Laser Kid Experiment

Chapter Four- Seen

Logan found it hard to sleep that night. Baxis' words seemed to haunt him, fogging his mind like a storm.

'I'm not like you.'

That part was obvious of course. It was clear that Baxis was different, he just didn't know why or how. Were they referring to their accent? That part was clearly different, and made him stand out to other students. But still, curiosity got the better of him.

When he had a lesson with the strange boy, gym class, he stood against the bannister, glancing at him whenever he could. While the other students got dressed into their gym clothes, Baxis sat on the bench staring at the floor. He noticed how the other students didn't seem to notice, getting dressed and leaving the changing room towards the hall. Logan followed, but paused in the doorway. Should he speak to him? Ask him what he was doing? He stayed silent as Baxis stood to his feet and slipped his shirt over his head. Logan had to clasp his hand over his mouth to stop himself from gagging. All over the strange boy's body was scares, scabs and bruises. His arms were toned but large scares were on his shoulders as if they had been cut repeatedly in the same place, never allowing the wound to heal. Deep gashes ran along down his back as if a whip had been slashed across, with various stitching scars that were clearly not done by a professional. Scars across his stomach were evident too, as well as a fresher looking wound in his side. It was scabbing around the edges, the stitches poorly holding the skin together. Dried blood was flaking off the skin. The skin around the circular wound was purple, with black lines streaking from it like blood pouring into a pool. It was a horrific sight, and Logan's first instinct was that Baxis was being abused at home, or getting beat up. Perhaps he was part of a gang? He tried sneaking out of the room, but his back hit the wall behind him, allerting Baxis. He spins around and stares at him in shock. Logan felt the colour drain from his face as he saw the friary rage in Baxis' eyes. "What the hell!? Are you watching me!?" he shrieks, grabbing his shirt to yank it back on over his head. Logan opens his mouth to say something, but the shock was still fogging his mind. "Well!?" Baxis pressed, keeping his distance from Logan as if afraid.

"Are you okay?" Logan managed to splurt out, not really thinking. Baxis looked taken aback, blinking a few times he regained his composure. He growled, turning away from him.

"I was until you were watching me change, creep." he sneered, his voice quieter now as he shoved his gym hoodie on. Logan frowned, playing with the sleeves of his hoodie anxiously. Baxis tried to walk out past him but Logan stepped in front of him, folding his arms in a way to seem confident. Baxis raised an eyebrow as he glared down at him. "I'll need to report this to the principal. Your wounds are too concerning for me to just ignore-" Logans voice trailed off as he gasped. A blade pressed against his neck made him freeze, staring up into Baxis' icy eyes.

"If you tell anyone about what you saw, I will use this." he lowered his voice to a whisper, deep and menacing. Despite the threat, Logan was still confident they wouldn't actually kill him. Not inside the school anyway.

"Then what? You just want me to forget?" he snapped back, his voice slightly strained due to the blade against his throat. Baxis narrowed their eyes, snarling, he backed off.

"Yes." he simply said, his gaze relaxing. Logan frowned, but took the opportunity to take a deep breath as Baxis stepped back.

"I can't do that."

The scarred boy grimaced, shoving the blade into his pocket and stormed out into the gym, Logan hurried after them. "So are you like a gang member? Alcoholic dad?"

"Insensitive questions, English boy. I will not explain my appearance." he huffed, looking around the gym. The other students had already taken up most pf the exercise equipment by the looks of it. The teacher stormed up to them, a scowl evident on her face. "You two are late." she scolded. Logan was quick to apologise.

"Sorry mam! We just-"

"No matter. You two pair up and get on something." she demanded, nodding towards the end of the room. Baxis groaned.

"Miss, can I have a different partner?" he whined, his accent changing to sound Norwegian. She gave him a glare, which made him scoff at her, sulking over to the end of the room. Logan couldn't help but giggle slightly. Usually, Baxis was friendly and mostly calm, so seeing him mope about after Logan saw his 'appearance' was slightly amusing.