Circumstellar (13 page)

“No, that’s okay. I’ll be fine,” I called back. I was a little apprehensive about making the journey across town by myself, but what was the worst that could happen? I’d get targeted again, I suppose. But what was that saying. Oh, yeah. Been there, done that.

I
didn’t even get half way through my journey home when it occurred to me that some things are easier said than done. It wasn’t difficult to act all big shot confident in the light of the temple, but in the dim, deserted streets, I felt no bigger than a timid mouse. I tried my best to keep a steady, quick pace and not appear like an obvious target. Some might say it was an impossible task – a barely five feet four inches tall high school girl not considered an obvious target – but I thought I pulled it off pretty well.

I allowed some of the tension to leave my paranoid body as I finally came to the door of my house. Maybe one day when I could kick ass, I’d be able to take a stroll at night without increasing my blood pressure. One can only dream.

“What a day, what a life,” I muttered to myself while coming into the kitchen. “What a whacked out life.”

“Ugh.”

I stiffened and looked around. “Auntie?”

“
Ow, my head.”

A long-haired figure on the floor of the living room caught my attention, and I ran over to help.
“Auntie!”

She winced and rubbed the back of her head as I helped her sit up. I scored the area for any dark stains and sighed in relief when none were to be found. She hadn’t cracked anything open, thankfully. Hospital bills and steam cleaners weren’t exactly in our budget range.

“Aunt Kaline, what happened? Did you drink too much and hit your head on the floor again?”

“Oh, wow, I haven’t had a hangover this bad since . . . last week?” Auntie finished with a thoughtful look.

“Yeah.” I laughed. “Sounds about right.” A nostalgic tingle ran through me, and I grinned like an idiot. My aunt passed out on the floor and me coming to her aid. It was just like it had always been. Nothing changed at all.

“You shouldn’t laugh at your aunt’s distress, Ingrid,” Auntie said with an indignant air. “Who knows? The next time you need help I just might disappear.” She waved her hand at me dramatically.

“I don’t think I’ll land in the kind of trouble where I need your help, Auntie,” I said, truth bearing down more than I intended. “But I’ll keep that in mind.”

She suddenly gripped my arms and looked at me with the most serious look I’d ever seen on her face. “Stay like that, Ingrid,” she demanded.

“Auntie?”

“I’ve been trying so hard, but I’m not strong. I never have been,” she said with a deep sigh. “Not like Adeline and Sebastian. Not like you, Ingrid. You have great strength.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked. How had we gotten on this topic? I really needed to pay more attention to the way the dialogue moved. I was used to Auntie talking about random crap when she was smashed, but she seemed stone cold sober.

“It’s quiet,” she whispered, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m going to rest. I’m so tired,” she mumbled, coming to her feet. I watched in stunned fascination as my aunt stumbled out of view down the hallway. That was just . . . I struggled to think of an adequate word to describe it.
Weird?
Not strong enough.
Bizarre?
Getting closer.
Completely batshit.
There it is. Perfect.

I shook my head and walked to my bedroom.
These people. They were going to drive me crazy, which might not be such a bad thing. Who wants to be the only sane person on the padded wagon?

This was an unusual feeling. One I was sure I would never get to experience. I let out a hum and leaned against the brick wall behind me. The morning light poured down on me, and I closed my eyes.  So this was what it’s like to wait around while your friends ran late. I opened my eyes and looked at my reflection from the windows on the opposite side of the street.
How boring
.

I kicked my feet with impatience and glanced at my watch. Whatever Ty and
Lesia were doing, they needed to hurry up already. First bell would be ringing soon, and I wanted to continue my on-time streak. From what I heard, the betting pool had gotten really competitive, and I wasn’t ready to put everyone out of their misery yet. It was fun watching the defeated faces as I strolled into the gates, and they reached into their pockets for a wad of cash. I’ll teach them to bet against me. Maybe I should make an anonymous bid. No more hungry lunchtime for me.

