by S. M. Welles
Daio backhanded Roxie and she sailed front-side first into the fence, then fell to the ground. She hurried to her feet, grabbed the fence in both hands and started tearing a portion off. Since there was no way she could outrun the span of a giant’s arm, she needed something to defend herself with. Daio plucked the segment of fencing out of her grip and chucked it aside, which was what she hoped he’d do. She ran to one of the bare iron poles that’d held the fence up and tore it out of the ground. A cylindrical block of cement came up with it, sending a cloud of dirt through the air. Roxie gripped the bare end of the pole and swung the cement end at Daio’s incoming hand. As she bashed the second knuckle joint, his middle finger jabbed her in the gut, which sent her sprawling onto her back. Daio let out a yelp, then reached out to grab her. Roxie pulled the cement end to her and pointed the other end to the sky and held on tight. The raised end stabbed the giant hand, sending it recoiling once again.
“Okay, time to take away your new toy, kid.”
Daio made a horizontal swipe for the pole and Roxie held on, not wanting to give up her protection. The giant lifted both her and the pole in the air, then started jiggling it. The jiggling felt more like going through tumble dry in a clothes dryer. She lost her grip and fell on her back with a wet thud in a bed of mud and weeds. A second later everything went dark and Roxie’s entire body went afire with pain. The light returned to show Daio’s hand hovering over her, a film of water and mud dripping off it.
Each breath hurt. Tears filled Roxie’s eyes. She gasped for breath as her brain absorbed the initial wave of pain. She wanted to just lie there and give into the agony and cry, however she didn’t want to die. She peeled one arm, then the other out of the mud, every movement just as painful as her breathing. Her legs stayed stuck in the mud so she pushed herself into a sitting position, the effort almost getting her arms re-stuck after she freed her head.
“Kid, I’m amazed at how much of a beating you can take and still get up,” Daio said. “You really are something. But still not enough.” He got to his feet and loomed over her like a skyscraper.
Roxie twisted her torso, pulling one leg out of the mud at the hip, followed by the other. On her hands and knees yet again, she tensed her whole body as weight bore down on both patella. She dropped into the fetal position with a squelch and hugged her knees. Getting squashed like a bug must have torn every tendon in her knees.
“Uh oh, looks like someone’s down for good this time,” Daio taunted. “What a shame.”
Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of beating her, Roxie gritted her teeth and forced herself to her hands and knees, and then to her feet. Her ankles felt no better than her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she brushed them away, but couldn’t seem to clear her vision.
“Shoulda stayed down, girlie. Now I can hit you again without feeling bad.” Daio snapped his gaze to his right. Aerigo was running right at the giant. He reached for Daio’s near leg with both hands then grew to the height of Daio’s knee. Daio yanked his knee out of reach just in time. Aerigo lunged for him again and shot up to the height of Daio’s waist as he missed. Daio kneed Aerigo in the jaw, sending him backpedaling until he regained balance. The ground quaked under his footfalls.
“Looks like I’ve worn out my welcome,” Daio said. The ground vibrated as he jogged to Roxie. Smiling, he raised a booted foot behind him.
Roxie tried to run but the sticky mud and the pain in her limbs allowed her only two steps before something huge and solid kicked her in the back and sent her flying out over Lake Erie. The lake and the sky took several turns in being below her until she hit the water shoulder first, sending her body into a series of cartwheels, and then totally underwater. She flailed her arms and legs, and popped back to the surface, coughing and spitting water. She slipped back under, too tired and beaten to tread water for more than three seconds. Roxie flailed again, but took in more water than air when she came back up. She knew how to swim yet lacked the strength to put her knowledge to use.
Roxie’s body rose with a swell of water, then plunged back under like an anchor after it passed. She reached for the surface, but the last of her strength had finally given out. Her lungs burned for air. She fought against her reflex to inhale.
A strong pair of normal-sized arms grabbed Roxie under the shoulders and hoisted her to the surface. Roxie gulped in air and feebly paddled her arms.
“I’ve got you,” Aerigo said. “Just relax.”
Roxie grabbed hold of the arm wrapped around her chest and rested her head against Aerigo’s neck. Next thing she realized they were gliding through the water as if they were tied to a motorboat cruising at medium speed. The strange thing was Aerigo had his legs fully extended and still. His free arm was stretched ahead, reaching for the shore a couple hundred yards away. They were trolling along way faster than humanly possible. Magic, Roxie surmised.
As soon as they reached waist-deep water, Aerigo took Roxie in both arms. Roxie let out a cry and reached for her legs. “Aerigo, my knees! Put me down!”
“No. We need to get back to your house as quickly as possible. I have a healing balm in my pack.” He ran for the forest, his feet padding along the sand, then the tall grass superhumanly fast.
A healing balm sounded great. But facing her grandmother? Not so much. “Is she okay? I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“I know. All she has is a headache. You surprised her more than anything.”
Guilt welled in her battered chest. “Your eyes are glowing red.” Was he angry with her for her carelessness and running off?
“I’m furious with Daio; not you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I shouldn’t have let him live last night.” They entered the forest and Aerigo sped along the path. The canopy flew by in a blur of greens, browns and splotches of light. Roxie shut her eyes so she wouldn’t get dizzy.
