John was many things.
To most, he was brutal, cruel, a force of rage and resentment that held unimaginable power.
To a select few, he was goofy, kind, headstrong and genuine.
Yet no matter what way you saw him, weak was not a word you'd use to describe John Doe.
But what other word was everyone supposed to use to describe him right now?
What other word could they possibly use to describe the ravenette currently resting on the infirmary bed, two shades too pale with bandages wrapped around his head and more peaking out from his unbuttoned shirt?
The bruises along his skin weren't a new sight to the group. But it felt so...so wrong for John to look like this now.
It felt wrong for him to look this weak and this frail when he had shown them that without a doubt, he could hold his own and make his opponent pay.
To Remi, Arlo, and Blyke, it left them wondering just how strong and how dangerous Keon was to render John like this. How close were they to ending up in John's shoes? And how exactly did John know who Keon was?
But to Seraphina and Isen, guilt weighed on their shoulders. The second Keon had suggested that he and John talk outside where they wouldn't be supervised, they should've said something. But they didn't. Or rather, they didn't put up enough of a fight.
But it was too late for what ifs now.
The only thing any of them could do was wait for John to wake up.
.
.
.
Seraphina absentmindedly traced circles into the mattress. She was sitting next to the bed, arms pillowing her head on the very edge as she watched the ravenette's steady breathing.
The only others in the room were Isen and Arlo. Remi and Blyke had gone to grab lunch for everyone, making the executive decision that worrying on empty stomachs would do none of them good.
Arlo was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets. Meanwhile Isen tapped away on his laptop where he sat cross-legged on the floor.
Just as Seraphina was about to let her eyes drift shut, the sheets shifted.
The girl snapped her head up at an alarming speed as she was just in time to see the ravenette's eyes crack open.
The bright lights glared into his vision and the teen hissed, quickly shutting his eyes again.
When he finally managed to crack them back open, he caught sight of Seraphina, the girl watching him with a wide gaze.
"Mmm...Sera?"
The girl in question launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
John jumped slightly, hands hovering in confusion as he caught other voices.
"You're awake."
"Finally! We've been waiting for you to wake up!"
John peaked over Sera's shoulder and saw Arlo and Isen, both of them on either side of him.
"Huh...? What are you two doing here? Wait...how did I get here?"
Seraphina moved as John almost bolted up but he hissed in pain as his vision swirled a bit.
"John?" The girl quickly caught his shoulder as he began listing to the side a bit.
He shut his eyes as he held his head, trying to push through the wave of vertigo. "M'fine...just lightheaded..."
He eventually leaned back against the headboard with her help, taking a few breaths to try and steady both his racing thoughts and his vision.
There was a dull ache in his ribs and it felt like he had a bowling ball chucked at his head.
Blinking away the dizziness, John looked at the three in the room, taking in their looks of concern and worry. "I...what exactly happened?"
Seraphina shifted in her seat, looking to Isen. The teen in question spoke up. "What's the last thing you remember John?'
The ravenette looked down, eyebrows furrowed. "I...I remember we were outside the office? We had gotten called down for something and-"
John froze as vivid imagery crossed his mind. He saw Keon standing before them, staring them all down, he saw Keon pinning him to the locker and finally, the mans enraged expression as John screamed at him about how he'd never help any of them.
Isen raised an eyebrow. "John? Everything ok?"
He sucked in a breath as he began to shake, having gone pale and clammy. "...Keon...he was there too, wasn't he...?"
Looking to Arlo, the blonde looked down before nodding. "Yes. He was there."
At this, John seemed to freak out. His breathing picked up and his gaze seemed haunted.
Seraphina grabbed his shoulders as he took heaving breaths, trying to get air back into his lungs. All the while, his brain was screaming at him on repeat: 'Did he hurt them? Did he hurt them? Did he hurt them?'
Horrifying illusions of the others having to suffer what he went through flashed through his mind again just like they had back in the office. John shut his eyes as he tried to push through the images with little success.
While whatever happened to him left him knocked out, he left the others at Keon's mercy. The man could've done whatever he wanted to them and John wouldn't have been able to do a thing!
What if the others got hurt because of whatever stupid thing happened to him?!
What the hell happened to him to leave him unconscious?!
Why couldn't he remember anything?!
