A rough shake of my shoulder woke me up.
"Are you okay, Oli? You went out cold without a warning." Len's eyebrows furrowed in concern, "Is something wrong?"
I tried to make my lips curl into a reassuring smile but instead found them opening to release a painful groan. Blood rolled over my cheeks, leaving stark pools of deep red on the white pillow beside me. I could hear Len's gasp as I tore a piece of cloth from the bed sheet and frantically endeavored to bandage my wound.
"Ol...Oliver…" He clutched my hand and threw my arm over my shoulder. Unable to protest, I dragged myself along with him, trying not to be a complete burden. He brought me to my feet, secured the crimson linen, and led me through the maze of dull hallways.
The entire time, I kept on cursing to myself. Over and over. I turned to Len. His sky blue eyes were determined, focused. With a sigh, I stared forward, a blank expression on my face. How could I do this, on my first day? As if on cue, Len whispered, "it's okay," his kind smile appeared on his lips, "I'll make sure the eggplant freak doesn't find out." He cocked his head to one side, "Okay?"
We finally arrived in a small, clean room. The soft glow of candles illuminated the oak boards on the ground and the walls. A small man was sitting in the corner of the room, humming softly to himself. His voice was strangely clear and sweet for his apparent age. A small yellow bird was perched on his shoulder, accompanying the man's melody. Len placed me softly on the floor, and walked towards the man and the bird.
"Your friend, who is he?" the man's voice was drastically different from his light hum.
"My…my name is Oliver." I stuttered.
The man whipped his head around, his eyes piercing into mine. I quivered, eyes can convey so much. I placed a finger over my wound and traced the place where my eye once was.
"And…and…," Len interrupted, "He needs your help." He gestured towards my face, "Just make the bleeding stop!" he pleaded.
The man stood up, "C'mon," he addressed the bird, "Let's see what we can do."