Rubik

Chapter 3: White Lie

     For what felt like an eternity, I sat on my hospital bed and stared at this cube. It pulsed and beat like a heart, almost like it was a sentient being, and it sent a shiver down my spine. The doctors moved me to a new room after they found out my window had broken open by the tree, obviously confused as to how it even did that when there wasn't even any wind outside. Thankfully they didn't question me about it. I sat on my bed and stared at my cube, not moving an inch. All of a sudden, I heard Oliver's voice as he walked through the door to my room.

     "Ray--" He started to speak, but I threw my cube at him in shock. He quickly moved to the side and he grabbed it as it moved to where his face used to be. "Whoa... That was crazy fast." He chuckled as he tossed the cube back to me. It felt like it was being pulled towards me at all times as it launched itself right at me with more speed than Oliver intended. I caught it and stare at it, causing Oliver to arch his brow confused. "Why are you just staring at it?" He asked as he looked at me.

     I took my eyes off the cube and moved them to his gaze. "You wanna see something really insane?" I asked him and he shrugged.

     "Sure, I got time," He said as he walked over. I held my cube up, completely unsolved, and he just looked at it confused. "Okay... It's a cube that's unsolved..." He looked at me. "I... I don't--" His eyes widened and he put his hands to his mouth. "Oh my god, you turned stupid because of the explosion!" He said with genuine shock.

     I hit him in the back of the head and said, "No, moron! Just watch." I picked up the cube and solved the blue side, placing it straight up. The cube glowed a blue aura around it as a stream of ice and water shot up to the ceiling. Oliver jumped back as he looked at the cube.

     "What the...?!" He shouted but I quickly covered his mouth. I moved over and unsolved the cube once more. "Ray. Your cube. Just shot. fucking Ice and water!"

     "I know that!" I shouted at him. "But keep it down. No one else knows about this, and no one else WILL know about this, understand me?" I asked him, more so demanded him, as I looked at him. "You cannot tell anyone under any circumstance, capiche?" He nodded as he looked at the cube.

     "How did this even happen?" He asked as he looked at the cube.

     I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I said, "I have no clue. Something tells me it has to do with our energy device, but... I just don't know." I looked at my cube as I put it on the counter, sitting on the hospital bed as I thought about what could have even happened with it.

     We had already spent almost two weeks in the hospital, almost able to go home, so I was waiting for the moment where I could wear normal clothes again. Rachel had her bandages removed already in those two weeks and she was almost fully recovered, except for this newly formed scar around her eye and mouth. It looked like electricity ran through her face with that scar, but she didn't look bad at all. Oliver and I were both sitting beside her as we waited to hear about Oscar's and Dylan's conditions.

     "They'll be fine," I reassured myself more than the others. "They're always fine. They always pull through." Oliver walked over to the window and sighed, not saying anything as he waited for the news. I felt a hand grip mine and I looked at it, seeing Rachel sitting up with my hand in hers.

     "They'll be fine," She said in her quiet voice. I exhaled and tried to relax as I looked back at the door. A doctor walked in and he greeted us all.

     "Glad you're all gathered around," He said as he looked at two clipboards. "I have some... interesting news about your friends, Oscar and Dylan." He blew out some air as he looked at the charts on his clipboard. "Originally, I was here to tell you that they passed from their injuries..." My head dropped, but I picked it up in confusion. What did he mean by originally? "But it appears that they had a temporal cardiac halt that just stopped their hearts for a moment. They're actually still alive and they're making a full recovery as we speak. They should be out by tomorrow. You can visit them if you'd like." He walked us all to their hospital rooms and we entered, seeing Oscar sitting up on his bed and messing around with the controls.

     "Guys~!" He shouted as he leaned back with this giddy smile. "Man, it seems like forEVER since I've seen you guys." He laughed as he looked at us.

