Soul Searching Prologe

A Chapter by Hivathi

Samantha stood looking at the track, her older brother Slithe standing next to her with a timer in his hand. Samantha was getting ready to run her daily mile, which was a habit for her ever since she started track at her last school.

Slithe glanced at his sister, who was mentally readying herself for her daily run. “So… you talk to dad lately?” He asked, returning his attention back to their calming surroundings.

She looked at him. “No… I sent him an e-mail a few days ago but he hasn’t sent one back… you?”

Slithe chuckled to himself. “You know we were never really close… but he did manage to slip a letter into one of my boxes. I haven’t read it yet though.” He told her.

Samantha nodded to show him she had heard and took a step off of the grass and onto the track, the gravel hard beneath her feet. She took another step and turned to face the track’s length. The track was relatively small, so it took four laps around it to make one whole mile. She looked at her brother and smiled.

“You ready Saia?” He asked.

“Yep!” She said cheerfully, the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Saia was the nickname Slithe and their dad had come up with to call Samantha when she was three years old, and it didn’t take long before it was the name that she preferred to be called.

“Ready…”Slithe raised his arm and Saia entered her running stance.

“Set…” Saia took a deep breath, her feet ready to push off.

“GO!” Slithe shouted.

Saia exploded as she took off, the dust rising behind her as she ran with all her heart. She loved running; it was her way of expressing herself after she began training for the cross-country a few years ago. It was something no one could take away from her.

Slithe watched his sister run down one side of the track, and thought back to a dream he had, or a nightmare as he described it. It started out as he and his sister running through a medieval town, several strange creatures wielding swords chasing them. Another ground of creatures appears in front of them, trapping them without any means to defend themselves. Then, two swords appeared on the ground in front of them; a long, evil looking sword, and a blue, holy sword. Slithe would always grab the holy one, and Saia would always grab the longer one, using two hands to hold it.

The creatures would surround them and four would begin to advance. Saia would always wait until they were closer before she attacked, but Slithe would rush them. The first creatures were easily defeated by the two, but as more and more of the creatures advanced on them, the tougher it became to defeat them until only two remained. By then Saia and Slithe were tired, and their movements had become slower.

The last two creatures wielded magical weapons, the magic was strong, and it rendered Slithe and Saia’s attacks, weaker then they should’ve been. Then, after a short battle, both Slithe and Saia’s swords would shatter, and the pieces would disappear, leaving them defenseless, and the creatures would end his dream, the last thing he heard was his sister screaming.

Saia passed one of the swaying goal posts, the wind blowing softly. She was glad she had thought to put her hair in a ponytail to keep it from to yesterday the first Friday she had at her new school. One of the boys she hadn’t met in the two days she had been at the school was being picked on by the four football players in the class. She was the only one who stood up for him, and ended up giving one of them a bloody nose before the instructor walked in. They ended up having the all the same classes, and spent the rest of the day talking to each other, she learned his name was Chris and for some reason, she had butterflies in her stomach when he smiled at her.

An ear-splitting scream brought Saia out of her reverie. She stopped running and looked around, spotting several people beating someone up not too far from the track. She turned to her brother, who was already running towards her.

“What was that?” He asked, stopping in front of her.

“You heard it too?” She asked, turning back to the people she saw. “It came from them. Should we go get help?” She wondered why they were beating up someone.

Slithe shook his head. “No, they don’t look very tough.”

Without saying anything more, he took off, running to help out the unfortunate person. They covered the distance quickly and didn’t take any time before pulling the four people off of the one boy. Saia realized that it was Chris, the boy from her classes. She after her short lapse in concentration, she turned her attention to the four people she would be facing, and cursed her luck; they were four of the star players on the varsity football team. However, she did not falter in her determination to fight them.

“What do you two thing your doing? Butt out!” One of the star Tackles snapped, taking a step towards Saia.

The boy looked between Saia, Slithe and the football players and took a step back. The Quarterback then grabbed him and threw him on the ground, turning to Saia.

“Did you two actually think you could help him?” He sneered.

Slithe stepped between him and his sister. “Yes… we did.” He said with no sign of worry in his voice.

“Then you’ll get beat just as bad as him.”

