Finally, we get to the surgery…
"And what's that for again?" I asked, eyeing the match being held to the knife warily.
"Sterilization."
"Right. Get rid of all the little germies on the knife you found in the corner of an alley. Now I totally feel safe." I couldn't keep my terror from marring the sarcasm and Derek shot me a sharp look.
"This was your idea, remember?" he pointed out.
"Yeah." I acknowledged, trying to quell the nausea rolling in my stomach.
"Not too late to change your mind." Simon reminded me.
I shook my head. "No way. They already found us once. It's not going to happen again."
"If you're sure…"
"I am."
"Ok. Simon? You ready to do this?"
His face was drained of all color but his mouth was set in a line of grim determination. He nodded shakily. I tried to ignore how much his obvious fear scared me.
"And you know what you're doing?" Tori, looking skeptical, piped up from where she lounged against the bathroom door, lips pursed like she ate something sour.
"Yeah." his voice wavered and he wiped sweaty palms on his jeans. "My forensics class went on a field trip to a morgue once-"
"Sounds fun," Tori muttered under her breath.
"-and we watched them cut open a dead body. I think I remember how they did it."
That image only made me feel more liable to barf. "And operating on me is comparable to that?"
"Not exactly…" he faltered, "but it's the closest experience we have."
"Why isn't he doing it?" Tori pointed at Derek. "I thought it was him who was the majorly smart science geek?"
"I skipped Forensics. Jumped straight to AP Chem." Derek shrugged.
"Of course you did." she shook her head with resigned disgust. Secretly I couldn't help but wonder if that was the real reason Simon was doing it instead of Derek. It would be hard enough for him to watch, much less actually do it. Although, I would have thought he would have wanted to do it himself since he's such a perfectionist and wouldn't want to risk Simon making a mistake…
I shook all thoughts of Simon and mistakes from my head. "All right. Let's get this over with." I ordered, sitting down on the cracked tiles of the bathroom floor and trying to ignore how gross it was.
"Tori? Remember to stand watch." Derek instructed as he knelt down on the floor beside me.
"Uh-huh. Because I'm sure there will be so many people wanting to use the bathroom of a nature preserve at two in the morning."
"Just do it." She muttered an incomprehensible response.
Simon turned to the sink and scrubbed his hands, shaking them dry when he was done. He crouched on the floor and accepted the knife that Derek proffered him. I tried to ignore the way his fingers shook. "Are you ready, Chloe?" I didn't trust myself to speak so I nodded.
"Ok. Um…why don't you lie down…" Simon told me.
I cringed as I lowered myself down onto the dirty floor. "Here," Derek scooted forward on his knees so I could rest my head on his lap. I was grateful for his warm and stable presence beneath me.
"Here we go." Simon sucked in a breath and lifted the edge of my t-shirt. He gingerly peeled back the layers of bandage covering the injury. I didn't dare look down.
He raised the knife, poising it several inches above my stomach. Derek must have felt me tense because he took my hand in one of his own. "Squeeze." he commanded. I did as requested, gripping his hand like it was the ledge of the Empire state building and I was in danger of plummeting to the ground.
I'll spare you the gruesome details, but it was messy. And painful. And I have to admit I screamed. A lot. Not one of my finer moments.
Eventually, after several centuries of pain had already passed, it was over. The bullet that had been putting our lives at risk for so long was out.
"Chloe?" Derek was saying. "You ok?"
I was afraid of what I would say if I opened my mouth so I just nodded. I could feel some of the tension leave his muscles beneath me and heard his slight sigh of relief.
"Chloe? You're ok, right? Please tell me you're ok!" Simon was begging. I nodded again, smiling slightly at him. I hoped he could read the gratitude in my eyes.
"Good job, bro." Derek grinned at him.
"Thanks." Simon looked even more relieved than I felt.
"Ugh, are you done with all the icky doctor stuff now?" I glanced up at Tori who had her back to us, leaning her forehead against the bathroom door.
"You can turn around now." Simon called over to her as he tugged my shirt back down over the recently applied bandage.
"Ew." I followed her gaze to the horror movie knife and Simon's red speckled hands. I felt a wave of nausea bubbling up inside me that couldn't be suppressed. I pulled myself up over the rim of the toilet, not caring how disgusting it was or how much it made my injury sting, and retched. Soothing hands rubbed circles on my back.
After a moment I slumped back to the ground, head reeling. The vomit had left a horrible taste in my mouth. Reading my mind, Derek offered me a water bottle from his backpack. I used it to rinse out my mouth, ignoring Simon at the sink trying to scrub away the blood.
Derek's green eyes were ringed with concern as I flopped back against the cool tiled wall, drawing strength from it's chill for my now sweaty body. After a moment I managed a "thanks". From the look of understanding that flashed through his eyes, I knew that he knew that it wasn't just for the water but for agreeing to this whole surgery thing in general.