I shook my head and focused on the now. Glancing down the street, I let out a sigh. Come on. Come on. It’s almost
time. I looked at my watch again and shook my wrist. It seemed to be working right. This wasn’t like them at all. Well, maybe it was like Ty, but definitely not Lesia. In all the years I’d known her, I was confident that she hadn’t run late for school a day in her life. She considered thirty minutes early to be on time. In that case then . . .

I looked towards the school and toyed with the new idea. I suppose they could already be there. That’s actually what they normally did during my two month tardy period. That’s probably what they did. I must have missed them.
Even though I was fifteen minutes early.

Pushing myself off of the wall, I cast one last worried glance down the street. They were waiting for me at the school. I was sure of it.

I passed my hand over the imprint of fingers molded into the wooden table. They hadn’t been waiting for me at school. They hadn’t come to school at all. This was the first time I’d ever been alone at this table. Sure, sick days had come and gone, but two of us had never been off at the same time.
Lesia and Ty had been okay just yesterday.

“Why the long face, Fahrenheit? Did your girlfriend and boy-toy run off without you? Can’t say I blame them, but
Lesia should have come to me for her
needs
.”

My nose crinkled, and my teeth began to grind together. “Piss off, Becky. Go back to your pen. I’m sure they have some nice slop waiting for you.”

“What did you say?” A dark shadow descended on me, and I prepared myself to jump out of the chair. There was no way I was going to let Becky get one on me. “You better watch yourself, Fahrenheit. Your boyfriend ain’t here to protect you this time. Or should I say ex-boyfriend since he’s off fu – ”

Something snapped in me then. Rage, certainly, but also a sudden stab of fear. Needless to say, I didn’t care to hear the rest of Becky’s little vulgar statement. I twisted around out of my seat and swung my arm up and around. The side of my fist impacted against something hard, and I did my best not to wince. It was like bitch-slapping a brick wall.

A
thud
and the sounds of startled voices resounded in the lunchroom. I looked around to see Becky lying face down a few feet away from me. He wasn’t moving, and I honestly didn’t care enough to see if he was breathing.

“Ingrid
Fairheit!” an angry teacher yelled from across the room. “There is no need for such violent behavior! Report to Principal Dipper at once!”

Excellent.
I was just thinking about heading there anyway. I snatched my things off the floor and stormed out of the lunchroom, defiantly ignoring all of the stares and whispers that followed.

The further I traveled down the hallway, the slower I found myself moving. My earlier anger sufficiently boiled away, and I was left with a gnawing feeling of shame. Not because I knocked Becky cold; goodness knows I could do that all day and never feel bad about it. It was because underneath all of my denials, Becky’s taunts stirred something in me. Ty and
Lesia were my best friends, and I’m sure they had a perfectly logical, decent reason for being off at the same time, but . . . what if? What if there was something more going on? What if they did want to spend the day together?
Without me
.

A squeaking sound caught my attention, and I looked into annoyed depths.

“Hi, Tania. How are the kids?”

“You’ve been standing outside of the door for over a minute. The principal will see you now.”

“Word travels fast,” I muttered, pushing into the office and waltzing over to Ursa’s door. I didn’t bother knocking and threw the door open. “Where are Ty and Lesia?” I demanded.

It had seemed like a solid plan – blazing in full throttle, not stopping until my demands were met. But when
Ursa Dipper set those harsh gray eyes on me, it occurred to me that perhaps subtlety was a much wiser option. She didn’t even need to say a word; I knew the drill. After closing the door behind me, I walked into the room and took a seat opposite of her.

She didn’t say anything for a few moments, choosing instead to force me into submission with her predator-like gaze.

“Miss Fairheit, I had hoped that the next time you had to come to my office, it would be to congratulate you on being on time for a solid month, but it’s come to my attention that you have, once again, started a fight with Caden Beck.”

“Me? I didn’t start it!” I argued. “I was just minding my own business when he came up and started harassing me. If anyone deserves to be punished, it’s him. I was just defending myself. It’s not
my fault he’s all talk and no action.”

“Be that as it may, there was no need to strike him. I’ll still have to give you detention.”