Someone grabbed Saia and pulled her arms behind her back. She tried to turn her head to get a better look at who it was, but the person head-butted her. She felt a sudden dizziness, but that didn’t stop her from bringing her leg up, kicking the person in the groin. Her arms were released and she turned around to find the star receiver on the ground, holding himself and staring at her with hatred.

“I’m…gong…to…get…you…” He managed to say between breaths.

Saia smiled cutely before turned her attention to her brother, who was being pinned against the ground by the quarterback, and punched in the face by one of the Tackles. She didn’t waste any time before tackling the Tackle and punching him in the face. He rolled over on top of her and held her arms on the ground.

He leaned closer and smiled. “I’m going to enjoy you after this.” He whispered in her ear.

When he leaned back, Saia felt a sudden surge of rage, and strength and somehow, she forced him off of her. He fell off of her and she stood up, adrenaline pumping through her more then ever. She turned to the Receiver beating up Chris and jumped onto his back. She bent over backwards and grabbed his legs. She ripped the out from under him and he fell on his face. She jumped up and looked at Chris.

“Get out of here.” She ordered, feeling different, like there was a whole new side to her.

He shook his head and smiled slightly.

He suddenly pushed Saia out of the way and punched the Receiver, knocking him on the ground with a bloody nose. Saia looked at him and nodded. They turned to the remaining football players, the quarterback punching him. Saia tackled him and Chris pulled Slithe on his feet. They turned to the Tackle and the Center. The two of them took a step towards the football players who took a step back.

Saia stood her ground as the quarterback rushed at her. She jumped out of the way when he lunged, and he fell on the ground. Slithe and Chris didn’t see the Receiver sneaking behind them, and he turned Slithe around and punched him in the nose, causing him to stumble backwards, and the Tackle kicked him in the back, causing him to fall on his face. Chris turned around in time to duck below a punch, and he hooked the Receiver in the ribs.

“That is it!” The Quarterback shouted, standing up from the ground.

He pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it at Saia. Slithe looked up and felt a sudden urge of fear and jumped in front of his sister as the quarterback pulled the trigger, shooting him in the leg. Without taking a second thought, Saia grabbed a rock at her feet and threw it with all her might, striking the football player in the forehead, between the eyes. Blood started pouring from the wound, and he fell to the ground, the gun clattering to a stop beside him.

“What the hell did you do?!” Chris shouted.

“We’re getting out of here!” The other three football players shouted, running off.

Saia’s mind then returned to normal, and she realized what she had just done. She knelt next to her brother and turned him on his back. He looked at her and then at the blood oozing from his leg. She ripped a strip of his pants and tied it around the wound to try and slow the bleeding. She looked at him then at Chris who was nearby, watching the football players run off.

“Watch him.” She said, standing up.

Chris looked at her. “Huh?”

“Watch him; I’m going to get help.” She said.

“Fine… hurry up.” Chris said, kneeling on the other side.

Saia turned towards the school and started sprinting towards it. She ran past the bleachers and up the hill to the school. She didn’t know if anyone was there, but she had to try it just in case. She started banding on the glass door, hoping that someone would come, but no one did. She looked around and ran to the nearest house. She started banging on the door and a woman opened it.

“Can I help you?” She asked.

Saia was leaning over, breathing hard. “My brother has just been shot!” She gasped. “Call an ambulance!”

The woman didn’t waste any time, she ran to a cordless phone not too far from the door and dialed 911. Saia stood in the doorway and waited.

“Where is he?” The woman asked.

“He’s at the school track…” She looked at the school. “I’m going back… tell them to hurry.” She told the woman, and sprinted back to the track.

She ran down the hill, gaining speed until she was standing at her brother’s side again. Chris had ripped a strip of his shirt and replaced the jean, which was covered in blood. He and Slithe looked at her.

“Did you find help?” Chris asked.

Saia nodded. “The ambulance is on its way.” She told him, kneeling next to her brother.

They waited on the track field, the minutes passing seeming like hours. The wind blew, causing them to get cold as they started switching the strip covering the wound every so often.

When they finally did hear the sirens, they had gone through seven bloody strips. They watched the ambulance speed down the road leading to the track field and stop next to them. Two Paramedics spilled out of the ambulance, and one pulled a stretcher from the back of it, along with a first aid box.

