Part 30 ^_^
Mrs Henricks trailed to a halt when she heard the scream. "Stay in
your seats, please," she said, and left the room.
She knew full well that the entire class would not only *not* stay in
their seats, but about half would attempt to follow her.
The noise was coming from the girls' bathroom.
Mrs Henricks broke into a run.
Margali eased her daughter down to the floor. "You always struggled
with your lessons," she sighed. "Not because you were second-born, but
because you refused to *listen*."
Jimaine, unintelligable once more, writhed and frothed in her mother's
arms.
"Is everything all right?" Mrs Henricks demanded as she burst in on
the scene.
Kurt shook his head, unnoticed tears were spilling from his eyes. In
another world, he could have loved her; but not like this. All he truly
felt for her was pity. Nothing more.
Amanda took up the role of spokesperson. "She had some kind of fit,"
she said. "I think maybe she was -um- with Kurt."
"...dragged me in here..." Kurt muttered. He was looking shocky and
scared and out of it. "She tried to... she tried... Oh, Gott..."
Mrs Henricks' mouth went into a thin line. "*MMmmmm*. There's always
one who tries it. Mr Wagner? Did anything -er- happen?"
"Nein. Nein..." He was shaking his head, as if denying the moment.
"She fell before... I wouldn't let her. Couldn't get out. Swar Ich, I
didn't *want* to. *She* wanted to. I tried to get away. I didn't touch
her. She just--"
"Shhh..." Amanda soothed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "It's
okay, honey. It's all right. Come on. Wanna get outta here?"
Kurt's nervous head-shaking turned into a nod akin to a nervous tic.
"Bitte... Bitte, Geliebt." He was trembling.
Amanda gently helped him outside, to a little patch of sunshine and
trees, and sat beside him and held him while he shook and stared at
nothing.
"Is she going to be all right?"
The blind woman, Mrs Szardos, held her daughter close and soothed her
hair. "In time, I hope she will recover. My son already perished from a
madness like this. I have medicines..." she sighed. "Now she is
stricken, at least she will sit still to take them. You were always my
willful one, daughter. I can only pray you recover."
"Uh. We have some doctors here, who might be able to help?"
"American medicine will do her no good." Mrs Szardos dug some herbs
from her bag. "Her sickness has gone to her soul. They would only cure
her body. Here, liebchen. Chew these, ja? They'll help you walk."
Miss Szardos shook more violently and even spat out some garbled
sounds.
Mrs Szardos sighed, "Ever willful," and rocked with her daughter,
singing something old and foreign.
Ever so gradually, Jimi Szardos relaxed. Her mouth eased open.
Gently, Mrs Szardos fed the herbs to her, leaf by leaf. "Her movement
will be restricted, but she will be able to move, at any rate. I will
take her home. She will heal there."
Mrs Henricks found herself nodding, even though she barely understood
it.
Kurt gave a gasp, muttered, "Oh, liebe..." and lunged into her arms,
holding onto her as if she were his last hope of salvation.
Amanda held him with both arms. "It's all right, now. Shhh... Shhh...
It's all right. It's all over, now. She can't hurt you."
"Nein. I was never afraid for me, Geliebt."
_*Oh*._ "Okay. She can't hurt *us*, any more. It's okay, now. It's
okay..."
Kurt was riding our the residual tides of fear and fretting. "I was so
worried for you..."
"Me too; but for you. But it all worked out for the best, didn't it?"
Kurt sighed. "I don't know... My brother is still dead, and I couldn't
save him. His sister -- I could have loved her, Geleibt, but she's
rotten inside... And now she's suffering and it's all my fault. If
only... If only..."
"Sssshhhh..." Amanda soothed. "None of it's your fault, honey. You
couldn't have done anything."
"I could have hung on. If only I could've hung on... he'd be alive."
Someone cast a shadow over them. Margali. "I see shards of other
worlds, Kurti. If you had both climbed that cliff, innocents would have
died at his hand. So many that you would be *forced* to kill him. Or the
townsfolk of Winzeldorf would have put him in your place on the stake.
My son was doomed to die from the moment he first ate the poison leaf...
and you had no way of stopping that."
"...Stefan..."
"Ja. I know. You loved him. So did I. You're innocent of his death,
liebe, and he forgives you. He's chosen to watch over you, and protect
you."
Kurt absently touched his right shoulder. "I felt him," he said. "I
didn't know what it meant, but I felt him."
"Um," said Amanda. "Where's Jimaine?"
"I gave her a boundary. Typical to her nature, she's testing it. She
will come to me or suffer the consequences. We will go home, soon, and
Jimaine will learn. One way or the other."
"I'll pray for her," said Kurt.
"Bless you," Margali whispered, bending to kiss his forehead. "May you
live your live according to your choices, and not any other's."
"May you walk free," Kurt replied.
Margali swept away, restrained power incarnate. In a moment, Jimaine
came stumbling by, looking as if she were in extreme pain, herded by
some invisible force at her back.
