by R G Peterson
Nick smiled, “Yeah, I get it. You can sit down now, Vince Lombardi. And thanks. I guess I needed to hear that.”
AJ stepped forward and Nick rose out of his chair. The two of them hugged. AJ looked like he might not ever let go. Nick started patting him on the back.
“Seriously, AJ, thanks, you can let go now.”
AJ stepped back and Nick saw the moisture that had welled in AJ’s eyes. Nick pursed his lips and felt his fill with tears as well. The two looked away, embarrassed to show such emotion in front of the girls. Nick turned as if he wasn’t sure where his chair was and swiped his shirtsleeve across his eyes. AJ pretended he was tired, stretched and yawned, then placed his knuckles against his eyes as if trying to wipe away the tired. The girls gave one another knowing looks and aw-shuck smiles.
When the boys had reoccupied their seats, Grace addressed Nick. “Listen, until your gifts come back, and I really believe they will when you’re ready for them, you’ll have to relearn your goalie skills. Your reflexes have always been good, but you need to relearn how to anticipate what’s going to happen. AJ and I will work with you everyday to sharpen those skills again. We’re going to make you the best goalie this school has ever seen, maybe even the state. You’ll see. Right, AJ?”
AJ had turned to look at her, caught a bit off guard with her offering his services without bothering to ask.
“Ah…yeah…sure,” he said. “The best.”
The uncertainty of his last remark wasn’t lost on Nick. Maddy tugged on AJ’s arm and gave him a disdainful look causing Nick to laugh for the first time that day.
Chapter 6
“Well, who else could have done this, if not you?”
The team had twelve days before their next game. Coach Johnson didn’t schedule a practice until the following Monday. Grace and AJ worked with Nick over those four days practicing in AJ’s driveway where he had set up a regulation goal. He and Grace took turns firing tennis balls at Nick for hours at a time. With each day Nick’s confidence grew as he reacquired the skills needed to anticipate shot after shot. During their Sunday practice session, Nick shut out Grace and allowed two goals by AJ.
During Monday’s hockey practice Nick sank back into his performance of the previous Tuesday. After stopping the first few attempts, he let one drift between his legs. From then on shot after shot flew past him. The harder he tried, the worse it got. After he allowed a fifth straight goal Nick banged his stick so hard against the ice, it shattered.
“Nick,” Coach Johnson yelled, “we’ll have none of that. Control yourself. Show some poise.”
Nick withered under the criticism. It was the first time he could ever remember being reprimanded by a coach. After the reproach, his performance worsened.
He sat alone in the locker room dejected. The only thing that kept him from getting up and turning in his equipment was AJ’s speech still ringing in his ears. He began to wish he had never received his ability to look into the future. Maybe if he hadn’t, by now he would have become at least a passable goalie, one who developed enough skills over time to at least be dependable. One who would stop a higher percentage of shots.
Nick was so deep in thought he never noticed the four teens, Jeremy Thompson, Tim Bourbon, Ron Baker and Aaron Anderson, sneak in the back door and creep up behind him. The four were part of Terry’s old posse. Terry had disowned them when he discovered that they had made an attempt to harm Grandma Gayle and Grandpa Henry about a year prior.
Nick was yanked backward off the bench and dragged toward the showers. Two of the boys held him fast by his upper arms. The other two grabbed him by his ankles. Nick kicked his legs and pulled forcefully on his arms. Despite his size and strength, he couldn’t free himself. As they neared the four-headed shower post located in the center of the shower room, Nick gave one more forceful tug of his right arm, freeing himself from Aaron Anderson’s grasp. With the extra weight transferred to Nick’s other side, Tim Bourbon couldn’t hold on and dropped Nick. With his legs being held tight by Jeremy and Ron, Nick fell backward and smashed his head on the tile floor, knocking him out.
Jeremy and Ron dropped Nick’s legs leaving him lying on the cold tile floor, unconscious. Tim reached over and turned on the hot water spigot and motioned for the others to leave. The steaming water cascaded onto Nick. Within seconds it began to scald his body and face.
AJ, who had been waiting in the vestibule with Terry, decided to go back to see what could possibly be taking Nick so long.
“Hey, buddy,” he called as he pushed open the door and heard the shower running, “that may be the longest shower in the history of sports.”
When Nick didn’t answer, AJ walked over to the shower area and peered inside. Seeing Nick unconscious on the floor he ran over to help. He slipped on the wet tiles, went down on his tailbone and slid into Nick. As he reached for his friend, the water burned his hand. He swore, righted himself, pulled Nick out of the way and turned off the shower. He reached for his phone, but it had become water logged in the brief time he was on the floor. He rushed out and told Terry to call 911, before returning to attend to Nick.
As he gazed at Nick, he noticed his skin looked charred and waxy. It began to bubble as if his skin was covered with a thin sheet of plastic wrap. AJ began to shake and cry. He dropped to his knees next to Nick and folded his hands in his lap, unsure of what to do. AJ had no idea how long he knelt there before a gentle hand touched his shoulder, moving him away from Nick.
