(((.-) Zel ||~.^|| Xelloss
{{$.$}} Lina ((.^)|| Gourry ((^.^))Amelia
Seyruun High Jinx
Chapter 13
Zel had knocked on the side door, the same one he had used the other day. No
answer. It was unlocked so he assumed Xelloss mother must be home.
"Mrs. Metallium? It's Zel. I'm
looking for a first aid kit." But there was no answer.
"Great…I'll try the bathroom…wherever that is. Nope, that's a closet…damn
him anyway, he at least could have showed me the rooms. Ah, success, a bathroom. That's a start. Now
for bandages..."
He opened some cupboards, but found only towels and assorted bottles. Next he
checked the drawers. Nothing but the usual nail clippers, tweezers, hand creams
and dental care products.
"Doesn't anyone get hurt around
here?" Zel muttered, feeling very uncomfortable rummaging through someone
else's personal belongings, especially this someone's. "I guess I'll have
to check the medicine cabinet."
His eye caught sight of an unopened Ace bandage pushed to the back behind some
pill bottles. "Yes! This will do."
He removed the bottles, grabbed the elastic bandage, and then proceeded to
replace them. He didn't mean to look. He really didn't, but Xelloss' name was
on all of them. Two he recognized immediately as heavy-duty pain killers,
Morphine derivatives. The others had complicated long names which rang an alarm
bell. The physician's name was unknown to him (after his accident, he had come
to know most of the doctors in the area), but the hospital was a mental
facility. He checked the date; two years ago, unlimited renewals. What had
happened to that kid? Suddenly he felt sick. He knew it had been a mistake to
come in here. Why did I have to look at those bottles?
Zel slammed shut the cabinet door, jammed the bandage into his pocket, and ran
out the bathroom door. He scanned the hallway. Empty. Good. He started down the
hallway when the thunder boomed, the lightening flashed, and all went dark.
"Oh joy," he thought, working to control a rising feeling of nausea
and panic.
Then he collided into a table that he swore, literally and verbally, hadn't
been there earlier.
"Stop where you are or I'll shoot!" shouted a voice from the darkness
ahead.
Now, Zel surely intended to stop-- stop
and say something like, "Oh hello, It's Zel. Just coming in to use the bathroom. No problem…sorry to
alarm you!"-- but
what came out was more like, "Ach, arhh...Yelp!"
Zel's collision with the table had resulted in the whole thing, picture frames,
lamp, knickknacks being balanced precariously against his stomach. When he
heard the command to 'STOP', he tried to quit all forward movement and push the
table back in place. Zel's karma being what it was, took over. Zel continued flying forward bringing the
table and all is contents down upon him.
CRASH
Kaboom
The gun shot rang through the room as Xelloss crashed through the door
screaming. "Zel-gaaaaa-diss!
Are you okay? W-What have you done?" he screeched. He shone his
flashlight on his mother, dressed in nothing but a towel, gun in hand.
"Gods! Did you shoot Zelgadiss?!"
"'Mother' will do fine…" she purred and turned her face into a mask
complete with smirk. "… and I don't
think he's been harmed…"
Xelloss pushed past the woman, and thundered down the hall where Zel lay prone.
"Zelgadiiiss! Are you alive? Oh!"
Zel was attempting to get upright but a sharp pain in his chest stopped him
short. "Xel-loss?" he gasped. "I-I don't...ugh…my chest hurts."
Xelloss shined the light on a red blotch spreading fast across Zel's front and
shoulder. He scanned the rest of his friend and noticed a broken wine bottle
emptying the last drops on his shirt and the corner of the table stabbing into
his chest. "Hmm, she'll be mad
about this," he muttered tossing the empty bottle to the side and raising
the table. "Here, I think that's just wine, but watch out for broken
glass."
Zel stood a little shakily but didn't find any gaping holes, noting "My
shirt's a mess."
Xelloss indicated that Zel should follow him. "I have some extras back in
my closet."
