The Things We Do (Under Editing)

A Path of my Own

As the sun rose, dawn light shifted the wall I was staring at from a dark mass to a white rectangle. I blinked the crust from my eyes and carefully unfolded my stiff legs, extracting myself from the hard hospital chair I'd been perched in all night.

Beside me, Kacie still lay unconscious, but several machines beeped a steady rhythm, assuring me she was still alive. The doctors told me that she should wake up in the next day or two. I wouldn't believe them until it happened.

It hurt to see her lying so still, especially knowing that it was my fault. She looked so fragile. Kacie, as she was meant to be, was anything but.

An alarm on my phone reminded me that the world outside the small room existed. More specifically it reminded me that classes were still happening and I was still supposed to be attending them. It took all of my willpower to tear myself from Kacie's side. Staying wouldn't do her any good.

When I'd tossed my mask into the sewer water, it was with the decision that I would never be Phantom Banshee again. If I was going to hold to that, I would need to drag my grades up some other way. I was going to claw my way out of this pit if it took everything I had. I'd do it for Seth, Kacie, and Mel... and maybe even a little bit for myself.

Of course, the path that was most likely to succeed would most definitely strip me of my pride. That was the price I was willing to pay to get away from Wraith and his orders.

Carefully, I reached down and brushed the hair out of Kacie's face, and left.

For once, I was not only on time, but early for class. It was a necessary part of my plan, and also it gave me time to fully regret what I was about to do.

I leaned against the wall outside the classroom and waited. There was only one person I might have expected to be early, and, as far as I knew, he'd only ever actually been late once, so when I heard footsteps coming down the hall, I ready myself to have little to no pride left, and pushed off the wall.

"Good morning."

Like the nerd he was, Elliot had been walking along while reading a book, but at the sound of my voice, his head snapped up so fast I don't know how it didn't break.

"Morning," he muttered back, seeming thoroughly confused as to why I had greeted him.

The jerk not only didn't stop, but actually sped up to walk past me, heading for the classroom. I bit back my annoyance and pushed onward with the plan.

Despite the fact that he wasn't paying attention, I started talking as if we were already in the middle of a conversation.

"So, is that offer for tutoring still open?"

This time when Elliot's head swiveled towards me, I actually heard his neck crack. He didn't stop walking, though, so the next second, he walked straight into the door frame. Why did I expect him to be able to help me again? Oh, well. It was kind of funny watching him bounce off.

It took him a second to gather his dignity, doing so by straightening his collar, fixing his hair, and coughing once. I watched him with raised eyebrows until he finished.

Finally, he folded his hands behind him and nodded. "I think I can make some time. As for the price, you failing is so pitiful that it depresses me, so let's just say that you owe me."

Either he's good at thinking on his feet, or he already had the terms of this deal worked out. Whichever it was, I was already regretting it.

Elliot turned back to enter the classroom, and I followed him. We took our seats and he went back to reading his book. After a moment, he broke the silence without looking up. "Why the sudden change of heart, anyway."

"I sick of taking extra credit work."

He must have noticed the darkness in my words because he turned to look at me again... and he was still looking at me... ok, now he was just staring.

Luckily, I was saved from his gaze by our classmates and professor arriving. I really hoped not every conversation with him from here out was going to be like this. I'd end up stabbing him before finals even arrived.

Once I'd escaped my final class of the day, I returned to the hospital. I planned to spend as much time as I could at Kacie's side without the doctors throwing me out. It turned out I had been right about my friend, though: she was as tough as they come.

When I got to her room, I was surprised to find her sitting up and eating. She looked up when I entered and smiled.

"Amy! I'm so glad you're here! I need you to save me from this horrible hospital food!" She said it like it was going to poison her. More importantly, she said it like she hadn't been in a coma for several days and only just woken up.

I laughed at my friend's antics. "I'll go get you a coffee and a candy bar in a minute."

"I knew I kept you around for something, Sweetheart!" Kacie smiled brightly at me, and my heart twinged. She looked better now that she was awake, but the bandages around her head were proof of her injuries.

My own smile faded. "How are you feeling?"

Kacie refused to let her positive attitude slip, though it suddenly seemed a little strained. "Well, my head feels like crap, but I'm better than I could be, considering how close I was standing to an explosion."

I made my eyes widen. Kacie had been found on the ground by the toppled tree, but the traces of what had happened were unclear. As such, I reacted as if that was the info I had.

"What do you mean?" I hated that my voice held the perfect amount of concern and shock.

"Well... I found Phantom Banshee trying to push the tree over with a bulldozer, so I stole the keys. She then decided to blow it up instead, but I didn't realize what she was doing until too late." Kacie's voice trailed off, and she stared at her hands, which were curled in her lap.

Another wave of self-loathing rolled over me.

When she spoke again, her voice was quiet, like she was talking to herself. "I know it sounds crazy, but I don't think Phantom Banshee intended to hurt me. She told me to run and, when it was too late, she tackled me to the ground."

I froze. Not once had I expected her to remember that.

"No way." Somehow I managed to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "You probably hallucinated that. You've said it yourself, Phantom Banshee is a monster."