“Okay, whatever. Tell me about Ty and Lesia,” I said, trying to rush her to what I really cared about. “Did their parents call you and tell you they were sick?”

Much to my annoyance, she didn’t answer. Instead, she looked down as though thinking. It wasn’t like her to miss a chance to set those piercing eyes on an unfortunate victim. She reached down and pulled up a cane. Why would she have that hidden under the desk? Was that what she used to beat kids who asked too many questions?

Principal Dipper stood, and using her cane, began to limp. I recalled that I had never seen her move from behind her desk, but seeing her walk now, I guess it was an effort to avoid appearing weak. She hobbled over to where I sat and put her hand on the back of the chair beside me.

“Ty’s father, Mr. Callahan, called me this morning,” she began. “He told me that Ty was in no condition to come to school.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, worry spreading through me.

“He said that Ty was assaulted when he was walking home last night. He was admitted to the hospital after someone found him unconscious in the street.”

“
What
?” I screamed and shot up. Ursa urged me to stay calm and sit back down, but I wasn’t listening. Grabbing my things, I raced out of the office and to the main entrance. I didn’t care if I was going miss the rest of my classes or that I was skipping my newly acquired detention. All that mattered to me was seeing my friend. How could I have not known about this? It doesn’t matter now.
I’ll be there soon, Ty!

I
f hauling ass from the local high school to the hospital had been a timed sport, I would have just established the new world record. And had my mind not been so preoccupied with worry, I might have taken the time to revel in how much I improved in such a short time. Those hillsides better watch out – along with anything else that tried to block my path. Which right now happened to be an obnoxious receptionist.

“I need to see
Tybalt Callahan! Now!” The receptionist didn’t even bother glancing at me over her thick-rimmed glasses and continued typing. “Look, I need –”

“Just a second,” she interrupted, the enthusiasm within her threatening to burst into the room like a thousand happy clowns. Ah, the power of expression. Or was that sarcasm? “How can I help you?”

I rolled my eyes and fought the urge to kick her desk. “I need to see Ty Callahan.”

“What room is he in?” she asked, typing away.

“
What
?” I shouted. “If I knew that I wouldn’t be wasting my time with you. What the hell do they pay you for anyway?” I asked in frustration. I didn’t have time for this. Ty needed me now. I glared at her as an indignant looked adorned her face, and I was instantly reminded of Tania. If they were related, boy was she going to get an earful when I got back to school.

“Just a second,” she repeated. I tapped my toes on the floor, my nerves stretching. Jeez, I hope I never have to come here.

“Third floor,” she finally answered, the steady flow of typing never pausing.

“That’s it? After all that, all I get is a floor and no room number?”

“Just a sec – ”

“No!” I interjected, my patience having long reached its short limit. “You know what? I’ll just go and find it myself. It’ll be a lot quicker than dealing with you.” I hastily turned and looked around for the nearest elevator or set of stairs. Spotting my objective, I steamed forwards, defiantly ignoring the dull “Thank you for choosing Dust Veil Medical Center” from behind me.
Of all the stupid, useless
. . .

I managed to make it up the elevator ride scaring only a few of my unfortunate fellow passengers with my grumbling. I sprang out of the doors as soon as they opened and started prowling up and down the hallway. I peaked in a few rooms, startling confused families. Perhaps finding Ty on
my own would be little more difficult than I first thought. Spotting the nurses’ desk in the waiting area, I debated on whether I should continue bursting in on strangers or break down and try to ask. I tried a few more unsuccessful rooms before finally admitting defeat.

“I’m here to see Ty Callahan,” I ground out in full resentment.

“Are you a relative?” the lady behind the desk asked, eyeing me. She looked up into my eyes and did a double take. This was just ridiculous. I hated open gapers on my best days, and today was certainly not one of those days.

“No, but I’m his friend. I need to see him. Tell me where he is,” I demanded.

She tore out of her daze and frowned at me. “Oh, in that case, I’m sorry. Only family is allowed visitation at this time.”