Zelas had moved to the bar to pour herself a drink. She had been taking a
shower when Zel knocked. When she turned off the water, sounds of an intruder
alerted her to find the semiautomatic she had taken to stashing away under her
pillow. She slipped silently downstairs, cursing the fact that her wolf pet had
long gone deaf and was probably sleeping on her bed. By the time she'd made it
to the hall below, the intruder was shuffling out of the bathroom.
Zel followed his friend to the foyer, but before they passed the front room,
Zelas cleared her throat. Zel turned,
eyes widening at the picture coming into focus before him. She was draped in towel,
hair still dripping, and a single unlit candle on the desk at her elbow. In one
shaky hand was an unlit cigarette. "Before you go out, dear, would you
find me some matches?"
Xelloss flicked his wrist and the light shown upon the desk drawer.
Slowly, she slid open the drawer and picked out a silver lighter. "How
clever, I forgot about this one," she said and lit the cigarette,
"That's better, now tell me. How
are things going for you?"
Xelloss frowned, "The phones are dead, the lights are out, my friends are
stranded, possibly hurt...otherwise just fine."
"Anything I can do?"
"Yes. Get dressed," he said disgustedly.
Lina was getting antsy, "You know first Zel goes in, then Xelloss, then...What
was that noise?!"
Val recognized the sound. "That was gunfire! Coming from the house?!"
Amelia cried, "Mr. Zelgadiss!"
"Xelloss went mad and shot Zel!" announced Filia.
"Zel finally cracked and shot Xelloss!" corrected Val.
"I'm going to find out!" shouted Lina dashing for the door and
stumbling over Gourry's feet.
"Noooooo! Bolt the
door, we could be next!" wailed a truly terrified Sylphiel.
"Then you stay here. Val, you protect Amelia. I'll be back," insisted
Lina.
"I'll go with you," said Gourry bravely.
"Fine, gimme the
flashlight."
Gourry and Lina made it to the house just as Xelloss and Zel, with that red
splotch down his chest, opened the door.
"ZEL!" the two friends cried.
"I'm okay. It's just…wine. The shot missed. It was a misunderstanding.
Come on, let's go back," Zel murmured.
So the four splashed back in the driving rain, their path lit by flashes of
lightening.
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadiss, you're…you're..." began Amelia tearfully.
"I'm fine. A little wet and tired perhaps, but..."
"I'm okay too!" waved Xelloss. "Why don't you guys just take off
your wet clothes and I'll go look for something for you to change into."
He climbed up to the privacy of his loft to change and hunt down clothes.
Lina claimed the bathroom before the other two registered the words.
Xelloss changed into an identical looking outfit. He had a knee- length T-shirt
for Lina, a pair of sweatpants he had outgrown and a long- sleeved polo shirt
for Zel. "Gourry would be a problem, unless..." He charged downstairs from his loft.
"Hey aren't you guys getting dry yet?"
Zel sighed, "I'm not getting undressed in front of everybody. I'd prefer
to be cold and miserable."
"Of course you would," Lina
mumbled from the bathroom.
"Gourry, wait a minute and I'll be back with clothes for you. Lina, open up."
The door opened a crack. One skinny arm stuck out. Xelloss passed her the dry
T-shirt, and then asked, "Would you toss out some towels too?"
Xelloss borrowed Amelia's umbrella and dashed across the lawn to the main
house. Lina relinquished the bathroom after dressing and tossed Gourry a purple
towel, "It's all yours, Zel."
Zel carried the roll of dry clothes into the bathroom. After changing, he
glanced in the mirror. He chuckled. "I look like a mini Xelloss with a
head transplant. Isn't this the fourth clothes change I've had today? I feel…tired…I
guess I can walk home one more time today…scary lady."
"Zel? Are you all right in there?" Gourry
called. He had used a towel to dry off his hair and was holding clothes Xelloss
had just delivered. "Umm, I'd like to change too."
Zel hurried out, embarrassed to have kept Gourry waiting so long.