“You must’ve had a good reason to.” Roxie said.
Aerigo kept quiet a moment as he ran, then said, “We used to be friends. He’s not who he once was.”
Roxie wanted to know what happened but her body must have run out of adrenaline. The pain increased tenfold. She urged through clenched teeth for Aerigo to hurry, then started moaning. The longest and most excruciating minute of her life later, they reached the back porch of her home. It felt like her knees were being held together only by her skin, and her whole body felt like Daio had stepped on her, instead of squashed her with his hand. Aerigo sidestepped inside and the screen door screeched shut behind them.
“Oh, my god! What happened?” Grandma raced towards them.
“Where’s your nearest shower tub?” Aerigo said.
“This way!”
Roxie recognized the path down the hall, and then the acoustics of the bathroom. She opened her eyes when she felt the ceramic tub touch her skin, then screamed once her full weight settled on it. She gasped for breath as she tried to find a way to take in air without it hurting. Every bone in her body had to be broken, or almost broken. She hugged her arms to her chest and raised her knees so her feet were flat in the tub.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Grandma called down the hall.
Aerigo reentered the bathroom with a large bottle full of a clear oil. “Hold out your hand and rub this all over her.” He popped open the cap and squeezed a generous portion into Grandma’s hands. “Rox, I apologize. This is going to feel worse before it feels better.”
Before she could voice her question, she understood what Aerigo meant. The oil felt like it was burning her skin off. Roxie screamed again and started begging them to stop. The fire spread over one arm and leg, then the others, over her stomach and back and neck and face and hands and feet and hips and knees and ankles and elbows—everywhere. Roxie stopped her pleading and broke into sobs. She wished she’d never run off.
Roxie heard her grandmother sniff when she took in a breath between sobs. She squinted open her eyes and discovered she wasn’t the only one crying. Then she noticed Aerigo’s eyes we
re aglow, strangely with a swirling of blue and red, the colors of sadness and anger. She’d never seen her eyes do that, nor been told they have. They glowed one color at a time; not two.
“Turn on the water and set it to just below room temperature,” Aerigo said.
Grandma turned the handle and water gushed over Roxie’s toes, whose heart started beating faster as she watched Aerigo pour more oil in the water. Thankfully, the touch of water brought relief instead of pain. Roxie tried stifling her sobs in hopes of encouraging her grandmother to stop crying as well.
“Plug up the drain then please go pack some change clothes and travel items for Rox.”
Grandma wiped her eyes, then stood. “Where are you going?”
“Away from here. New York City. The sooner we leave, the sooner you’re safe from Daio. He’ll follow us and leave you in peace.”
“Take the train. It’s the fastest way to get there. Roxie can show you the way to the station.”
“Can’t you come with us?” Roxie asked in a hoarse voice. The water filled the tub enough to cover her feet, which were the only parts of her body that had stopped hurting.
“It wouldn’t be wise,” Aerigo said. “We have to leave as soon as you can walk.”
“But bones take weeks to heal! And who knows how long until my knees will work again.”
“You’re a proper Aigis now. You heal a lot faster than a human can.”
Somehow news of her healing powers didn’t bring any comfort. Grandma left the bathroom.
Aerigo kneeled beside the tub and tested the water. “Feeling any better yet?”
“Just where the water’s touching.” Sobs still snuck out of Roxie every few breaths. Overall she did feel a little better, however she felt like one massive bruise holding together a bunch of fractured bones. Aerigo cupped water in one hand poured it over Roxie’s knee, then gently rubbed it a couple times. It hurt to the touch. Aerigo poured another handful of water over Roxie’s knee and rubbed again, but that time the pain lessened. He repeated the process until she informed him the pain had gone, then started working on the other knee. Once the tub was full, he shut off the water and rubbed down Roxie’s entire body, minus (to her relief) where her shorts and sports bra covered her. The pampering felt good enough to let her shut her eyes and rest.
“We can’t afford to have you fall asleep just yet,” Aerigo said with a hand resting on Roxie’s shoulder. His eyes were now glowing a pale blue. “I apologize for having to push you like this after all you’ve gone through.” He unplugged the drain and stood. “Change your clothes and say your goodbyes.” He left the bathroom and shut the door.
Chapter 5
Pursuit
Soon after Aerigo closed the door, Roxie heard a knock. She sat up slowly, fearing any sort of movement would cause excruciating pain. Her joints and muscles felt no worse than someone who’d returned from a rigorous day at the gym after a weeklong vacation. Uncomfortable, but bearable. “Come in.”
The bathroom door opened and Grandma poked her head in, her hazel eyes puffy and watery. Roxie’s eyes and nose stung at the sight of her grandmother but she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry.”
Grandma pushed the door wide, plopped a folded towel and pile of Roxie’s clothes on the toilet lid, dropped to her knees beside the tub and wrapped her frail arms tight around her granddaughter. She began sobbing over Roxie’s shoulder.
