Chapter 8

"Ugh…" Stan's head was throbbing in pain, "Where am I?"

"Oh, he's come around. Doctor!" he heard a woman's voice shout and leave him.

Stan finally woke up. When he did, he was in a totally blank white room, which reminded him of a hospital. He turned his head to the left, and the first thing he saw was Kyle in his normal orange coat.

"Stan!" Kyle shouted, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Stan could barely speak, "Kyle, am I in a hospital?"

"You are," Kyle answered.

"Stan!" Randy and Sharon's voices could be heard from far off.

"Mom?" Stan acknowledged the presence of his parents as they came in, "Dad?"

"How… What happened?" Sharon worriedly asked.

"Stan was just in the middle of the football field…" Kyle began to answer, "He was right next to me, trying to heal a laceration I had, and next thing I knew, your son was unconscious."

"Ah…" Sharon gasped, then spoke to Stan, Did you… did you hear Ashera's voice?

Stan nodded.

Then… Sharon was going to say something more, but couldn't do so with Kyle's presence, "I'm sorry, Kyle, but may you leave for just a little while?"

"Of course," Kyle agreed, quietly exiting the room.

As soon as Kyle was gone, Sharon went on, That… Ashera must have given you a new power, the healing power of Sacrifice.

"So, that was how Kyle's gaping wound instantly got healed?" Stan asked.

Yes. One of your ancestors, Apostle Micaiah from about 1,400 years ago, also had this power. Ask anyone from Begnion, and they will say you look like and are like her.

"Wow," Stan was amazed, "My 50 times great-grandmother must have been an amazing woman."

Indeed,Randy smiled slightly, But Stanley, remember, it's called 'Sacrifice' for a reason. Apostle Micaiah also would pass out if she healed a wound like you did yesterday. Just… refrain from doing it in public. We managed to hide this particular incident from the media and the public, but you have to be careful in the future.

"I'll try…" Stan could barely agree.

"Well, we'll leave you alone to rest now," Randy spoke.

When Stan's parents left, they noticed that Kyle was still standing outside Stan's room.

"So, uh… You're still here!" Randy attempted to cover his son up.

"You didn't… hear us, did you?" Sharon asked.

"I swear on my honor that I know nothing," Kyle vowed.

Good… Randy and Sharon both thought at the same time.

"If I may…" Kyle interrupted, "I will go back to see Stan."

"By all means!" Sharon permitted, But don't you dare hurt him or otherwise get him to tell you about his brand.

"Thank you," Kyle bowed slightly, then went into Stan's room, "Uh… What were you talking about?"

"According to Mom," Stan began, "The power that I used to heal you was one I inherited from an apostle 1,400- something years ago. It's called 'Sacrifice'."

"So, it all makes sense…" Kyle thought aloud, "That's why you fainted after healing my laceration – you sacrificed you well-being for mine…"

"D-don't take it the wrong way!" Stan shook his head and hands, "I really like you as a friend, but I'm not in love with you. Don't worry! I won't come between you and Bebe."

"Stan, I thought I told you…" Kyle's tone suddenly grew tense, "I don't love Bebe. There's… someone else I'm in love with…"

"Oh, yeah!" Stan recalled, "You never did tell me who you loved. Are they pretty?"

"Uh… Oh, yes."

"Smart? Kind?"

"I would definitely say so."

"Ooh!" Stan wanted to get out of bed, but was too tired to, "That only gets me more interested. So, who is it already?"

"I'd rather not say."

"C'mon, tell me."

"No, thank you."

"Please?"

"No!"

"A-HA!" Stan pointed at Kyle, "It's Wendy! That's why you won't tell me!"

"Shut up!" Kyle shouted with anger filling every inch of his body, "You broke up with her."

In a fury, Kyle hurried away, running, not caring about anyone who stood in his path.

"Oh my God…" Stan held his hands to his face and cried, "Why didn't he tell me? I would accept it, anyway… Oh, Kyle…"

~The next morning~

"So, Stan, how are you feeling?" Randy woke his son up with breakfast in bed.

"Better," Stan began to eat his crappy hospital porridge, "Hey, when can I leave? Being in a hospital is as dull as dirt."

"I don't know. You'll have to ask-"

"Good morning," a beautiful, tall nurse walked in the room.

"Nurse!" Stan spoke with a hint of impatience, "When can I leave? I'm tired as HELL of staying here!"

"My, my, such an impatient boy," the nurse's smile accented her full, red lips, "Just like my 9-year-old son."

"Stan!" Sharon pinched her teen lightly, "Mind your manners, boy! So sorry, Nurse…"

"Oh, quite the contrary," the nurse answered, "The doctor says you can leave today. This was only a simple fainting spell, so fret not."

"Like… 'right this minute' kind of today?"

"Hold on…" the nurse went over to Stan, holding a popsicle stick and wearing gloves, "Open your mouth…"

The nurse checked Stan for about two minutes.

"Okay… normal pulse…" she wrote the findings on a clipboard, "Reflexes good, blood pressure good… Yup, your vital signs are good, Mr. Marsh. You can go now."

The nurse removed Stan's IV

"Yay! I'm free!" Stan leapt out of his bed to cheer.

In the middle of his dancing, and when the blonde nurse was gone, Sharon said, "Only here's the catch. You woke up just in time for school."

Stan's jaw practically dropped to the floor, "What?! NO, I'M STILL SICK!! *cough * *cough *"

"Not according to the nurse, you're not," Sharon was disappointed in her son, "Stop making excuses. Your 1st period starts in 45 minutes."

"Okay…" The 16-year-old Branded boy gave in to his inability to form decent excuses.