The magenta haired girl felt her own hands shake as she held her friends shoulders, not knowing what to do. For the first time since she lost her ability, she had absolutely no idea what to do as John fell apart beside her, lost in whatever horrid thoughts were consuming him.
Surprisingly enough, it was Isen who acted first, gently moving Seraphina out of the way while Arlo rushed out to grab the nurse.
Isen turned to face John, his eyebrows creased with worry. "John? John, I need you to look at me."
Slowly lifting his gaze up, the ravenette trembled as he focused on Isen, his gold eyes clouded over with terror as the teen spoke. "You are ok. Keon is not here anymore. Arlo, Blyke and Vaughn took care of him and Vaughn kicked him out. He's not here anymore and he won't ever be coming back here if we have anything to say about it."
John only shook his head, slowly trying to get words out. "That's-...That's not what-..." He gasped as he tried to get air in his lungs again.
Before they could say anything more, the nurse came in and quickly moved to the other side of the bed. Isen and Seraphina moved away a bit to give them space while still remaining in John's line of sight.
The woman spoke firmly and with purpose. "John, I need you to listen to me, ok?"
He nodded as the nurse pulled up a chair. "Ok, I need you to follow my lead and breathe with me. Can you do that?"
Again, he nodded and John slowly followed along as the nurse guided him through breathing, taking long and even breaths.
In for 5, out for 5 as he closed his eyes.
It took a few minutes but eventually, John calmed down, still winded but not gasping for air anymore.
The nurse eventually moved away slightly. "Better?"
John slowly nodded. "T-Thank you..."
The woman smiled. "Not a problem. Panic attacks can be scary sometimes, but it can help when you have someone else to help you."
She looked up as he heard someone call out for her from her desk. "I need to go help someone. If you need me, have one of your friends come and get me, alright? I'll be back later anyways to do a check up."
John nodded as she left. Seraphina retook her spot next to John while Isen and Arlo hovered a bit.
Looking over to Seraphina, John gently grabbed her shoulder shoulder, his hand still shaking. His voice was small and weary while his face held all sorts of exhaustion. "Please-...Please tell me that bastard didn't touch you...that he didn't touch ANY of you..."
Seraphina's eyes went wide, but she slowly relaxed, gently grabbing his hand and holding it with both of hers. "No John. He didn't do anything to any of us. We're all safe." As she talked, she slowly rubbed small circles into his palm, watching him relax as he looked to Arlo and Isen for confirmation.
They both nodded back as Arlo spoke up. "We're all fine. Keon didn't lay a hand on any of us after her left with you. It was you we were concerned about."
John raised an eyebrow before his other hand went up to his head, more of what happened coming back to him.
Most of it was fuzzy, but he remembers a sharp pain in his head, colors surrounding him and faint voices.
John looked at his lap. "I...did...did he do this to me?"
Isen nodded. "You...you left the room with him after he tried and we eventually heard yelling. I used my ability to listen in to what was happening and before we knew it...he slammed your head into the lockers. It...wasn't pretty. Once we took care of Keon, Keene stopped by and took you here. You've been out for awhile now."
Looking away, John let their words sink in.
They were fine...Keon didn't hurt any of them. John's distraction actually worked.
At this revelation, John released a breath he didn't know he was holding as he leaned back against the headboard, shutting his eyes and finally letting the tension drain from his limbs while muttering under his breath. "That's a relief..."
But Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "What part of that is relieving...?! John, he hurt you! He attacked you and would've done who knows what had we not stepped in to stop him! How is any part of that a relief?!"
The ravenette looked away, not knowing how to explain it. Thankfully, Remi and Blyke came back with food.
The pinkette popped her head around the curtain. Her eyes landed on John and she offered him a small smile. "Ah! You're up!"
Looking to the two, they handed out food for everyone, letting them all get situated and eat.
The silence was eventually broken by Blyke. "John?"
Said teen looked up, sipping on a juice box. The redhead sighed before asking a question. "How exactly do you know Keon? And how did you know he would do something like that?"
At this, John almost choked on his drink. Seraphina patted his back as he finally got over his coughing fit.
But John on the other hand looked down, trying to avoid everyone's questioning gaze. He didn't really know where to start.
He looked to Seraphina. Silently, he could practically hear what she was trying to tell him. 'It's ok. It's your choice.'
And after what happened today, he knew they deserved some form of answer.
