Inkborn, p.9
INKBORN, page 9
“Can I please be excused to the nurse’s office? I have a bloody nose.”
“Yes, you’ve pretty much finished the whole class in less than five seconds. You may go.”
“Thank you.”
Pinching her nose with her right hand, Natalie managed to pack up her book, paper, and pencil one-handed. With her backpack in hand, Natalie rushed out of the classroom, leaving the sounds of her classmates’ whispering behind her. After putting her book back in her locker and grabbing a tissue from the tissue box she had in the back, she began the trek halfway across the school to the nurse’s office.
One day—can I have just one day without drama, seriously.
Taking a seat next to the door in the small office with a bathroom and a even smaller examination room, Natalie waited for the nurse; she was next to be seen. She stared at the wall, which was covered in medical graphs and charts; it wasn’t her cup of tea, but it was something to look at while she was waiting.
Out of the blue, she felt a twinge in her right forearm. She quickly brought up her arm and looked down at it, thinking that maybe the circles were back. There was nothing there; it was just a muscle jerk. Natalie lowered her shaky arm back down. “Get it together.”
“How can I help you?” Asked the nurse while the previous student left the room, walking out from the examination room.
“I think I’m stressed out.”
“What makes you think that? …Oh, you have a nosebleed.”
“Yeah.”
“It appears to be over with; go into the bathroom over there and wash your face, then please come into the exam room.”
Natalie did so, splashing her face with cold water. After patting herself dry and throwing away the paper towel, Natalie took a seat on one of the two nurse’s beds. She picked the bed closest to the nurse.
“So, you think you’re stressed out. Tell me why.”
“It’s the small things. Earlier, I got angry with someone. Granted, I strongly dislike her, but this was an anger-anger. Like she was enemy number one. And then I thought I saw something, but it disappeared… nosebleed. I’m hungrier than a hippo, irritable… you name it; I have it.”
“Wow, it does sound like something’s up with you. Has anything gone on that might have stressed you out? School, test, boys, your parents?”
“My mom did leave for her health camp without saying goodbye, and I did go out on my first date last night; got a kiss out of the ordeal. But nothing, I think, that would cause all of this. Though there was the old man yesterday.”
“You’re Natalie, the one that helped the elderly man?”
“Martin, yes.”
“Yeah, you’re going to be stressed out by that. I’m surprised you’re even at school today, with everything you’ve told me on top of yesterday, wow. Stress can cause weird side effects like fatigue, hallucination, hair loss, and weight gain, to name a few. Unfortunately, I can’t give you anything, but I can tell you to take it easy. So, when you get out of school today, relax, take a hot bath, and read a good book, or watch TV; whatever it is that’s calming to you.”
“So, I’m not losing my mind?” Natalie exhaled.
“Nope, hate to break it to you; you’re normal.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
They both gave a small chuckle.
* * *
Lunch period finally arrived, and Natalie couldn’t have been happier—she felt starved. Nearing the food counter, she got up on her tippy toes to see what was on the menu: salad, fruit, puddings, and year-old pizza. Lowering herself back down, she felt underwhelmed by what she saw. Normally she would skip the horrible array, but her stomach demanded sustenance. Natalie opted for the pizza; even though it looked like roadkill after a hot, rainy day, it was still more appealing to her than the salad.
Taking her seat next to Despair, Natalie settled in. Glancing over at the jock table, she couldn’t see Ty; it was out of the ordinary for him.
Wonder where he’s at?
Natalie's stomach called her back to her tray. She quickly took a mouthful of food. “Man, is it just me or is this day seems to be slower than normal?” Natalie asked between bites.
“It feels like I’m experiencing a slow death every time I walk through the school doors,” Despair said, stabbing her salad with her fork with extreme vengeance.
“I feel ya,” said Mike, the steampunk fanatic who always wore goggles on his head. “This place is such a drain.”
“Hey, has anyone seen Ty?” Natalie enquired.
