The Blaze

Twelve

Karin:

There hadn't been much to explain to my mom since I told her I couldn't remember much. She asked me why I left the house and I responded that I had been hungry. It seemed reasonable enough and I could tell she knew it but she wasn't done digging for answers.

The nurse stepped in and asked if she could have a word with my mother outside. They left and I sank back onto the stiff gurney mattress and solitary, hard pillow. I was missing my bed and wishing that River were here, or even that Jasper would come back. I didn't understand why he had been so upset. Even after I told him and my friends how Link made me feel weird the day I met him, it made no sense for Jasper to react the way he had.

Then again, I had never been around a guy long enough to consider introducing them to my family, even just as an acquaintance. Most guys avoided me due to my "dangerous" reputation as a deviant. Of course, I had a few guys approach me for the wrong reasons, but I was quick to fall back on the "I could beat you up if you make me mad" façade. I figured out a long time ago that looking for someone to be with wasn't going to happen for me, at least not any time soon, so I stayed away from boys as a whole.

I began to feel tired and was drifting into a snooze. I thought of the day I met Link, how his intense blue eyes had locked to me and how he had given me a big smile before sitting at his desk. I had been so confused, wondering why he had singled me out within the first moments of entering his first class in our school. I thought of him saving me from Kelcinn and how his hand was cool as he helped me to my feet. Then, I felt a wave of bitterness overcome me as I remembered him saying he didn't like bullies, and how River had laughed and said I wasn't one but I did like to fight. He had only smiled and asked for my name. What a damn fool.

I turned painfully onto my side and bit the inside of my cheek in frustration. "Stupid Link," I hissed to myself. "You don't know me. I'm a bully... we can't be friends." I gave my pillow a hard squeeze and fell into sleep, aggravated and hoping I could pry Link away from me over the next school week, no matter how many questions I had for him.

~*~*~*~*~

I woke up at home, wrapped in soft blankets on the couch. My body felt incredibly sore and my stitches were itching again, so I rubbed at them softly. I heard someone breathing deeply and looked down to the floor to see my mom wrapped in her own blankets, hair messy and forehead slightly creased. On the coffee table behind her was a small notebook that had been bookmarked with the end of a spoon, presumably from the bowl a few inches away from it.

Curious, I went to reach for it only for me to hear movement from upstairs. I leaned back into the couch, eyes still droopy, and strained my eyes in the darkness to check the time on the wall. Nearly five in the morning, still a bit too early for the gray light of pre-dawn. Jasper was probably dragging his feet to shower and get ready for work, where I still had about an hour before I had to get up and prepare for school.

Cringing at the thought, I tried to sink back into sleep only to be surprised by Jasper coming down the stairs. It was still too early for him to be down here... unless he hadn't slept at all. Pretending to be asleep, I listened as he shuffled over to me and mom and released a soft sigh. He felt my forehead for a moment, then moved over to the table. I peeked through one eye, covers pulled all the way past my nose. I watched as he replaced mom's spoon bookmark with a real one, then collected the dish and spoon in one hand, while the other picked up the notebook.

I tried to hear where he placed the book after gently setting the dishes in the sink, but I was beyond tired and decided that I needed to take advantage of an extra hour of sleep. Darkness took me once more and, this time, I had another strange dream.