So, with a shaky breath, he began.
He briefly recounted what happened in New Bostin, how he was suspended from his high school and sentenced to three months of readjustment classes. Remi and Blyke were confused as to what they were until Arlo explained.
"They're classes for troubled youth, typically late bloomers. They're used to teach kids how to better control themselves and help them deal with sudden changes."
John looked at the blanket under his hands. "In theory, yes."
Arlo had raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
It was then that John's throat closed up as he thought about what happened, as he pondered what he was about to tell them.
Was it even worth it to let them know? What would change if he told them?
What would they think of him? Would they think he was weak because he couldn't even handle three months of what was supposed to be helpful learning classes?
Would...would they even believe him? He knew Arlo still held firm beliefs about the hierarchy, but would any of them even believe what he said?
He's lied before...what if they thought he was lying again?
John's hands shook where they were fisted in the sheets. He physically jumped when Seraphina laid a hand on his shoulder before looking to her. Her voice was low and soothing as she rubbed small circles into the joint. "It's ok John...we're here."
The sincerity in her eyes was enough for him to finally take a deep breath and close his eyes.
Slowly, he recounted what happened at his classes, making sure to keep the details brief.
He told them about being handcuffed to the table to keep him in line. (He didn't tell them about how they left him with phantom pain and how he would hold his arms sometimes to remind himself they weren't there.)
He talked about Keon and how he said late bloomers were destined to fail, how they were all out of control. (He didn't mention that he still thought that way about himself.)
He said how Keon got physical if he didn't behave. (He didn't want to tell them how he felt so helpless because he couldn't fight back.)
Finally, he told them about Keon going through his memories, playing them on repeat to get the message across. (He refused to tell them that he still had nightmares about it all, about Claire with tears in her eyes while she called him a monster, about Keon's hands on him and his words ringing in his ears.)
By the time he looked up, everyone had both different, yet similar expressions on their faces.
Blyke looked like he had seen a ghost, eyes wide and hands bunched at his sides while his lips were pressed together.
Isen's eyes were shocked and shaken, eyebrows furrowed together as he stared at John with an unreadable expression.
Remi looked close to tears, hands clasped over her mouth and eyebrows pinched with something close to pain.
Arlo had his head hung low, hands gripping the rail at the end of the bed and gritting his teeth.
And Sera? Sera had her bottom lip clamped between her teeth, hands shaking and eyes closed with her head also hung low.
John shifted uncomfortably under their glances. "But it's fine. I...I deserved it. While I know he didn't help me, it doesn't mean I didn't have what was coming. Besides, it happened awhile ago so I just gotta work past this, I guess. After everything I've done, it's really not a big deal-"
"John, stop."
The ravenette snapped his head up to Arlo who was standing at the end of the bed. His hands were white knuckled on the foot-rail and everyone heard an ominous creak as his grip got tighter.
None of them have ever heard Arlo like this before, anger barely contained and almost sounding pained.
Everyone watched as he tilted his gaze up, eyes burning with anger. "What kind of bullsh*t are you trying to spew? 'It's not a big deal.' I'll tell you how big of a deal it actually is! You were scared that all of us would be put through the same things you did, so you dragged Keon out of the room and put yourself at risk just so he wouldn't get the chance to even speak with us!"
He waved his hand in front of him to John still resting on the bed. "Look at what he's done to you John! He fractured the back of your skull for crying out loud! Not to mention the other numerous injuries he's left you with!"
John fiddled with his shirt sleeve as Arlo stood up straight. "How can you sit there and say that?! How can you sit there and say that being handcuffed to a damn table for three months while having your worst memories weaponized against you, is ok?! How can you sit there and tell us that having your head bashed into a locker to the point you couldn't even remember us, is ok?!"
The other teen only shook his head as he looked away. "Arlo, it happened awhile ago. I'm just overreacting, it's fine-"
"NO! IT'S NOT FINE!"
John physically jumped at Arlo's tone, even Isen and Blyke startled a bit, taking a step or two back.
Arlo grit his teeth as he continued. "You keep saying you're fine, but everything that has happened, everything that has occurred over the last few months has told us that it's the exact opposite! You're not fine John! And I don't think you have been for a long time...and it took you fighting against your own best friend for everyone to finally realize just how bad this entire situation was."
