Red Rain

Chapter 12 - Karma Police

I don't remember saying goodbye to anyone, even Luca.

I don't even remember leaving the library or flying back to Balthazar. I might have teleported back to school for all I know.

All I do remember is joining the rest of the school in the auditorium while Dr. Saltz announces that Paul is still alive and recovering in the hospital in Bearville. (Thanks to certain experimental water-elemental therapies, it's possible in Heavenly and Hellish hospitals to re-attach certain accidentally-dismembered body parts. So, even though this was no accident, Paul hopefully won't be forced to wear an eye patch or a glass eye for the rest of his life.) Saltz also tells everyone that the police are investigating (like they'll be able to figure out anything, since they got nothing right about Steve's death) and that the whole school is on lockdown until further notice (again).

Afterwards, we all go back to our dorms, and Luca fills me in on what is known about the...erm...incident. Apparently, Paul was helping out in the kitchen, using a melon baller to make fruit salad for dessert, when suddenly he turned the melon baller on himself and took out his own eye. Or something. It all happened so fast that the few eyewitnesses still have no idea what it was they saw. The melon baller to the eye is the only thing everyone agrees on. How it got there, though, is anyone's guess.

And I think mine might be the closest to the mark.

"Was he near a sink or something?" I ask, pacing the floor like a caged animal. "Any source of water?"

Luca shakes his head. "Dude, you're not still thinking about that Aqua Killer, are you? I mean, that's the first thing I thought of too. But Paul's still alive...you don't really think it's him again, do you?"

"What else makes sense?" I ask. "Paul would never do that to himself, not willingly. I'm sure of it. The Aqua Killer made him do it. I can't see any other explanation." I check my watch. "Six-twelve. How long are visiting hours at the hospital again?"

"I dunno...till seven?" Luca frowns deeply. "Dude, don't tell me you're gonna go see Paul. You know they've got us on lockdown, right?"

"Lockdown, schmockdown," I say, turning to the window. "There's only one way to figure out for sure if the Aqua Killer tried to get Paul."

"Alex," Luca says, grabbing my arm. "Alex, stop. Why do you need to keep pursuing this? Since when do you got such a raging hero complex?"

I pull out of Luca's grasp. "I can't tell you everything right now, but I'm invested in this thing like you wouldn't believe. Seriously, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just let me go now. I'll take care of this."

I open the window and fly out, heading straight for Bearville. Even though it's past sunset, if I fly high enough, there's still a bit of sunlight off to the west to guide my way. I land in front of the hospital and walk through the sliding doors, then turn towards the information desk.

"Paul Smythe?" I ask the middle-aged blonde receptionist.

She checks her computer screen. "Yeah, he just got out of surgery. He was very lucky they were able to reattach his eye." She turns back to me. "Room 353. You know, you're the first person to come visit him so far. Isn't that something?"

"Yeah, that's interesting," I say vaguely. "Thanks."

I take the elevator up to the third floor and go down the hall, at first in the wrong direction. When I figure out my mistake, I turn around and walk all the way to the end of the hall, then enter Room 353.

Paul lies in one of the room's two beds, staring through one blue eye at the fluorescent lights. His other eye, his right, is covered in a bandage. He turns to see who's coming in, then sits up in surprise. "Alex? What...what are you doing here?"