The EMTs applied cold compresses to Nick before they placed him on a stretcher and moved out to the waiting ambulance. AJ kept trying to get close to Nick, but a police officer restrained him.
“Son, can you tell me what happened?” the officer asked AJ.
“Huh, ah, no. Me and Terry were waiting outside and I came in to see what was taking him so long. He was knocked out on the floor with the hot water running.”
“Uh-huh,” the officer answered skeptically.
A beat or two later AJ finally caught the policemen’s tone. “What? What’re you saying?”
“Well, son, only the hot water was turned on. And it was turned on full throttle.”
“Yeah, and…? What’re you saying?”
“Are you sure you weren’t screwing around in here and that your buddy wasn’t the butt of a practical joke gone wrong?”
“What? What? Of course not. What? You think I’d turn on the hot water and leave him there. Are you nuts?” AJ practically screamed at the officer.
“Well, who else could have done this, if not you? Did you see anybody else in here? Or anybody else leave?”
Furious, AJ answered, “No, but I really wasn’t watching. Terry and I were talking.”
“Terry? Terry who?”
“Terry Warrington.” AJ answered in a condescending tone, as if the name Terry was all that needed to be said, like Madonna or Pharrell.
The police officer blanched.
“Terry Warrington. The rich kid? The teenager whose dad was Tristan Warrington?”
“Yeah, the one and only. Can I go see my friend now?”
“No, I need you to stay here for a few more minutes while I talk to this Warrington kid.”
The officer left the locker room and came upon Terry standing in the vestibule talking to the policeman’s partner. As he walked up, he heard the tail end of Terry’s statement. “…we’re good friends, now.”
“So you’ve had your share of arguments…disagreements, in the past?” the second officer asked.
“It’s not like that. We didn’t always get along, but we’re close friends now.”
The officer questioning Terry appeared as skeptical of Terry as his partner had been of AJ.
“Are you sure, you and your buddy weren’t in on this together? Maybe a little pay back for some prank he pulled on you two?”
“Man, you’re way off base. AJ and Nick are best buds. I’ve had more problems with Janikowski then I’ve ever had with Nick. And now even AJ and I are okay with one
another. So this was probably just an accident or someone else did this somehow. Why don’t you guys ask Nick?”
The two officers shared a knowing look before the second one said, “Your friend, Nick, is so badly burned he’ll need a miracle if he’s going to make it.”
Chapter 7
“He will make it? Won’t he?”
Grace’s parents drove her to the hospital and walked her inside. They were told at the front desk that no one would be allowed to see Nick for at least a few days due to the severity of his burns.
Mary took Grace by the hand, and said, “I’m sorry, dear, it doesn’t look like there’s anything we can do here. We’ll have to go back home and wait. I’m sure Henry and Gayle will let us know what’s going on.”
Grace froze in place and gave her mother a fierce look.
“I’m staying. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m not moving until I get a chance to either see Nick or talk to his grandparents.”
John reached for his daughter’s arm only to have her jerk it away. Her expression conveyed it all – do not touch me and I meant what I said, I’m staying. He recoiled. He had never seen Grace act that way or refuse to obey either him or her mother.
Mary tried to reason with her, “Grace, they won’t let you see him for days. And I’m sure Gayle and Henry are too busy watching him to have any time for you right now. Please come home.”
Grace folded her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes showed an unquestioning defiance. Mary and John knew she would not be swayed.
John lightly touched Grace’s arm and said, “Okay, you can stay here, but I’m coming back to get you at eight when visiting hours are over. Do you understand?”
Grace nodded and stood there as her parents turned to leave.
“Thanks,” she said in a whisper, her voice cracking.
After John and Mary left, Grace willed herself to calm down and casually strode over to the elevators. She waited until she would be the lone person onboard, stepped in and took the lift up to the third floor intensive care unit. Before the doors opened, she morphed into a humming bird and flew out the doors as they parted. She rose to the ceiling and hovered in place until she saw all of the nurses distracted with various tasks. She flew down the hallway and into the visitor’s lounge.
GG and Grandpa Henry sat side-by-side in the lounge holding hands, both lost in their own thoughts. Grace morphed back into her human form, startling GG.
“Sorry,” Grace said when she saw GG recoil. “I couldn’t stand waiting a minute longer. I had to see how Nick was doing and they wouldn’t let me up here.”
GG began to cry and Henry wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into him. She buried her head into his chest as the tears flowed, her entire being wracked in pain.
Henry spoke in a soft voice as if his quiet tone would comfort Gayle. “He’s not doing well. They won’t let us in right now and I’m not sure if it would make any difference. He’s burned over half of his body. His face…” Henry paused as a tear of his own slid down his cheek. He tried to go on, but gave up and shook his head in surrender.
Grace looked from one to the other. “He will make it? Won’t he?”
Gayle turned even more into Henry, who looked at Grace and continued to shake his head.
“They’re not sure. They have him in an induced coma but…”
He looked down at Gayle and then gave Grace a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head.