"Sorry..."
His glance immediately fell on Amelia's pale face, and then he remembered the
Ace bandage in the pocket of his wet pants. He extracted the bandage and tossed
the wet clothes on top of his fencing bag.
"Sorry I took so long," he murmured to the stricken girl. Before
touching her leg, he asked, "Is it okay if I...?"
She looked a little confused, but nodded thinking, He's so shy.
Amelia had already removed her left shoe and sock. Her sore ankle was resting
on a part of her beanbag chair with the bag of ice dripping down her toes.
"Here catch!" and Zel sent the ice bag into Xelloss' stomach. Then he set to work tenderly wrapping the
elastic tape around with expert deftness, careful not to draw it too tight,
while still providing snug support.
"That feels so much better. Thank you, Mr. Zelgadiss…for everything,"
Amelia smiled. "You are very skillful at this."
"Ah, thanks… I have had to tape up my wrists and ankles before fencing, to
provide extra support. There done. Do you need anything, aspirin?" Zel
asked.
"Oh no, I'll be fine." Amelia set her hand on his arm.
That sent electric shocks through Zel's arm straight on up to his fuzzy brain.
"That's a really nice color on you. It makes your eyes stand out,"
Amelia continued.
Zel blushed. He was staring at Amelia eyes saucer like. What was he supposed to
say to something like that?
Xelloss was collecting stray wet clothes first from Gourry exiting the
bathroom, then from Lina's pile at the door, and finally from Zel's bag near
Amelia. Everyone else was busy with dinner preparations, and so no one noticed
the Zel/Amelia interlude.
"You can keep the shirt, Zel," Xelloss said leaning over to grab the
clothes. "I never wore it, if that makes you feel better. Clashes with my hair."
He winked and grinned.
Zel was too tired to even respond this time, besides they both were right. It
did look good on him, and it did clash with Xelloss' hair.
While Zel and Xelloss had been busy in the house, Filia, Val, and Sylphiel had
not been idle. They found their evening picnic supplies from the Wednesday celebration
packed by the door. The candles were pillowed carefully atop the neatly folded
tablecloth which was all nestled in a basket.
"Do you think his mother comes over and cleans?" wondered Filia to
Sylphiel and Val.
"And chooses matching towels and blankets, in purple!" added
Sylphiel.
"Nah," said Val nodding in the purple haired boy's direction,
"Just watch him when he comes back. He's always puttn'
stuff away."
By the time Lina, Gourry, Zel, and Xelloss had all returned, the candles were lit,
and the food arranged on the tablecloth stretched out close to Amelia.
"Can we eat now?" asked Gourry plaintively.
"Sure!" cried Lina, grabbing the first of many hamburgers to pass by
her lips. "Catch!"
Luckily, Gourry caught the flying food, and then plunked down beside Lina.
Xelloss shook his head. He had stuffed the wet clothes into a plastic bag and
picked up Amelia's umbrella. "I'll
be right back," he said to no one in particular.
Back at the main house, Xelloss rubbed stain remover into Zel's shirt, decided
all the items could be washed together, and started the washer. No power. So he
removed the stained shirt and left it to soak in a bucket of water, then
stuffed the wet clothes in the gas drier and turned it on. Success! On his way
back down the hall, he opened the linen closet and thumbed through the various
colored blankets, choosing an armload to carry back. He stopped by the kitchen
and collected saucers for the candles. He didn't want to burn down his place if
a candle got knocked over. Pausing at the door he thought a moment. Satisfied
that he had remembered everything they might need, he dumped everything into a
laundry basket, took the umbrella and left.
Zelas poured herself a glass of wine and watched the rain fall out the front
window, her old wolf at her feet.
Zel was wolfing down hamburger number three when Xelloss returned. He looked up when the door opened, letting in
cold wet air. "Here I saved you
one," he smiled waving the last burger in the air. Lina made a clumsy dive
for it, falling over Amelia instead.
