Hey guys, Noble Scotsman here with a new chapter from SoH.
Like the previous chapter, this was finicky to write, and even now I'm not sure that I placed all the words that I wanted to in the correct sequence, or if I'm missing something. Therefore, I was incredibly hesitant to upload this chapter...But I thought it was a safe bet since it's a transitional chapter. This is one of the three major plot turning points in this story, so I hope you have some speculation about what's coming next.
If this chapter is unsatisfactory, just let me know, and I'll attempt to rewrite it.
So, without further ado, I present to you chapter seven of School of Heroes!
Chapter 7
Odd was drifting; unsure of his state of being…Was he unconscious? Or…Was this death? No, it couldn't be, could it?
He could feel his body…His head laying against the hard ground, something cold, small, and delicate pelting his skin with the delicacy of an angel's kiss. Was this…the snow? He remembered snow…The fun he used to have in it as a child, its color whiter than a moonlit sandy beach, whiter than the fur on an arctic fox, whiter even than the pallor of death. Oh the colors of his life…Where had they gone? Washed away with this pale, cruel white, they disappeared like the dew on the morning leaves, leaving behind only their nourishment for those around him. His personality was once again blank, white like the canvas of a mere inkling of a masterpiece.
But…What is white?
Is it snow? Is that really all there is to it?
What is white?
He felt soft hands picking up his tired head from where it lay, their gentleness unmatched in his memories, save one. Placing his head in a warm, kneeling lap, the hands proceeded to groom his hair and clothes methodologically, stroking his hair once they were done.
Mustering his willpower, Odd opened his eyes, and saw the silhouette of a girl against the dark sky, snow falling thickly and beautifully. His eyes widened, then returned to normal, his gaze on the sky as the snow descended silently. His head comfortable, the rest of his body numb from cold, Odd gazed with timeless longing at the snow, a confused expression on his face.
"What…Is white?" he asked quietly. The girl stopped stroking his hair, and a small smile flashed across her lips, quickly gone but unmistakable there.
"You idiot…"
Odd didn't say anything, but concentrated on breathing, a pain creeping into his chest as his body warmed up.
"White…" the girl said, shaking her deep brown hair out of her eyes and looking up at the sky. "White is the color of snowbells, of magical horses which ride the waves into shore on stormy days, of the clouds in the sky which beckon new horizons. It is…A color of new beginning, a fresh start."
"White…"
The girl nodded, absorbed in thought, eyes sparkling in the half-light.
Odd felt something warm spreading down his arm, and he lifted it painfully, eyes wide with horror as red liquid dripped into the snow, ruining it.
"What…Is this?" he asked, dazed.
"It-It's your…blood, Odd Dellarobbia..." the girl said, blinking back sudden tears, unbecoming for her personality. She didn't cry.
"It's red…" Odd observed mildly, dropping his arm again. "What…Is red?"
The girl thought about it, deciding how to phrase it.
"Red is…" she began as Odd started losing consciousness again, eyes heavy, the cold making him sleepy. "Something that is not white."
"White…"
As he drifted away once more, away from the world into the senseless, beckoning zone of darkness, he thought about his life so far. How ironic, that he should lose sight of the world when he had just opened the eyes of so many others. How spectacular, to cease when others are just beginning to see.
How can this be?
The first thing Odd noticed was how soft it was, compared to the snow-covered pavement where he resided seemingly moments ago. He was warm, and dry, or was that just his imagination? His imagination wandered, and he inhaled deeply, breathing in the scents of the room around him. He smelt…Nothing. Nothing but a slight hint of a flower…A rose, maybe?
Odd opened his eyes, the world coming in and out of focus. The first thing he was greeted with was a wall of impenetrable white. Letting his eyes roam further, he discovered the small, dark window in the corner, and the white bed he woke up on. Hooked up to a white machine, the lights overhead spread their white light over the room, letting nowhere be a shadow. Odd thought back to the words the girl had told him, and he smirked.
What an appropriate color scheme.
His eyes followed the contours of the wall, tracing the edges and shapes of the hospital room with interest. So…He was alive after all; why had he felt so strongly otherwise? The hospital was familiar; the room similar to those Aelita had stayed in when the team had been given a particularly rough time battling Xana, a bed making up almost the entirety of the room's contents, save for some medical equipment.
From somewhere he couldn't place, Odd could hear the soft murmurings of a nurse admitting someone, and the door clicked open, and Ulrich, Jeremy, Yumi, and Aelita spilled into the room, worry prevalent in their eyes. Odd looked at them, unsurprised for some reason. They stood around him, not knowing what to say, yet emotions spilling forth uncontrollably. Ulrich spoke first.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered, leaning against the wall. "I should have told you guys earlier, should have forced Odd to go to a hospital."