Saia and Chris moved out of the way as the paramedics removed the cloth strip from the wounds and started dabbing at the wound with some kind of pad. Slithe looked at his sister the entire time, and she knew he was scared. She watched them tape a gauss pad over the wound and lift him onto the stretcher. When they put him into the ambulance, Chris ran up to them.

“We’re going with him.” He said, looking at Saia.

She looked at him and realized that she was standing there like a statue while they take her brother away.

“Fine, get in the back with him.” One of the paramedics said, looking at Saia.

Saia and Chris climbed into the back of the ambulance and the paramedics shut the door.

“Guys…” Slithe whispered. “Don’t worry about me… I’ll be fine.” He said reassuringly.

Saia grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly, not wanting to let go. Chris watched them without saying a word, and we wished that he and his older brother had a similar relationship. Chris’s older brother, Damien, was a senior in high school. They didn’t get along very well, Damien seemed to despise Chris. They never talked to each other; they just pretended the other didn’t exist.

Saia and Slithe noticed Chris staring at them blankly. “You ok Chris?” Saia asked.

Chris looked at them and realized what he was doing and looked down out of embarrassment. Slithe couldn’t help but laugh quietly to himself. They didn’t say much to each other as they rode to the hospital, Slithe would occasionally make some kind of comment about a random subject, which caused Saia and Chris to laugh every time he did.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, the ambulance stopped and the doors opened. The two paramedics pulled Slithe out of the back and rushed him into the building, Saia and Chris close behind. They rushed him into a room and one of the doctors who had joined their little group stopped them at the door.

“I’ll have to ask you two to wait in the waiting room just around the corner.” He said gently.

Saia and Chris looked at each other and turned around, walking to the waiting room. They found two chairs near the window and sat down, alone in the room. They didn’t say anything to each other, but Chris did grab Saia’s hand and looked at her with an understanding look on his face, just to try to get her to relax. She smiled at him and then positioned herself to where she could still hold his hand, but she could see out of the window.

It was only when she saw her mother and her son getting out of their car when she remembered her mother. She jumped out of the seat and rushed to the nearby phone. She dialed her mother’s work number and put the phone to her ear, waiting for someone to answer.

“Hello. This is Celestial, how may I help you?” A woman’s voice answered.

“Hi. May I please speak to Debra Linkin? This is her daughter.” Saia told the woman.

“Hold on.”

There was a long silence.

“Hello? Samantha?” The voice of Saia’s mother answered.

“Mom?”

“What’s wrong Samantha?”

“It’s Slithe… we’re at the hospital right now.”

There was a pause, followed by “What?! What happened?!”

“We saw a bunch of football players beating up one of my classmates and we stepped in. The quarterback pulled a gun and shot Slithe in the leg before I killed him with a rock.”

“You… killed someone?” Her mother’s voice was shaking.

“Yes… Can you get here soon?” Saia asked calmly.

“Yes, I’ll be right there… Where are you?”

Saia looked around and spotted a sign across the hall. “We’re in the waiting room across from rooms 51 and 52. Hurry…”

“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.” Then her mother hung up.

Saia put the phone down and returned to her seat. Chris watched her with curiosity until he found the courage to ask her who she had called.

“My mother.” Saia whispered.

“Is she on her way?” He asked.

Saia nodded and looked at him. “Why were they beating you back there?” She asked.

“I don’t know… I was just getting ready to spend my mourning at the track when they jumped me.”

Saia looked at him bewildered. “Why were you going to spend your mourning at the track?” She asked.

“I don’t like being at home… my older brother is a jerk and my parents drink a lot… I try to spend as much of my time away from home as I can.” He told her.

“Oh… well… when things settle down, you’re welcome to my house anytime.” Saia offered.

Chris smiled and looked away. “Thank you… but I don’t think I’ll be able to…”

“Why? My mother won’t mind.”

“It’s not your parent’s I’m worried about.” Chris told her.

“Then what it?” Saia asked.

Chris looked at her then outside. “There’s something about me that you don’t know…”

He leaned forward and whispered in Saia’s ear. She listened to him without any surprise, what he was telling her wasn’t something she was surprised to be a trait in her friends, which she considered Chris now. When he leaned back, he waited for her to show some kind of repulsion, but she didn’t, instead she seemed to understand.