"Thanks!" Xelloss said gratefully sinking into a spot beside Zel.
"I'd almost forgotten we hadn't eaten dinner…though apparently you didn't." He was surprised to see Zel eating so
voraciously.
"What were you doing this
time?" asked Lina while scanning for leftovers.
"Mostly I brought blankets." He felt all eyes on him as he hid his
own. "We don't know how long this may last, and without electricity, this
room could get cold."
"Unless we start gen-er-a-ting some body heat," grinned Val.
Lina and Filia punched him.
"I was thinkin' about singin'
or runnin' around!" he protested. "What
were you thinkin'
about?"
That got him punishment from Zel and Sylphiel as well.
Xelloss had collected all the food trash into a plastic garbage bag and placed
it outside. He was walking around putting the saucers under the candles,
humming a tune, Lina's tune.
"See what I mean?" Val pointed out to Filia nearby.
"Well I think it's sweet. This place would be a pigsty if it was left up
you. Besides, he's the host," said Sylphiel supportively.
"So, you okay, Amelia?" Lina asked.
"Yeah, but I'm a little…shaken. The school is so scary in the dark."
"Don't remind me!" Sylphiel cried. "I don't want to think about
what I saw in that bell-tower!" She moved closer to Gourry and clutched
his arm to prove how scared she was.
"What? What did you see?"
Amelia quavered. Her eyes grew wide.
"I don't KNOW!" Sylphiel shrieked, nearly clawing a very disturbed
Gourry.
"Probably her own shadow," Zel said quietly to Lina.
"No, she did see something. I saw it, too. It was like, like a dark
figure," Lina mused.
"It was… Old Tim," Xelloss
said in a hollow tone.
"EEEEK!" cried Sylphiel and Amelia clutching each other and dragging
poor Gourry into the squeeze of terror.
"Babies," Val sniffed.
"I dunno...Xelloss sounded pretty creepy,"
said Lina. "Anything he said in that tone of voice would freak me
out."
"Who-who's 'Old Tim'?" Filia asked cautiously.
Xelloss had the stage. He was going to make this good. "Thirty years ago,
there was a janitor at Seyruun High known as Old Tim. He'd been there for so
long, there weren't any other faculty members who could remember a time when he
wasn't there. All the students with older siblings were told stories of 'Old
Tim' even before they were out of middle school-which they used to call junior
high back then," that added historical credentials to his story. He went
on,
"In later years, students would play tricks on him, breaking things on
purpose, leaving enormous messes every where. You know kids who do stuff like
that now. Vandalizing-" he pointedly did not look at Val here "-and
things like that. They liked to see him taking what they considered his
'punishment' for telling them not to run in the halls and reporting them when
they skipped classes and just being old and creepy. He always walked around the
halls muttering things about all these damn kids and how he was going to show
them some day."
"One day, some kid threw a basketball at the lights on the ceiling in the
gym. There are cages over them now, so that you can't do this, but back then no
one thought that someone COULD hit one with a basketball. Anyway, he managed to
break all of the lights. He was one of those big dumb jock kids- the kinds who
always do stupid things like that and think they're being clever."
"So of course, Old Tim had to fix them. They just wondered how dotty Old
Tim would get up there to do it. He used a ladder, of course. But those light
bulbs are heavy and awkward, and he was having all sorts of difficulty handling
them. The jock kid and his buddies, who were watching this spectacle, started
jeering at him. When he leaned down to shake his fist and tell them off for
skipping class-"
"He FELL!" Sylphiel cried, nearly hysterical. She was nearly in
Gourry's lap by this point, and Amelia was pulling his hair.
"Lina! Help!"
Gourry gasped. Lina peeled Amelia not so gently off of his hair but didn't know
quite what to do about Sylphiel other than to yell at her.
"Calm down, Sylphiel! It's not that bad!"
"But-but-it's so HORRIBLE!"
"Let. Xelloss. Finish. The
story."
