Chapter Fifteen:

Treating Wounds

Trish MacGrath

"Hey! No way in hell're you getting anywhere near me with that thing in your hand!" Kayce yelled.

"It's to make sure you're okay—!" the doctor replied, attempting to remain calm.

"I don't care! I hate needles!"

I sighed. It'd only been one day since Jay—or Bishop, as he decided to call himself—attacked the town. He'd been forced to retreat because of Vi's quick thinking, but…

One. Day.

I felt sick just thinking about it. Sure, we lived in an unnatural time, where people ran rampant with powers that lots couldn't explain. It was a difficult time, but still…

One. Day.

I shook my head. It took Kayce one goddamn day to heal-up from those injuries. It wasn't until Vi and I returned with help that I noticed the blood on the poles, and the wounds matched-up.

She's a fear Conduit, I thought automatically. How the hell can she heal so fast? … Maybe for the same reason that she doesn't have the powers of a fear Conduit anymore…

The thought straight up scared me. What the hell had Bishop done to 'er? I wished I could find that answer, but I wouldn't be politely chatting with him any time soon.

Kayce suddenly burst out of the room and sprinted down the hallway. The doctor ran to the door, panting, and looked at the direction she went. And then he looked at me.

"I thought she was on the verge of death yesterday!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

"She was." I sighed. "I'll go after her. Hopefully, someone'll catch 'er and convince her to come back."

The doctor frowned. "Fine. Then I'll go back to treating those who actually need it."

He shut the door. I frowned. Touchy.

So I went after Kayce. My thoughts of her were drowning me. I was so worried, and now that Quinn and Dilyn were gone…

What was that about me being her aunt anyway? I wondered. That'd be… awkward. Plus I don't even think that'd work, since I'm technically not related to aunt Joan…

I groaned. I hated when dad avoided my questions about aunt Joan and uncle Lance. It just brought up confusion and suspicion for me.

"I'm not gonna go back! Lemme go!"

Huh. Someone caught Kayce.

"You're going back. That's final." Nicholas's voice was firm and unwavering, different from his usual casualness.

"B-But it's a needle…"

"What are you, four? It's a tiny prick. You were wounded, so you're gonna get through this or I'm gonna knock you out and we'll do it that way."

"… Ugh… Fine…" I could hear the clear defeat in her voice. I couldn't help but think that, if it was anyone else trying to get her t' take a needle, she'd put up more of a fight.

I peeked around the corner and saw that Nicholas had Kayce slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The image made me giggle a bit.

Nicholas's shoulders slumped and he let Kayce stand on her own two feet. "Kayce… I was hoping we could talk in private…"

"About what?" Kayce asked.

I facepalmed. God, she was a complete idiot when it came to stuff like that!

"Just that… well, when this is all over… you and I should probably go out." Nicholas cleared his throat. He turned his head slightly so I could see how furiously he was blushing. "I-I mean, I should take you on a date, and if that doesn't work out after, it's cool, but I just—."

"Sure."

Nicholas paused. "Eh?"

"I said, 'Sure'. What? Wasn't that the answer you wanted?"

"W-Well yeah, but…"

"But what?"

I saw Nicholas smile. "Nothing."

You're both idiots, I thought automatically. We're in the middle of a warzone! Make puppy-eyes somewhere else!

Kayce's eyes darted my way and she glared. I was a million percent that she'd seen me, but how could she? I didn't make a sound! And not making a sound was my specialty!

"Kayce?"

She focused on Nicholas again, ignoring me this time. "Hm?"

"I'm pinching your arm."

Kayce looked down at her right arm. "Oh… I guess you are."

"Was it something Hunter did?"

"Well, he did puke lava onto my arm. I'd imagine that my nerves're probably burnt to a crisp."

Nicholas frowned. "So, you can't feel anything?"

She shook her head. Great, so she could heal from two metal cylinders that pierced her body, but lava on the arm? I guessed that that was asking too much.

"I'll be right back," Kayce said suddenly.

