Chapter 7 – Painful Memories and the Girl at the Road Sign

Hey again everyone, thank you so much for all of your reviews and song suggestions! See the list on my profile for the order they will be used.

The song in this chapter was suggested by TigerLily the Wild; sorry I didn't use it first! Please forgive me!

Enjoy!


The rest of the week went by with ease, with everyone seeming impressed with my little performance on the Tuesday lunchtime. Even Snotlout left me alone, which was a first. But I'm assuming he's waiting for his chance to make my life absolute hell, even more than he has already. But I'll enjoy the peace while it lasts. In fact, I have a quick little anecdote before I go onto today.

When we came out of our final lesson on the Tuesday, I was walking to the front gates with the guys when Astrid came running over. "Hey, Hiccup, that song at lunchtime was amazing!" she said, "I totally admire you for that, I would never have had the guts." And with that she kissed my cheek and then walked away with her friends, waving. "See you tomorrow!" with a cheerful smile. I waved back in a daze and blushed violently. The guys cracked up. "Aww, someone's luck has changed!" Lloyd said and I elbowed him again.


Anyway, I haven't had time to write these past two days because I've been so busy with homework and revision for the Christmas mock exams in English and Maths. But I have to write about band practice today.

Lloyd and I had again been picked up and brought to his house and we were just chilling in his lounge waiting for Neil to get back from college, with two cans of 7Up (they ran out of Coke) and a bowl of Doritos (a mix of Tangy Cheese and Chilli Heatwave, cos we both hate Cool Original). Lloyd had already tried unsuccessfully to get me into gaming. He had gone onto his Xbox and introduced me to (well I'd heard of them, I'd just never been interested in playing them) Minecraft, Terraria and Trials Fusion. He gave up in the end, vowing to one day convert me to gaming. We literally just sat on the sofa, eating Doritos and sipping 7Up. And chatting. The subject changed when I moved my left leg slightly, causing my trouser leg to ride up a little, revealing the metal of my prosthetic. "Oh yeah, you never told me how you lost your leg." he remembered.

"It's a long story." I said, glancing at my leg and moving the trouser leg back again.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk about it." he said, realizing that it was a personal matter.

"No, it's okay. I would have told you at some point anyway." I said. "It all started..."

As I explained to Lloyd (who said nothing until I was finished), I had a flashback.


[Flashback start]

My dad and I were driving to our summer holiday destination in the Lake District, North England. I was fourteen. My dad was driving his first 4x4, a little Toyota Land Cruiser. We were having a conversation about Rangers, but then my dad spotted something up ahead. Someone was reversing a HUGE Mitsubishi out of a garage. We were going at about 50mph (about 80 km/h). So, naturally, my dad tried to stop but the brake pedal got stuck and we careered towards the reversing car. Then, swearing his head off, my dad tried to swerve out of the way, but then the steering wheel got stuck and before we could avoid it we slammed straight into the back of the Mitsubishi.

I remember the front of our Land Cruiser literally folding like an accordion, and the windscreen was smashed in. My dad's head was flung forward, smashing into the dashboard and knocking him out. I cried out, my left leg was stuck between the now crushed dashboard and the seat, and I unsuccessfully tried to pull it out, feeling only pain beyond any pain I'd ever felt before. I screamed for my dad, but he didn't respond. I tried once again to pull my leg out, but as I did I hit my head hard on the window next to me and everything went black...

I woke up four days later in hospital, feeling groggy and disorientated. My dad was at my bedside, his head had a large purple bruise and a deep dried-up cut on the front of the forehead. I looked down and noticed that my dad's hand was gripping my own, and when I woke he broke down into tears of relief. "Hiccup! Oh God, I thought I'd lost you..." he said, burying his head into the bedclothes and gripping my hand tighter. I slowly turned my head, in much pain, to face him. "Hey, dad, it's okay. I'm alive." I didn't even attempt to sit up.

Then my dad looked up at me, his face streaked with tears. "Son, I'm going to tell you something that you're probably not going to like..." his expression was serious.

"Okay..." I said, wondering what it could possibly be.

"Listen. When they rescued us from the car, they brought us straight here. I was out for a couple of days with concussion. When I woke up, I demanded to see you. I was forced to stay in my bed for another day to make sure I was fully recovered, which was hell by the way, and then when I came to see you today, the nurse told me something I still haven't recovered from."

"What is it?" I asked, wanting him to get to the point.

"You're not going to like this..."

"Dad, just tell me." I said, I was getting impatient now.