"Well," said Amanda. "At least life with you isn't going to be
boring."
"Ach!" Kurt slapped his forehead. "We forgot your father! What are we
gonna tell *him*?"
"Easy," said Amanda. "Evan was going out with three other girls at the
same time."
Kurt boggled at her. "What?"
"C'mon... what's a little character assassination between friends?
We'll hatch the whole plot with him this afternoon."
Kurt got his trademark goofy smile back. "You're cute when you're
planning things..."
Evan knew that look. "Who's in trouble after you two get done?"
"Er..." said Kurt. That's the thing..."
_Uh oh._
"We wanna make you persona non-grata with my dad," said Amanda.
"Scum of the universe," Kurt added. "So just about anything is
better."
_Uh oh confirmed._ "Um. You do have two brothers who are bigger and
stronger than me," he said. "And the rest of them can gang up. With
weapons."
"Wuss," said Kurt.
Amanda snorted. "I already *explained* to them that our whole
relationship is fake."
Evan sighed with relief. "So *that* explains the decrease in menacing
'phone calls. And the notes in my locker."
"See?" said Kurt. "I *said* he could figure things out."
"Ha ha," sarcasmed Evan. "So what's the plan?"
"First off, you're going out with three other girls," said Amanda.
"Hey, Jean."
"Hi, Scott."
"Um. About the whole love spell thing... Um. I wasn't really in
control... Um. I swear I'd never be that much of a pest if - youknow -
you let me close."
"Really?"
"Honest," said Scott. "Flowers, yes. Chocolates, definitely. But no
singing. Absolutely no singing whatsoever."
Jean had to smile. "Really? No singing at all?"
Scott blushed. "Face it, I suck. I couldn't sing to save my soul."
"But you're so *cute* when you're trying to hit the high notes," Jean
teased.
Scott groaned. "If you love my singing, I'll sing for you," he said.
"But only if you insist, y'know? And not in public..." he sighed. "I
know you're with Matthews and everything, but -- I *know* you're the
girl for me. If I gotta wait forever - that's just how long it's gonna
take."
"Aaaaawwww..." Jean gave him a hug. "Trust me. If Dunc and I split up,
you're the first person I'll think of."
"Good," said Scott. "'Cause I really need you to do me an extra-
special favour."
"I'm not mindwiping the whole school about the Eidelweiss thing."
"No, no, nononono. Nothing like that, I swear! It's a really *really*
small favour."
"Okay. What do I have to do?"
"Explain the ping pong thing to Jamie? The little guy's driving me
*nuts*!"
Mrs Henricks trailed to a halt when she heard the scream. "Stay in
your seats, please," she said, and left the room.
She knew full well that the entire class would not only *not* stay in
their seats, but about half would attempt to follow her.
The noise was coming from the girls' bathroom.
Mrs Henricks broke into a run.
Margali eased her daughter down to the floor. "You always struggled
with your lessons," she sighed. "Not because you were second-born, but
because you refused to *listen*."
Jimaine, unintelligable once more, writhed and frothed in her mother's
arms.
"Is everything all right?" Mrs Henricks demanded as she burst in on
the scene.
Kurt shook his head, unnoticed tears were spilling from his eyes. In
another world, he could have loved her; but not like this. All he truly
felt for her was pity. Nothing more.
Amanda took up the role of spokesperson. "She had some kind of fit,"
she said. "I think maybe she was -um- with Kurt."
"...dragged me in here..." Kurt muttered. He was looking shocky and
scared and out of it. "She tried to... she tried... Oh, Gott..."
Mrs Henricks' mouth went into a thin line. "*MMmmmm*. There's always
one who tries it. Mr Wagner? Did anything -er- happen?"
"Nein. Nein..." He was shaking his head, as if denying the moment.
"She fell before... I wouldn't let her. Couldn't get out. Swar Ich, I
didn't *want* to. *She* wanted to. I tried to get away. I didn't touch
her. She just--"
"Shhh..." Amanda soothed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "It's
okay, honey. It's all right. Come on. Wanna get outta here?"
Kurt's nervous head-shaking turned into a nod akin to a nervous tic.
"Bitte... Bitte, Geliebt." He was trembling.
Amanda gently helped him outside, to a little patch of sunshine and
trees, and sat beside him and held him while he shook and stared at
nothing.
"Is she going to be all right?"
The blind woman, Mrs Szardos, held her daughter close and soothed her
hair. "In time, I hope she will recover. My son already perished from a
madness like this. I have medicines..." she sighed. "Now she is
stricken, at least she will sit still to take them. You were always my
willful one, daughter. I can only pray you recover."
"Uh. We have some doctors here, who might be able to help?"
"American medicine will do her no good." Mrs Szardos dug some herbs
from her bag. "Her sickness has gone to her soul. They would only cure
her body. Here, liebchen. Chew these, ja? They'll help you walk."
Miss Szardos shook more violently and even spat out some garbled
sounds.
Mrs Szardos sighed, "Ever willful," and rocked with her daughter,
singing something old and foreign.