Odd shook his head, but Yumi crossed her arms. "That might have been a good idea if he was shot, Ulrich…"
"Yumi…"
"I'm not talking to you, Ulrich."
Ulrich turned away, a new set of emotions overflowing and strengthening his guilt as Yumi paid her respects to Odd, saying a few motivational phrases and wishing him the best as she turned to leave, much to Odd's bewilderment at what had happened between the two. Jeremy gave Odd a high five and a grin, commanding him under pain of hospital food for a month to get better, and followed Yumi out the door. It seemed like their visit had been only a few seconds, compared to the real stretch of near an hour, and Odd settled back comfortably as the conversation tapered off. Now alone, Ulrich and Aelita stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say.
"Ok…" Odd said, shaking his head. "What happened to me? And what's wrong with Yumi?"
"You were walking to the Factory, and you slipped on some ice," Aelita said shakily. "You fell to the bottom. I guess cats don't always land on their feet, eh?"
Odd laughed, happy to be able to again, and thankful for Aelita's attempt to lessen the seriousness of the mood. He moved his limbs, patting all the way up to his chest. "Two legs, two arms, one body, and one handsome face, yep I'm all here!" he said jokingly, easing the mood even more, and unknotting the frown etched into Ulrich brow, making him roll his eyes.
"Very funny, Odd."
"So, let's see," Odd said, ignoring the unimpressed Ulrich. "After I fell down…I-I was brought to the hospital?" He deliberately left out the part about the mysterious girl, that would only worry Ulrich more.
Aelita nodded, moving over to sit on the edge of Odd's bed. "Yep, William carried you here …" she didn't notice Odd start in surprise, "…But he left before we could thank him properly."
"So…How many days has it been since then?" Odd asked uncertainly.
"About three days."
"Three days?"
"That's right, good buddy," Ulrich said, walking over to him and patting him on the shoulder. "You went a whole three days without food, and survived to tell the tale."
"They say you gain special abilities when you're under stress, you know," Odd grinned.
The three of them chuckled wholeheartedly, happy to regain the old Odd again. Ulrich saw Odd stretching his arm, and patting his chest, and he smiled, shaking his head.
"Hey, Odd, take off your shirt," he said, grinning when Odd raised an eyebrow at Aelita, who blushed slightly. "It's fine, just do it, but make sure you stay in bed, you're supposed to be resting."
Odd did as he was told, and was greeted with a sight he had been hoping for; the bruises and bloodstains were gone, the scar had even been condensed to a thin white line, and he could breathe and move without any pain. He grinned, and Aelita clapped her hands delightedly. Ulrich pulled a clear bag out of his pocket, and handed it to Odd.
"Turns out, there was still something in there," he said, clearly relieved that everything had turned out all right. He had spent hours with the doctor, making sure that they knew all Odd's symptoms, and were able to detect anything which would lead to further hospitalization in the future. Turns out that Odd had narrowly avoided death by a smaller margin then they had thought; the remainder of the bullet was mere centimeters from slipping into Odd's heart when it was surgically removed.
Odd took the bag from Ulrich, and studied its contents with a mixture of horror and relief. Inside was the bloody remains of about half of the bullet that had pierced Odd all those months ago. It was immediately obvious that that was what had been causing the swelling and bruising. Odd paused with the bag in his hand, then handed it back to Ulrich.
"Get rid of this…" he said quietly.
"Are you sure?" Ulrich asked, surprised. He was sure that Odd would have wanted a memento.
"I'm sure," Odd said, smiling.
"Well then," Ulrich said hesitantly, shooting a sideward glance at Aelita, "I'll take my leave now. I'd better be going if I want to catch any sleep at all before school." And with that, a handshake from Odd and a quick hug from Aelita, Ulrich was off, promising Odd to check back on him before school.
Aelita looked off into the distance for a while, and Odd smiled, joining her in her absentmindedness. After a while, she looked down.
"Odd…" she asked, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.
"Yes, Princess?" Odd grinned, happy to be alive.
Aelita paused, then jumped up, heading for the door. "Never mind, I'll let you sleep now."
"Wait, what time is it?" Odd asked, upset at her sudden departure.
"Almost three in the morning, why?" Aelita asked, leaning beside the light switch.
"Just curious…" Odd said, looking Aelita in the eye. "You need to go?"