“Nope, he’s M.I.A. The jocks must have finally infected him with a parasite that takes over his brain, brainwashing him to be like the rest of them… he will be missed,” Despair replied.
“Wow, a little dark, aren’t we? He probably had to make up for what he missed this morning,” Natalie said, taking yet another bite of pizza.
“Man, you just take the joy out of everything,” Despair said. “What, not going to eat anything healthy?”
Natalie smirked. “Nah, I’m not in the mood to eat slaughtered plants.”
“Slaughtered plants, I like that. I’m eating carnage.”
An announcement sounded from the school speakers. “Miss Natalie Wilkes, please come to the office, Miss Wilkes to the office, please.”
Natalie looked confused; she hadn’t misbehaved yet today. “Oh, come on!”
“Maybe it’s because of yesterday—you know, with the old guy,” Mike said.
“Yeah, you might be right. I hope you’re right.” Natalie stood up, taking her other slice of pizza off the plate. “Hey, if Ty comes in, tell him I’ll meet him after school, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” Despair said, just before she stabbed her salad again.
Natalie walked away while downing the pizza.
Stepping into administration, the secretary quickly pointed for her to go into the principal’s office.
Okay, this can’t be good.
Opening the door and going in, she stopped in her tracks; there were three people in the room wearing suits. She knew something was wrong.
“Miss Wilkes, please take a seat,” said Mr. Jackson.
Natalie looked around before stepping in any further. “Am I in trouble?”
“No,” said one of the men who was looking down at a file. He looked at Natalie and smiled.
Natalie thought the man looked like a wannabe FBI Agent. She squinted her eyes with concern, for on closer inspection, she saw blue Lichtenberg figures spreading like delicate veins across his neck and hands. She looked to the others; they didn’t have them.
For some odd reason, Natalie felt antsy, felt the need to run, but she fought the feeling and took a seat anyway. “Why am I here?”
“Miss Wilkes, my name is Agent Arcana, and I wanted to talk to you about a man you encountered yesterday. A man by the name Martin Harris Wells.”
“Martin? Why would an Agent of… whatever this is, be involved?”
“We are looking into how the man escaped the nursing home, and why he came here. It has become a concern due to his background.”
Oh, the BS is flowing now. Should have brought some knee-high galoshes. It’s getting deep in here.
“I don’t know anything… I was trying to find my earring when he walked up and started having a hard time breathing.”
“Hmm, and did he say anything to you or touch you in any way?”
Natalie became shook. “Why, what was he sick with?”
“Just answer the question,” Agent Arcana said abruptly.
Natalie knew something was unquestionably wrong. “No, not without my father here. He’s a police officer.”
“There is no need for that; it is just a simple yes or no question.”
“Not without my father.”
“Yes,” Mr. Jackson said. “Natalie’s right, her parents should be present. My apologies Natalie.”
Natalie could tell Agent Arcana was getting angry. Suddenly, she heard a strong, male voice, in her ear.
“Run!” yelled the voice.
Without questioning it, Natalie bolted to the door.
Out in the hallway, she could hear the Agents running after her.
“Wait!” Mr. Jackson yelled out.
Natalie looked back to see the Agents were gaining on her. She knew she had to get out of the building, so she headed for the main doors.
Outside, she kept running with all her might. The male voice sounded again in her ear.
“Go right.”
“Screw it,” Natalie said, taking a right; she was heading to the old part of town. She kept a steady glance behind her, making sure her pursuers weren’t getting any closer; her legs were starting to feel tired like wet noodles. “Man, I need to start working out more.” Coming up to an alleyway, the voice spoke to her again.
“Go down the alleyway.”
She turned left and continued down the dark alleyway; she made it about halfway down, then came to complete halt—it was a dead end. “Damn!” Natalie turned back around to run out, but it was too late; the Agents were upon her. There were more Agents than before, two of them—one male and one female—both with the blue veins.
“Now, Miss Wilkes, cooperate, and no harm will come to you.”
“What do you want? What did he give me?” she yelled at them. She began to freak out, panicking.
