Lainey and the Magicians (First Draft)

Chapter 10

 The bully threw the young man aside onto the ground, and Lainey gasped in terror. He didn't have any remorse for the feminine-looking young man. She might not have intervened quickly enough, but she could still undo some of the damage. She didn't want to use physical force against the bully unless she had to use physical force. He was a burly man who could easily knock her down in a physical fight, but she could beat him if she used her magic or tried to outsmart him. He could be smarter than he appeared since stereotypes didn't always apply to strong men with muscles. There could be a chance that she and the feminine young man could beat the crazy banker together.

 Lainey pulled her hood over her head. No. Didn't she want to change the past? Would the magicians find out what happened between her and how she got transferred to the past? It had to do with the gravestones and the buried ground where she had almost suffocated. The young man had his hands on his ribs, crying his eyes out. The bully was close by.

 She would help the young man first. From a bag nearby, the contents lay scattered. The plastic was crushed like roadkill. She glanced backward and forwards. Chills breezed through her hands. I need to chase after that gang member or whatever he is, Lainey thought to herself. I'll leave this guy behind. Even still, she paced up to the contents and managed to salvage any equipment that she could use to patch up his wounds. She gave him a basic five-minute treatment. Did she want to leave him behind? "What's your name?"

 "My name's Nathan, " The young man replied. "This guy shoved me up against a tree for no reason," Lainey rolled her eyes. She would have to go with the 'no reason' lie for the moment. I don't have time for this. Please be fine so I can continue on with my mission.

 "I'm sorry he did that," Lainey was sorry for Nathan. "Are you okay?"

 "Yes, I'll be alright." Nathan reached out for Lainey's hand to pull himself up. Lainey helped him up. "Thank you. What's your name?" He raised his eyebrows and flashed them towards her face. She was not going to allow this guy to flirt with her. She wasn't going to allow it since Christopher Tom had broken her heart after a long-term relationship that lasted two years. Two years was not a long time, but it all depended on what kind of person you were. To Lainey, the relationship had been like an indie fairy tale and it was not like your typical fairytale of the traditional women with the pretty dresses who danced with Princes at balls. 

 "My name's Lana," Lainey said, looking back towards the shady woods. "I'm single, but I don't want any relationships. I'm more about that platonic life and female friendships life."

 "Okay. Call me if you change your mind," Nathan answered in an accent. It sounded like a mix of Irish and Minapon. 

 Lainey laughed. "No." 

 They were getting along well enough. Lainey needed to move. She needed to get out of the area and chase the bully. "Lana, he's getting away. I bet he's covered a mile already. We'll need to run to keep up with him," Nathan commented, grabbing Lainey's arm. 

 They ran together toward the bully. During the way, Nathan leaned down a couple of times and pressed his palms against a tree. The medicine was still helping him recover from the sucker punch the bully had given to his ribs, but medicine could take a long time to kick in. The medicine was weak because it had been crushed by the bully, and Lainey didn't know the proper magical remedies to heal the wounds correctly. Second off, she didn't want to waste her time on dark magic. Lainey came over, hesitantly, to help Nathan. She had noticed a tattoo of the hooded face of a Rider that was x'd out on his arm, covered up by a four-leafed clover. What was going on with Nathan? This had something to do with Minapo, Lainey knew it. Another tattoo on his throat was of jaded emeralds. What had he done to tick off the mainframe? "It's okay, Lana." 

 "What do you mean?" She asked. 

 "I saw you staring at my edgier tattoos," Nathan answered.

 "I don't consider them edgy," Lainey said truthfully, helping Nathan up to his feet. "When you know enough about something, it is less mysterious to you and it doesn't seem as scary." That was true enough, but she didn't completely believe what she had just said to the letter. She would not mention how she didn't like the emerald tattoos because she didn't want to give a spy any means to knowing her whereabouts. She was already changing the past anyway. What would it hurt to say anything more? Well, she was the future Lainey, and this was the Past Lainey that they were talking about.