Wraith

Dark Stirrings Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

After the Captain's words of warning, Wraith had found the hospital rather anticlimactic. They had been the only patients and the hospital staff had been calm and efficient as they checked out the wound on Magnoss' head, dressed it and tested his other vitals. They had been more concerned with the evidence a quick CT scan had revealed of torn tissue and fractured bone in the Captain's chest. However, after they had assessed the damage they had decided that the best thing to do was to strap up his ribs, give him a few painkillers and strict instructions to rest as much as possible, and send him on his way. Now she stood outside the green door once more watching him replace the key behind the brick. She waited for him to finish and then asked.

"What happens now?"

"Do you mean regarding Magnoss?" Wraith nodded as they started walking back toward Memory Lane and the districts she was more familiar with. The Captain waited until they were once again on top of the roofs and enjoying slightly more privacy before he answered. "I've given instructions to keep him sedated in the short term. I'm hoping that when Volcano has a look at this machine he'll be able to use it to work out some way to keep him imprisoned without keeping him unconscious."

Wraith stopped short. "Oh no! I forgot all about Volcano." She barely managed to keep herself from saying 'Dad'. "I need to go get Olive and get her to him."

The Captain glanced up at the night sky and nodded. "You go ahead. I'll follow at my own pace. If you get a chance while dodging bursts of flame, let him know that I'm on my way and that I need his advice about an Abuser."

Wraith gave a short laugh as she sped away but there was no humor in it. She knew just how protective her father was. If he sees so much as a hint of my suit he's going to be worried enough by now to blast first and ask questions later, she thought. I'd almost be better off changing into my Normal clothes and then slipping into my room as Olive than I would if I stay as Wraith and then change in my room. She frowned and slowed down to a stealthier pace as she approached her house. But if anyone sees me, that's it. No more secret identity. No, I'll go in as Wraith and risk Dad seeing me. What are the chances he and a bunch of other Users will be in my bedroom again anyway? But she remembered her surprise the previous night and this time she didn't just blithely slip into her room.

Instead she crouched for a moment on the guttering, staying below the roofline so that she wouldn't be silhouetted by the moon, and listened. She couldn't hear anyone in her room and she could tell that her Dad was pacing the sitting room and muttering irritably to himself. Wraith winced involuntarily as she heard a string of profanity directed her way. Dad never swears. He must be really upset. It was that which prompted her to swing in noiselessly through her window and slip into her Normal clothes as fast as possible.

She paused for a moment to check her appearance and then ran lightly down the stairs and across the hall to the sitting room. She tapped on the door and then pushed it open, only to freeze as four pairs of eyes fixed on her. It was like a repeat of the previous night only her Dad was pacing instead of sitting and in place of the Captain there were Donner and Flayme. And I'm Olive now, not Wraith, she reminded herself. I need to act accordingly. She let her mouth drop open slightly in surprise.

"Wow!" She allowed herself to study the different costumes for a moment. Before she could say anything further however, her Dad had swept her up in a crushing bear hug.

"Oh, Olive," he murmured softly into her ear. She was slightly embarrassed to realize that he was crying. After a moment, she gave him a gentle push.

"Put me down, Dad." She pushed slightly harder when he didn't respond. "I'm fine, Dad. I've only been gone a couple of days, and I would normally have been at university for most of the time anyway. And Wraith kept me perfectly safe the whole time."