Unfaded (47 page)

             
“Age doesn’t mean respect,” Micah said. “Unfaded don’t pay attention to age. The majority of us don’t even know when we were born. There are no records or calendars that go back that far. That’s why we tend to round things off. Three thousand. Four thousand. Unimportant. Its strength and ability that makes one powerful, not numbers.”

             
“But you’re still a teenager,” I said to Kian. I wasn’t trying to make fun of him, I just wanted to understand.

             
“Rafferty knew me when I was a child,” Kian said. “I guess some things just don’t change, no matter how much time passes in-between.”

             
That made sense to me so I let it go. There was so much to learn, I wondered how I’d ever figure it all out.

             
Seito left shortly after two so he’d have the cover of night while he snuck into my home. Kian turned on the television and for a while we stared at the screen, none of us paying attention to what was on.

             
“I’m going to wander around,” Micah said after a while. He got up off his chair and went over to the door. “I’ll feel better if I take a peek around the area. It might just be Rafferty being here but something doesn’t feel right.”

             
He was right. There was tenseness in the air that had been buzzing around my head since I first woke up. I hadn’t paid much attention to it until now. This must have been what they all meant when too many Unfaded got together in one place. The energy became overwhelming.

             
“All right,” Kian said. “Contact me if something happens.”

             
Micah nodded and left.

             
“Do you mind if I take a shower?” I asked. “I feel grimy.”

             
Kian immediately got off the bed. “Let me find you a clean towel.”

             
It didn’t take him long to rummage through the bathroom and come back with a snowy white towel. He waited while I slowly got up off the bed, cringing every time pain shot through my abdomen.

             
“Do you want help?”

             
“No, I can do it.”

             
Kian went over to the closet and came back with a dark blue shirt. “Here,” he said. “It might be a little big on you but at least it’s clean. It’ll do until Seito comes back.”

             
“Thanks.”

             
He followed behind me as I slowly made my way towards the bathroom. I was afraid to move faster than a snail’s pace because I wasn’t sure of how much damage had been done. It didn’t help having him hovering over me as if he was positive I was going to drop to the floor any second. It must have taken me five minutes to make it to the door and when I did, I turned and gave him the best smile I could.

             
“You’re more than welcome to guard the bathroom but I’m not letting you in.”

             
Kian laughed and pulled me close.

             
“Am I hurting you?”

             
I shook my head.

             
By the time he pulled away I’d forgotten that the rest of the world existed.

             
“We’ll make it happen this time. We’ll break the curse.”

             
“I believe you,” I said. “But I probably should shower first. I smell terrible.”

             
"I wasn't going to say anything."

             
I closed the door to the bathroom and began to take off my clothes. It was nice knowing he was right outside if I needed him.

             
I removed my clothes carefully and let them drop to the floor. There was a lot of dried blood on my shirt and jeans. I’d have to throw them out. There wasn’t a single wash cycle on earth that could repair them. It was a good thing that neither Dad nor Marley paid attention to what I wore. No one would miss them.

             
My stomach was wrapped in bandages and it took me a while to remove them. I was worried as I pulled the last bit away. I wasn’t sure what I’d find. Kian had his own scar from when they’d cut him open but what I’d experienced hadn’t been nearly as bad. He’d been gutted while I’d been merely stabbed. I knew I was healing fast but I was really surprised when I pulled off the last of the bandages to reveal a completely unmarked stomach. There was nothing there, only a little bit of dried blood clung to my skin as a reminder of what happened. The only time I felt pain was when I pressed my hand against my stomach and it was getting less intense by each passing moment.

             
My fingers came next. I unwrapped them one by one. They were a little swollen, I guess broken bones were harder to mend, but considering only hours had passed, it was incredible that my body had managed to heal itself this quickly. I flexed my hand carefully but my fingers bent when I wanted them to and the pain was minimal.

             
“Unbelievable,” I whispered to myself in the mirror.

             
I stepped into the shower and quickly washed my hair and body. I knew Kian was waiting so I didn’t want to take longer than necessary. But I couldn’t help myself, the hot water was heavenly and I stayed under longer than I should have. I went through the bottles of shampoo and body wash, trying to decide which ones belonged to Kian. I settled on the pomegranate soap, positive I’d smelt it on his skin before. Afterwards, I dried myself off in the mirror and quickly got dressed. I hadn’t realised how much I took clean clothes for granted until I’d spent a day in a hardened, blood stained shirt. The cotton of Kian’s shirt felt like pure silk and smelt clean and fresh and just like him. Pulling it over my head was like wrapping his energy around my body. Getting back into my jeans wasn’t as much fun but they were dark and weren’t stained too badly. At least I knew it wouldn’t be long before Seito returned with something else for me.

             
I vowed never to underestimate the power of fresh fabric again.

             
There wasn’t much I could do with my hair so put in some gel I found by the sink and decided to let it air dry. Back in the room, Kian was sitting on his bed, thumbing his way through an old book with a title I didn’t recognize. He tossed it on the floor when I sat down beside him and applied some peach flavoured gloss to my lips. Sniffing the air, his eyes followed my movements.

             
“Now that’s a major smell improvement,” he said.