"Do you want me to stay?" Aelita asked, hoping.
Odd flashed her a smile, teeth whiter than that of newfallen snow. "Princess, that would be my only wish this dark night."
Pausing to blush, Aelita turned away, pretending to think. Apparently making up her mind, she threw off the light switch, plunging the room into darkness, and danced over to Odd's bed. Curling up beside him, she laid her head on his chest, feeling its strong heartbeat, the powerful lungs once more capable. She heard Odd move, surprised at her actions.
"Aelita…What are you…"
"Would you prefer this then?" Aelita asked, laying her head a few inches away from Odd's own, head resting on the same pillow, staring into his sparkling blue eyes. He smiled, but didn't reply, simply meeting her gaze with that of his own, attempting to channel his emotions silently into those brilliant green eyes. For the second time that year, he was startled and amazed by their depth and luminosity, the value of their scrutiny more precious to him than any emerald.
He blinked, reminding Aelita of sapphires held in a moonbeam, or possibly the crystal waters of the Pacific Ocean where he grew up. They were, if possible, even more alight then before, more alive than he had ever looked, even in his current placement in a hospital.
She blinked, eyes reflecting Odd's in the dim light, and he hers, and she was reminded of an English proverb they had read in her foreign languages class; 'The eyes are the window to the soul.'
If that was true, Odd had a joyous soul, one filled with the hilarity of life. She was convinced that Odd saw the world differently from her, one without the encumbering threat of Xana weighing constantly on his shoulders. A world full of colors in an empty place…A scattered dream, a far-off memory, impossible for those unfamiliar to attain.
Odd fell asleep first, unable to resist the warm embrace of sleep any longer. Sighing with affection at the peaceful face of a sleeping Odd, Aelita got up to leave, then stopped herself. There wasn't any need to leave, and she honestly didn't want to, afraid that something might happen to him when she wasn't there. Kicking off her shoes, she slipped under the blanket and curled up next to Odd, smiling into his chest with pleasure as the heat from his skin warmed her body up, slightly chilled from the early morning cold. His scent filled her nose, and she was glad she had stayed. Snuggling closer to him, she fell asleep, a smile etched into her satisfied face, determined to get closer to this boy of her dreams in the future.
Get better soon, Odd.
In the hallway outside, a girl leaned against the wall, humming a soothing melody which made nurses and patients alike smile as they passed. The song tapered off, and the girl stood up, a small smile dancing across her face. Heading down the half-lit corridor, she thought about colors, how beautiful the world was, how bright they shone for her. All she wanted was someone to share them with…Someone filled with every hue of the rainbow, personality sparkling like a mirage in the desert of empty souls. Had Odd found that person, in Aelita? If he had…Well, that beckoned the question, what color was she?
"Pink…" the girl said, stepping out into the cold early morning darkness, eyes focused on the horizon as she spoke out loud, deep in thought. "It is the color of the sunrise…Of the coming dawn. A simpler, cleaner shade of romance, the colored throat of a lily. Pink is…Love…"
The girl wandered the early morning streets of the small French town, grateful for her anonymity as she walked. She didn't think, didn't act, she just was, and saw everything as it existed, far more than its outer image.
Unknowingly, the girl had walked to Kadic, and she stood in the courtyard now, staring up into the dark heavens. The sky slowly turned pink, foreshadowing the sun, and she saw the outline of a person standing on the roof, facing the retreating night. His coat fluttered in the north wind, and he remained, impersonating a cold, grey statue embedded into the building. Something caught his eye, and he looked down into the courtyard, finding the girl's eye even from the roof, making her shiver, but not with cold. This stranger…Who she had felt obliged to help that snowy night, had a color too, and she whispered it mournfully to the retreating shadows, willing them to take it with them.
"Noir…"
The main problem I think that I had with this chapter is the obvious lack of 'cartilage' between the parts, but I hope that you enjoyed reading it, nonetheless! I changed "Black..." to "Noir..." in the last line, for obvious racial reasons, which I don't even want to get into reviewers with; besides, noir sounds so elegant (for those who aren't familiar with the language, 'noir' is French for 'black', although feel free to correct me).
This chapter is dedicated to EccentricSuperchick, because I know she'll enjoy the slight romance (NOTE; there was only cuddling in this scene, how could there be anything else with Odd's condition?) A huge thank you to RascalKat and ShadowOdd, for the great motivational comments; you two made my day.
I would appreciate any thoughts on my development of Eren so far.
Chapter 8 will be out soon!
PS. 'Rose' means 'pink' in French. Coincidence that the chapter is named the same?