"Well, Sylphiel was right. And he still haunts the school today,
looking for revenge upon those damn kids."
"You mean he DIED? In the school?" Filia
shook.
"Well, duh," Lina sighed.
"Yep. Broke his neck. In
two places, I believe. And one arm and both legs and his spine was rammed
up-"
"Gods, shut up!" Lina hit him. "That's nasty!"
"Well, it's true."
"ANYWAY, there's a hole in your story, isn't that right, Zel?" Lina
looked over at the usually perceptive boy. "Zel?"
Now, Zel had had a full day. Emotional traumas over and over, the walking for
miles carrying unusually heavy loads, the fencing match, more trauma, and now
wrapped in a warm blanket with a full stomach surrounded by his friends while
the storm raged outside--well it was too much. He'd never had a happier moment,
and so he fell asleep.
Amelia listened to his breathing as it slowed with his passing into slumberland. She was enchanted by this shy kid. He was
painfully shy at times, but witty and funny and so cute. Now if she could only
get him to notice her. Sigh. She gently pushed his bangs away from his face. In
the soft candle light his scars disappeared. He was smiling in his sleep. Sigh.
If only he was dreaming of me.
"Ahem, Amelia, if you can drag yourself away from Zel for a minute,"
Lina teased. "It's your turn to tell a story."
"Oh, I'm too tired. I'll just listen, if it's okay with you?"
"Oh sure, that's okay, but just a warning, don't wake him up if you value
your life," Lina laughed.
Amelia snatched her hand away from Zel, tucked under the blanket and nestled
down into her beanbag chair, closing her eyes. She felt better now, ready for
any horror story they could throw at her.
"Wait, if he died in the gym, why did we see him in the bell-tower?"
Val picked up on the hole Lina found.
"Well, there are these secret passages..."
"You mean like the one you took me down?" Lina wondered.
"Yes."
"What? When did you take her down some passage?"
Val demanded.
"During the dance. You were too busy dancing with
Filia to notice-" Lina smirked in perfect imitation of Zel.
"It's hall 'F'," Xelloss explained mysteriously.
"Hall 'F'? There is no hall 'F'," Filia snorted. "It goes 'E' hall, 'G' hall, across
from the gym."
"There is an 'F' hall. It's another one of the Seven Wonders of Seyruun
High."
"'Seven Wonders of Seyruun High'?" they all asked dryly or shakily,
depending on whether you were in the Val-Lina-Gourry camp or the Amelia-Sylphiel-Filia
camp.
"Where does he get all this..." Lina muttered.
"That's a secret!"
Sometime near 1:00 AM Mayor Phil
decided it was time to track down his little girl. He had been out touring the
town instructing cleanup crews, directing phone company engineers, and
assisting policemen wherever he could. He knew that the van had dropped the
kids off at a fast-food place after the fencing game. He also knew that they
had planned to walk back to Xelloss' practice place, wherever that was. Now,
many of the kids he knew for a long time; he new Lina's family at one time, and
though she was one of Amelia's newer friends, he knew she had buddied around with his older daughter, Nahga, a bit. He had met Zel's grandfather at the summer chemistry
department awards ceremony, Gourry's folks on numerous occasions, and
Sylphiel's father at the shrine. He knew more about Val's than he liked and was
learning about Filia's. But this Xelloss kid was a new one. He wanted to check
on the kids and offer them rides home, but hadn't had a minute until now.
"First, I'd better check on Zel's blind grandfather and see if he's
okay."
As his van rolled into the Graywords' driveway the front door opened. "Is
that you, Zelgadiss?" cried a strong but concerned voice from the door.
"No, Professor, I'm Mayor Phil, we've met numerous times. With the phone
trunk lines and cell tower down, there's been no way for the kids to
communicate, so I was on my way over to this young man Xelloss' place to check
on them. But, I thought I'd stop by and see you first."
The extraordinarily young-appearing and well-dressed man greeted Phil with
relief spreading across his face. "I'll go with you, if I may. I've never
met some of those kids, or their parents."