“Don’t worry Chris, you’re not the first person I’ve befriended who has the same problem.” She told him, and leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

He looked at her with a look of surprise on his face. She blushed and looked outside. They didn’t say anything else to each other until they heard someone running down the hallway fifteen minutes later. They walked to the hall and saw Saia’s mother running towards them.

“Samantha!” She yelled; stopping in front of them. “Where is your brother?” She asked.

“Their still getting the bullet out of his leg…” Saia told her.

“How long has he been in there?” She asked.

Saia looked at the clock. “About an hour…”

“And no one has said anything?”

Saia shook her head then walked to the corner. She waited there as her mother walked into the waiting room and sat down. Chris sat in a chair opposite of her and looked at the ground.

It was about ten minutes later when the door opened and four doctors exited the room. Saia walked up to them, hoping they would have good news.

“Is he alright?” She asked.

“He’s fine now. The bullet didn’t damage his muscles too much, his bone and circulatory organs are fine, so he should be fine in a few days. Are you his sister?” The doctor asked.

Saia nodded. “My mother is in the waiting room.”

“Well he said that he doesn’t want anyone to see him except for you and someone named Chris.” The doctor told her.

“Ok… I’ll go in… are you going to talk to my mother?” Saia asked.

“Yes.”

Saia nodded and walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. Slithe’s leg was wrapped in a gauss pad where he had been shot. He was lying on the bed, which one of the doctors must have propped up to make him more comfortable. She sat at the end of the bed, and Slithe opened his eyes.

“Mom here?” He asked.

“Yes. She’s in the waiting room; the doctor just went in to talk to her.”

Slithe closed his eyes. “Is Chris coming?”

Saia nodded and looked at her brother, putting her hand on his leg, starting to tickle his foot to try and get him to smile. He looked at her and couldn’t suppress a smile. Saia laughed quietly to herself.

“So… what did the doctor tell you?” Slithe asked.

“He didn’t tell me anything too important, just that the bullet missed most muscles, and all of the other stuff in there.”

Slithe nodded and looked out of the window on the opposite side of the room. Saia watched him with a sad feeling in her stomach when the door opened. Their mother walked in and stood against the wall, her arms folded.

“Why didn’t you want to see me?” She asked.

Slithe looked at her. “I wanted to talk to Saia and Chris alone.”

Their mother glared at him without and sighed. “I told that boy to call his mother to come and pick him up.” She told them.

Slithe glanced at her out of the side of his eyes, the returned to looking out of the window. Saia watched him and then looked at her mother.

“The doctor said you’re free to go anytime, so get ready… we’re leaving.” She said, leaving the room.

Slithe looked at Saia who was staring at the door; she had never seen her mother this way. Slithe looked at her and slid his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He winced as he leg began to surge with pain, and he turned to Saia.

“Help me…” He said.

Saia immediately jumped up and went to her brother’s side, putting his arm over her shoulder. They walked out of the room and into the waiting room where they found their mother talking with Chris. They walked up to them and Saia pulled her aside.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“I was just telling that boy not to come near you two again or I’ll have him arrested.”

Saia felt rage fill up inside her and she said something she had never said aloud before to her mother. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” She hissed.

Then, her mother slapped her. Saia slowly reached for her cheek and gaped at her mother, who turned around and walked out of the room. She looked at Chris who was about to walk to her, but she shook her head.

“I’ll see you Monday.” She whispered.

She and Slithe followed their mother out of the hospital, Saia helping her brother along. They walked through the hallways to the front desk where their mother signed Slithe out. They walked outside; the wind blowing harder then it was at the track field. They walked to their mother black ford, and both of them sat in the back seat.

Their mother pulled out of the hospital parking lot and started in the direction of their house. None of them said anything to each other until they reached an intersection.

Their mother turned around while she waited for the light to turn green.

“You two are in so much trouble when we get home.” She told them.

Saia didn’t look at her; she just stared out of the window. When the light turned green, they pulled into the middle of the intersection. A truck’s brakes went out as it tried to stop, but it

didn’t, and it smashed into the side of the car, knocking all three of them unconscious. The last thing Saia heard was her brother shouting for her to cover her head.