The Chapters

Chapter Seven

Can we pause for a minute?

Pause? I stare at your words for a while. At a time like this, how are you supposed to pause?

This is a lot to take in. It's become a superhero story now. I just need to figure these things out.

Superhero story? This isn't anything like that. This is... Well, I don't know what it is, but I doubt it can be filed as superhero when there are so many people with abilities.

I guess you've never heard of the Avengers. Or X-men. Or the Runaways. Or any of the other Super societies.

Never.

"Mica?" Isak's voice snaps me back to the present. "Are you okay? I don't think thinking of me helping Amias carry Ruka needs a lot of imagination."

He looks worried. I wonder what I look line when I'm talking to you, reading the words and talking in my head. Do I look like I'm just lost in thought? Or do they actually see that there's something else?

Cut the angst, Carcia.

What? It's a legitimate question.

Angst, angst, angst. You're like a white hair anime character.

I'm already a character of something and I have no idea what anime is.

"Mica?" Isak asks again. I look at him and see that not only him, but Ruka, Keon, and Amias, too, are giving me concerned stares.

"Uh, did you guys just come through that door? " I ask, looking down the hallway Keon had headed down earlier.

"Yes, you seemed too lost in thought to notice," Ruka says dryly. She is being held up by Amias and Keon, one arm for each, but she looks much better than when I last saw her. There's still some dried blood on her shirt, but I don't see any new bleeding. She looks like she's breathing fine, too.

I hear Keon mutter something under his breath before speaking louder. "Are you sure you're alright, Mica?"

"Fine. Just a bit... " I look for an excuse. "Distracted."

Amias doesn't say anything. He stands there, one arm supporting Ruka, staring at me.

Isak brings my attention back to him. "Distracted by what?"

I shrug a little sheepishly. "A bit of everything, really. I... Still have a lot to take in."

"Huh," Keon says a little doubtfully. "You seemed like you were getting a good grip on things back there."

"Yeah, but I've calmed down a bit more and started thinking more about it. I don't - "

"We don't have time for thinking," Ruka interrupts. "Not with those hostiles still downstairs."

"Yeah, well, you aren't going down to face them," Keon says flatly. He motions for me to take Amias's place supporting Ruka. "Amias can go down to assist. We need to get you to someplace with medical supplies."

"I'm fine, " she protests as I take her arm from Amias, easing myself underneath it. She's shorter than both of us, so we have to stoop for her feet to remain on the ground. "Those two are dangerous. You shouldn't send all our assets down. If they get wiped out -"

"And with that," Amias says loudly, talking over Ruka. "I'm gone." He looks down at his bloodied shirt, shrugs slightly, and heads down the hallway and out the door, closing it softly behind him.

"What's Amias's ability?" I ask Keon.

Keon starts to answer, but stops when he catches sight of the death stare on Ruka's face. "What?"