pte

o stung like a swarm of bees, but once I was washed and able to get a good look in the mirror, it didn't look that bad. The cut had not s

conscious, I had been tossed into the car like a sack of potatoes. I had the sneaking suspicion the tender flesh would start showing br

p my feet out of the water pooling in the slow draining tub. Once dried and in pajamas, I took

rs, of course no one tried to kidnap me then. "Probably against the bad guy rule book. They are only allowed to take you wh

girl wearing comfortable shoes? Oh my. I'm afraid we will have to deduct eight menace points for tha

t Riverdale were always slightly too large as the matron expected us to grow into them and therefore keep them longer. As the smallest of the lot I was constantly swimming in extra fabric, at least until Lydia took pity on

nd slipped between the crisp white sheets. The television was still playing cartoons although Buggs and Daffy had been replaced by more recent creations. I tu

ard. The tower looked like it had once been part of a fortress. The stones were light gray with flashing bits of mica and quartz that caught the sunlight and winked back at me. Each stone that comprised the walls of

one of the sun's warmth reached me. The entire far wall was taken up with shelving and each shelf was crammed full of leather bound books. Most of the books had no titles on their spines, but I could make out

Conjurers which made me frown as it sounded like a term I had hea

was no furniture in the room, no rugs or curtains, just the wall of books, yet my voice did not bounce off the hard

. The stone made the dark wood of the shelves and the old leather of the books stand out sharply as though ever

my foot up. I had somehow stepped on a piece of glass imbedded in the mortar between the floor stones. I scanned th

e glass. The mortar around the stones began to turn crimson with my blood. The white stones seemed unaffected. The color extended outward, moving far faster than my blood could flow. Soon all of the stones ne

had outlined all of the stones I could see now. The spikes of glass slid down as though sinking beneath the surface. I did not want to join them in the dark ocean of blood. The tile rocked slightly as my weight shifted it an

t altered. I had the vague notion I should reach the safety of the shelved harbor before a wave crashed int

tile started to sink as soon as my foot left its surface. I was terrified I wouldn't make it to the shelves on time. I did not want to sink into the crimson froth. There

d no nearer. The stones grew further apart and my steps grew wider until I was leaping from square to square. The bookcases grew no nearer and the stones be

ll was a smooth gray face. All of the stones behind me were gone, the crimson water lapped at the solid wall of the tower w

square beneath the surface as it drifted downward. The bookcases were too far away, but as the red began to lap over th

l short, body plunging into the crimson. It was thicker than water and felt meatier, more solid than liquid should be. It was also as warm as my skin. I started t

lower shelves and I hauled myself out of the lake, climbing as fast as I could and hoping the snakes couldn't follow. As soon as my body was clear of the surface, the movem

o rest, a place to stop. My hands were sticky with the drying blood and picked

hing clear lines through the red staining my skin. I didn't know how long I could continue to climb. My foot slipped and

ly my heart rate returned to normal and the dream started to fade. Sunlight streamed through the open curtains a

re aiming it at kids or an older crowd. I turned off the television and the silence was almost deafening. Either the rooms were well insulated or th

crescent shaped scar on my left foot looked no different than it did on the day I discovered it. I had no idea where the scar came from and had

Usually Swift's last minute saves left me with several nights mentally repeating the situation, m

ere sound familiar." I didn't really

about to lose the normal job I held, if I hadn't already. Swift had morphed into over-protection mode and I wasn

ey sprang back making the ponytail look bushier than usual. Still in my pajamas, I picked up my laptop bag and settled back on the bed. Leaving the other electronics alone, I pulled out the

ift track enough people down by their electronic connections to know it could be done, even if it wasn't as easy as the tel

making a list of the new terms I had found, I saved and closed the list for later contemplation. I felt a little bit guilty as I pulled up

ank face and stoic demeanor. I just didn't know if he would approve or not. His disapprova

information Swift sent me to get. Dr. Harding ignored my wincing and gave me a shot to numb my arm. As I watched the needle put me back together again as

When Swift dropped me off at my apartment with orders to rest and heal for a few days, I found I had once again been fired fro

ontinue using me as an asset until Dr. Harding had nothing left to stitch together. I was too tired to be mad at him for it; after all I was the on

and opened it. It was the catalog for a local community college. My first difficulty was in finding something else to do. I had a high

ls. I had even downloaded the on-line brochure from a local school that taught people how to drive eighteen wheelers. Not that I could see myself driving a truck, for one thing I was pretty sure that

nteresting. Even though my employment was spotty, I usually made enough from it to pay my rent and what little bills I had. Since most of my free time was spent with Swift, I didn't tend to

attend enough classes to pass a course or would chronic absences get me kicked out the way I had lost so many jobs? I closed the file and pow

r something before I decided what I wanted to train for was getting me nowhere and putting m

ed to warm up and gradually increased the pace. Every time my thoughts started to circle back to darker topics, I increased the pace and soon I was running, concentrating on nothing but my body moving. I ran u

had just stepped out of the shower, the curls seeming to double in volume from the dousing. I winced as I stepped off the treadmill, realizing the band aids covering my blisters had com

as sitting on the freshly made bed and I wondered if he had followed the hotel staff in when they

ead. I used running to shut down my thoughts and swimmin

I told him

dre

t me, waiting to see if I would continue. When I didn't he nodded. Not p

re ready." I nodded and Swift moved past me to the door, letting himself out. I let out a deep sigh as the door shut. A

ng of my blisters. I peeled them off and dropped them in the drawer with my torn and dirty b

growled. I turned on the spray and let the water heat up, wondering if I should

s, " I muttered step