     "He's recently taken some heavy medication for his pain, so he will experience a bit of disorientation and act abnormally," The doctor said. To put it in more simple terms, Oscar was drugged out and on a good trip. We walked over and gathered around him, talking with him and having him say the weirdest things. We laughed as we got him to say the funniest sentences he probably wouldn't remember saying. 

     I decided to let them all talk and I walked to Dylan's room, opening the door. The mood suddenly dropped as Dylan's room felt entirely different than Oscar's. For one, Dylan sat up and stared out the window with this melancholy look on his face. It was eerily silent and the only noise that was heard were my shoes hitting the floor with each step. He turned to look at me and he didn't even crack a smile.

     He just stared at me, not even blinking, as he asked me, "Can you feel that?" I looked around and wondered what he was referring to.

     "Feel what?" I asked as I looked back at him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I just couldn't help but feel like Dylan was permanently damaged in some way.

     "That sudden burst of energy inside of you," He said as he stood upright. "I feel it in every bone in my body. Can't you feel that?" He asked me as he stepped closer. "I can sense it in everyone. In Rachel, in Oliver, even in Oscar. And I can especially feel it in you." He poked my chest and I took a step back.

     "Dylan, you're kinda scaring me right now," I said as I put a hand on my chest. "You're on medications right now, maybe you should get some rest."

     "I'm not on any medications," He told me as he sat back down. "I'm perfectly fine, but something feels different... Like my heart is on fire, but it's not in pain. Like my brain is pulsing, but it isn't hurting. I feel almost... powerful, in a sense." He looked at me and sighed. "Never mind, I can tell it's all going over your head." He laid down and looked at the ceiling. "Don't bother sending the others in. Just tell me when we leave," He ordered as I turned toward the door. I walked out and met with the others again as they waited outside of the hospital room.

     A few more days passed and Oscar and Dylan were able to leave, so we all ended up getting a car ride home. Oliver stretched as he stood in front of his and Rachel's home. They waved at us and walked inside, leaving the three of us alone to return to our own homes. Dylan's banter from the other day still stuck in my head, making me worry about just how hurt he really was from what happened. He didn't smile anymore, he didn't joke around, and he just seemed... dead in one way or another. He walked into his home and closed the door without a word. 

     "Well Dylan seems happy to be home," Oscar said as he turned to walk down the street. "Has he even said anything since we got out?" He asked me, but I shook my head. "I worry about him. I hope this whole accident didn't hurt his pride and will to keep up creating stuff. Well, I'll see you tomorrow Ray." Oscar waved me off and I did the same as I watched him walk to his house, entering through the front door. I walked out of the cul-de-sac and walked past where my house was. Instead, I walked into this small little forest near our neighborhood and pulled my cube out.

     "We're alone now," I said to this Rubik's cube. "Now show your secrets to me, little guy." I quickly solved the green side once more and I watched as the cube pulsed a green aura. Instead of causing anything damaging, I watched as vines slowly grew out of the cube like an instant greenhouse, interacting with the trees and bushes nearby. I looked around as the breeze picked up and began to dance with the leaves. I watched in awe and I unsolved the cube, feeling the breeze die down and the vines faded away to nothing.

     I looked at the lake in the middle of the forest and I looked at my cube. "Hm...." I thought to myself and I solved the blue side. I moved the cube towards the water and moved it aside, watching the water split and I laughed. "I'm like a new age Moses," I said as I looked at the cube. "I wonder..." I dropped the water and ran towards the water. I jumped up and looked down as I shot forward my cube. "Let this work please!" I shouted as I closed my eyes. A burst of ice shot out and began to make a trail of frozen water as I skated around it. "It worked!" I laughed again as I skated around, moving off the lake and flying through the forest on an ice trail. I unsolved the cube and the ice stopped, forcing me to fall off the trail and I hit a tree.

     I rubbed the back of my head as I rolled over and slowly stood up. I quickly ignored the pain and looked at the cube as I tossed it around in my hand. "This... This is amazing!" I looked around and quickly made my way back home as I had enough messing around for the day.