Chapter 7
Jason sat in his chair and glared at the guy Kayla was dancing with. He didn't even know the creep's name. He couldn't help but feel betrayed that Kayla was dancing with someone other than him. So, he refused to dance with any of the multiple girls that asked him to dance. Instead, he just sat there and watched Kayla's dance partner. Because, whether she liked it or not, if he made one wrong move on Kayla, Jason would go over there and beat the crap out of him. Jason couldn't help but feel disgust though when she started to laugh at what the mystery man was saying and doing. She usually reserved that laugh for him.
It was a good thing that Jason was acting the jealous boyfriend and staring so intently at Kayla and who she was dancing with because he saw the glint of the steel dagger just moments before it was plunged into Kayla's back.
"KAYLA!!!!!!!!!!!" Jason screamed as she collapsed onto the ground, her assailant slowly backing up to avoid notice. The entire room grew quiet. Jason ran over to Kayla's body and picked her up so that her head was resting on his shoulder and her back was face up. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Mikhail. "Somebody get him!" He shouted. Tori and Keri both used their telekinetic powers to summon in their daggers that they used in their gym/self-defense class and started to take off after Mikhail.
Jason was trying to remember everything he had learned so far in their biology/healing class. He needed to save Kayla before it was too late. He quickly pulled the dagger out of her back and placed it on the floor next to him. He put his hands on her back on either side of the cut, blood seeping in a large flower over Kayla's shirt, and onto Jason's hands. He concentrated on sending all of his power into her. He needed to save her.
"What can we do?" said a voice near his shoulder. Jason looked up. It was Jake and James, ready to help.
"I don't know enough to save her. I can only stop a little of the bleeding, but it won't be enough. Not enough power in the world can save her without knowing what they are doing. Go call the gifted paramedics. And tell them to hurry." His two friends ran off to summon the paramedics and Jason turned his attention back to Kayla. Although he knew it was futile, he kept trying to heal her body.
"Excuse me," said a voice next to him, "we'll take over from here." A man gently took Kayla out of Jason's arms and carried her to an ambulance.
The six musketeers followed the paramedic into the ambulance. Keri and Tori were still breathing hard, so they must have only recently gotten back from their mad chase of Mikhail. And, although Jason didn't notice, Keri was limping slightly.
As soon as the ambulance took off, Jason turned on the girls, "Did you get him? Please tell me you got him."
"Calm down, Jase," Tori said "and we'll tell you what happened. Well, we chased him all the way to the stadium, where we knew we weren't going to be able to catch him, so I got positioned and threw my first dagger at him, using my telekinesis to make sure it flew straight at him and hit him in the lower leg. He still managed to run. He then turned around and threw another one of his daggers which-"
Her furious twin cut her off, "the damn bastard hit me. The friggin' blade landed in my leg." She showed them the cut on her leg. The paramedics all hissed in dismay at the wound and promised to have it looked at when the got to the hospital.
"So, what happened to him?" Jason demanded to know.
"Well, about that time, the gifted police showed up and so we managed to catch him and they took him into custody, after I demanded to have my dagger back. By the way, Jason, do you have the one that that guy used on Kayla?"
"No, dammit, I knew I had forgotten something, but I was so worried about Kayla that I didn't think about it."
"Don't worry buddy, I've got it," said Jake, holding up the bloody dagger. As Jason looked closely at it, he saw that it had a strange symbol etched into the handle. He thought he had seen it before, but he couldn't remember where. Just then, they reached the hospital and they were all rushed out of the ambulance so that the paramedics could take Kayla to the emergency room, where fully trained, gifted, healers would be able to make sure she was okay. Unfortunately, all of Kayla's friends were forced to stay in the waiting room, until Kayla's condition stabilized. The doctors would call them when they could come in. Only Keri didn't stay, because she was taken to a room herself, so that something could be done about her leg.
* * * * * *
An hour later, a doctor came out of the emergency room and headed right towards the group. Jason was pacing, Jake and James were playing cards, but still looked worried, and Tori was making sure her sister, who had returned 30 minutes ago, was comfortable. As he walked over, the 5 friends all turned to look at him.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Gutevarious. I am pleased to inform you that Miss Kayla Osborne will be okay." They all heaved a sigh of relief that she would be fine. "She has also requested that you 5 go in and visit her. I will be calling all of your parents to let them know what happened so they can come and pick you up since you won't be on the bus returning from Russia. So if you would all write down you names and numbers on this piece of paper, I will have a nurse show you to Miss Osborne's room."
A young nurse came and took them all to where Kayla obviously was. She left them all alone, but told them that if there were a problem to shout and somebody would hear them. Jason turned the knob and slowly opened the door and they all walked in quietly, so as not to disturb Kayla if she was asleep.
Suddenly, a light clicked on. "Why are y'all being so quiet? I'm not asleep or anything. So come on in, pull up a nice uncomfortable looking chair and we can talk. Or something."
"Kayla!" they all shouted and the girls went and gave her a big hug. The guys refused to lower themselves to such a "girly" level. Except Jason, who pulled his chair over next to her bed so he could put his feet up on a table and hold her hand.
"I'm glad you're all right, Kayla," he whispered into her ear as everyone got settled. I'm sorry I was such a jerk before, he added silently so none of their friends could hear, but I was worried something would happen to you. Which it did, need I remind you? I am sorry though but I hope you trust me from now on. I can sense these evil characters from a mile away. And if I remember correctly, I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you.
