Rune Wielders

Chapter Thirteen

Colbie woke up to the sound of slight snoring. She blinked her eyes and sat up, looking around for the noise. She saw nothing in her room that could be making the sound until she glanced at her bed.

Right beside her was Kiwi, strangely, sleeping next to her instead of on the ceiling, upside down. Kiwi's small, ebony claws were latched into her shirt and into her skin. She sighed, removing them gently from the fabric and skin before getting up.

Kiwi twitched an ear and rolled over onto her back, her wings wrapped around her body now that her claws were no longer were lodged into Colbie's side.

Colbie stretched and opened her door. Reed's door was open, revealing that, obviously, he wasn't in his room. She could feel her side burn from the wound and she turned her head, hearing familiar fighting noises coming from the training room.

Colbie crept down the hallway, expecting it to be Alden, but instead she saw a blur of a small, petite girl dart by in the room as she chased after something. She waited for a few moments until the creature died from Ruby's swords and she cleared her throat. "Ruby?"

Ruby looked up, sweat on her forehead, her hair plastered to the back of her neck and forehead. "Colbie?" she gasped out, standing up on wobbly legs.

"What are you doing up so early?" Colbie asked, stepping out into the room. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, waiting for Ruby's response.

"I could ask the same to you," Ruby said, waving her hand tiredly. "I was just...yeah," Ruby puffed out.

Colbie shrugged. "True. I'm up to find Reed. Kiwi dug her claws into my skin." Colbie lifted up her shirt to reveal the marks of Kiwi's claws. "I'm an early riser though so I'd be up this time anyway, looking for Reed or not."

"Ouch." Ruby sat on a nearby box, crossing her legs. "I'm just heading to bed so, uh, I hope you find Reed."

Colbie stared at Ruby, unamused, and sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

Ruby scoffed, looking at herself in the window and winced at her appearance. She gave a sigh and pushed back her hair, looking to the door. "It's about what Eugene said. He said that I saved your lives but in reality, I just made them harder and I got you guys hurt. Don't argue with me, I know it's true," Ruby said stubbornly.

"Ruby, what will it take to realize that you're not useless? Or that you cause the bad stuff happening to us on the missions?" It's not like you're cursing us--you're just you. You're not a bad luck charm." Colbie wanted for Ruby to see that it wasn't her fault. She just didn't know how to show Ruby.

Ruby looked at her, tilting her head as if she had become another person. "Nothing," she said and stood up, leaving Colbie there to sit on the cold cement floor. Colbie heard the clack of a door shutting.

Colbie kicked the box in agitation, feeling a surge of pain go up her foot. Stupid move. She stood up and looked around, wondering where Reed had gone.

Her side still burned, giving her an uncomfortable feeling each time she took a step or took a breath. It wasn't Kiwi's fault, she was only a baby. Colbie should've been more careful.

Colbie paused at Reed's open door and peered inside again. He still wasn't there. She scowled and sat at his desk in the chair, staring at the doorway. She couldn't sleep with this pain on her side right now and she needed to get this healed immediately. So she'd wait.

A few hours later, Colbie's shoulder was being shaken by someone standing over her. Her face was on someone's desk and her back was at an awkward angle. She groaned, turning her head away from the person. "A few more minutes," she breathed out before widening her eyes at the pain up her side.