Special

Chapter 3

'It's definitely broken,' a young female doctor said, holding out a tablet displaying an X-ray of my foot.

I shifted on the examination table I lay on to get a good look at the scan.

Mum stood beside the examination table. She hadn't left my side since we got to the hospital.

I could barely feel the lower part of my right leg and foot. A nurse had injected me with a painkiller while we waited to see the doctor.

'These are the points of fracture,' the doctor said, pointing at the X-ray.

My foot appeared to be broken in three places.

'You have fractures on the third, fourth and fifth metatarsals,' she explained. 'The good news is that the fractures are all transverse. The bad news is that you'll be needing a cast.'

Cody sat in silence beside me in the waiting room after the doctor completed putting the cast around my lower leg. I would have to wear it and use crutches for a few weeks.

Mum signed some papers at the reception desk and spoke to the doctor about the painkiller prescription and her concerns on how it might clash with the meds from my treatment.

'Dad!' Cody perked up the moment he spotted him.

Dad exited the elevator, walking towards us.

'Guess what?' Cody enthused, jumping off his seat.

My gut tightened as Cody effortlessly lifted the three-seater waiting room chair I sat on before Dad could get a word in.

'Whoa!' Dad awed.

I gasped, my heart pounding as the chair swayed. 'Put me down!' I ordered, gripping the edge of the seat. 'Put me down!' I grumbled.

'Put your sister down,' Dad instructed.

The little tyke complied. He gently lowered the seat and ran into Dad's arms.

He took a step back and looked down, twiddling with his fingers. 'I stepped on Hope's foot,' he murmured.

'I heard,' said Dad. 'Did you apologise?'

'I didn't mean to,' Cody protested, crossing his arms. 'She was hogging the remote.'

'Apologise to your sister.'

Cody turned to face me and in his most genuine and sympathetic tone said, 'I'm sorry.'

I crossed my arms and turned away. It was one thing to be humiliated by random kids, being humiliated by my little brother was like a dagger through the heart. My baby brother who once upon a time would greet me in front of the house with a hug whenever I returned home from school. My little brother whom I was supposed to protect.

I tried hard to fight back the tears. Cody's stunts evoked old fears of him outgrowing me. It's funny, but as Cody grew older and none of my treatments panned out, I feared he'd develop abilities before me. There might've been some envy, but I believe I was mostly afraid he wouldn't need me anymore.

Dad turned his attention towards me. 'How's the leg?'

Dad was part of the mere one per cent of the population naturally gifted with four abilities. Four impressive gifts of which I inherited none.

His plethora of abilities included flight — he could fly at supersonic speeds; super hearing — he could hear sounds from nearly two miles away; superhuman strength — he could lift up to four thousand pounds, and fast healing — he healed at three to five times the average rate. He hardly fell ill. His cuts and bruises healed within hours or a day.