Apology accepted.
"Um, Kayla," began Keri, "Care to tell us who that guy was and why he wanted to kill you so much."
Kayla and Jason exchanged a quick glance that everyone else noticed. Jason told her silently: you might as well tell them, sweet heart.
Yeah, I guess I should trust them; I just don't want them to worry. "Okay," she said aloud. Jason convinced me to trust you guys, too. But before I tell you, you guys have to swear not to tell anyone. Not a single soul. Not you parents, not anyone."
Her friends, startled by her vehemence, all promised. She then told them the story that Hope had told her. They were all startled and shocked that they had not known about any of this before. They all also promised to try to protect her forever.
Just as she finished, the door opened, and in walked Hope and Joy and all of their parents. "Kayleen Madison, you weren't supposed to go and get yourself stabbed," Hope said, in a mildly scolding tone. Everyone knew that she was only half joking. "I assume you told your friends the entire truth," she commented after seeing her daughter's slightly embarrassed face.
"We had a right to know," Jake said defiantly, standing up to defend his friend. "If we had known, she might not have gotten hurt in the first place."
"Actually," Kayla spoke up, glancing at Jason, and looking sheepish, "I already told Jason. I just couldn't think up a lie to tell him that he would believe."
"Yeah, well, I forgive you. I guess others should know, too. You can't be protected by too many people." She turned to the other teenagers in the room and continued, "but I expect you to be discreet in your guarding. No one is to know who she really is. I shouldn't even be here lest Charles finds out, but I will just modify the memories of the hospital staff so that they only remember Joy."
"Don't let Hope's doom messages bring you kids down," Joy cut into her tirade. "We also brought food. We didn't think that you would like hospital food very well and thought you might appreciate our loving home cooked meals."
As the parents handed out the food, Jason took the dagger out of his pocket to show to Hope. "Hope, this is the dagger the assassin used. Do you know what this symbol is? I just can't quite remember."
Both Hope and Kayla looked at it and gasped. "Th-that is the symbol Charles chose to use. It is an ancient symbol of his family. This means that Kayleen was indeed meant to be killed by an assassin of Charles."
"I've seen that symbol before," Kayla whispered, eyes locked on the dagger. "I have had dreams lately where the only thing I can remember is that symbol. And sometimes, I draw it. What does it mean?"
"Kayleen, it means that you are going to succeed your father in power. But, unlike how he abused it, you will use it wisely and will be loved. This is your destiny. Nothing can change that. But you must live to fulfill it. From here on out, I will train you 6 in special weapons training that you won't receive at Bridgeton and also in anything else I think you might need to know."
With that, the adults all left, leaving the musketeers to eat in peace. Her friends would stay with Kayla until she left the hospital in the morning. Their parents would come back to pick them up then. The friends all tried to ignore where they were and why they were there and just be kids. Unfortunately, that would be difficult in the coming days, as they would come to learn. They devoted so much of their time to training and learning that they learned to cherish the "kid" moments they did have. Soon, it was well into march, and the Quidditch season was ending. Bridgeton was currently ranked as the number one team as totally undefeated. They would play a match on the next Friday night against 2nd seated Germany who lost only 1 game. If Germany won, they would be tied and have to play another game to decide the winner of the world championships. But, if the U.S won, it would be over, and Bridgeton would be the undefeated champs.
The Friday before the game, the 6 friends were talking after Quidditch practice because they didn't want to go home yet.
"Hey, Jason," Kayla asked, "have you talked to Kyle lately?"
Jason, startled, replied, "No. Not for a while. Why?"
"Oh, I've just not talked to Sam in a while and was thinking of getting together this weekend. Having a slumber party."
"That sounds like a great idea."
"Tori, Keri, you guys wanna come, too?"
Tori, Keri, Jake, and James, had been watching the couple talk absolutely flabbergasted. They all exchanged a look that clearly said that they were wondering why Kayla and Jason would let the other spend time with who they thought were exes. "Um…okay…" Tori said. We'll be at your house at 7-ish. And, yes, we will remember to keep the use of powers to a minimum." She and her twin vanished with a pop as they teleported to their house.
"Hey guys," Jason said to his two friends, "if we're not invited to Kayla's, why don't you come over to my house. I'll invite Kyle and introduce you."
The two guys looked at Kayla, both knowing that girls can be jealous bit-ches where their boyfriends and other girls are involved. But all Kayla did was compliment Jason on his brilliant idea. Because of her calm reaction, the two guys accepted the invitation.
"Oh dammit!" Kayla exclaimed. "I left my bag in my locker. I'll be right back."
As they watched her receding back, Jake turned to Jason, still confused over the genders of Sam and Kyle, "You really trust Kayla don't you?" he asked enigmatically right before he disappeared, James following a second behind him.
"C'mon, Kayla, let's go. I'm hungry!"
"I'm coming Jason!" She ran up not even slightly winded. "Did you think that they were acting weird when we mentioned Sam and Kyle? * Gasp * They're not prejudiced against the non-gifted, are they? I mean-"
Jason cut her off with a kiss. "Have I told you before how cute you look when you weird out like that? And, no, they don't have problems with the non-gifted. I don't know what their problem was. Bye." They exchanged one last kiss before teleporting to their respective homes.