On the way to his school in his mother's car, Stan noticed that Cartman had a rectangular object of some kind in his hand. Upon being let out of the car, he walked up to the glutton, saying, "Hey, Cartman, what do you have there?"

"Oh, this?" Cartman held up the small box, "I'll show it to you during Mr. Wich's class 7th period."

"Okay," Stan grew unexpectedly excited, "Can't wait to see it! Well, let's go to algebra class, now!"

"Let's!" Cartman smiled, Oh, wouldn't you want to know?

"Know what?" Stan smiled at Cartman right in front of Ms. Choksondik's class.

"What?!" Cartman cocked his head in confusion.

S***… I'm not supposed to tell Cartman that I can read minds… Stan thought, "Know what? We are learning about factoring in algebra class! Damn, I want to bust my head open…"

"Right on!" Cartman agreed wholeheartedly as he and Stan went in the room. When talking to Kyle distracted Stan, he thought, So, his laguz blood allows him to read minds? And so, the plot thickens… Wait! His power at the football game… And his ability to read minds… Could… Could he be?

Just as Cartman was about to conclude his thought, Ms. Choksondik came in the room, saying, "Okay, class, we're going to do more work on factoring… Mr. Cartman, take your seat, please."

Tch, what a bitch, Cartman thought as he did as he was told.

Who put the bug up his butt? Stan wondered, Even Cartman isn't this cranky in the morning!

"Get into your groups from yesterday!" Ms. Choksondik instructed as some of her students already began to do so, "Remember not to talk too loudly!"

Kyle, Stan, Cartman, and Kenny had their desks turned to one another. When they did so, Kyle took not of Cartman's "surprise" and said, "Cartman, what's that?"

"I'll show it in Mr. Wich's class. Don't worry," Cartman replied.

I hope it doesn't involve that… Kyle worried.

"Involve what?" Stan eyed Kyle.

"Nothing!" Kyle laughed, then got serious when talking to Stan through mind-speech, Stan, you can't let Cartman, Kenny, or anyone else know of your powers. Remember where you are.

Stan nodded as he got back to work.

~During lunch~

"So… can you at least give us a hint as to what this thing is?" Stan spoke before taking a bite of his tuna sandwich.

"Y'all will like it," Cartman answered, "Especially you two, Stan and Kyle."

"Oh, wow!" Stan clapped. He was happy until he looked at Kyle, thinking, Kyle... Why do you feel so distressed? If you didn't have such a thick wall around your heart…

"But you know I don't have Mr. Wich that period!" Kyle complained.

"Oh, well. Stan will tell you about it," Cartman snickered.

~During Mr. Wich's class~

"Okay, class, get on the computers and finish your work!" Mr. Wich told his graphic arts students.

"Hey, Mr. Wich," Cartman, Stan, and Kenny all walked up to the teacher.

"Yes?"

"May we borrow your big screen and overhead?"

"Sure. Just don't break it, okay?"

"Thank you."

With that, Cartman and Mr. Wich set up the overhead, ready for use. Cartman grabbed the microphone and said, "Everyone, may I have your much needed attention, please?"

Cartman, unfortunately, was one of the most popular kids at school, so everyone now faced him, knowing that what he had to say must be good.

"Who here watched yesterday's football game?"

All the students raised their hands. Even Mr. Wich did.

"Good," Cartman now popped the tape in the VCR, "Because what I am about to show you… will blow your mind away."

To Stan's horror, the video showed him running onto the football field. He could see the blue light beginning to glow.

"Okay," Cartman paused the tape, "Here you see Stan over there-" he pointed to Stan – "generating a light. You may be thinking, 'What's the goddamn deal? It's just a flashlight.' WRONG! Do you see any flashlight? Hmm? No. Kyle was gravely injured, right? But as Stan's light fades…"

Cartman continued the video past the point where Kyle's laceration magically faded. When it did, the whole room gasped in shock.

" 'Ohmigoshness! How did Stan do this?' Right? One 'Kyle Broflovski' told me a certain interesting tidbit of information. But I couldn't prove it, until now. You see, folks… Our lovely 'Stanley Darsh' is a Branded! He bears blood of human beorc and human-animal laguz, blood that is universally reviled. He'll read your mind, peer into your soul, and predict what will happen to you next."

A sudden wave of discord now sounded throughout the whole room.

"Eww!" Some girls squealed, "I bet he can tell what kind of lingerie we're wearing!"

"Sick bastard!" A beefy black kid snorted, teasing the kid next to him, "He'll peer into your soul like a ghost..."

The whole class laughed.

Oh my God… Stan could not believe his ears or eyes, Kyle, how could you?

Stan thought of a quick, easy way to get revenge on the bloke. He walked up to Wendy, saying, "You know, Kyle likes you. He told me last night at the hospital."

"Ooh…" Wendy pretended, "Did you read his mind to get that information?"

Wendy and Bebe Stevens, her best friend, laughed.

"Screw… Screw you guys, I'm going HOME!!!!" Stan sprinted out of the room as his tears swayed in the wind. He ran and ran, until bumping into a fluffy orange mass.

"Oh, hey Stan!" Kyle waved hello, "Did you see Cartman's 'surprise' yet? Was it good?"

"Hell yeah, I saw it!" Stan's tears went on, "And no, it wasn't good! Kyle, you blockhead!!"

In a rage greater than ever before, Stan was already heading home, not giving a hoot that school was still going on.

So… Kyle thought, Cartman said that you would like it, but it hurt you instead. I'm going over to Mr. Wich's room now and giving that prick Cartman a piece of my mind.