Grace, stunned, sank into the chair across from Nick’s grandparents and sat stone still. That can’t be, she thought. Not Nick. She thought back to the times over the last few years when Nick, the one person she knew of who could read the Voynich script, had made so many different potions that had either saved people’s lives or helped cure some disorder or disease that the doctors couldn’t. How ironic, she thought. But then another thought came to her. Ligeia. She could read the scrolls. She would help. Or would she?
Ligeia was Thanatos’ decipherer of the scrolls. She seemed indebted to him. A loyal servant. But Nick had always treated her with kindness and respect. Maybe she could be persuaded to help. But how?
Grace turned to Henry and Gayle, “Don’t give up hope. I think I have a solution. I’m going to sneak in to see Nick. Then I’m going to leave. Hopefully I’ll be back in just a few hours with a potion that might help.”
Gayle turned to her, reached over and took her hand. “Please hurry. Please.”
Grace nodded and offered Gayle a sad smile before standing up to leave. “I’ll hurry. I promise. What room is Nick in?”
“He’s in the large ICU room behind the locked doors. I’m not sure how you’re going to get past them,” Henry answered.
Grace gave Henry a weak smile, “I’ll get in. And I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Grace glanced up and down the hallway. She surveyed the doors to the ICU. When she saw a nurse make her way toward the door, she morphed once more and entered the ICU as the doors closed.
She flew to the far side of Nick’s bed and looked down upon his badly burned and disfigured body. He was mostly naked with the exception of a modesty towel. She noticed an antiseptic gel had been spread over the various burns. His skin was red and some parts oozed pus. The sight shocked her. She forgot to flap her wings and dropped down a few feet from the ceiling before she recovered. She landed on the floor next to Nick’s bed, opposite the door, hoping no one would see her. She stayed low and raised her head above the bed so she could speak to Nick. She spied a box of surgical masks on the bedside table, grabbed one and covered her face.
“Nick, Nick, I know you can hear me. It’s me, Grace. I need you to stay strong for the next few hours. Hang in there. I’m going to go get a potion to help. But you have to be strong. Be tough, if not for my sake, for GG and Henry’s. I’m going to get Ligeia to somehow help decipher how to make a potion to ease your pain and help you heal. So please hang in there. And know I love you with all my heart. I always have and I always will.”
A tear ran down Graces cheek. She paused to gaze at Nick’s ravaged face.
“We’re going to make it. Trust me. I love you. I want to kiss you so badly right now, but I can’t. When we get you healed I’m going to shower you with kisses. Be right back.”
She dropped back down below the bed, threw the surgical mask in the wastebasket, changed into the humming bird and rose to the ceiling. She exited the room and made it through the door just as it closed, flew to the elevator, made sure no one else was around and transformed.
As she exited the hospital she called AJ first, then Anthony. She told them what she had planned and where she wanted them to meet. When she had finished her calls, she snuck behind a building, turned into her red-tailed hawk, flew home to pick up something, said hi/bye to her parents and flew to the Cherney Maribel caves.
Chapter 8
“I do not know how I can help you”
Grace paced impatiently in front of the cave entrance waiting for the others to arrive. AJ called Maddy and Anthony called Terry. No one thought to call Miriam Huang. They’d tell her later. Besides, Grace reasoned, there were probably too many to pull off the covert mission she had in mind. As they made their way through the wormholes and passageways to their destination in Greece, Grace told them about Nick and what she thought might be the one thing they could do to save his life. They concurred.
When they arrived in Greece it was 11:30 at night there. They made their way to Thanatos’ mansion situated high above the Aegean Sea in Athens. Grace explained how they had breached the mansion before and suggested Terry fill in Nick’s role and Anthony would be the lookout. He was to warn them by making the screeching sound of the red-tailed hawk if he saw any danger. AJ and Maddy were to perform the same tasks they had the last time they were there.
Grace flew around the mansion and came back to the others to report what she had seen. Thanatos, in his arrogance, had not changed a single aspect of his security from the last time they had breached it. Two guards w
ere stationed at both the front and back entrance and the same four dogs, in pairs of two, roamed the grounds.
Grace flew ahead and gave the all-clear signal. Terry transfigured into a bird and landed behind the dogs. Before they could give a warning bark, Terry shocked both of them, knocking them out. He dragged them behind the bushes, tied and muzzled them before searching for the second pair, neutralizing them as well.
Using Nick’s trick, he morphed into a sparrow and hopped along behind the bushes that bordered the back entrance and came out behind the guards, knocking them out as he had the dogs.
Maddy and AJ made their way to the dock area by swimming – Maddy pulling AJ effortlessly through the water. Maddy and AJ rushed forward after Terry knocked out the guards and helped tie them up.
As that was going on, Grace flew around the mansion searching for Ligeia’s room. It was near the top of the mansion in what she perceived as the servant’s quarters. The four of them made their way stealthily through the great hall and up the winding staircase, with Grace leading their little party. When they reached Ligeia’s room they eased open the door.
If Ligeia was surprised to see them she didn’t show it. She waited until they had entered the room before speaking. “Pos einai Niko?”
The teens shot surprised looks at each other.
“She seems to know that Nick is hurt,” Grace said.