John sat there, stunned and lost for words before Remi finally spoke up. The girl was furiously wiping tears away from her eyes. "John...making a mistake doesn't make you lesser of a person! You're still human! You're allowed to make mistakes and learn from them! While you had to face consequences for what happened, that doesn't mean you deserved to be tortured by those people!"
John raised an eyebrow. "Tortured...?"
Remi nodded as Arlo spoke up again. "Yes John, tortured. Because that's not a f*cking teaching method! The only thing Keon taught you was how to hate and fear yourself and your ability! No matter what his intentions were, he mentally and psychology manipulated you. That isn't right no matter how anyone tries to twist it."
John opened his mouth again but was stopped when he saw Seraphina sitting there, tears balanced on the corners of her eyes. "It's not ok John...it's not ok at all...you are not worthless, you are not pathetic, you are not a coward. But above all, you are NOT a monster...! You never were and you never will be!"
The ravenette bit his lip and looked away. "I..." He quickly shook his head. "No, you guys can't say that...I've f*cked up so much...I've messed up over and over again and nothing will ever make what I did ok. I deserved what happened to me. But you guys? You don't. You haven't messed up like I have. You don't deserve Keon's wrath."
It was Blyke who finally spoke up. "You don't either."
Everyone turned to look at him. Blyke was staring at the floor, hands clenched at his sides as they trembled. "You...you don't deserve that treatment John. Were you an *sshole? Yes, you were. Did you make mistakes? Yes, you did. But despite all of that, despite all of your mistakes, you still came back here and have been trying your damn hardest to fix what happened. You've worked your *ss off to fix what you did. Hell, you already did that by enrolling here as a f*cking cripple! You did all of that just to keep yourself in check to not hurt others because you felt guilty for what you did! Tell me how you deserve that?! Tell me how after everything you did to become a better person, that you still deserve to suffer?!"
John stared at him, at a loss for words. It was Isen who finally spoke up that put finally sealed the deal. "...I heard almost everything you and Keon said...John, you aren't any of those things. The only monster is Keon for what he did to you when he thought none of us were looking. You aren't a monster because unlike him, you realized you made mistakes. And since then, you have done everything within your power to fix what you've done, to become a better person."
Isen's next words broke something in John a little bit. "You are more of a man than Keon could ever hope to be."
They all watched as John stared at them, eyes wide and completely baffled.
What shocked them more was the tears that started running down his face. Seraphina's eyes widened. "John?!"
The ravenette snapped himself out of whatever trance he had been in as he furiously scrubbed his eyes. "Sorry...sorry I'm fi-"
Before he could say more, Seraphina enveloped him in a hug, one that was quite like the one he had given her so long ago.
Sera hummed to herself as she held John, her fingers tangled in his hair. "We know you aren't fine John. But that's ok. Because unlike before, you don't have to deal with it alone anymore."
Looking over the edge of her shoulder, he caught everyone's gazes as they offered him smiles and looks that screamed support.
He looked at them as more tears gathered in his eyes.
He...didn't have to do this alone...
For so long, he had felt alone in this chaos. He felt like he would always be the monster that Keon convinced him he would be.
But now...? He realized that he did have people who cared about him. His dad, Sera, Adrion...they all supported him even when he didn't deserve it.
Not only that, but now he saw that there was the possibility for more, that the group could grow to include the others as well.
Deep down, it was all he had ever wanted...to finally feel like he wasn't an outcast or a freak or a monster.
And everyone here...they were willing to convince him that he wasn't despite the pain he's caused them all.
They were still willing to give him a chance and help him even when he screwed up so badly.
At this, John finally closed his eyes and let his tears fall without shame, burying his head in Sera's shoulder as his own trembled. He wrapped his arms around her as she tightened her hold on him.
He finally let the pain go as he held on, letting Keon's words wash away as he remembered everyone else's.
Through his tears, he finally spoke, his voice small but filled with relief.
"Guys...T-Thank you..."
Because while Keon never helped him, they did.
End.
A/N: AND THAT'S A WRAP!
I hope you all enjoyed this final chapter! It was really fun to write (and heart wrenching T^T), but I'm happy with how this turned out. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Too Late. It's just giving me some issues with writing and I'm stumped as I want to make it a good ending.
On another note, Fractured will be out on Monday!
Love ya guys! ^-^
-KittCat