“Something that this world isn’t ready for,” said Ruth, emerging from behind the other Agents.
“Who the hell are you, lady? And what do you want with me.”
“I’m the lead Agent: my name is Ruth, and you need to come with us for your safety and wellbeing.”
“Shove it, lady. I’m not going or doing anything with you!”
“I do hate it when we have to use force,” Ruth said to the other Agents. “Go, collect. We will deal with the body here, there are plenty of dumpsters around.
Chills ran down her spine, freezing her body. Natalie’s heart began to pound out of control; she felt like a trapped mouse surrounded by cats. Sard!. This isn’t good! Breaking through the anxiety, she screamed for help but there didn’t seem to be anyone around. Her body trembled as the Agents started to close in. She took a few steps back. “I’m not going out like this!” Natalie got into a fighting stance. She knew she might not be able to take them all, but at least she might take some family jewels with her.
From the darkness of the dead-end alley behind Natalie, emerged Popesbar, clapping. “Wow, Ruth my dear, still terrorizing people?”
Natalie was startled; it wasn’t the voice she heard earlier in her ear. She looked back as Popesbar stepped out from the shadows and jumped. “Where in the hell did you come from? There was no one there, just a wall. How did you?” she asked.
“Daniel Popesbar,” Ruth said. “How did I know you would show up?” Ruth had a grin on her face. “Well, it’s all about knowing one’s adversary, right?”
“What the hell is going on?” Natalie was completely confused.
Agent Arcana pulled a metal grenade-like object from his jacket and tossed it toward them. As it hit the ground, liquid burst out from it, splashing all over Natalie and Popesbar. Natalie jerked back in surprise. Her cringing calmed as she realized it was just water. “Water?”
She heard grunting from beside her. Natalie looked at Popesbar and saw steam rising from his skin; it looked like it was burning, like acid on flesh. “What the–”
“Holy water, dear. See, we are getting better, Popesbar,” Ruth chuckled. “Weak, pathetic. I guess you played this out in our favor, using up your abilities early by attacking us. You should have let that weak one go, to save this one.”
I’m in the twilight zone.
“What’s going on? What the hell?” Natalie demanded.
“No time to talk,” Popesbar said. He straightened up. He had a look of pain on his face. “Now!”
Natalie looked around to see who he was talking at. From above, a large shadow blocked what little light was in the alleyway. She glanced up, squinting at the sun as it broke through the object in the sky. As it neared, Natalie saw the impossible; a white pegasus with purple tipped wings. It managed, despite the tight space, to gracefully glide down, and landed next to them.
Natalie took a step to the side to run away, but Popesbar grabbed her wrist.
“Get on the magic pony,” he ordered as he kept an eye on the Agents.
Ruth became angry. “Now!” she yelled out. “Don’t let them get away!” The Agents readied themselves to throw more of the grenades.
Popesbar yelled at Natalie, “Go now if you want to keep breathing!”
Natalie didn’t know if she should trust a strange man with a flying horse, but she did know the alternative wasn’t any better. “Crap.” She stepped over to the pegasus, and it knelt, making it easier for her to climb on. From the back of the beast, Natalie looked to Popesbar just as the Agents tossed the grenades.
Popesbar braced himself as he was showered with holy water. Hunched over, breathing heavily, he grinned through the pain as more steam rose from his skin. “Let me show you the trick up my sleeve.”
Natalie watched as Popesbar controlled his transformation as his skin turned demon red, his eyes turned black in color. He clapped his hands together, creating a shock wave. The amount of power in that wave was like nothing Natalie had ever felt before.
As he pulled his hands apart, it looked like a ripple in time began to form in the air just feet in front of him, creating a black vortex with red lighting sparking around the edges. The blackness grew larger the more Popesbar separated his hands. The force began to suck in trash off the ground, increasing like a horizontal whirlwind.
Natalie’s eyes were wide and her mouth open.
From inside the vortex, in the darkness, the monstrous sound of a bellowing beast rang out.
Oh, God!
“What is that?” Agent Arcana asked with a shaken tone.
