The Hero Nobody Asked For

Chapter 4: Healing

Fern was astonished to see Ms. Kinder sitting in the drivers seat of her Kia Soul right in front of them. They weren't sure if they could even bring themself to get into the car. Seeing this, Darcy nudged the teen gently with a warm smile on her face. "It's alright, kid. My mom doesn't bite." She said, chuckling under her breath as she walked tiredly to the other side of the car, hopping into the passenger seat.

Fern slowly gripped onto the car door and cracked it open before looking at Ms. Kinder, almost like they were waiting for her to make sure it was okay to get in. The friendly woman gazed at Fern in the rear view mirror and moved her hand toward her as a sign of encouragement. "It's okay, sweetie! You can come in!" She said as if she were cheering for Fern at a sports game.

Fern paused for a few seconds before finally slipping into the back seat and closing the door with a huff. They then softly yanked at the seatbelt and buckled it, making a swift "click" before they relaxed and stared at the car ceiling.

Me. Kinder hummed ecstatically before starting the car. The engine growled mechanically as the whole vehicle started to vibrate. The radio then flicked on with a start and Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" started to blare wildly as the car started to wheel forward.

Soon, they were on the road. The outside world passed by almost like a blur as the tiny, box-shaped car zoomed down the highway. Fern peered out the window with a dazed expression, watching the world giving the illusion of speeding up before their eyes. Darcy looked back at Fern briefly, before calling for them. "Hey kid! We're stopping at Funny Burger for dinner! You'd you like anything?" She asked sharply, but not too harshly. She didn't want to scare the adolescent.

"Huh?" Fern asked with a small jolt before giving a quick nod and looking back out the window again. Once they pulled up to the burger place, Ms. Kinder asked Darcy and Fern what they wanted. Darcy ordered a chicken sandwich with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Fern didn't really know what they wanted, but didn't want to keep everyone waiting, so they ordered the same thing. Ms. Kinder nodded briefly and smiled at the two before pulling up to the first window and giving the cashier the money she owed.

After getting the food, Darcy already started to eat her fries by dipping them in her shake. Fern saw this and raised an eyebrow with an almost child-like curiosity. "Why are you doing that?" They asked. Darcy turned back to look at Fern while eating another milkshake-dipped French fry. "It's good. You should try it." She said with her mouth full.

Fern slowly took a fry out of their meal bag and studied it closely,  or fully trusting Darcy. "Are you sure?" They muttered suspiciously. "I swear it tastes delicious, dude. Just try it." Darcy pressed. Fern grumbled slightly, still pretty suspicious as they cautiously dipped their fry in their milkshake. They then held their nose and put the fry in their mouth to get it over with. Fern's eyes widened upon chewing. It actually did taste delicious.

By the time Ms. Kinder parked into their driveway, Fern's milkshake was only halfway full and their fries were gone. "My my, you must've been starving, huh?" Ms. Kinder asked, a bit concerned and surprised as she tilted her head. Fern shrugged before hopping out of the car, hastily grabbing their food and waiting idly by the front door. Darcy and Ms. Kinder looked at each other before stepping onto the porch and unlocking the door.

Ms. Kinder led both kids to the dinner table so that they could all eat their burgers as a family. After a few seconds of silence, Ms. Kinder looked at Fern with a worried twinkle in her eye. "Fern, sweetie. I noticed that you haven't been at school today. Are you okay?" She asked in a soft, almost whispery tone as she waited patiently for an answer. Fern shuffled in their seat, putting their burger on the table and twiddling their thumbs. They looked down, increasingly getting nervous.

Ms. Kinder got up and crept to where Fern was and put a hand on their shoulder. "Fern, did something happen?" She asked, now scared. She felt Fern's body shudder in what seemed to be fear. Fern looked away, tearing up. "Please. I don't want to talk about it." They whimpered. They didn't want to remember being disowned by their own father.

Darcy tried to give Fern a hug, but her phone blared with an oddly melodic ringtone. Fern's eyes then started to glow an eerie green as they bend over, hugging their knees. This made a green dome form around them as they sobbed, not wanting anyone to touch them or go near them. Ms. Kinder gasped and pulled Darcy away from the dome, not sure if it was dangerous or not.

Fern opened their eyes and saw Darcy's and Ms. Kinder's terrified faces, staring right through them. When the ringtone stopped, the dome dissolved into thin air. The teen rushed to the bathroom and cried even more. They felt that they were going to get kicked out again. 'I blew it! Why did this have to happen now?!' They thought, though it was heard to think when their head was pounding from weeping so much.

Ms. Kinder took a moment to try and digest what just happened before speeding to the bathroom and knocking frantically on the door. "FERN! What happened, sweetheart?! Are you okay?! Please don't tell me you're hurt!" She begged, genuinely wanting to know of the troubled adolescent's well-being. Fern sniffled and looked at the door. "Y-you're not g-gonna kick me out?!" They asked, feeling like they were about to faint. They gripped the cold, porcelain sink tightly so they wouldn't fall.

Ms. Kinder put a hand over her mouth and teared up. "No... no honey. I would never kick you out. Please just open the door so that I know you're okay." She whimpered, waiting nervously.

As Fern went to open the door, their vision became blurred and unfocused and their breathing became labored and heavy. The door swung open as the disoriented teen's eyes rolled to the back of their head, fainting into the middle-aged woman's arms.