The Beginning of The End

Chapter 13 - The Tag

THE TAG

Luke came running in next to the doctor. "What?! How is that possible?"

"Did you leave her alone at all?" Johnny asked, his face becoming filled with anxiety.

Luke knew what happened when someone was tagged, but only from school - not experience. The Nova Citadel school, or course. No public school would teach that to their kids. Too much fear for regular kids.

When a person was tagged, the Tournament Headquarters could do whatever they pleased to that person, including physically hurting them, make them do crazy things, make them go insane, and give them mood swings worse than a moody teenage girl. All of that equals terrible. Especially the moody teenage girl part. That was straight-up danger. As in, run as fast as you can until your legs fall off. 

If left alone for too long, it could result in a tracking device that would give away the secret locations of the Nova Citadel Headquarters. Again: not good.

Carlie probably had no idea what was going on. She just saw Luke, Johnny, and the doctor, all outside the room she was in, all freaking out. Luke decided to walk in and explain what was happening to make her a little less paranoid. Hopefully.

"So, uh, there's this thing in your left foot that's called a Tag. It can make you do all sort of weird things if given time, and could also give away the locations of Headquarters if given even more time. If it spreads to your heart then..." he trailed off. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything about that part.

"What? It does what?" Carlie stepped down from the scanner and stood as close as she could to eye level to Luke. He was a few inches taller than her, so it wasn't exactly level. She also didn't act like she knew he didn't have a shirt on.

"It, uh, can kill you," he managed to say.

"What?! How do we get rid of this thing? Get it out of me now!" She tried to jump away from her foot, but seeing as it was, uh, her foot, she couldn't.

"Calm down. We'll get it out. The doctor is the best of the best of the best."

"Then why isn't it out yet? Why are those two just standing there, talking about god knows what, while I'm gonna die any second?" she hissed, sticking her face inches away from him.

"It doesn't take seconds to reach your heart. You're lucky it was your foot that was struck, and not your chest or neck."

"Then how long does it take? Hours? Days? Weeks?"

"We don't exactly know yet, but-"

"You don't know yet?! What do you mean 'You don't know yet'?!"

The doctor and Johnny stepped inside before he could respond. Luke was thankful for that.

"Carlie, could you come out here so we can look at your foot please?" the doctor asked. Correction - not really asking, more like a polite order.

She nodded curtly and gave Luke one last glare. She brushed her way past him, following the doctor and Johnny.

Luke just stood there, completely dumbfounded. Why was she giving him a glare? He hadn't done anything wrong, right? All he did was tell her that they didn't know how to cure her possibly fatal situation. How would...oh. The whole 'fatal situation' might be the reason she was P.O.ed at him at the moment.

"Carlie!" he called after her and ran into the main room where the others were. She was laying on the bed with her leg propped up on a pillow, the doctor closely examining it.

Johnny looked nervous for Carlie - biting his lip and glancing over the doctors' shoulder. He just met her, yet he had grown feelings already? How? 

Jennie crossed Luke's mind, then he shut his thoughts up. He had been in this situation about her, and losing her was the worst thing that had happened to him in a long time. He couldn't stand to see his best friend be hurt the same way as he was six months ago.

"Hey, Johnny, can you come over here real quick?" Luke asked, walking over to the scanner room. Johnny followed after giving Carlie one last look.

"S'up?"

"S'up? Really? That's the first thing you say? No. Don't deny it. I see the way you look at her. You don't want to lose her."

"No of course I don't, but that doesn't mean I'm all goo goo gaga over her. Sure, I like her, but not like that." Johnny stuffed his hands in his black jeans' pockets and glanced back at the girl who was making him worried.

Luke noticed and snorted. "Trust me, you do. Remember how you told me about the way I looked at Jennie? Well, now it's my turn to let you know that that's what you're doing to Carlie."

Johnny rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Fine. Maybe I do, but don't tell her, alright?"

"Okay, but just do one thing for me. Obviously I have to do this as well, and don't get me wrong, I like her, but I have a feeling that it won't come to me when the final decision comes."

"And...? What's the thing you want me to do?"

"Protect her. With your life. I've already failed with not letting her get out of my sight, and you are the person I trust the most out of everyone to succeed with this."

Johnny put his hand up in a timeout gesture. "Hold up. You get this girl, then just throw her my way to have me protect her and save the world? No offense, but that's just sick, man."

"No, not like that. I will be looking after her mostly, but I have the uncomfortable feeling that it won't come to just me and her towards the end. Just promise me that you will take care of her if the time ever does come."

"Okay...? I will."

"Thank you. Now get back to your future girlfriend." Luke smirked and punched Johnny's shoulder lightly. He would have done it harder to show that he wasn't completely weak, but he was, and that pressure and movement really hurt.

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BLAH