Friday night

It's MY Fault

Zelda walked into her dorm to find Link already there, hiding in his usual spot under the bed. He looked deep in thought. Maybe the symbol hurt.

Zelda bent down.

"Link, the chemistry teacher's in the hospital. She's still out cold from shock."

Link looked up.

"Oh?" He crawled out from under the bed and sat at Zelda's feet. "That's good."

Zelda patted his head awkwardly. "Well… You have to bunk with Jonathan now, too. He's the only one with a spare bed. You can't stay with me."

"Wha- why not?" Link stood up defiantly.

"Er… you don't know?"

"No…"

Zelda smiled.

"Eh… I shouldn't tell you just yet. Wait until you ask to go to health."

She ruffled his hair. Link swallowed.

"I hate Jonathan. He's out to get me."

"I think you're just a little scared. He's not out to get you; he's a nice person."

Link stared at his the wall angrily.

"I don't care. I hate him."

Zelda put her hands on his shoulders.

"If anything happens… just send me a message." She whispered.

"Zelda… I'm glad I met you. Anybody else… they would have left me outside." He said, his eyes staring into her own. Ghost blue on sky blue.

Zelda put her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. She could hear his heart beating very fast. He was still scared.

"I wish I'd… saved you. That day when you were taken." Link nodded and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, a prickling on Link's hand suddenly felt like a needle was pressing into it.

"Ah! Ah…" His throat felt clogged. He let go of Zelda and backed away. "I guess I can't be in here."

"Is something wrong? You look upset."

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just nervous." Link forced a smile and walked out the door, closing the door quickly behind him. He rushed down the hall, sweating and gripping his hand. A bell rang and people came out of their last class.

Not wanting to be noticed, Link crouched down in a corner and hid his face in the shadows.

It didn't take long after the shadows touched his flesh for the world to go black.

Link was not in a hallway anymore. He was back in the lab, and he could tell by the smell.

Oh no. Oh, god no. This is bad. He thought. He opened his eyes. He was in a cell. Just outside one, actually, watching inside. He made a quick note of the number. 15747.

"Worthless…" Zant was striding around the twili girl. Inside the cell. "He called me worthless, Midna. Do you know how that feels?"

Her name's Midna?

"Yes." The girl was sitting on the floor. Blood was trickling down her face. "Though I am not."

"ARE You? Remember why you are here! YOU let him escape! You deserve-"

Link squeezed his eyes shut. There was a scream.

"To DIE!"

Link opened his eyes again. A large cut was stretched across the girl's back. She dissolved into a shadow.

"I meant to! I am proud to admit that I meant to!" Her voice was shrill. She started cackling insanely. "You are a torturer! It wouldn't have been long before he stopped being human! I AM NOT WORTHLESS!"

"I'm guessing you freed all those others, too?" Zant screeched. "I, in fact know a bit about shadows. They actually have quite a weak spot!"

He grabbed a lantern off the wall and lit it. Light pierced through the room.

The shadow was gliding around the room, writhing and shrieking, and it could find no shadows to hide in.

Link tried to yell and scream.

Why for me? He thought, bitterly realizing that he was not really in the lab again, but instead was being forced to see this. He felt the world going black again.

…

Somebody was shaking him. He opened his eyes.

"Hey, 'Josh'. You weren't at the dorm." It was Jonathan. His mind was buzzing with mixed signals.

For a moment, Link was shaking and his eyes were wide.

"What? Why…?"

Jonathan frowned.

"Oh?"

"Bad… very bad… Bad, bad…" Link was muttering to himself.

"Get up!" Jonathan hissed. "I'm not supposed to be out at this hour! Come on!"

He wheeled down the hall. Link stood up, grinding his teeth. He followed Jonathan down the hall.

His mind drifted back to the girl who had helped him escape. He stopped walking.

"Why?"

After wheeling about a meter, Jonathan noticed Link wasn't with him.

"Josh?"

Link was staring at the ground. His shoulders were shaking and his head was in his hands.

"Are you… crying?" Josh asked, in shock.

Link did not answer. "It's… all… because of…"

He wiped his eyes. "It's… all… MY... fault."

Jonathan wheeled closer.

"What is? What did you do?"

Link sank to the ground.

"Why?" tears were streaming down his face. "You were so nice! WHY FOR ME?"

"Josh?"

"I was almost inhuman! You didn't have to come for me! It wouldn't have made a difference! I'M WORTHLESS! WHY DID YOU DO THAT FOR ME?"

Jonathan was now next to him. He was scared… no, he was terrified. In his mind, he wanted to help 'Josh' badly, but something was stopping him.

