The Curse of Water

Chapter 9- Opening Night

Chapter Nine – Opening Night

I don't remember how I got home, or where exactly home is, but I wake to Apollo and Adam's familiar voices and the sound of the keycard opening the door. An invasive burst of light knocks me back on the bed as their cheerful chatter greets me.

“Hey Marcus!”

“Hi Marcus, what were you doing in the dark?” Apollo asks, playfully taking my pillow from me, then sitting down on my bed with a gasp of shock.

“What's up?” Adam asks, dropping whatever he was carrying and rushing over, and the two of them (at least I assume, I'm seeing 4 from one eye and two halves from the other) stare down at me in horror.

“What the hell happened to your face?” Apollo asks, I think looking genuinely concerned.

“I'm not in prison. Wait a second, that must mean...” Adam grabs my card off the bedside table.

“There is a reader in the hall, I'll check your score for you. But we knew you'd be here when we got back.”

I try to smile, but every muscle in my body is sore.

“I got the 10 points Apollo! I'm still here.”

“Yes, you are. You were fantastic.” He says with a smile in his voice, getting up and coming back with the sound of H20 running in the background. “Who did this to you Marcus?”

“Kendrick. He did my demo with me.” I say, pulling the pillow back over my head, but he grabs for it again.

“Don't. I can't see if you're sleeping that way. I'm going to call a doctor, don't sleep.” He says, grabbing for the phone.

“I was sleeping before you guys came in.” I grumble, putting the cold blade of the dagger I got from him against my eye.

“And it's lucky that you woke up, don't argue Marcus.” His voice trails off talking to the doctor and I replay the fight in my head, making mental corrections on all my mistakes. Of course I've been beaten to a pulp and there isn't much to do about it in hindsight, and now I have one less reason to hate Arych. What a perfect day this was.

I lean back to find Apollo's strong arms under me, lifting me off from the bed.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you to have a bath. But you're still going to be responsible for taking off your own underpants.”

When I get to stand on my own two feet I register just how much of a favour I got being carried there, and through a great deal of pain I manage to undress and get in the tub.

“You in?” Apollo asks from the doorway, his back turned to me.

“Yeah.” I give the shower curtain a pull and lean back. “It's all good.”

He turns around, sitting on the covered toilet seat.

“You don't have to wait with me.” I mumble quietly, wrestling hard with the sweet temptation of sleep.

“You could have a concussion, so yes, I will.” He says and yells a loud “Don't sleep!” that startles me enough to not sink under.

“Thank you Apollo. You've done a great deal for me lately.”

“Don't mention it. It's the least I can do for my friend.”

We sit there quietly for a bit while I wash my concrete burns and he flips through some clothing catalogue, and Adam is back, panting in the doorway.

“Sorry guys, there wasn't one in the hall after all, and the one downstairs was out of order so I had to go to the next building...”

“Alright Adam, thanks, but what's my final score?”