No Pain: Book 1

Chapter 9: Najee

         I can't get comfortable. I can't think straight. Thierry has taken over four times in the last twenty-four hours just get out of here Star. I think as I twirl her dinky little pocket knife in my hands. I remember the day I took it from her, before she even knew how to use a knife.

I haven't seen Star since her outburst. I push the door to the trainee's room open but she's not in here. Not that she's ever really in here. She's a sitting duck in here, it didn't take long for everyone to dislike her.

"Star?" I call out just to make sure she's not hiding. "Star, it's me." I start to step out when I hear something from the bathroom.

"Star?" I knock on the bathroom, I can hear the sink on "Star, is that you?" I try the knob when I don't hear an answer.

"Go away." Star's voice is shaky. I shake the door harder "open the door now." I know what she's doing.

"In a minute." She tries to cover the tremors in her voice but I can hear her, she's calmer now.

"Now, Star." I pound on the door.

"I'll be out in a minute." Her voice is even.

"Fine. The hard way." I take a step away from the door and slam my boot into the center. The door explodes into splinters.

"Get out!" Star hides her hands behind her back, the knife clatters to the ground. There's red dripping onto the floor behind her, there's red on the sink and on the knife.

"Star..." I bend and pick up the knife. I look down at her, her eyes are panicked but more calm than they've been in a while.

"I didn't..." She lets the lie she was about to try fall from her lips when I hold my hand out to her. She stares at my hand for a second, she bites her lip but she knows there's no point in fighting me.

"These are deep." I tell her.

"I didn't mean to go that deep." She admits looking at the floor "I just... I don't want to feel angry." Her bottom lip quivers.

"We'll teach you other ways to get through the anger." I tell her "in the meantime no knives." Her eyes snap back up to mine. "but I need-"

"No, you don't." I look her in the eye "you just need to learn another way." I put her knife into my pocket and grab a handful of paper towels from the dispenser.

"You could have killed yourself." I press the paper towels to her wrist. She doesn't say anything. "Come on." I pull her forward.

"Infirmary?" her eyes are big as she looks at me.

I nod "yes."

"What about my knife?" She asks.

"You'll get it back when you learn to handle a knife properly." I squeeze her wrist and pull her along beside me. She doesn't fight me, she's calm now.

I wonder if she's cut herself yet, I wonder how many people she's lost her temper with. I wonder how many times she's lost her temper in general.

Just a peak Thierry suggests. Fine I think as I get up to check John's tracker.