"You should rest." He advised.
"Shouldn't we be going-"
"We've got time." he said firmly. "Rest."
"Ok," Suddenly that sounded like a good idea. I curled up in a ball, eyelids already drooping.
"Wait!" I yanked them open again. "Hang on a sec…" Derek turned to rummage in his backpack. He emerged with a granola bar a minute later. "Eat this. Fruit and juice would be better but we don't have any of that…"
My stomach was still roiling and just the thought of food repulsed me but I forced myself to nibble on the bar. As I was doing that, Derek pulled out a sweatshirt and bunched it up. I lay down again, using it as a pillow.
"Thanks," I repeated. I yawned.
I was vaguely aware of the bathroom door creaking and Tori asking "Where's he going?"
"To go throw the chip on a bus or something so they can't track us." Simon replied.
"I thought that only worked in movies?"
"Got a better idea?"
I fell asleep.
It seemed to be only seconds later that I was jolted awake by a fierce pounding and a scream. I bolted upright, wincing as the movement sent a flare of pain rushing through me.
"Don't move." someone growled.
"Derek? What's going on?" I leaned against the wall to stay upright.
"Someone's trying to get in."
I followed his tense gaze to the door which was shuddering with the force of the knocks. "Let me in!" a feminine voice wailed from the other side. "Please!"
"Do we open the door?" a white-faced Simon was poised with one hand on the door lock, ready to twist it.
"Please!" the voice begged, the doorknob clacking as she jiggled it.
"She sounds like she needs help-" Tori's voice was unusually compassionate.
"There's a guy with a gun chasing me! Please!"
"Let her in." I ordered. I wasn't sure if she was serious about the gun or not, but her fear was genuine.
"Wait no!" Dereks yelped, nostrils flaring. "She's a-"
Simon flicked the lock and an orange blur tumbled in.
"-werewolf." Derek finished, moving between me and the girl who was now lying on the floor. Simon swung the door shut behind her and relocked it.
For a moment the only sound was the girl's labored breathing. I used the time to study her, wondering why she was being pursued (although I suppose if Derek's right and she is a werewolf, that question is answered). Mentally I compared her to Derek, trying to see similarities between the two. She was lying in a heap on the floor but from what I could tell she was tall and lanky with mousy brown hair spilling to her shoulders. Her blue eyes were wide and terrified and her mouth hung slightly open as she struggled to regain her breath. Her orange v-neck shirt and scuffed jeans were rather ordinary.
There came another knock on the door. "Unlock this door." A deep voice commanded.
The four of us exchanged a look. No one moved to unlock the door.
"Thank you." The girl on the floor was sitting up, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. She looked to be about our age. "I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't let me in."
"Are you ok?" Simon knelt down next to her, a look of gentle concern on his face.
"Yeah, I just-"
"Who are you?" Derek interrupted.
She met his gaze steadily. "Aliena."
"Last name?" Tori pressed.
"No offense, 'cause I know you saved me and everything, but I won't tell you that until I know I can trust you. I've been betrayed too many times in the past twenty four hours."
"Open the door!" The angry voice outside bellowed.
"Tell us your story." Derek commanded. "Start with him."
The girl's blue eyes challenged his defiantly for a moment before relaxing to look at the ground. She took a deep breath, (Advanced warning: more legible copy bottom) "'never'''tthebestideabutI'''soweneverhavetoseeheragain?'andhesaid'no'andthenhehandedthemacheck-acheck!andmymomanddadsaid'she'syoursbutsheranaway,she'llbebacksoon,I'msure,''she'srightoverthere'andIcouldn'?''ttrytoshootme,Idon'tknowwhy,'soutthereandpleasedon'tlethiminIdon'tknowwhoheisbutIthinkhe''tknowwhy…"
All this was said in less than a minute; a jumbled expression of words and phrases, most of which I couldn't decipher. Derek, though, seemed to be able to understand for his eyes were watching her intently and his head was cocked just the slightest. By the end of her monologue tears were dripping down her narrow face and her eyes had migrated to rest fearfully on the door, which was still shaking.
"That's terrible," Simon said when she was finished, though his eyes had a thin layer of confusion draped over them. He must not have been able to understand it all, either.
"So we don't let him in, right?" Tori clarified.
Derek narrowed his eyes at the door. "Definitely not. He's a werewolf."
"A werewolf?" the girl squeaked.
"You didn't know?" His voice was thick with skepticism.
"I didn't know he's a werewolf? Of course not- they don't exist!"
"Uh-huh." he shook his head at her mockingly. "Sure they don't."
"Oh my god." The girl's tears stopped instantly and a calculating look replaced the sorrow. She drew herself up to a standing position, backing against the wall. "You're all crazy too."
