makes it special is their secret sauce which combined with the rest of the burger, makes the whole thing delicious.

I grab my chips out from the bag, making light work of the strays thatare at the bottom of the bag. I reach for my drink which is random with thismeal so I take sip to determine what it is and its lemonade.

     "I honestly didn't know there was such a problem in the city" I confess and bite into my burger while still standing. 

I'm cautious of any sauce that may get on my face though. Burgers are one of the messiest foods to eat. Back in my shack I wouldn't care what I looked like but being with people and eating this deconstructive prone but tasty meat sandwich makes me aware of what falls from my burger and where it can land. 

     "Hungry?" Maylock hands me a tissue. I take it and dab my face to wipe the crumbs and slight marks of ketchup away. 

     "You should be from kicking Abbey's arse! That was so awesome!" Zack thrills and fist pumps the air, nearly knocking Maylock's drink out of his hand. 

Abbey holds a face of fury. Her arms are crossed and she's scowling at Zack. 

     "I'm only kidding Abbey. It was only one of the best things I've ever seen" 

     "Coming from someone who used to skateboard and land on his arse all the time" she rolls her eyes and Maylock chuckles. 

     "Hey, I told you not to tell anyone about that" he winks and dives into his chips. "As we were saying though, since the city know I am a Guardian, I can go into the government house and participate in meetings. I'm diplomatic, which is one of my characteristics so I can simmer the silly idea of cutting the funding of public services until the next month because the mayors assistant is a real arse" 

     "It's a problem that can be managed but we can't lose control over it" Maylock adds sitting to the left of me which leaves an empty seat for me between him and Zack. 

     "I've been dealing with this assistant for five years but he never applies to be mayor so it's easy to keep his views subdued." Zack mentions just as a bit of onion falls out of his gaping mouth. "Doesn't help that the numbers of police and firefighters have always fluctuated which he deems an unnecessary use of funding"

All of this makes me start to wonder about something I have never really thought of before. I was at a place I hate to recall and yet when I left, no one came after me? No one tried to find me and it makes me think that the low numbers of police were why no 'missing' posters were put around Lakeintown, why no one was asking for me, why no one cared for me...

     "Calling it that is disgusting. That assistant really is an arse. What a slimeball" Maylock shakes his head and looks at me. "You gonna sit down?" 

     "Hey Layla, you can sit here" Abbey directs her hand to a chair next to her. 

     "Nope, I'm good thanks" I dismiss her and Maylock stifles a laugh. 

As if I would sit next to her!     

I sit on a chair between Maylock and Zack but when I put weight on it, wood snaps and the legs suddenly give out making me tumble to the floor. Some chips fall onto me in a cascade of embarrassment.

     "Now that is one of the best things I've ever seen" cackles of laughter come from Abbey, who I work out is most likely the one who did this. 

Enraged, I wipe the stray chips off me, stand up and without a second thought I throw my lemonade across the table. The lid comes off as the cup hits her right in the chest but I don't see her reaction as I storm out of the room, nicking one of the brown bags to place what is left of my chips and burger in.

I stalk down the corridor and thunder up the spiral steps until I reach the circle lock door. 

     "Let me in!" I knock hard on the door. I would use my angel to open it but I don't know what button to press.

As soon as the lock starts to spin, I charge out, ignoring Baymin's puzzled look as I head straight into the training room.