In her seventeen years’ existence, Roxie couldn’t recall Grandma ever crying so hard. Sure she got teary-eyed watching a movie or two, but never anything this uncontrolled. Should she hug her back? Snap at her to stop crying? Cry with her? Just get up and walk away? Roxie gingerly returned the hug, not wanting to cause more inadvertent damage. She rubbed the dear old woman’s back. Her grandmother’s thin back muscles tightened with every sob. Grandma hugged her even harder. Her sobs became interwoven with unintelligible words. After several repetitions of the same vocal patterns, Roxie realized what her grandmother was saying. She let go and Grandma sat up as well. “Why are you apologizing?”
“I’m sorry,” she said in a thick voice. “I wanted to be—be brave and strong for you on this—today. For so long.” She took a deep, wavering breath and repeatedly rubbed her eyes. “But when Aerigo carried you in... you were all black and blue. I thought you were dead.”
“I’m still alive, Grandma,” Roxie said. Although I don’t know how. She tried to imagine how she’d react if she’d seen Grandma in her place, and knowing that was only the beginning. Scared, worried and at a loss for how to help. Just the same. “Maybe you should come with us. Wouldn’t it be safer? And you wouldn’t have to worry about me as much.”
Grandma managed a smile as tears kept coming. She placed a hand on Roxie’s cheek. “I would love to come with you but I need to stay here.”
“Why?”
“You have a hard task set before you. I’d only be a distraction. It’s more important you focus on what lies before you.”
“But I’ll be distracted worrying about you worrying about me.”
Grandma let out a tear-choked laugh. “Human or Aigis, my family’s blood is definitely a part of you. Excessive worrying is a family trait.” She wiped her face again. “Get dressed, dear. If you need any help, just call for me. I’ll be in the kitchen packing the both of you some travel food. Bring out your toothbrush and hairbrush when you’re done. I haven’t packed those yet.” She rose, then closed the bathroom door behind her.
Roxie pushed herself to her feet with aid from the side of the tub, her every movement marked with the pain of muscle strain. It would have been easier to ask for help to get dressed, however she wanted to prove that she was still able to take care of herself. She shimmied out of her soaked shorts and undergarments, toweled off, and donned her fresh outfit consisting of a girl’s tee, a white lace strap tank top to go underneath, and beige capris. Brushing her teeth took two arms since she couldn’t seem to raise her elbows level with her shoulders. Brushing her hair required the same effort. She decided to let her hair air-dry and to put it back in a ponytail later.
Roxie left the bathroom with both brushes in hand. She found Aerigo at the kitchen table, buckling his boots. In the living room, Grandma placed a plastic grocery bag next to a backpack. The old woman looked at Roxie’s hand.
“I’ll take those,” she said, extending her own hand.
Roxie crossed to the couch and handed over the brushes.
“Say your goodbyes,” Aerigo said. He looked pensive as his gaze fell on the backpack. Then he shouldered his own pack and placed two white objects on top of a piece of paper on the table. The objects looked like quarter-sized pedometers with three fingertip-shaped indents and a small dial on each. Aerigo pushed in his chair, gave Grandma a meaningful look, then headed out onto the porch.
“Are you ready to go, dear?” Grandma said.
“I guess,” Roxie said.
“You have some oranges and muffins in the bag. I gave you one of my credit cards as well but please don’t go crazy with it.”
“I won’t.”
“Aerigo wouldn’t let me call a cab to take you to the bus station. He said you didn’t have the time to wait for one.”
“Bus station? I thought you said train.”
“He didn’t want to take the train. He said the tracks made it easy to follow the both of you. Are you well enough for the walk?”
“Yeah,” Roxie said, but she wondered if she could manage seven miles. She felt sore enough to be carried. She went to the back door and slipped into her running sneakers, although her eyes longed for her slippers lying next to them. Tucker hopped off the couch and sat by the slippers, watching Roxie. He started purring and lazily flicked the tip of his tail back and forth behind him. “I’ll miss you too, you weirdo of a cat.” Roxie scratched Tucker behind the ears. He closed his eyes, enjoying the attention. It looked liked the lines of his mouth were curled up in a smile.
Grandma handed over the backpack and grocery bag
of food.
“Thanks,” Roxie said, straightening up. “What did Aerigo leave on the table for you?”
“I don’t know, but don’t worry about it. Just take care of yourself and listen to Aerigo. Everything you need is in your backpack.”
“I will.”
“It was an honor and a pleasure to raise you. I’ll miss you dearly.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” They hugged, though gingerly in Roxie’s case. The memory of causing her grandmother pain would never let her forget her enhanced strength.
“I love you very much.”
“I love you, too.” Roxie wanted to cry but for some reason felt too empty to produce any tears. “Bye,” she said, then let go and waved as she headed out the back door. Grandma waved back, then took Tucker in her arms.
Aerigo was waiting at the bottom of the porch steps. Once Roxie reached him, he started walking. She fell in step beside him.
Aerigo said, “I’m sorry.”
Roxie looked at him. His tired, drawn features showed sorrow in his eyes. “It’s not your fault. If I hadn’t run off—”
“It’s not that. I meant having to take you away from your family.”
“Do you have your own family you had to leave behind?”
Aerigo’s eyes glowed blue. “Not anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
