A few hours after my near-death experience, I woke up in one of the city’s hospitals. I wasn’t surprised to see the room completely empty besides me and my bed. I got out of bed and changed into my soiled school uniform, which still beats the ridiculous hospital gown that leaves your ass in the breeze for the world to see. I sat down and put on my shoes, they were ruined. I don’t have money for a new pair either, the only expressive and freely chosen part of my uniform was trashed, today officially sucked. Once I finished changing I started making my way out of the hospital. The properties of my body having a large amount of unspent magis all the time allows me to heal way faster, at least that's what Hank chalked it up to. I was feeling well enough to leave and really didn't care to stay.

As healthy as my body was at the time, my head was still wracked with thoughts of how shitty things got so quickly. Magic couldn't fix damage to your ego. I was utterly defeated, and I failed Alina. I couldn’t stand thinking about how helpless I was to stop whoever that monster was. He hurt her so much, and I… I should be checking on her. Then again how could I face her after completely blowing it like that? Also, who in the deep was that guy? I had no idea why any of that happened or how far I’m involved with it. I’d have to find Travers if I was going to get any answers.

I started down the white halls of the hospital; I hate these kinds of places. There’s no color here, and the air smells so sterile it’s almost sickening in a weird way. How can a place of healing make people feel so uneasy all the time? Maybe it’s just me. I almost made it out of there when I saw a room with a bunch of commotion coming from it, I looked in the window as I walked by. What I saw inside was Alina, surrounded by friends with flowers and balloons wishing her well. She wouldn’t be here if I was more capable. I decided I should keep moving before she noticed me. Hank was inside with them, so I guess I’d have to save my questions for tomorrow at school.

I was just about to stroll through the exit doors as I ran into Wyatt who was sitting on a bench out front. That did all kinds of things to me, I mean I can’t stand the guy, but he saved our lives. Secondly, he’s smoking, underage, in a hospital. Who does that?! We made eye contact, but in the end, I was too drained to even start anything with him. He just scoffed and looked the other way as I headed out.

Damn it all, I just want to sleep this off.

I got back to my apartment, with my head still abuzz with questions. I was way too exhausted for anything close to contemplation. I collapsed onto my bed and dozed off after a while hoping in vain that this wasn’t real somehow and that everything would be fine in the morning.

Morning came; the knocks that woke me up this time were gentle and not followed by the raspy voice of an old man. I slept terribly, my head pounded as I walked over to the door peering through the peep hole. Shit, it was Alina.

“Tyson?” She knocked a few more times. “Tyson are you home?” She was in much better shape than the last time we spoke, but she sounded anxious. I stayed silent, I still didn’t know what I’d do or say when I faced her, so I couldn’t bring myself to do it right now. I'm pathetic, avoiding her like this. After waiting for a little bit she walked off to school looking the lowest I've ever seen her. Half of me would give anything to know what was going through her head at the moment. But the other half of me was relieved she decided to leave. This behavior isn't getting anything done, and I know that I'm stupid for acting like this, but I can't bring myself to talk to her just yet and that's that.

I got dressed for school and ate breakfast. However, I didn’t make my way to school until classes were done for the day. First of all, I didn’t feel like going and felt like I earned a day off. Secondly Alina was there, and so was Wyatt and I’d hate to see either of them right now. Third I didn’t know how much of what happened had spread out around school, and people there thought I was useless as it is. I wasn’t in the mood to take any criticism from those people today. As I am right now, I know I’d probably start yet another fight I couldn’t win. I made my way inside, not many people were there as expected. I was almost at Travers’s room when, yet again, I was met by Wyatt freaking Thompson, and this was starting to get annoyingly repetitive. He was leaning against the door to Hank’s office.

He was wearing that face again, the one he only has for me, filled with utter contempt. To everyone else he’s a nice guy with a cool talent, and now a hero to some! But to me, he’s this cold, unmoving obstruction constantly looking down on me. I wondered if anyone else has been so angry or frustrated they started having trouble breathing.

“Could you move aside there? I need to see Travers.”

He just stood there staring at me for a minute.

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“Why?”

“I have some questions for him, that’s all. I don’t see why this is any of your business either.”

He laughed at me, “Someone’s not in the best mood today huh? I didn’t peg you for a sore loser, I mean with the way you’ve handled everything I know you’re still a loser, but at least try to hang on to some dignity. Or is that too much to ask?”

I was about to blow my stack, “Listen are you gonna let me see him or not?”

