Chapter 3
The next morning, Stan was eager to get to his bus stop to tell his friends of the wonderful news from last night.
"Guys, guys, guess what?" Stan tried not to jump for joy.
"What, you did something with Wendy?" Cartman asked sneakily.
"Very funny, fatass," Stan poked at the boy's rotund gut, then held up his right hand, "You remember this, right?"
"The thing that sent your sorry ass to that madwoman nurse?" Cartman rudely interrupted.
"Shut your pie hole, fat boy!" Stan slapped Cartman lightly, "Now, I overheard my parents talking about it last night. They said it was some kind of mark... and that 'my powers were awakening.'"
"That would be great if those powers involved killing Kyle," Cartman laughed, almost diabolically.
"Don't diss Kyle, fatass!!" Stan now punched his face, square in the nose, too, and it bled profusely.
"Why you...!!" Cartman growled, bolting for Nurse Gollum's office.
As soon as Cartman was gone, Kyle caught Stan's attention.
"So, uh..." Kyle cleared his throat, "You aren't... really going to kill me with said powers, are you? What are they, anyhow?"
"I don't know what they are," Stan replied, "My parents never told me. And no, I wouldn't kill you even if I did know."
"Good," Kyle drew a breath of relief.
As the two were walking to class, they heard a bit of... gossiping.
"So yeah, Kyle likes someone, but we don't know who it is!" Much to Kyle's misfortune, it was a familiar voice.
"Oh, shit..." Kyle bolted to the room as Stan looked at him, baffled, "Eric Theodore Cartman!!"
"Oh, here's the loverboy now!" Cartman directed all of his attention to the green-and-orange-clad kid.
"Kyle likes someone?" Stan was somewhat excited, "Who?"
"Cartman, you better not..." Kyle growled as he and Stan took their seats. Despite his rough plea, Cartman contined.
"Well, according to Kenny, it's someone in the school, but he won't say who, that little death master," Cartman laid back, glowering at Kenny.
"Oh, sweet Jesus!" Butters piped up, "That just adds to all the suspense, huh, fellas?"
"Yeah!" The whole class spoke in chorus.
"All right, take your seats, class!" The new Ms. Choksondik quieted everyone down as she came in, "Okay, now, we were working on geometric sequences..."
As Ms. Choksondik wrote on the board, Kyle whispered to Cartman, "You didn't... tell them, did you?"
"Mpmppfpppfmp fppppfpffpffffm, mpmfmfmpmmpp, mff fmmfppmppmmmpff fmpppf mfmppfmpm mff mfpmmmfpmmpp ffmmppfmp fmpppf fmpmpppmfpmf mmm fmmppffmfpmf," Kenny cut in.
"Phew, good," Kyle leaned back, relieved.
"Who do you like?" Stan was now curious, "Is it Wendy? Bebe? Shelley?"
"You... don't want wanna know," Kyle looked away, as pink as a subtle lipstick color.
"Aha!" Stan's eyes grew wider, "It is Shelley, isn't it?"
Stan just realized, however, that his voice was a little too loud and that the whole class just heard his words.
"Do you have something to tell the class?" Ms. Choksondik looked cross.
"No point in that - who didn't hear it?" Cartman teased.
"Just so you know, it ain't Shelley!" Kyle announced.
~After school~
"Thanks a lot for almost getting me in trouble, Stan," Kyle looked away from the dark blue-haired kid as they walked together.
"Sorry, sorry..." Stan apologized, "But who is it?"
"None of your beeswax!" Kyle erupted, almost angry.
"Why you-" Stan nearly punched his best friend when all of a sudden, they heard a moaning.
"What is that?" Stan turned in the direction of the moaning.
"It sounds like someone is hurt," Kyle guessed.
The two turned on the corner, looking at what appeared to be a woman's long dark blue hair. On the other street of the corner, there lie a gravely injured woman.
"Oh my God..." The two teenage boys rushed up to the woman, "What happened?"
"I... I was attacked... by ruffians," From her tone and appearance, it was quite clear that this woman was dying, "Stanley, the rash you bear on your right hand..."
"H- how did you know my name?" Stan's pupils shrank, "And how did you know about my rash?"
"That matters not, young Stanley... That rash, it is no ordinary rash. It's-" The woman heaved a very heavy cough.
"Don't say another word," Stan attempted to keep her quiet, "We need to get you to a hospital. Now."
"There is no need," the woman continued, "for my end is nigh. Yes, I see it... The mysteries that lie in that rash will confuse you, but do not fear, for your future radiates like the break of dawn. Surely it will become-"
The woman didn't continue any further, however, as she took her last breaths and slowly shut her eyes.
"Miss. Miss?" Stan and Kyle both checked for vital signs. But the now-pale woman had no pulse, no breathing, and her skin was colder than ice. She didn't move at all.
"Oh, oh dear..." Stan teared up at the fact that there was nothing he could do to save this lethally beautiful and innocent, young-looking woman. He buried his face in Kyle's chest.
"You need to go to your house now and tell your parents about this," Kyle barely managed to keep his cool as he broke away from Stan, "They're not far from here, right?"
"Oh, okay," Stan agreed as Kyle went for home, but then he noticed that the intricate red mark on the woman's right hand, which gradually faded away as her life did, was now entirely gone.
"Ow, my right hand is burning so badly..." He grimaced as his hand's pain only intensified. It eventually got so bad that he writhed and hollered in pain. As this happened, the hand also glowed, gradually incinerating the bandage. By the time the bandage was totally burnt, the pain and rash went away, and the same red mark on the woman's hand replaced it, as red as blood.