The Chosen

Chapter 15

Oliver was wounded. Pretty badly, too.

His injuries from the last battle had opened up, and now he had new cuts and scrapes. Trying to use his wings was a really bad idea. Oliver hadn't fully grasped the method of flying like an angel. He'd been able to surprise many people with his powers, but unfortunately, none of them were the enemies.

Karen had been by his side for most of the fight, but now she seemed to have disappeared. Amber was running around healing people. The medics were trying to keep up, but it was hard with so many wounded.

A young boy sat next to Oliver, twiddling his thumbs. The kid looked only about seven, and looked up when he noticed Oliver was watching. The boy grinned. He had messy brown hair that flopped around into his eyes, almost like Oliver's hairstyle. His eyes shone bright blue under his locks. One of his front teeth missing, so a gap showed in his mouth. His blue shirt and black shorts were stained with dirt.

“Hey, mister!” he cried. “Are you really old? Your hair looks white!”

Oliver twitched. He got the comment a lot, but he still wasn't used to it. The boy went on, “And you have really weird eyes! I've never seen any that colour!”

Oliver sighed. The pain in his side was making him irritable, and comments on his eyes always ticked him off.

“I'm not old. I'm only eighteen. My hair's just really light blond. And I guess my eyes are special. You'll see a lot of weird eyes as you grow up. It's best to not always remark on them,” Oliver stated.

The boy looked up at him with big eyes.

“Do you like Karen?” he asked out of the blue.

Oliver jumped. “What?” the words came out a little harsher than he expected. He could feel the heat creeping up his cheeks, making his face go red. “Karen's... nice. She's my friend. Nothing more.”

Oliver wasn't entirely sure about his answer. Karen and he were close friends, but he didn't know exactly where they stood.

“Is Alex bothering you?” said girl came up behind Oliver, tapping his shoulder.

Oliver jumped about three feet in the air, his wings coming out immediately and whacking Karen in the face.

“S-sorry,” he stammered, his face feeling like it was on fire. Karen stumbled back, holding her nose. Alex laughed beside him as Oliver tried to get to his feet. Key word; tried.

He fell to the ground, groaning and holding his wound as fresh blood started pouring out.

“Sh**!” he gasped, glancing sheepishly at Alex as Karen glared at him. “Sorry,” he apologized. Karen sighed, crouching next to him.

“Why didn't you tell me you had a wound?” she asked. Oliver shook his hair out his eyes.

“You were busy. And I'm... One of them. I heal fast.”

“Not if the injury isn't treated to. You're not invincible!”

Oliver hung his head. He could sense eyes on him, and was super surprised when Karen's arms went around him. He froze, shocked, one hand still on his ribcage.

“Don't worry if I'm busy,” she murmured. “I can always make time for you.”

Oliver didn't move, worried he would shatter the moment. Karen moved back and sat back on her haunches. Her face was void of emotion, but her cheeks were slightly red.

“Wait here,” she ordered. “I'll be right back.” She turned and walked away.

A smattering outburst of applause sounded as soon as she left the room. Oliver's face burned, and he was scared he would spontaneously combust.

A few wolf whistles rang out, but thankfully, everyone stopped as soon as Karen came back. She didn't react, ignoring the staring, swinging a medical bag in her hand.

“You have to stop opening that up,” she lectured him as she sat down to fix his wound. Oliver tensed as she gestured for him to pull his shirt over his head. Karen noticed his hesitation, and glared at the people watching.

“Mind your own business. You all have things to do!” she snapped. Everyone turned away and Oliver couldn't help but laugh. They were all scared out of their wits of Karen's temper. He had never seen her get mad, but he knew she was scary when she was angry.

Oliver was glad they were in a corner as he slipped off his shirt. He tensed as Karen moved behind him and gasped slightly. He closed his eyes and tried not to move. He knew the evidence of pain was bare on his back. It had been there for a while. Karen finished up quickly and handed him his shirt.

Oliver pulled his clothes over his head silently. Karen watched him sympathetically.

“What happened?” she asked softly. “Where did you get the scars?”

Oliver thought back to the last time. His secret was out. Mina had known all her life, since she had been in many of the scenes. His foster parents were abusive. They would hit him and cut him. There were scars all over his back, most of them swollen and red. There were also cuts on his wrists made by them.

Mina had seen his parents hit him, but she had never told anyone at his request.

After a while of silence, he finally let it out. “My parents hit me!” he blurted out. No one else heard him, but Karen looked shocked.

“Wh-”

“They hate me. They call me a devil's child and, and-”

Karen threw her arms around him again. This time, Oliver hugged her back, trying to hold back tears. These memories had always been painful.

Karen was warm and consoling. She was exactly what Oliver needed. They both held on for a while, comforting each other.

“We're going to be okay. We'll defeat the Element Users and we can all be happy,” Karen murmured.

Oliver squeezed her. “You're staying with me all they way.” he ordered, pulling back.

Karen smiled slightly and nodded. “Only if you promise the same thing.”

Oliver nodded too. “Promise.”

The two met each others eyes and leaned in. Karen's lips were soft and sweet. Oliver revelled in the warmth and promise he felt, knowing that even if things were to go bad, he could still be happy.