"When they brought you back, your left leg from halfway down your shin to your foot was utterly mangled from where you'd obviously tried to pull it free. It was bleeding badly and they said you wouldn't be able to walk on it. So they had to amputate."

"THEY WHAT?" I yelled, I was in utter shock.

"Sssh, keep your voice down. I know it's a shock. Yes. They had to cut your leg off."

"While you were still out?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, son." he said solemnly.

I lifted the sheet on the bed to reveal my left leg ending in a bandaged stump around the middle of my shin. "Dad, I can still feel it!" I said, and that's when I broke down.

"I know. They said that would happen. It's called phantom pain, and it's totally normal."

Dad's words provided no comfort whatsoever; I just continued to sob into the pillow. Part of my leg was gone? It was very hard to comprehend. It was hard to comprehend that while I was out and having a really nice dream, they had cut my leg off. The dream I had had suddenly lost its niceness and whenever I thought about it, I ended up thinking about my mangled bloody leg being cut off with serrated scalpels, blood everywhere. I'm not the best when it comes to blood, so the thought of it was rather distressing. I knew that they didn't use weapons of torture to amputate, but I still sobbed in distress into the pillow. My dad sat there in silence, still holding my hand and stroking it in a comforting way.

When I finally looked back up, my face stained with tears and my hair all over the place, my dad looked at me. "It's the worst thing for me as a father, seeing you like this. Knowing it was my fault." he said.

"What?" How was it his fault? The guy had reversed out when he shouldn't have.

"I should've seen the car reversing quicker. I could've done something to stop the car. It's my fault you lost your leg."

Now it was my turn to be comforting. "Dad, you couldn't have stopped in time. The car was playing up."

"I guess so. Anyway, they said something else to me."

"What?"

"When you're fully recovered, or as recovered as you can be with a quarter of your leg missing, they're going to have to take measurements for a prosthetic leg. And before you refuse, because I know you, Hiccup, you're stubborn, bear in mind that if you refuse then you will never walk again."

His words eradicated any thought I'd had about refusal. I wanted to walk again. Then a nurse appeared at the other side of my bed. She explained the process. They'd keep me in for another couple of days so I was completely recovered, then I'd have to go home for a few weeks so the wound was healed and swelling had gone down. After that they'd bring me back in for measurements, and then the leg would take a few days to make. Then when it was made I'd come back for a fitting and then I'd spend about two to three months learning to walk again. Oh yeah, and it would cost my dad over one and a half grand.

[Flashback end]

"I spent the next two and a half months learning to walk again. It was hell." I said.

"I bet it was. Learning to walk at the age of fourteen. Mate, I'm so sorry, I should never have asked." Lloyd seemed guilty.

"Nah, s'alright. You would've found out some when anyway." I replied, then we heard Neil's bike outside the house. We abandoned our refreshments and headed outside. As I flicked my fringe out of my eyes I saw a female figure leaning against the road sign at the entrance to the street. She had a long platinum blonde braid and was in a Knightsbrook School uniform. I could just see black earphones in her ears. Astrid? No. It couldn't possibly be Astrid. She didn't know where Lloyd lived. Yet it looked particularly like her. I turned to Neil. "Hey, Neil, did you see the girl stood at the road sign?"

"Yeah. She was there last week as well."

"Don't you think that's weird?" I asked, suspicious.

"I didn't think much of it, to be honest, mate. Maybe she's waiting for someone."

"Yeah, maybe." I said, then we headed into the garage.


Astrid POV

I stood waiting at the road sign, as my music blared in my ears. Sweet Child O Mine by Guns N Roses, i.e. my all time favourite song, started up and I was listening to the opening of the song. I looked over my shoulder and saw the guys heading into the garage. I'd told no-one in school about The Night and the Fury, and I wanted to hear more covers. I paused my song, took my earphones out, muttered, "They had to go in on my favourite song." And then headed across the road, again checking around me for cars and people. I was alone once again. I leaned against the wall and heard a conversation.

Hiccup POV

When we had shut the garage door, Lloyd said, "I know exactly what song to do. And because Neil was so late he missed why."

"Well I'm sorry if Dan and Kat were trying to set me up with Ingrid! I couldn't get away!" Neil retaliated.

"Ingrid?" I asked. "As in Ingrid Hofferson?"

"Yeah, that's her. Wait, you know her?" Neil was confused.

"She and her sister are my next door neighbors." I explained, and shot Lloyd a look that said, 'Don't. You. Dare.' He smirked but stayed quiet.

"Oh, right. Anyway, you were saying, brother?" he turned to Lloyd.

"Anyway. We're covering Superheroes by The Script."

