Mirror Soul

Chapter Seventeen: I Almost Kai'd

Bruce woke up in a bed, that was starting to become too familiar. He was in the Lively’s mansion nursing bed. He had a terrible headache and his arm was wrapped in bandages with weird symbols.

Oh yeah, he thought numbly. That lion scratched me at the zo-. Bruce jumped out of bed.

"Kai!" He yelled as he stumbled towards the door.

"Keep it down would ya," came a voice from behind. "Some of us are trying to sleep." Bruce found Layva sitting in a chair next to an occupied bed, her head wrapped in the same type bandages as his arm was. "Where is Kai?" He asked, ignoring her comment. She pointed to the bed she sat near. Bruce walked over to see his friend on the bed… breathing softly. Bruce gasped. "He's alive?" He asked in uncertainty. Layva nodded. "He drained the last of our SOLE and used it to heal himself."

Bruce pulled down the blanket and raised up Kai's borrowed shirt, revealing his scrawny body. There wasn't a wound in sight, not even a scar! 

"His breathing is normal and Fordnay said he's going to be fine in a few hours." Layva finished.

Bruce resisted to urge to tear up at the news. I think everyone has seen me cry enough.

Bruce pulled up a chair and sat. He and Layva were quiet for what seemed like forever, until she spoke up.

"You were right." She said softly. Bruce looked away from Kai and to her. "About what?" She looked at him before looking back to Kai.

"About Didrick having animals watching the area. We never would have made it in without your plan."

Bruce looked to the floor. "Thanks for coming when you did. I would have died when those animals surrounded me." They were both quiet for another moment.

"I'm sorry!" They both said at the same time. 

"What!" Layva said in shock. " What are you apologizing for?!" 

"I said that you did it! I blamed you for what happened to him!"

"That's because it was my fault!" She exclaimed.

"Didrick pushed Kai in front of your sword, I saw him do it. While you sat there kneeling and reliving bad memories I accused you of being a killer!"

"I AM a killer," Layva stood to her feet, her chair falling to the floor. "You were completely right. I call myself a Horizon guard, but I lost my cool, charged an enemy without thinking, and ran a sword through the boy I was supposed to save!"

"You think you lost your cool?" Bruce stood to his feet as well. "I freaked so hard when the bear attacked me I couldn't think! And when the rhinos came out… I left my best friend behind and ran away!"  Bruce was yelling now.

"You had just been drained of your power, and you were still willing to take those huge things on to save a stranger." 

"You think I was being heroic?" Layva shouted back. "I just wanted to get to Didrick so I could get revenge. I wasn't even thinking about Kai!"

"Well I was!" Bruce was in her face now. "I was thinking about how anyone of those rhinos could have stomped Kai into a bloody paste, and I didn't even look back! Hell, I was considering dropping your ass."

"You're not the one who stabbed an innocent." Layva said to him.

"No…" Bruce clenched his fist. "But I am the one who killed a guy."

"Who gives a shit?" Layva asked. "He was scum of the earth, he even said it himself. I'm glad you murdered hi-"

Layva shut her mouth as she saw Bruce's face. His lips were pressed together tightly and his hands were in fist.