One of Them

Chapter 11

Burst opened her eyes to find that everything was blurry again.

If this keeps happening I'm going to need glasses. She thought.

After a few seconds, everything came into focus. She was in her room, lying in her bed. Her entire body ached, when she rubbed her arms to try to soothe the aching she found that they were covered in bandages.

"How do you feel?" Someone asked.

Burst looked up to find Pic sitting in a chair next to her bed. "My arms and head ache," she told him. "But I'm fine. How long have I been out?"

"Twelve hours." He said. "It's... Noon."

Burst sighed and sat up. "How long have you been sitting there?" She asked.

"The entire time." Pic answered. "I needed to make sure you were okay."

Burst smiled at him. "Thanks." She said. Then her stomach growled.

Pic laughed once. "You hungry?" He asked, standing up. "We've got sandwiches downstairs."

Burst nodded and got out of bed, her legs felt numb. She almost fell over, but Pic caught her.

"Here, let me help you." He said, putting her arm over his shoulder so he could support her. They walked out of the room and into the hall.

"You haven't been as shy towards me lately," Burst pointed out. "Why is that?"

"Um, well..." Pic said. "I guess it's because, well, I know you a little now, and I know you're a really nice person."

Burst smiled. "Nobody's ever said anything like that to me." She said. "Thank you."

Pic gave her a warm look. "You're welcome." He said.

They walked into the dining room and sat down at the table, Ivory was sitting across from them, scarfing a turkey sandwich.

"You're up!" He said when he saw Burst. "Are you feeling okay?"

Burst nodded and reached for a sandwich from the pile in the middle of the table. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a little weak and hungry."

Ivory nodded and returned to his sandwich. Burst had barely taken the first bite of hers when the front door flew open. A boy with ocean blue eyes, straight chocolate brown hair, and pale skin walked in. He was wearing a pale yellow hoodie and dark grey jeans. But the most unusual thing about this boy was that his lips had stitches in them and the front of his hoodie was torn, revealing a long, purple scar across his chest.

"Hey Stitch!" Ivory greeted the boy. "You're just in time for lunch, we've got turkey sandwiches!"

"Who's Stitch?" Burst whispered to Pic.

"You haven't read about him?" Pic asked. "He's the Specter that joined before me, his story is on the website under mine."

Wow, Burst thought. I can't believe I actually missed a story! Wait...

"How did you know about the stories?" She asked.

"I wrote them." Pic told her. "Do you... Like them?"

"Are you kidding?" Burst asked. "Those stories were the only things that kept me from going insane in the orphanage!"

Pic's eyes sparkled with happiness. "Really?" He asked. "I never thought my writing could mean that much to anyone."

"That shows how great of a writer you are." She said, slipping her hand into his.

"Aw," Ivory said. "That's so cute!"

Burst felt her cheeks get hot and they stopped holding hands.

"What's so cute?" Stitch asked as he walked into the dining room. Burst noticed that when his mouth moved the four stitches on his lips were stretched over his mouth.

Poor guy, how did that even happen to him? She wondered. And how does he eat?

"Who's the new kid?" Stitch asked, staring at Burst.

"I'm StarBurst, but you can call me Burst." She said. "I'm the newest Specter, I have extreme speed and strength."

Stitch smiled. "Welcome to the gang, Burst." He said. "But may I ask, what's with the bandages?"

Burst glanced down at her arms. "I kinda got kidnapped last night." She said. "Let's just say there was a whip involved."

Stitch's eyes widened. "Really?" He asked. "Did Grimm take off his mask?"

Ivory nodded. "Only one eye though." He said. "The girl is probably still screaming."

Stitch scowled. "Aw, now I regret leaving." he said. "I always miss the fun stuff!"

"Where did you go?" Burst asked.

"I just went to get some materials for my experiments." He said, grabbing a sandwich. "I'll be downstairs in my lab if anyone needs me."

Then he opened a door in the back of the dining room and walked down the stairs, slamming the door behind him.

"Experiments?" She asked, looking to Pic for an explanation.

"He's looking for a cure to his disease." Pic said. "The one that keeps his mouth stitched up."

"Oh," Burst said. "Is he close to finding it?"

Pic shook his head and they continued eating. After Burst was finished she ran upstairs to her room and fired up her computer. She opened the search engine and searched for the Specter Gang stories. She looked for Stitch's story and found it under Pic's. She opened it and started reading.

"It all started when a boy named Jeremy was bitten by a rabid dog. He had been walking home from his medical club when the dog jumped out of the bushes and tore open his chest with its jaws. He was rushed to the hospital after being found lying on the ground, unconscious. The doctors at the hospital fixed the gash in his chest. But while they were fixing the wound, the rabies had spread, and had mutated into an extremely dangerous disease. It caused Jeremy to foam at the mouth and bite people like normal rabies, but this new kind had no cure and was much more deadly. After he woke up, he attacked the doctors, nurses and patients. He killed them all, then passed out from the adrenaline his disease caused. He woke up three days later, not remembering what had happened. But after Jeremy found all the bodies, the knowledge of what he had done destroyed him, he was never the same again. He changed his name to Stitch and sewed his mouth shut to keep himself from killing anyone else, and went into hiding. A few years later, a boy that could pass through walls found Stitch and brought him to his mansion, Stitch turned the basement into a lab so he could try to find a cure to his disease. He is still working to this day."

Burst closed her laptop, and lay on her bed, thinking about what she had read.

So that explains why he has a scar on his chest and his mouth is partially sewn shut. She thought. But does he still become hostile and foam at the mouth?

Then there was an explosion downstairs.