Legend's Apprentice

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When I smacked the alarm the next morning, I couldn't understand why I felt so awful. Then I dragged myself out of bed and into the shower. There were bruises all over still, even after the tissue accelerator, mostly to my arms and torso. They looked new; they must have come to the surface after the healing session was over. They sure felt like deep bruises. I was grateful I didn't have to dress down for gym. There was one set on my forearm that was clearly from fingers closing around my arm. And it hit me just what had happened. If I hadn't fought back, I probably would have been ok, but a friend would have died in agony. Some of what I'd seen last night I'd promptly repressed, but it wouldn't stay down. There'd been blood everywhere, not just from his torso. I could recall slashes to his palms, but the arms of his sweater and his pants over his thighs had been torn and bloody too. Alfred would have taken care of those later, wouldn't he? Then I thought about all the blood, being sprayed by it, the smell of it, the taste of it. It had stayed in my eyes a little so that it looked like I cried blood when they watered. A blood vessel must have been hit, just stabbing muscle or organs wouldn't make it squirt like that, would it? I swiped at tears on my cheeks, stupid since I was still in the shower. The recollection of seeing the excised gallbladder on the table and the sights and smells hit me and I gagged violently, losing the battle against throwing up. Fortunately, I didn't have anything in my stomach beside acid and bile.

When I was dressed, I went out to grab my bag and get going. Sam and Mindy were waiting and asked if I wanted to skip school. "You don't look good, Alex. You're pale and still upset," Sam worried.

"I've got a paper due and probably a couple of quizzes," I said. "I'd rather do them today."

"Honey, were you raped?" Mindy asked bluntly.

"No," I shook my head violently. "It wasn't like that. I was with a friend. They beat him up really badly. I was just kind of...collateral damage." I could tell from the look on their faces that they thought that the attackers had just got Damian out of the way before planning to focus on me. I let them think that, it was easier than the truth. Which I still didn't know, completely. She hugged me gently, and after a couple more questions, Mindy dropped me off at school.

I did ok until English, when I went to hand in my essay on Hamlet. "I'm really sorry," I mumbled. "I meant to provide more detail on the discussion of the three revenge plots in the play but I didn't have time."

Mr Franklin looked at me with a jaundiced air. "And what prevented you from adding this information?"

"I was going to do it last night when I got home from work," I said softly. "But I was mugged instead. It took a long time to get home again, and I was too worn out to do the work." I hesitated, then rolled up my sleeve to show him the bruises. They were really dark now. Maybe I should swallow my pride and ask Bucky if I could go to the tower for another session with the tissue accelerator. Mr Franklin looked shocked, then asked if I was ok.

"I'll be fine, it was just a shock," I said, and he nodded and let me go. I gave Aslyn the same abridged version of events I'd given Sam and Mindy, and she was furious on my behalf. It felt good that there were so many people concerned about me. I kind of sleepwalked through the rest of the day aside from taking pop quizzes in French and earth science. Then I went outside, I saw Alfred and Uncle Bucky talking beside his car. I shuffled over to them.

"Alex, sweetie, are you ok?" my uncle asked in alarm.

"No," I said in a small voice, and started to cry. He hugged me and rocked me a little, and when I calmed down, gave me his handkerchief.

"So is it just the shock or is it something else?" he asked gently but practically.

"Shock, I think," I muttered. Then I showed him the bruising. "Shouldn't these have healed after the accelerator last night?"