I could feel it coming on strong. The veins in my forehead started to throb, and I slammed my fist onto the desk making the nurse jump. “You’re not listening to me!
I’m
going to see my friend.
You’re
going to tell me where he is. I’m not putting up with this bullsh– ”

“
It’s fine,” a tired voice said from the side. I paused in my tirade and looked for the source. I found a middle-aged man with messy brown hair and cobalt blue eyes. He sat in one of the waiting chairs, his eyes directed to the opposite wall but his gaze blank.

“Mr. Callahan,” the nurse began, “I’m sorry but
– ”

“That girl is more like family to my son than anyone here. Let her in,” he stated in a soft voice. I watched as he leaned forwards and buried his face in his hands.

“Well, I suppose,” the nurse replied. “Room 381. Just down there,” she said, pointing down the hall closest to Mr. Callahan. I didn’t give her a second glance and made my way to where she indicated.

“Thank you,” I muttered when I passed Mr. Callahan. He made no indication if he had heard me or not, but I didn’t care at this point. Right now, all that mattered was being by Ty’s side, and that’s exactly where I found myself.

I entered the room, struggling to stifle my gasp at his condition. Before, my imagination did a good job of trying to prepare me for what I was about to see, but now that I could see the truth, it was worse than I expected. I looked in agony at his bandaged, sleeping face.  Bruises and scabs decorated his cheeks, and the whole right side of his head was wrapped securely. His left arm lay across his chest in a heavy cast, and what skin I could see that wasn’t marred with cuts and bandages was black and blue.

My eyes started to sting, and I dropped into the chair beside his bed. Who could have done this? A shuffling sound caught my attention, and I watched as Ty stirred awake.

“I’m sorry, Ty,” I apologized, trying to keep my voice steady. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Ingrid?” his voice rasped. “Thank God you’re still here. I thought that . . . I was so worried . . .”

He started to cough, and I leaned over rub his shoulder. “Hey, calm down. I’m okay. It’s you that everyone’s worried about. What happened last night?”

“I’m so sorry, Ingrid,” Ty groaned out, clenching his eyes shut. “I failed. I couldn’t protect her.”

I felt as if the bottom of my stomach dropped out. Pushing through the uneasy feeling, I had to ask, “Protect her? You mean Lesia?”

“I couldn’t stop them,” he replied in misery. “They took her.”

“Calm down, Ty.” An ironic statement, for the more the conversation progressed, the more anxious I was becoming. “Who took her? Tell me what happened from the beginning.”

“I was taking her home,” he gritted out. “We were almost there when I heard them. It was so dark out. I knew they were there, but I couldn’t see them. All I could make out were the red and green lights.”

“Lights?” What red and green lights? What was he talking about?

“They told me to hand her over. They said some lady needed her, and they would kill me if I didn’t give her to them. I tried to fight but . . .” His voice cracked and he clenched his fists. “It wasn’t enough, Ingrid. I wasn’t strong enough. And now they have
Lesia. The Ankida have Lesia.”

My heart pounded and my mind
hovered around one thought. Lesia was gone. They took her. The Ankida took Lesia.

“I couldn’t protect her,” Ty repeated, collapsing back onto his bed in exhaustion. “I’m so sorry, Ingrid,” he panted. I stood up, and his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist in a bruising grip. “Please, Ingrid,” he pleaded. “Don’t do anything stupid. This is my fault. I could bear it if anything happened to you
– ”

“
It’s okay, Ty,” I soothed him. “I’m going to go see Meissa; that’s all. This isn’t your fault. You were ambushed. You just concentrate on getting better. We’ll get Lesia back,” I promised, determined. “Meissa will know how.”

“Thank you.” He sighed, his eyes closing against his will. “Stay with me.”

His grip on my wrist loosened, and I gently moved his hand to rest on the bed.
Stay with you? Always.
But I have something I need to do first.

My expression hardened, and I strode out of the hospital, ignoring all those around me. My mind focused solely on my next destination. In hindsight, it was a good thing Ty was too worn out to think straight; otherwise, he would have been all too aware of what I had in mind. He knew me well enough to know that I was absolutely going to do something stupid. I hated lying to my friends.