Subject #013 | ✓

Chapter 19

I've probably already mentioned that I've seen a lot of movies. Yeah, well, did I mention I have a strange case of hemophobia--the fear of blood? Probably not. It's not something I like to talk about. Whenever I watch action movies and/or horror movies, and Jax can confirm this, I always have to stuff my head into a pillow so I don't have to see people's hearts getting ripped out of their bodies. Because, hello, that's disgusting. So though it shouldn't come as a surprise that Alix has--gasp!--blood that has soaked through his bandage, it still does.

"What? Is it bad?" Alix asks, his joking mood vanishing. I don't blame him. It's like when you're waiting in a hospital room waiting for a diagnosis that could mean life or death. It doesn't help that I probably look like I've just seen a ghost.

"No--um--I--uh--I don't know." I finally say. "There's um, blood and uh--"

My professional diagnosis is cut off by Alix's laughter. I've only ever really heard it once, back in the glasswork shop I woke up in after the abduction. Though I don't really think of it like an abduction much anymore. More like a wake-up call.

"Is our fierce little Fireball nervous?" Alix says.

"No, she's just a wimp." Liz's voice says from behind us. I immediately move out of the way, squeezing my eyes shut, though it doesn't help me get the throw-up worthy sight out of my head. Any hunger that I once had quickly dissolves. Liz's words don't necessarily hurt me, because chances are, I've probably heard worse from Laila and her pack dogs.

"Thank God, Liz." I say, covering my face with my hands. "I can't even look at it without getting sick to my stomach. You do it."

I don't get a response. That's probably for the better though.

Alix doesn't even last a second.

"Holy Shibblets!"   Alix gasps out, groaning. What is she doing to him? I have to look. I whirl around, surprised to see that there is, in fact, no knife to the other's throat. Liz has unwrapped the bandage, revealing a beautiful cut (note the sarcasm) the size of my hand. The sight of his leg makes me woozy, but I stick it out. It doesn't look right...

"Is that normal?" I squeak out, my voice taking on a high octave that could probably summon a dolphin. Dried blood is on the wound, but that doesn't mask the fact that Alix's leg has swelled tremendously.

"Yes, it's supposed to look like someone blew it up like a balloon - no, it's not!" Liz yells at me.

I wince at the harsh tone, and Alix must detect it as well. "There's so much hate in this area right now. I don't like it."

"Yeah, well you won't be feeling much of anything for much longer if I don't fix it. It's infected, Alix. Infected. God, Jess, you really need to get out more."

I hug my arms around me for warmth, even though there's a fire directly behind me.

"Liz -" I hear Alix start to intervene, but she's right. I cut him off.

"No, it's okay. She's right. I watch movies, and I'm a good chemistry student. But that's pretty much it."

I push myself up onto my feet. Alix looks like he wants to argue, but I shake my head.

"I'm going to go and make sure no police are following us. I'll be back in an hour. I promise." I say, fixing Alix with a stare that speaks the words I don't say out loud. I won't run away again.

He says nothing else, but I can feel his eyes on my back as I shove my hands in my pockets and take off into the forest. I don't run, so much as jog along the path already dug in by our footprints. It's only now that I'm actually realizing how poor a job we did trying to hide our tracks. A three-year old probably has the brain capacity to figure out how to find us based on several tracks in the snow leading to our exact location in this puny universe.