Masters's Son

Two

For the briefest of moments, it's okay. I'm okay. I feel numb, almost warm. It's so quiet.

Noise began to blare around me. All of my senses were amplified as I'm pulled back into reality. Sirens, voices, beeps.

What's going on? I don't understand. Did I fall asleep in the lab? Did Jack and Madeline freak? I see a person opening one of my eyes to shine a bright light into them. What's their problem? I'm tired, I wanna sleep.

I give a small, quiet groan. "Can you hear me? Sir, can you hear me?" A distant voice calls. Is he talking to me? No one else answered for a moment, so I decided to. "Yeah." Sorta. If you are actually talking to me that is. Is what I would've said if my throat wasn't so freaking dry. Did I just lick the Sahara Desert in a desperate attempt to find treasure? Feels like it.

"Can you tell me your name, please?" I hum, I want to go to sleep again. I'm exhausted. My head lolls to the side, darkness envelopes me again. Too bad, he doesn't get to know my name.

A steady, rhythmic beeping sounds off beside me. Maybe it's my alarm clock, but I don't recall it not being annoying.

I shift my position. The cover over me doesn't feel like mine, it's different. My brows furrow and I open my eyes. White. Lots of blinding hues of white. This isn't my room.

I look around. Seeing as I'm alone, what am I doing in the hospital? What happened? Oh right, the portal. The pain. I wonder who took me to the hospital. How in the world did I live through that? I'm guessing that it was more than enough to kill me, so why am I alive? Can I stand? I fling the thin sheet off of me to the side to see a bandage around my left ankle, the one I tripped on.

Whoops.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and sit up. Should I wait? How does one call a nurse? People in movies have a parent or friend with them when they wake up do that. What do I do now?

Just like the universe was reading my mind, a lady opens the door. She jumps slightly at seeing me up. "Stay here, I'll get the doctor." She rushes out the door, closing it behind her.

A few minutes pass, and I pick at my gown, the same lady and an older male come in. "You're a very lucky man. Can you tell me your name, grade, anything to remember yourself by?" The man says. I nod, "Daniel Fenton, ninth grade. Have you contacted my parents?" For a brief moment I could see their eyes flicker to each other's but played it off by continuing, "We have not long ago. We'll be sure to continue contacting them." He reassures. They're more than likely making sure I didn't break their precious portal. It's probably fried thinking back to just how much electricity ran through me.

I'm so getting a pointless lecture soon. A lecture that consists of, "Our weaponry and machinery are not toys." "Be careful! Don't touch anything!" "Be more like your sister." Mainly things that tell me I'm irresponsible or not as good as my sister. Sometimes it's both. Fun stuff.

I just nod my head. I don't really care, I just need a ride. No way I'm walking home on a sprained ankle. I don't have a friend I could call so they're my only way back to the house. I hate that that's the case.

A small silence passes between us before Mr. Doctor-man decides to check for anymore injuries and such. He checks my breathing, heartbeat, any head injuries may have occurred during my fall. There wasn't. I tell him how I sprained my ankle, by tripping, and I was then electrocuted.

I ask him how I got here. I think about how maybe my parents dropped me off just to go back to grieve their burnt work. It was the portal or me. They would choose the portal 110% or any of their ghost hunting devices and gadgets. How was I able to pass infancy?

After he said I was good and told me I would have to stay for the night, he and the nurse left. I was alone again. I scoot myself back to the pillows and brought the thin cover over my body.

Why did I live and get out okay? How? Why?

I close my eyes. I want to sleep. But am I able to? I know that it shouldn't bother me that my parents wasn't there when I woke up, or visit me at all for that matter. I should be used to not being the wanted child. By people. By my parents. There's no sugar coating it, everyone dislikes me in some sort of way. Be it a loser at school to a disappointment of a son. People don't like me.

I get comfortable and was about to sleep when I hear the door open. I don't turn around. I don't care to know who's there. The nurse probably wouldn't bother me if she thought I was sleeping and my parents... they should leave me be. They have for the past decade.

The last time I had a smidge of respect was when I turned four, the day of my birthday. The sad part is, I just remember thinking I was happy, not the events that led me to that feeling. After that, my sister started taking care of me. The rest is history.

I keep my eyes closed and keep my heartbeat steady, I don't want them to know I'm awake. "How do you think he did it?" It's Madeline's voice. "I don't know Maddie-dear. We'll ask him when he wakes up." I could just feel her nod at Jack's, or 'dad's' words.

There's shuffling to the bedside and the sound of weight on chairs. I'll answer when I wake up. I don't want to talk to them right now. Hopefully I won't have to. I don't know what happened to the portal. If they're going to ask how it was fried, I'll say it was a mutual hate. I broke something and in return it tried to kill me. I'd say that makes us even.

With that and my tired body, I go to sleep for real this time. The same slow beeps wake me up again. Let's hope that they don't yell too loud. How long have I been in the hospital? It couldn't have been too long.

I look to where the couple sits. They're talking to each other quietly. Maddie is the first to notice me. She stops talking to Jack and smiles at me. That loving, mom smile I've grown to despise. "Hey sweetie. Are you feeling okay?" She he's up to walk closer to the bed. "Thirsty." Is my response. Not because I don't want to talk to her, I really don't and I'd rather die, but I am thirsty. I didn't ask the nurse last night. "Okay. I'll ask the nurse." She says, patting the back of my hand. She walks out of the room to go wherever.

"Danny," Jack calls to get my attention, "how did you get the portal to work while we were gone?"

Huh?