“I’m actually here to relay a message for you; Travers says you don’t get your answers today because you skipped school. I don’t know what else you’d expect from a teacher.” He took a few steps towards me, “Now I have a question for you.”

My anger settled a bit, this was typical of Hank, and I should’ve gone to school. Also, I was a bit caught off guard not knowing if he honestly had a question or if I had an insult coming my way.

“Alina Ferreri, what is she to you?”

My jaw dropped, what kind of question is that?!

“Why does that matter to you?” I was stalling; I actually didn’t know the right answer myself.

“We’ve been talking ever since the whole incident, she tries to hide it, but I can tell there’s something between you two that’s troubling her. I just wanted to know if you even cared how she risked her life to try and save you. It’s a shame how such a smart, pretty, and talented girl wastes her time with a no-nut wimp who couldn’t even put up a decent fight for her if it came down to it.”

My fists clenched on their own, I won’t take the swing, I deserved every bit of that, and I knew it. But did I have to hear it from him?

I breathed deeply, “Wyatt, I’ve been wanting to thank you, because of you she’s still fine. I for one detest the fact that I owe my life to you. But I’m in your debt because you saved a dear friend of mine, so thanks.” I held my hand out to shake with his, I was a little proud of myself being man enough to do this personally.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, “I should be thanking you really, I couldn’t get a clean shot because his defenses were too much for even me to pierce. I felt bad about not helping the girl out when everything started, but then you came in and I felt much better about using you as decoys. I do agree it’s a little messed up to be willing to let people die without lifting a finger in order to ensure victory, but sometimes that’s what it takes.”

“Wait a second, you used us?!” these words echoed throughout the halls, mirroring how the realization pounded in my mind.

He smiled and raised his hands up in a dismissive gesture. “Yeah, I almost felt bad for the girl too, until I realized how much of an idiot, she might be for genuinely being concerned about someone like you.”

“Shut your trap, Wyatt! How dare you speak about Alina that way!” As pissed as I was, I was elated to find out he was this much of a prick. With this I didn’t have to question him being so much better than me. With this, I didn’t have to feel bad about wanting to kick his ass!

He pulled out his contraption, sensing the aura of hostility building up around me. “Settle down Tyson, you don’t wanna get beaten again over a few words, right?”

The magis within me was fluctuating in tandem with my emotions, I’ve never had someone get to me like this, wisps of blue smoke came out of my mouth as I took deep breaths to try and calm down.

“I just wanna know, what in the depths is your problem with me?! I thought we were sort of alike and you just step all over me any chance you get. All this while everyone else thinks you’re the greatest, I just wanna know that much!”

“Because of the fact you compared yourself to me!” His face grew angrier as he spoke. “You know as much about me as you do about yourself! You're fuckin' clueless!”

I didn’t really expect him to yell back, so I was caught off guard. “Wyatt, what’re you?-”

“Shut up! I could take you out anytime I want ya know… I’ve been working on my craft tirelessly and it would serve you right after what you did to us!” He raised his wand-gun thing at me, his face now covered in sweat and fury. "I'm not the same as before, I have plenty of my own power, and unlike you I know how to use it!

“What in the depths did I ever do to you? To anyone?! Everyone here treats me like shit. What reason do you have to be angry at me?!”

Wyatt was starting to look scary; he grabbed his face in frustration with his free hand, peeking at me with a heated eye between his fingers. “You wouldn’t even get it if I explained it to you, because apparently we aren't worth remembering or holding on to for a freak like you." He chuckled with a murderous cynicism, "I was actually sort of happy watching you down in the dumps, in your own pitiful self-imposed exile. It was a fitting penance for how you left me, but then she came along... and now, you’re all smiles with that little bitch!”

At that point my body took over; it’d be a dark day on the sun before I let anyone, let alone this psycho, call my friend anything like that. He took his shot that I anticipated, which would have gone right through my face if I hadn’t raised my hand in front of his gun and grab it by the barrel. I was livid, which only helped when I used my magis to add enough strength to my hand to completely crush his gun and dissipate the shot he took. I swiftly used my other hand to grab his throat and slam him into the tile with my knee in his stomach. “That’s enough out of you!” I could tell I broke a rib or two by the way his face twisted. He had both of his hands on my hand around his neck, I need to calm down and stop before this goes too far. But I just couldn’t, plus I didn’t know what he’d try once I let him go. That’s when I noticed all the blue smoke flowing out of my pores, this is a new feature to me. I didn’t have time to be shocked and amazed at myself because I heard a gasp over in the distance. Someone else was here?

It was Alina with her hands covering her mouth, “What are you doing to him?!”

Damn it…