             
“Are you saying Eau De Dried Blood isn’t catching? The sales lady assured me it was what all the boys liked these days.”

             
“You don’t strike me as the type who’d do something just because the boys liked it.” Reaching out, he plucked the lip gloss from my fingers and sniffed the tube.

             
“No,” I agreed, laughing, as I grabbed the container back as he started to apply some to his own lips. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to share this stuff? Get your own.”

             
There was a quick knock at the door and Micah came in. 

             
“There’s a kid in the parking lot who’s been watching the place for the past ten minutes with a baseball bat,” Micah said. “He’s getting more and more twitchy by the second. Would you like to look for yourself or should I take care of him?”

             
“Huh?” I got up off the bed and looked outside. I was pretty sure I knew who it was and I wasn’t disappointed. Opening the door, I stepped out with Kian and Micah behind me. The second he saw me, Connor rushed over, waving the bat around like he meant to use it.

             
“Connor,” I said. “What are you doing?”

             
“Get away from her,” he said as he ignored me. Eyes blazing, full of intensity and pure hatred, they focused on Kian only.

             
“You can’t hurt me with that,” Kian said calmly.

             
“Want to bet?”

             
“Connor, stop it!” I snapped. I moved until I stood in front of him. He’d have to shove me in order to get past.

             
But Connor was beyond reasoning.

             
“I saw them,” he said. “You were bleeding and they carried you out of the school. There was blood everywhere. He did it to you!”

             
“Connor, do I look like I’ve been hurt? You’re imagining things.”

             
“I saw it!” His eyes finally focused on me and it was obvious he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “Mai?”

             
“Yes. I’m here. I’m fine.” I placed my hand tenderly on his jacket sleeve.

The baseball bat slipped from his fingers and bounced off the icy pavement.
At first he seemed simply confused but his eyes hardened as he realised I was wearing Kian’s shirt. Yanking himself from my grip, he took a few steps backwards and crossed his arms in defence. “What did they do to you? Are you all right?”

             
“I’m fine,” I said, reaching out and placing my hands over his a second time. Squeezing gently, I tried to get him to focus on me. “You must have been mistaken. As you can see there’s nothing wrong with me.”

             
“But I was sure it was you,” he said and his face just collapsed. There were tears in his eyes and it was at that moment I knew what I’d put him through. I’d been so selfish with my own problems I’d never bothered to really think about how much this was hurting him. Sure, I’d thought about it, I’d even felt bad that I’d broken up with him, but this was the first time I’d really witnessed it. It was unfair of me, what I’d done. I knew my reasons for breaking up with Connor but I’d never explained them. He was confused and hurting and I’d been so selfish.

             
“I went by your house,” he said. “You weren’t there but someone else was. I checked the hospital too but no one knew anything. No one heard from you since before the fire. Claire and Amber knew nothing. I thought you were dead.” The tears were really falling now and I pulled him close to me, hugging him tightly. He clung to me, moving his arms along my spine as if to convince himself I really was there. The baseball was forgotten, he’d even lost sight of Kian. All he needed was me to make everything better.

             
“Oh Connor,” I said. “I’m so sorry I’d put you through this. I never meant for any of it to happen.”

             
“Are you sure you aren’t hurt?” he asked once he’d managed to pull himself together. The doubt was heavy in his eyes. “I was positive it was you.”

             
I shook my head and stepped backwards, showing off my clothing for him. I even lifted up Kian’s shirt a bit so he could see my unmarked stomach.

             
“You said you saw someone at Mai’s house?” Micah asked. “What did you see?”

             
“Who are you?” Connor asked, coming back to reality and noticing the Unfaded standing behind me. He focused on Micah first, trying to decide if he knew him. Next his eyes narrowed at Kian but there wasn’t anything he could do at this point. I think he was beginning to realise that I wasn’t going back to him. Even though he knew Kian had done something terrible to me a week ago, I still chose to be around him and not Connor. It was a painful realization but there was nothing I could do about it.

             
“He’s Micah,” I said. “He’s Kian’s father.” I figured I’d stick to that story for his sake.

“What did you see?” Micah asked. “Who was at Mai’s house?”

              “That’s none of your business.”

             
“Connor,” I said. “Micah’s a friend. What did you see?”

             
“A guy and a girl,” he said. “They used the spare key to get into your house. They wandered around for a bit and then left.”

             
“And you didn’t think to call the police?” I asked.

             
“They knew where the key was,” he said. “How was I supposed to know who they were? I thought they might be from the hospital or something. I tried calling Larry.”

             
I froze. “Connor, do not call my Dad,” I said. “He’s gone for the weekend. Please say you didn’t leave a message.”

             
Connor gave me a hard stare. “Why? Doesn’t he know you spent the night with your boyfriend? Maybe he should know.”

             
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” I snapped. “You have no right to pry into my life. I’m no longer with you. What I do is none of your business.”

             
“Someone needs to be watching you,” Connor said. “Look at the company you’re hanging with these days. A week ago you were terrified of him. Don’t bother denying it, I saw your eyes. How hard did he hit you? That’s what really happened isn’t it.” He gave Kian a hard glare. “That’s it, isn’t it, tough guy? You like beating girls?”