Ever so gradually, Jimi Szardos relaxed. Her mouth eased open.
Gently, Mrs Szardos fed the herbs to her, leaf by leaf. "Her movement
will be restricted, but she will be able to move, at any rate. I will
take her home. She will heal there."
Mrs Henricks found herself nodding, even though she barely understood
it.
Kurt gave a gasp, muttered, "Oh, liebe..." and lunged into her arms,
holding onto her as if she were his last hope of salvation.
Amanda held him with both arms. "It's all right, now. Shhh... Shhh...
It's all right. It's all over, now. She can't hurt you."
"Nein. I was never afraid for me, Geliebt."
_*Oh*._ "Okay. She can't hurt *us*, any more. It's okay, now. It's
okay..."
Kurt was riding our the residual tides of fear and fretting. "I was so
worried for you..."
"Me too; but for you. But it all worked out for the best, didn't it?"
Kurt sighed. "I don't know... My brother is still dead, and I couldn't
save him. His sister -- I could have loved her, Geleibt, but she's
rotten inside... And now she's suffering and it's all my fault. If
only... If only..."
"Sssshhhh..." Amanda soothed. "None of it's your fault, honey. You
couldn't have done anything."
"I could have hung on. If only I could've hung on... he'd be alive."
Someone cast a shadow over them. Margali. "I see shards of other
worlds, Kurti. If you had both climbed that cliff, innocents would have
died at his hand. So many that you would be *forced* to kill him. Or the
townsfolk of Winzeldorf would have put him in your place on the stake.
My son was doomed to die from the moment he first ate the poison leaf...
and you had no way of stopping that."
"...Stefan..."
"Ja. I know. You loved him. So did I. You're innocent of his death,
liebe, and he forgives you. He's chosen to watch over you, and protect
you."
Kurt absently touched his right shoulder. "I felt him," he said. "I
didn't know what it meant, but I felt him."
"Um," said Amanda. "Where's Jimaine?"
"I gave her a boundary. Typical to her nature, she's testing it. She
will come to me or suffer the consequences. We will go home, soon, and
Jimaine will learn. One way or the other."
"I'll pray for her," said Kurt.
"Bless you," Margali whispered, bending to kiss his forehead. "May you
live your live according to your choices, and not any other's."
"May you walk free," Kurt replied.
Margali swept away, restrained power incarnate. In a moment, Jimaine
came stumbling by, looking as if she were in extreme pain, herded by
some invisible force at her back.
"Well," said Amanda. "At least life with you isn't going to be
boring."
"Ach!" Kurt slapped his forehead. "We forgot your father! What are we
gonna tell *him*?"
"Easy," said Amanda. "Evan was going out with three other girls at the
same time."
Kurt boggled at her. "What?"
"C'mon... what's a little character assassination between friends?
We'll hatch the whole plot with him this afternoon."
Kurt got his trademark goofy smile back. "You're cute when you're
planning things..."
Evan knew that look. "Who's in trouble after you two get done?"
"Er..." said Kurt. That's the thing..."
_Uh oh._
"We wanna make you persona non-grata with my dad," said Amanda.
"Scum of the universe," Kurt added. "So just about anything is
better."
_Uh oh confirmed._ "Um. You do have two brothers who are bigger and
stronger than me," he said. "And the rest of them can gang up. With
weapons."
"Wuss," said Kurt.
Amanda snorted. "I already *explained* to them that our whole
relationship is fake."
Evan sighed with relief. "So *that* explains the decrease in menacing
'phone calls. And the notes in my locker."
"See?" said Kurt. "I *said* he could figure things out."
"Ha ha," sarcasmed Evan. "So what's the plan?"
"First off, you're going out with three other girls," said Amanda.
"Hey, Jean."
"Hi, Scott."
"Um. About the whole love spell thing... Um. I wasn't really in
control... Um. I swear I'd never be that much of a pest if - youknow -
you let me close."
"Really?"
"Honest," said Scott. "Flowers, yes. Chocolates, definitely. But no
singing. Absolutely no singing whatsoever."
Jean had to smile. "Really? No singing at all?"
Scott blushed. "Face it, I suck. I couldn't sing to save my soul."
"But you're so *cute* when you're trying to hit the high notes," Jean
teased.
Scott groaned. "If you love my singing, I'll sing for you," he said.
"But only if you insist, y'know? And not in public..." he sighed. "I
know you're with Matthews and everything, but -- I *know* you're the
girl for me. If I gotta wait forever - that's just how long it's gonna
take."
"Aaaaawwww..." Jean gave him a hug. "Trust me. If Dunc and I split up,
you're the first person I'll think of."
"Good," said Scott. "'Cause I really need you to do me an extra-
special favour."
"I'm not mindwiping the whole school about the Eidelweiss thing."
"No, no, nononono. Nothing like that, I swear! It's a really *really*
small favour."
"Okay. What do I have to do?"
"Explain the ping pong thing to Jamie? The little guy's driving me
*nuts*!"