Wow. I haven't updated this thing in...how long again?
Please don't kill me!
Anywho, I was going through my computer folders, and it turns out that I still had a chapter that I hadn't put up yet, and I don't know when I'll get the time to put up another one.
I saw in my mind the *shudder* creepy-crawlies start to emerge from the vents. I shook my head. This simply will not do. If anyone gets to trash the school, it'll be me! No one is gonna steal that privilege, human or not!
I raised my arms and drew my energy, letting it flow naturally through my body. I focused on the freaky bugs, the Jinshin-Mushi. I pictured the problem in my mind: the bugs as the most obvious one, the still slightly shaking building, and the absolute panic running amuck (I'm pretty sure I'm gonna need a hearing aid, and a whole bottle of Advil when this all over).
Then, I pictured the problem solved: no more buggies, no more shaking, fellow idiot classmates silenced (and hopefully knocked unconscious), AND most importantly, whatever the hell set the damn things loose in the first place getting burned and hacked with whatever Chaney uses in his torture sessions! Okay, so the last one isn't going to happen, but a girl can hope, right?
I searched my memories for the sharp scent of burning white sage: the one herb coven priestesses use for dispersing negative energy at a circle. Aw, crap! We're having the neighborhoodly circle soon with all the other witches from the area! What am I going to wear-
Ah! Focus, focus, dammit! I shook my head again, and drew up the sage memory, letting it become real to my other senses. I imagined the smoke drifting through the school, aiding me. Then, keeping the problems solved thing still fresh in my mind, chanted my ticket outta here.
"A problem made, a problem done.
Light's pure force over dark's wrath won.
Goddess, in your eyes today,
Right the wrong, so this I pray."
I repeated the lines over and over again, while thinking about normalcy again in the school. Well, what the school was before. Can't really call that normal, though. I kept the image in my mind, strong in details and mere will.
I drew up my Power Chant, channeling all my energy.
Breath in through the nose…out through the mouth…
Let's see… some sigils here…some sigils there…I repeated the chant one more time with magic in my voice, feeling it seep past my lips with power. I could feel the energy around me building up with such intensity, kept building up and piling up becoming so dense and crowded with magic and-
WOOOOSHHHHHHHHHH…
All the negative energy around me…all the scurrying from the bugs…and all the shaking…was simply gone.
I looked around me, all the energy still hanging in the air from the outburst. I cast my senses, looking for any sign of another bug thingy…nothing. Drawing my senses back in, I paused when I felt a pulse nearby.
"Now what?" I muttered out loud. I'm too exhausted to do anymore shit right now. I weakly cast my senses out again.
Whoa…though I could no longer sense the bugs, there was definitely something else…something inhuman in nature. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on it.
"Is there a puppeteer in the building? Hello?" I called out, causing me to hack a bit. Eck! Feels like I ate pencil shavings for lunch.
"Cuz if there is…I swear that once I down a bottle of painkiller and a dozen Monster drinks, you're going to have to deal with one pissed off witch who knows a lot of hexes!" Nothing. I could still feel the presence somewhere in the building. I tried to pinpoint the exact location, but the moment I tried, the thing skidaddled. Gone. Vanished. Bu-bye, see ya later kinda thing. Well, I hope I don't see it again anytime soon, that is.
I wiped my sweaty forehead, relieving it of the heavy perspiration gathering on it. I dropped my senses, trying to gather myself up.
Where the hell is Mom at? She should be here by now. I looked around at the cracked floors and ceilings, broken light fixtures, and the water fountain gushing water out like a, well, like a fountain. You get the point: the place is mess, but, hey. It could be a lot worse, right?
Tell that to my personal luck and karma.
Crack-
I swung my head around like a whip.
Only to feel the entire sky fall down on me, bringing a painful, but much needed, empty blackness, and a ghostly laughing in the distance…
…
…aradia…
…
Araaaadia…
…
…how hard…hit her head?…like a light…exhausted from the…spell…
…
…feather and whipped cream?…no, you…not…
…
…
…poke her?…no…
…Oh, hell with it…
…
ARADIA!
"WAKE UP, ALREADY!"
"AGH!" I bolted up, immediately regretting it. My hand flew to my head, which pretty much felt like Harry Potter's when Voldy got in his brain. No, wait , scratch that: worse than that.
"Hoooly mutherfu-"
"Girl, you had scared shittless!" Two arms wrapped around me like steel, cutting off my air supply. I looked around, only to see my best friend squeezing the life out of me, but I did notice the safety of my own bed.
"Ow-Susie- Hhhah…-please-hurty-" I grimaced with the pain.
"Ch- Such a cry baby! One little bump on the head, and Bam!" She slapped one hand against the other for the dramatic effect, "You were out like a frickin' light! I mean, I got the shrieking library lady out, and then steered some dumbass freshies outside-"
"Susie-"
"I felt the shakin' go down 'n stuff, so I went back inside. I saw you lying on the ground with blood fuckin' gushing out your head! You were all pale, and-"
"Susie-"
"-Just sorta weird looking. I mean, weirder—No offense. Looked like a chunk of ceiling came loose, and you were just standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. School really does kill, ya know? What the hell did you do in there? I mean, the buggies went buy-bye and then none left! It must of left you wiped, that's for shuh'! You—oh, I should probably stop hugging you now, shouldn't I? Okay, so-"
"SUSIE!"
"What?"
"Remember to breathe, okay?" And let me breathe. "Um, I hate to ask, but…how long've I been out?" I asked tentatively. It really makes me look like a big wussy after all that hard work, getting knocked down by a damn piece of school! It's unbelievably upsetting, ya know? I looked up at Susie again, who was leaning back and forth on her heels and toes. I crossed my arms and gave my best impatient look I could muster up at the moment, which I bet is semi crappy, since my head feels like someone played soccer with it, and afterwards, used it as a bowling ball to win a tournament or two.
"Uh…"
"Spill."
"So…yeah…you've been out for four days, 'n weeeell…"
"Four days? I've been out for four-"
"Chillaaaaaaaaaacks, girl! I'm jus' kiddin'! You've been out for less than a day. It's Thursday, by the way, at 'leven in the morning," she snickered, obviously taking delight for seeing the rarely seen shock on my face. I clutched my head delicately, failing to ignore the pain shooting through it. Susie took notice of it and pointed to my nightstand. I blinked a few times, trying to clear the temporary bleariness from my eyes, and swung my head to where she was pointing.
I think I moaned with delight.
A glass of orange juice, and a bottle of Advil! Without further ado, I ignored the o.j., and downed three pills dry.
"Thank you, Susie-poo!" I grinned up at her. Her face scrunched up with an odd look on her face.
" 'Susie-poo'? Just-don't even try. Oh, I should probably let your mom know you're awake, 'n stuff, shouldn't I?"
"You didn't even let her know ye- never mind. With your head, I'm surprised you even mentioned it to me." She gave a fake scowl, which resulted in the both of us cracking up, which resulting with more shooting pains in my achin' noggin.
"I now have a real reason to hate school with a passion. This is my lucky day," I muttered.
If you have the heart, please review!
Spike:
"You're a wee little puppet man!"