"YOU WOULD'T HAVE HAD TO SUFFER!"

He slammed his hands on the ground.

"Josh, calm down!" Jonathan whispered.

Link looked up. His eyes nearly made Jonathan scream.

They were pale and flashing with some emotion he had never seen before. He wanted to calm him down. He knew this feeling all too well.

"She's dying for me… and I am sitting here… listening to you… tell me what to do."

Jonathan reached down. "Josh? Who…?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Link tossed him off. "Don't call me that!"

He gripped the jacket and screamed.

A teacher came out of her room, obviously up late grading papers.

"Students! What are you doing at this hour?"

"DON'T!" Link screamed. "TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

Jonathan was now shaking. "Ms… he's…"

Link suddenly got very pale. His eyes changed color and became such a light blue that most people would think they were white.

"Are you alright?" The teacher gasped.

"She's dying! She's dying!He'll kill anybody who protects me! She's DYING!" Link screamed. Realization dawned on him. "Zelda's going to DIE!"

Jonathan suddenly felt released, and he grabbed Link's shoulders. "Stop!" He yelled.

"No!" Link tried to shake him off, but Jonathan gripped him tightly. He felt in complete control.

"It's OK!" He yelled. "She won't die!"

Link's eyes returned normal color. He rested his head on his knees.

"I promise." Jonathan whispered.

"I'm…" He gripped Jonathan's leg. "…scared for her."

Jonathan bit his lip. "He's on medicine from the nurse. Sorry."

And shooed the teacher away.

Jonathan helped walk Link to his dorm.

Link swallowed and pushed open the door. It was identical to Zelda's, just more boy-ish.

Jonathan wheeled over to his bed. "Josh, you should take a bath." He said to Link. "You smell weird."

Link nodded, a little jerkily, and walked to the bathroom whiled muttering strange things. Before he walked into the bathroom, he spoke a little louder.

"Don't call me Josh anymore." And he closed the door, from within which came more muffled muttering, and then the sound of water running.

It was silent except for the water running.

Jonathan wheeled around his room. His hand thumped against his cell phone in his pocket, ready to dial the lab at any moment. But something made him draw back from the numbers.

It was as if the shadows on the wall were whispering for him to not to, others urging him on.

From the bathroom came a muffled shout, "Do I take a bath with my clothes ON or OFF?"

"Off!" Jonathan yelled, failing at holding back a laugh.

In the bathroom, Link stared, confused, at his clothes.

"How do I take them off?" He asked. Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"Here, I'll help with the shirt. You have to do the rest."

"Uh huh…"

Jonathan entered the bathroom. Link was filling up a bath, looking kind of confused. His jacket was on the floor.

"Lift up your arms." Jonathan ordered. Link did so, and Jonathan helped him pull of the shirt.

Blunt shock spread over Jonathan's face.

"What?" Link asked. He stared down at his chest. "Oh, crap."

It was also covered in the needle marks. "CRAP!"

Link quickly squirmed out of his pants and leapt into the tub so that Jonathan would leave. He drew the curtains quickly.

Jonathan left the room, heart pounding. It was not what he had seen; it was what he had recognized.

He then started on his homework.

Jonathan was on the bed, texting to Siera.

I saw them. The needle marks. It's true, all of it!

He clicked send and waited.

Soon his phone buzzed.

Scary. Well, I was wondering if you could take a break from this discovery to help me with something?

What?

Umm… I wanted to meet you in the courtyard. Tomorrow? If you want to.

I'd LOVE to.

Great! How's 1:00?

Great.

A great amount of adrenaline went through Jonathan. Finally! They were going to hang out. He was exited and happy.

In truth, he really likes Siera. The way she was so sure about what she did amazed him. Also, he loves her smile.

Link drained the tub, wrapping himself in a towel.

He knew how to use a towel because in the lab, they gave him a wet towel and a dry one to clean himself. It wasn't real cleaning, but they were too lazy to put on soap.

Link wrapped himself in the towel and then left the bathroom. His cuts were less noticeable.

"Where are my clothes?" He asked Jonathan, rubbing himself off.

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "You can't honestly wear those again before they're washed and patched up."

Link frowned. "I've kind of grown partial to that outfit, thank you lots and lots." He held out his hand.

Jonathan shook his head defiantly and wheeled over to his dresser.

"Take some real clothes. Here." He tossed Link some jeans, a T-shirt and a jean-jacket. He also threw him a pair of underwear.

Link looked bewildered, but put them on in spite of it.

Jonathan lay down for bed. Link was sitting on the floor and staring at his new clothes.

He lay down on the floor and curled up in a corner and closed his eyes. Jonathan turned out the light.

Review, please!