Greyson's eyes opened slowly. Golden light poured in through the window in front of him, a light breeze lifting the white curtains to float lazily inward and settle back down. On the wind came the sound of chirping birds, children playing somewhere in the distance, and a car passing by.
Greyson lay in a soft, white bed, torso propped upright. He was reminded of the time he had spent in the hospital after his fight with Vladimir. This time, however, his location was less certain.
"Where am I? Am I even alive anymore?" Greyson wondered. He held his hand in front of his face, grasping at the air. He was relieved he could still move. "No hospital equipment attached, huh?"
"Oh look, you're awake," a woman's unexcited voice stated from next to Greyson. He turned, surprised to hear someone by his side. The source of the voice was a woman of about thirty, whose ash blonde hair fell neatly to her shoulders. She looked down on Greyson with cold blue eyes that sat behind round-rimmed glasses.
"I'll get the others. Stay where you are," The woman ordered.
"Can I go? My team doesn't know where I am," Greyson asked, thinking about how much Azure and the others would be worrying right now. His broken scroll did nothing to help the issue.
"No. We're retaining you for questioning," the woman answered.
"Questioning? Why?" Greyson inquired.
"Well, that's what you do when three teenagers are left heavily wounded on the street and one more is passed out with blood on his hands, and is completely unscathed," the woman responded. She stood up and turned away before Greyson could reply further. As she walked away, Greyson stole a glance at her outfit. She wore a navy blue collared shirt and matching slacks. A holstered gun, portable radio, and taser sat on her black belt. Greyson knew he sat inside a police station.
"Huh? Unscathed?" Greyson pondered, remembering the brutal beating he had taken the night before. "Not only am I alive, but I'm completely uninjured as well? What the hell happened last night?"
Hours earlier, he sat on the brink of death. Now, he felt no pain.
A few minutes later, the officer returned, two others in tow. To her left, a tall man with short brown hair walked. Though conducting serious business, the man still retained a kind, carefree look on his face. The other was an older, more official looking man. He must have been nearing retirement age, Greyson thought. The senior officer's wrinkled face was partially covered by a thick, white, moustache and beard. All three wore the same uniform. The eldest officer wore two more stripes on his sleeve than the younger pair.
"So, I suppose we should begin with your name," the oldest officer gently began. Though the young woman looked at Greyson as if he were a criminal, the two men seemed agreeable enough.
"Greyson. Greyson Skye," Greyson answered.
"Wait... Greyson Skye... Where have I heard that?" The younger, middle-aged man asked himself, scratching his head.
"Officer Brown. If you are to speak, make sure it's useful," the female officer snapped. "Run a search on that name. Check all local databases.
"Geez, you don't have to be so harsh..." Officer Brown responded. "I'm on it."
"Tell me," the older man said to Greyson. "What happened last night?"
Greyson explained his case, telling the officers everything from the troubles with Team DARK at Beacon, to the nightmares, to the battle invitation, to every last detail of the night before. Two hours of intense questioning passed, two hours that felt like an eternity for Greyson and his team.
"Very well," the senior officer, who had introduced himself simply as "Officer Snow," concluded. "Once the other three heal, we'll bring them in for questioning. For the time being, you're free to go." He handed Greyson an official looking card with a scroll number on it. "Please, don't lose this card. If this number calls you, I would advise you answer."
"Yes sir, thank you," Greyson said, bowing slightly in respect. He felt both relief and distress as he spotted his car after leaving the police station. The silver sedan was back in one piece, but the towing fee...
A ten minutes' drive later, Greyson walked up to Room 452, and, thinking about what he would tell his team, took a deep breath. He knocked three times.
Inside, Azure lay limp on her bed, no motivation, no strength to do anything beside lay there. "Rusty, can you get that? It's probably the police," she asked in a hollow, depressed voice.
Rusty nodded, and plodded toward the door. As he opened it, he froze in shock. An ecstatic grin stretched across his face. "Greyson, what!? We thought you were dead, dude!" he exclaimed in elation.
With a gasp of excitement, Azure's head snapped upward, looking at the door. As soon as she saw Greyson, she was in his arms, nearly lifted off the ground from the intensity of their hug. "Greyson! I saw your aura deplete on my scroll, I saw it fall to zero! What happened?"
"Well, I was getting beaten pretty badly, and then my scroll broke, which must be what you saw," Greyson explained. "I'm... not sure what happened after though."
"What do you mean?" Azure inquired.
Greyson told his team about standing up when he was nearly dead, remembering Pierce's lessons, and being surrounded in the "grey fire." Azure listened intently.
"I think what happened is called an Aural Intervention, I've read about it," Azure recalled. "On rare occasions, when someone with a particularly high aura level is supposed to die in combat, all their aura gets channeled into fighting one last time. Commonly, those who survive this 'final stand,' if you will, have witnessed someone very close to them die."
"So, it was Lazula?" Greyson asked.
Azure nodded. "Lazula protected you, Greyson! It seems like she was quite the girl." Azure's gaze hardened from a relieved smile to near a glare. "And what were you doing, sneaking out at night to fight to the death? How do you think we felt, thinking you were dead!?"
Greyson explained everything, from his constant nightmares and their effect on his mental state, to the invitation to battle, and finally the night before.
"So, you're saying you did this all to protect us?" Azure summarized irritatedly.
"Yes. I think I've succeeded. I'm sorry I made you worry," Greyson responded.
"Next time, tell us what's happening! We're a team, got that!? Tell me, what good would protecting us do if our leader died?" Azure nearly yelled. It was the closest instance to a display of Azure's anger Greyson had ever seen directed toward him.
Greyson bowed his head. "I'm sorry. It was a stupid decision," he admitted. "Honestly, one I deserved to die for. But... I get the feeling I've won. It's like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders. I know Vladimir is still out there, and so is Torchwick and his crew, but I just feel... better."
"Tonight, I'm sleeping in your bed so you don't go running off anywhere, got it?" Azure demanded.
Greyson nodded. "That's reasonable," he replied, his face turning red as he imagined Azure cuddling up to him. He looked at the time, seeing it to be just past noon. "I'm going to go thank Pierce," he stated. "I probably would have died if it wasn't for what he taught me."
"Not without me you aren't," Azure declared. "I'm not leaving your side until you prove you're not gonna make any more stupid decisions!"
Greyson shot her a resigned smile. "Fine. I guess we'll try to see if I can get another scroll as well. This one's not gonna do me any good," he added, holding up his mutilated scroll. Just two wires kept the device in one piece. Greyson and Azure headed off to Team VRDE's dorm.
Azure stayed true to her word that night. There was no way for Greyson to escape as Azure used his chest as a pillow, resting her left hand on his heart. Neither of them dared to move all night. In the morning, Greyson awakened slowly and peacefully to the sound of chirping birds outside. For the first time in months, his dreams were pleasant.
All was well.
Note: That's a wrap for Volume 2! Volume 3 will begin sometime Mid-May, and will follow teams GRAE and VRDE as they take on a very important mission!
Once again, I ask: Who are your favorite characters in this story so far? Send your answer by PM, so I don't inflate my review count, please!