Aside from the closed eyes, there was no way to know that Rezo was blind. He
moved with total assurance to the passenger side of the van and climbed in.
"Now, I've never been to this practice place either, but the driver has
and he left me some instructions. Let's
see past the cleaners…Here's the right address. Looks like a candle in the
front window so someone's awake, let's hope."
Zelas rarely had unplanned visitors especially this late at night, so when a
van pulled in front of her house and two men stepped out, her curiosity was
peaked. She watched the men cautiously pick their way up the rough slate walkway,
which was slippery with rain. "The mayor? Yes,
his daughter is one of the kids here, I suppose, but who is that attractive
gentleman with him? Oh, my…yes. It has
been a while, Rezo. Well, this evening is getting more interesting
already."
"Good evening gentlemen, I recognize you Mayor, please come in out of that
terrible weather. There now. I'm Zelas Metallium, Xelloss is my son."
Phil gasped in recognition, "The Seyruun High principal Metallium?"
"That's right," she purred. "But it is a secret to the kids. You
know how kids can be? It could be very…difficult for Xelloss at school. I'm
sure you understand. And good evening to you."
"This is Professor Rezo Graywords." Phil began.
"Yes, we're old acquaintances." Zelas was in awe of the handsome
poised man, a truly rare experience for her.
"It's has been awhile, Zelas…So where are the kids? I can't hear them, and
I know that many kids can't be that quiet no matter how hard they try."
Rezo tilted his head.
Zelas said, "You're right, how well you know kids. This way, the garage
was remodeled a few years back into an apartment/practice room. Here we are…seems
quiet…not locked."
She quietly opened the door to find the room glowing in dim candle light. The
kids were rolled up in blankets, snuggled in beanbag chairs- boys on one side
of the room and girls on the other, with Zel and Amelia on the demarcation
line.
Phil started to say something when he saw his daughter's ankle wrapped up, but
Zelas stopped him with a glance. Instead, he did a head count to be sure
everyone could be accounted for, and then returned to the main house with Rezo
and Zelas.
"Well I have met all these kids before and can contact their guardians by
van if I have too."
At that moment his cell phone buzzed. "Working at last! Hello? Yes you can, you can
begin by giving me the phone numbers for the following people. Ready? Okay the
priest at the big downtown shrine, Lahda. Yes that's the one, okay…" he
scribbled the numbers for each of the kid's homes, except for Filia who had
arranged to stay with Amelia overnight ( she just didn't
say where Amelia would be, eh?).
One by one he calmed down worried parents, or in Lina's case, her sister Luna.
Sano, Val's roommate, was more difficult to get but the Kendo master, Mr. Himura, who lived in the trailer next to Sano and was
Sano's guardian, was informed of Val's safety and whereabouts. Zelas meanwhile
was getting reacquainted with Rezo. She was pouring him a glass of wine when
Phil put his phone away.
"There now, that's done. Everyone agrees to leave the kids where they are
tonight, since they are sleeping and behaving themselves. I will drop by with
the van tomorrow morning around 11:00
to begin deliveries, if that's all right with you Ms. Metallium?"
"Certainly, and please just call me Zelas,"
she smiled.
"Thank you, Zelas. And you may
call me Phil. Professor, would you like me to drop you and your son at home
tonight?"
"I think not, but I thank you just the same. Zelas has offered me a bed in
the guestroom for tonight, and I think I'll take her up on that."
"Very good idea, that. Well then, it's been quite a night. I'm going home
now myself. I'll see you all in the morning. Good night!" and he and the
van disappeared down the street.
"Now then, professor, let me refill that glass and sit a moment. I'd love
to hear all about your current work. Oh
do you still smoke? No? Yes, I agree is
it a nasty habit. I've been trying to stop, now is the best time to start,
don't you agree?" said the spider to the wasp.
**** ( ^^ ) ****
End Seyruun High Jinx Chapter 13