What Makes a Human?

III: Amaya

All the students were freaking out as Nia was quickly pulled onto a gurney and wheeled into the infirmary. What had been kept to whispers now became loud chatter and shouts amongst the shocked students. The supervisor took the time to berate Alex for instigating the fight.

"So I leave, explicitly tell you not to do anything until I get back, and your first reaction is to charge her and start a fight?! Get that stupid grin off your face, you animal. This isn't funny. I told you to let her have an easy first day for a reason! Every teacher here can't stop talking about how smart you are, how your reasoning skills are some of the best they've ever seen. Why don't you apply those brains everyone thinks you have and not endanger people's lives!" Alex paid her no mind, simply staring at her bloodied hands with the slightest smile of relief on her face.

Meanwhile, a girl with long black twists stood up from the bleachers and quickly followed the gurney into the infirmary, sitting in a chair next to where they'd laid Nia. She waited there a few minutes as the healer used her magic to remove bruises and check for any more internal damage. Finding none, she moved to drafting a brief report of Nia's condition.

"Amaya," the healer girl said, turning from entering information on a computer to face her. "I've healed her as much as I can; at this point, we can only wait for her to get up. Do you really want to stay here? She might not wake up for a while, and it's important that you eat."

"I'll be okay. Thank you for worrying, though," Amaya responded. She turned back to Nia. "Are you sure she'll be alright?"

"I mean, everything's fine now, she's okay, just needs some rest. Anyone would, after taking a beating like that." The healer turned back to type something on the laptop. "Well, I'm going to get my lunch. I'll be back soon, but if she wakes up before I get back, you guys can just go. I set it up so the computer will say her time in the infirmary ends as soon as her limiter signal leaves the room."

"Thanks, Elaine," Amaya said, and the healer turned back in slight surprise. A smile crept up her lips, as though she wasn't used to hearing her own name, and then she left the room. Is she not used to hearing her own name from people? That'd be shitty, but I wouldn't be surprised, either. I should make sure I say her name more often. She turned back to face Nia, still worried despite Elaine's promises that the earth mage was completely fine. She had been sitting for about five minutes when Nia began to stir.

"What...happened?" Nia winced as she sat up slightly. "I'm really sore."

"Well, you passed out after, like, a three-minute fight with Alex. I was worried about you, so I came to see if you were alright."

"Oh, thanks, I appreciate it."

The two girls fell into an extremely uncomfortable silence. What the hell was I thinking? I was hoping I could wait here and we'd have a conversation when she got up but now she's up and I can't think of anything to say. Should I ask where she moved from? Wait, but what if she doesn't like to talk about that or too many people asked her that already and she gets annoyed? But I can't just keep up the silence either. I gotta find a safe question or something that won't get me more awkward silence or on a list or something.

"So, uh, what's your next class?"

"Wait, I thought we had lunch now."

"Oh...yeah, yeah, of course, yeah." Amaya smiled, trying to hide her extremely shaky hands. Good job, idiot. Now she thinks you're stupid. Also now you can't offer to take her around the school because there's no way she'll trust you to know the campus. You probably just blew your quickest way to be friends with this girl. Maybe there'll be another opportunity...I guess. I hope.