The Fate Of The Marked

Chapter Thirteen

I sat just inside the door at a booth and folded my arms awkwardly. No one else came in or out. I could feel the guy starring at me, but I didn't look away from the window.

I was tired and cold and my arm hurt. I wanted to go to sleep and not think. I tapped my foot against the dirty floor and grimaced when it stuck. I pulled my legs up and sat Indian style instead.

I didn't move when Derek pulled up across the street. It must have been getting really late. He got out the drivers seat and looked into the store. I raised my hand and felt like in idiot, so I stood and thanked the cashier for letting me use the phone. I met Derek at the door.

His reached out and grabbed my shoulders and pulled me outside, looking me over like he'd never seen me before. He grabbed my wrist and sighed at my lack of shoes before finally letting go and stepping back.

"Your alright?" He asked anyway.

I nodded and he began to lead me across the street. A woman got out of the passenger side and met us there.

She was shorter than me, and by default, was a good foot and a half shorter than Derek. Her hair was dark and curly, and her skin was like toffee. She smiled at me.

And then she noticed that I didn't have a jacket.

Derek must have noticed too, because he shrugged his off and put it around me. I wanted to give it back and say that I didn't need it, but I was still cold and it was really warm.

"I'm Jane," She said, reaching out to take my hand. "And you must be Elliot."

I nodded again and she frowned at how cold my hands were.

Derek ushered me into the backseat and got back in the front. I expected Jane to as well, but she crawled into the back and took the seat beside me. She dug in the trunk, pulled out a blanket and put it over me.

We drove in silence for a few minuets.
"Did you leave before or after the security officer got attacked?" Derek asked finally.

"After," I said, trying not to sound guilty, even though I was innocent.

"I'm not taking you back to that hospital," He said, turning. "Your going to the General Emergency Center."

I had stopped shivering, even though I was still cold and my head still hurt. The clock on the dashboard said it was past midnight. I could tell Derek had something to say. He drummed his fingers against the steering-wheel and messed with the controls.

We stopped at a red light. He turned around in his seat and looked at me.

"Do you know how worried I was when the hospital called me, in class, mind you, and told me that the security officer had been taken down and that you were nowhere to be found?"

"Sorry," I said quietly with a grimace.

"I've spent the last three and a half hours driving around God-knows-where looking for you, hoping you were still in one piece. You do realize that you almost died two days ago? When I found you, you stopped breathing. I thought you were dead. Your fever was almost one-oh-four and you kept crying and-"

"Derek," Jane said over him, "Don't do this right now."

I sank down a little lower in the seat and wished I hadn't left the hospital in the first place. I hadn't realized that anyone had cared that much.

Derek cursed. He had missed the green light and it had gone back to red. He started to say something, but Jane cut him off again.

"Don't." She said. "He's tired and probably doesn't feel good. Just be glad he called."

Derek muttered something about having an early class to cancel, but didn't say anything else. I was really glad Jane was there. I liked her more and more every minuet.

I leaned my head against the window and stared out at the passing scenery. Most of the buildings looked new and modern, but others were worn down and dirty.

I couldn't see the stars. I didn't notice when my eyes started to drift shut, but Jane and Derek's conversation stopped.

I felt her lean over and fix the blanket before pushing my hair away from my face. I was too tired to move away from it, even though her hands were colder than me. I knew that was probably bad, and that I probably had a fever again.

When the car stopped for the last time, I sat up. Derek kept an arm around me, and Jane was on my other side. The feeling hadn't come back to my feet yet, but I stumbled along anyway. The lights inside were blinding. We were called back almost as soon as Derek spoke to the officer at the guard post.

I sat down on a hospital bed. A doctor came and checked over me. I hadn't even noticed the slice on my foot from a piece of glass, and couldn't remember when it had happened.

The doctor sewed it up and cleaned it, bandaging it heavily. He checked the stitches on my chest and deemed me well enough after giving me a dose of something that tasted like old socks and poison.

Jane told me to go to sleep while she and Derek talked to someone in the hall. I stared at the wall for a long time. I couldn't quite drift off, no matter how tired I was. I kept feeling the blood on my fingertips, or bugs crawling over my arms.

Derek came back a little while later and sat beside me.

"Elliot," He started. "Do you want to come stay with Jane and I?"

I stared.

"We're registered foster parents. We took those classes forever ago," He said. "Its a long story. We managed to pull some strings, and the head of CPS gave the okay for you to stay with us for a while."

I nodded and he helped me stand up. I was wobbly the whole way to the car. Jane talked quietly to me, but I couldn't focus on what she was saying.

I fell asleep as soon the car started.

Someone far away smiled, a twisted turn of their lips. Everything was falling into place exactly the way he wanted it to.