"Why?"

"Because Hiccup told me how he lost his leg and it seems fitting."

Neil looked at me for an explanation. "It's a long story. Lloyd can tell you later." I said.

He nodded understandingly. So we set up. I just happened to know the song, so we tuned up and began the cover.

Astrid POV

When the conversation finished, I waited for them to finish tuning up. I smirked. Neil's mate and his girlfriend were trying to set my sister up with Neil. I couldn't wait to wind her up about that. My heart also fluttered when Hiccup mentioned me, even though he didn't name me. For crying out loud, Hofferson, what is wrong with you?

I already knew how Hiccup lost his leg, being his next door neighbor and everything. And I had to agree with Lloyd, Superheroes was a fitting song. I leaned back against the wall as they finished tuning up and the song began [lyrics in bold is Hiccup, not bold is Lloyd. Bold and underlined is both].

All her life she has seen
All the meaner side of me
They took away the prophet's dream for a profit on the street

Now she's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow

All his life he's been told
He'll be nothing when he's old
All the kicks and all the blows
He won't ever let it show

'Cause he's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That's how a superhero learns to fly
(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been working every day and night
That's how a superhero learns to fly
(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

All the hurt, all the lies
All the tears that they cry
When the moment is just right
You see fire in their eyes

'Cause he's stronger than you know
A heart of steel starts to grow

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That's how a superhero learns to fly
Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been working every day and night
That's how a superhero learns to fly

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

{Power, power, power, power, power}

{Power, power, power, power, power}

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

{Power, power, power, power, power}

{Power, power, power, power, power}

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

She's got lions in her heart
A fire in her soul
He's a got a beast in his belly
That's so hard to control
'Cause they've taken too much hits
Taking blow by blow
Now light a match, stand back, watch them explode

She's got lions in her heart
A fire in her soul
He's a got a beast in his belly
That's so hard to control
'Cause they've taken too much hits
Taking blow by blow
Now light a match, stand back, watch them explode, explode, explode, explode

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That's a how a superhero learns to fly

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been working every day and night
That's a how a superhero learns to fly

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

{Power, power, power, power, power}

Oh, yeah...

{Power, power, power, power, power}

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

{Power, power, power, power, power}

{Power, power, power, power, power}

Ooh, yeah
Whoa

(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)

When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been struggling to make things right
That's how a superhero learns to fly.

When the song finished, I was stunned yet again. Hiccup had such a beautiful voice! I mean, I knew that already, but I'd never heard him sing this song! And as a duet with Lloyd, it was pure brilliance. I had to sit on the ground again.

Hiccup POV

We finished the song, Lloyd and I high-fived. Then all three of us high-fived. "Thanks guys." I said. "Lloyd, you chose the song because of me, and you both play it so well."

"Hey, man, what are friends for? You sang it brilliantly yourself." Lloyd said and we did our handshake again, which we'd managed to master. Then I saw something out of the corner of my eye. A shadow, as if someone was sat against the wall. I walked over to the garage and opened it from the inside, the guys looking at each other in confusion.

As they heard the garage door open, they got up and went to run, then I saw who it was.

"Astrid?" I asked. Behind me, out of the corner of my eye I saw Lloyd nudge his brother and say, "Oh, it's that chick again." With a smirk on his face.

"Seriously, Lloyd, nobody says chick anymore." Neil replied and they looked on.

She turned round, startled. "Hiccup! Hi..." she seemed embarrassed.

"So you were the girl at the road sign!"

She looked at the floor and said, "Yes. I was interested last week, so I kind of followed the car and listened to all your covers..."

I was slightly shocked. But of course it was okay. It was Astrid. "So you like our music then?" I asked.

"I don't like it. I LOVE it." she said, and after that she stayed with us, watching our covers and then she left when we had to go for dinner.

But before she left she turned to me and said, "Hiccup, you're an amazing musician. Even more amazing than I thought you were."

I was confused. "Wait, what?"

"Oh yeah. I listen to you when you play music in your room." she said.

I was over the moon and I did something I never thought I would get the chance to do. I hugged her. She hugged me back and then ran back across the empty road, waving and smiling at me. I stared after her. Lloyd came up behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Mate, ask her out, for God's sake."

"I can't. I don't know how." I replied truthfully.

"I do." he said.


Awww, HiccStrid is beginning! Yay! Song used: Superheroes by The Script. I do not own the song. I also do not own any games or brands of cars mentioned, and also for those of you that don't know, a grand is one thousand pounds.

Stay tuned for the next chapter and don't forget to review with song suggestions! :-)