Shader

Part One Chapter One: Turning 13

"No reason. Anyway there's a rule between all Shaders that if any of you need help, you help them and if you don't there are repercussions, so don't forget that."

Uncle John looked at me like he was expecting something.

"Any questions...preferably one at a time?" he asked.

"Right! Okay, um why should I believe this?" I asked.

"Look I know it's a lot to take in, but you've got to believe me."

"Believe you? Without proof! Do you realize what you're telling me here?" I yelled.

"I know it sounds crazy, but think about it, okay? Back there you caught on fire, out of nowhere mind you, and you're fine! All you had to do was calm down and it stopped."

He had a point. In an impossible kind of way it would explain catching on fire and not being burned to a crisp.

"Alright, alright suppose I do believe this, you still haven't answered my other questions. How did you know they were drugging me? Why would they be drugging me? How did the drugs wear off so fast?" I asked.

"Kid, do you not remember the one at a time thing?" he said.

"Will you please stop being so controlling and answer the questions!"

Uncle John sat there for a moment just staring at me.

"Okay," he started, "I knew they were drugging you because before I became a, and I quote, "self centered drunk who doesn't give two hoots about anybody unless they can get me a discount at my favorite liquor store" I was a doctor. The reason your drugs wore off faster than usual was because my ability as a Shader is being able to draw toxins out of the blood stream. Why they were drugging you I don't know. Any other questions?"

"Tons. Where do the toxins go when you draw them out of the blood stream?"

Uncle John pulled a horse sized pill out of his pocket and gave it to me.

"Depending on what kind of substance is in the blood stream, it will usually come out in particles and form into a pill."

"Okay, got to admit, that's pretty cool."

When I said this I saw Uncle John smile for the first time. It was nice knowing there was a human being inside his hard shell.

"Okay," he said still smiling, "what's your next question?"

"You said my father was a Shader, did you know him?"

"That's tough question to answer." He said.

Uncle John pulled over into a parking lot for Victoria's Great Ocean Road and parked.

"What are we doing at the beach?" I asked.

"The beach was your mother's favorite place to go when she was confused or upset, I figured you would like it too." He said.

We stayed in the car, sitting in silence just looking at the ocean. It was almost like mom was there.

"Yeah, how did you know that?"

"Your mother and I have known each other since we were little kids, I picked up a couple things." he said, "Now about your father."

"Wait, is it bad? Because if it's bad, I don't want to know."

"Well, it depends what do you mean by bad?"

"Like, is he a bad guy?"

"I can't answer that question honestly Destiny. All I know was that your father was dealing with bad people and went missing a couple years ago. Around the time when you where five."

"Dealing? Like drugs?"

"Maybe dealing was a bad word to use, let's try associating."

"So...no drugs?"

"No drugs."

"So these bad people, were they like, SRA agents or what?"

"I don't know. I didn't know your father that well."

"Oh."

"Anything else?"

I had a million questions, but they weren't forming in my mind at the moment. I had been in shock since I had the gun fight at the hospital. My vision started to blur when I remembered something.

"Oh my God, Destiny you're bleeding."

I looked down at my stomach where the bullet had nicked my side. Apparently it had "nicked" me a lot more than I thought it did and had actually hit me.

How did I not notice this? I thought to myself.

"Destiny what happened?"

"One of the men fired at me and thought they only nicked me, but I think I thought wrong."

"That's an understatement! Destiny you've been shot and you're losing a lot of blood."

Uncle John pulled a handle on the side of my chair, so I could lay down. He grabbed a couple t-shirts from the bag he had bought for me at the hospital and gave them to me.

"Destiny take these and hold them on your stomach and apply pressure." he said.

"Uncle John we can't go back to the hospital." I said, "Can't you do something? You said you were a doctor."

"A doctor, Destiny, not a surgeon, besides I don't have any medicine or stitches just laying around the house!"

Uncle John backed out of the parking lot as fast as he could, narrowly avoiding hitting another car.

"Where are we going then?"

"Leave that to me, just try not to fall asleep."

It was too late, I was already half way unconscious and going fast. The last thing I remember was hearing my Uncle yelling my name and then it all went black.