I decided that was my queue to leave, so I started walking. I wondered what was going to happen next, considering that Bishop had retreated, but it seemed like his retreat was only temporary…

"Trish." I turned around and faced Kayce, who gave me a lazy half-smile. "Hey."

"Hey." I returned her smile. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Well, you eavesdropped, and you pretty much know about my injuries…" Kayce shrugged. "But hey, it's no big deal."

I leaned against the wall, and Kayce did the same. "You… You said something before, Kayce…"

"Hm?"

"You said that Bishop could control dreams. What happened?"

Kayce's smile vanished in an instant. "Well… After I fought that third-year and Hunter, I went to look for 'im again. I found him right by where the barrier should have been, and I attacked him and—." Kayce shook her head. "I stopped. Bishop threw out his hand like he was trying to stop me, and the next thing I knew I was fighting mom. I stopped because it was my mom, and I'd never hurt 'er. But it was still Bishop, and he beat the crap outta me. I was so confused, because, in my head, I was wondering why mom was there. I wondered where Bishop had gone, and why mom was attacking me. And then it made sense. You were attacked, but you were out of it for weeks. You were just sleeping, and Bishop had put you there." Kayce laughed, but very slightly. She seemed to be finding humour in how easily confused she'd been. "But I realized it too late. The next thing I knew, Bishop was there again after playing with my subconscious mind and creating the figure of my mother. I didn't have any time to react. He pushed me, and I tripped over a body. Then there was an intense pain, and then nothing. I passed out. Well, until you and Vi came."

I sighed. "So, that bastard…"

"We're gonna stop 'im," Kayce said suddenly. Her voice was filled with a confidence that I'd never heard from her before. She, who usually ran away from fights and would rather talk her way out of a situation. "And I'm gonna kill 'im. I'm gonna teach him what real pain is."

I ignored her last statement. I was sure it was just talk, anyway. Kayce wouldn't do something like that. She didn't have the stomach. And then I remembered when she'd ripped off the guns from that girl's arm, and I wasn't so sure…

"Do we have a plan?"

Kayce looked about as serious as an army general. "The barrier around this town is infinitely weaker than the one around campus, so that means we'll need to take out the generator to escape. With Vi on our side, that should be a piece o' cake. But the problem is that its in the main building, where the teachers are currently being held, and where Bishop's made his main base. We'd have to get past an army to deactivate it, and with barely any protection, it'd be a suicide mission."

"We're dead if we just sit here," I pointed-out. "We'll run out of ammo, or food or water. If we don't try, we'll be dead for sure."

Kayce nodded, considering this. "We'll need to run it by Mina and Ellie. Maybe they can come up with a plan."

I nodded in agreement. "I have another question though, if it's okay?"

"Shoot."

"Okay; your new powers."

She smiled. "Way better than a fear Conduit's power, huh?"

"But that's just it; you are a fear Conduit. You were born with that power!"

"I know…" Kayce looked sad again, but it also looked like she'd put a lot of thought into it. "But I know my limits, I know what I can do, and I don't have to scare people to help them. Much as I hate to admit it… Bishop helped. I think that's why he called me a renegade. Because he thought I was his when he changed my powers."

"So, what can ya do?"

She thought a moment. "Well, I can throw pulses of energy—."

"Experienced that."

Kayce smiled. "Right. My strength is also slightly enhanced, and I can sometimes hear people's thoughts." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Thanks for that comment earlier, by the way. I heard that. Anyway, I haven't really found anything else yet, but I'm not really comfortable extending my boarders quite yet."

"Understandable," I said, slightly unnerved. "Anyway, we'd better go talk to Mina and Ellie now. Maybe we can get a force to attack the main building and get this friggin' barrier down."

"Hells yes," Kayce said, almost relieved. "I can't wait to go home. And Human kids think their school's hell…"

I laughed. At least Kayce was still making jokes, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for 'er. It was like her whole perception on life had been changed because of the change of her powers and the war zone our school had become. Not to mention that I couldn't imagine how she was taking losing the feeling in her right arm so easily.

That smiling face is hiding a shitload of pain… I thought absently, and silently prayed that Kayce hadn't heard me.