Suddenly, the vortex increased in power, pulling in heavier objects. Natalie had to hold onto the pegasus’ neck as the wind began to pull them in. The pegasus struggled to back away, fighting the pull of the whirlwind. Another roar rang out, closer than before. Natalie looked at Popesbar; he wasn’t even fazed by the wind’s pull.
The other female Agent, Agent Love, widened her stance as her body began to turn to dark grey stone, giving her stability. The pavement beneath her feet cracked under the increasing weight of her body. The other Agents tried to move toward her for safety as her body began to rapidly grow.
The vortex continued to grow stronger and stronger. Agent Arcana took the deadly chance to move to safety, but as he approached Agent Love, his feet were swept out from beneath him. Arcana fought to grab ahold of anything he could as he was pulled toward the vortex. Agent Love reached out and grabbed his right leg; she continued to grow, fully transforming into a stone giant, filling the alleyway from side to side.
Popesbar glared at Ruth as his skin turned back to its usual pale hue. With a grin spreading from ear to ear, he casually walked to the pegasus and hopped on its back behind Natalie. “Let’s go!”
“What’s going on?” Natalie yelled, but her voice was muted by the sound of the winds caused by the vortex. The pegasus spread its wings out, and with a mighty flap, took off, nearly straight up off the ground. The stone giant reached out for the pegasus, barely missing its front right leg. Natalie gripped the steed’s neck even tighter as they flew upwards, high into the clouds and out of the sight of their foes.
* * *
In the alleyway, the vortex suddenly closed for Popesbar was too far away for it to stay open. The Agents sighed in relief; Agent Love turned back into her normal self, fully clothed, as Agent Arcana got up off the ground and dusted himself off.
“What was that?!” Agent Arcana asked Ruth, who was un-phased by the situation. Her eyes were still locked in the direction Popesbar had disappeared.
“Damn that imp,” Ruth, muttered. She tugged her suit down and quickly checked that her necklace was still around her neck. With a tight grip on the small vial, she closed her eyes; when she opened them, they were filled with rage.
* * *
The sky was peaceful; the only sound to be heard was Natalie’s squealing as she remained clenched onto the pegasus’s neck for dear life with tears running down her cheeks.
God, please tell me I’m dreaming. Please tell me I’m about to wake up in bed to the damn alarm clock, about to start another crappy day. This can’t be real.
“They truly are getting better,” Popesbar said to himself. He looked off at the distant clouds for a second before turning his gaze back to Natalie. “Are you okay?”
Natalie stopped crying for the moment. “Are-are-are you talking to me?” Natalie stuttered.
“Nope,” Popesbar replied. “I was talking to the bird we just passed by. Yes, you. Are, you, okay?”
“No, what the hell was that? What the hell is going on? What the hell…” Natalie got scared, as the ride became a little bumpy, due to some light turbulence. “Oh, sard me sideways,” she screamed, gripping onto the horse’s neck even harder.
“Sard—I haven’t heard that since the Renaissance era. Good times,” Popesbar said kiddingly. “So, what the hell was that? What the hell is going on and just, what the hell? Okay, that was a direct link to Hell. What’s going on, is I just saved your life—and what the hell? Who knows?”
“Oh, God.”
“No, other direction.”
“I want off this thing now,” Natalie screamed, totally freaked out.
Popesbar quietly chuckled and then patted the pegasus on the back. They quickly began to descend to the forest below. Maneuvering through the trees, the pegasus landed in a meadow near a river.
The second they stopped; Natalie jumped down, almost knocking Popesbar off. She marched away to distance herself a couple of feet form the situation, trying to get a grip on reality.
Come on girl, get it together.
“Easy there,” Popesbar said, hopping down.
“What the hell, what the hell, what the hell? Am I losing my mind? This must be a dream… yes—yes, I am dreaming. I mean, wannabe agents, portals… a man that turned red, a giant, and a pegasus… all that’s missing is a pink elephant. It finally happened—yes, a complete breakdown. Come on; wake up.”