I didn't know what to say to comfort her so I didn't. Instead, I turned to Derek. "You think she's a werewolf?"
He hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. She's definitely a werewolf…but there's something off. It's like," he paused, struggling to come up with the right comparison. "A werewolf without the wolf."
"Wouldn't that just be a human?" Tori snorted.
"She's definitely more than human." he said thoughtfully.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
A curse echoed from the other side of the door and then came the distinct sound of crunching gravel from retreating footsteps. "He's leaving." Derek observed. "But he'll be back soon. We should leave."
"Wait- where are you going?" The girl who had been bristling moments before seemed to relax a bit.
"Nowhere that concerns you." Derek said prickly.
"Look," she sighed, "I'm sorry for calling you crazy, even if you really sound like you are- no offense. But I still want to go with you."
"Why?"
"Well, clearly you're runaways too," she looked pointedly at our dirty clothes and scruffy appearance. "And you've obviously had more experience than I have. I can't go home now, but I don't have anywhere else to go. Let me go with you. Even crazy people are better company than no one."
"Derek…you say she's a werewolf, right?" Simon spoke up from his position by the sinks.
"Part werewolf." he corrected.
"Right, whatever. She needs our help. She obviously doesn't know anything about the supernatural world. How long do you think she'll last out here on her own?"
"Not our problem." It was times like these when I most questioned Derek's ability to show compassion. He was a great guy, but knew we had to look after ourselves primarily. While this theory had kept us alive for so long, it did have to bend sometimes.
"Derek, Simon has a point." I sighed, reluctant to disagree with him now that it seemed our main source of argument (the surgery) had been eliminated.
He studied the girl who met his gaze defiantly, though their was a spark of hope in the back of her eyes. "I-" he looked around at each of our faces. Simon subtly nodded and I looked at him pleadingly. Tori just shrugged when he caught her eye, but she didn't protest. "Guess you can come after all." he sighed. "But if you betray us-"
"Of course she won't," Simon assured him with a little too much enthusiasm to vouch for a strange girl he had just met. I saw the warm expression in his eyes and wondered for the second time in the past twenty four hours if Simon was falling in love again.
"Chloe," he turned to me, concern on his face. "Are you ok to move now? Just to the bus stop?"
Gingerly I used the toilet paper dispenser to push myself to my feet. I swayed a little and Derek's arms leaped out to catch me, but it wasn't necessary. After a moment I regained my balance, nodding. "Let's go."
"Are you sure you want to come with us?" Derek turned almost hopefully towards Aliena as if wishing she'd decline.
"Yes." She said firmly.
"Then we should go now." He looped an arm under my shoulders and helped me limp out of the bathroom. The others followed in a solemn single file. Aliena eased the door shut behind us. Whatever the consequences, she was a member of the team now.
Yay! Chloe's alive (For now…MWAHAHAHAHAHAH!) The people have spoken! You have decided to bring in Aliena for Simon…but it's not too late to take the poll! He doesn't have to fall in love with her…Simon's fate can still change!
Here is a slightly more legible version of Aliena's story (yes, I know it is still bad grammar/a major run on sentence but it's supposed to be like that. More dramatic, you know?).
"It was yesterday afternoon I was in my house and I wanted to ask my parents if I could go to my friend Julie's house for a sleepover but then they said they had to talk to me and the looks on their faces was really scary and they made me sit in the living room which we never use and then they told me I am adopted and I kind of flipped out even though it shouldn't have been that surprising since they are both blonde and I'm obviously not but I just ran away from them which probably wasn't the best idea but I'm glad I did because I went to my friends house but didn't tell her I was running away but then when she drove me back home because I felt bad I was about to go into the house when I heard a strange voice talking and I was curious so I peeked in through the open window to listen and my mom and dad said to him 'so we never have to see her again?' and he said 'no' and then he handed the man a check- a check! and my mom and dad said 'she's yours but she ran away, she'll be back soon, I'm sure,' and then he turned around and I could swear he was looking right at me and he said 'she's right over there' and I couldn't believe it because I was so careful to be quiet so I turned and ran back to my friends car and told her I forgot my mom wanted me to meet her at the park and would she mind driving me? And she said no and then she took me to the park and I thanked her but then I knew I had to hide because I was really scared of the guy my parents were talking to so I wandered around hoping he wouldn't find me there but it started to get dark and then suddenly he is right next to me and I feel a gun at my back and he tells me to just go with him but I panicked and kicked him and ran away and he was surprised so I got a few minutes head start and he cursed and tried to chase me but thankfully didn't try to shoot me, I don't know why, but then I saw this bathroom and knew I had to get away from him and you know the rest but now he's out there and please don't let him in I don't know who he is but I think he's a lunatic and my parents sold me to him but I don't know why…"