The next day, I get ready for my next lesson where Tony attempts to teach me how to make the scythe from yesterday’s training and other weapons. After the fifth time of the water shaking and falling out, he sighed, tail swishing back and forth, taking me by the shoulders and pulling me to the side of the ring. He looked around and gave me a quick once-over.
“How you feeling Ripples? You feeling, um, strange anywhere?” Looking back at my head area, he hesitates before placing a warm paw around my ears and then pinching my cheeks. After a solid second ticked by, I liquefied my face and chuckled at his reaction.
“I feel okay, I guess…Why? Should I be feeling bad or something?” Jumping slightly he waved the question aside and said to forget he asked. Continuing training for the morning, Damian came in and told us to call it a day. Wondering why it was so quiet, I noticed that Cole wasn’t anywhere to be found and that he was missing from the scene. Given our little Pow-wow from the night before, I had figured that things could be a little less tense between us and that I could give him more of a chance. Strutting out of the training room, I glance at the clock and see the clock signifying that it’s close to it being time for me to get ready for work and prompt starting my shower (yes, I bathe!)so I didn’t arrive at work smelling of sweat and nastiness. As I prepare the shower and strip off my work-out clothes, I notice a strange mark on my upper back near the outer edge of my shoulder. Getting closer to the mirror for a better look, I notice the strange shape holds a peculiar likeness to a flower but am lost at coming up with a name. The longer I stare, the more it looks familiar and strikes a hidden sense of meaning in my core…
There’s a knock at the door.
Snapping out of my trance and scrambling for a towel, I shut the water off and open the door to see a lady. Blushing, I try to hide behind the door and attempt to hide the strange mark from her sight. She chuckles slightly at my little display,, which causes me to blush even deeper, and holds out a phone.
“Mr. Meister is calling for you.” she states in a soft voice. ‘She’s pretty,’ I think to myself as I take the phone from her delicate fingers. She continues to stare at me and I realize that Cole is on the other end waiting.
“Hello…”
“Hey, Spyro! I know you’re about to head out to work and everything, but I need you to hold up a few minutes and make sure that you have your armband on you. OK?” Rolling my eyes, I walk to the bed and grab my armband off of the bedside and walk back to the bathroom. Only when I turned around, did I realize that I was currently trying to HIDE the weird mark on my shoulder. Quickly, I run to the door past her and sling the towel across my shoulder. She looks at me, blanches slightly while turning around quickly, pointing to the phone in my hand she covers her eyes. Wondering why she did that, I realize that I had just covered what I wanted, but basically exposed EVERYTHING at the same time. I politely asked her to wait outside and promised her that I would give her the phone back after the call. Smashing my head into the side of the wall, I let out a pitiful groan.
“Haha, I take it you were in the middle of something before I called.” Cole inquired.
“I was about to take a shower…”
“You mean when Lilith came in you were…”
“Let’s not speak of it and move to the point now. So you were saying I need my armband before walking out. Care to explain why?” Wiping my hand across my face, I lean my head against the door and think of many ways to apologize to the lady, Lilith, for the accidental flashing. He simply laughed and told me that he’d be late coming back from a meeting but that I should definitely go for a check-up with the doctor before returning home.
“I already paid for the visit. All you have to do is show up and show your armband and she’ll let you in and check you up. I doubt she got a clear shot of your face when she handed you the phone and-” I groaned one more time before, telling him bye and hanging up. That man was not going to let me live this down until I grew wings and spurt flowers from my head. Which would be never. I walk to the door and hand the phone back to Lilith and apologize.
“It’s quite alright, just don’t forget your appointment later okay. I’m pretty sure the Doc won’t be happy if you show up late.” she chirped before winking and walking off with a slight whistle. Confused for a second, it clicked in my head that I would be seeing her later, I decided to stop by a shop and buy her some flowers to apologize for earlier after work. Getting into the shower, I stare once more at the weird mark and shake my head at its attempt to appearing innocent in the matter.
“Damn mark…”
~~~~~~
On my way out of the cafe, I tell Phil that I’d see him later and that he should look over my recipe for Mille Feuille for the special next week. After getting a bouquet of purple hyacinths, I headed to my doctor’s appointment that was conveniently located six blocks from the cafe. On my way, I notice someone looking into the cafe. I check my phone and see that I have enough time to scope out the situation and walk over to see what the person needed. Upon getting closer, I notice the figure is too familiar and halt in my tracks; unfortunately, my Uncle Matt had decided to pay me a visit today and, from his appearance, did not look too happy. Deciding to get as far as possible from the man, I bolt down the street towards the clinic while ignoring his shouts. Why he decided to come visit me was none of my concern, he willingly gave me away to someone who was a stranger to the both of us. For that, I don’t think I can forgive him just yet. Cole was okay-miles better than he ever was- but he’s not family. I still have the scars from when he decided to try and leave me in a freezer for three days when my dad went on a business trip out of town. If it wasn’t for my neighbor’s son, I would have frozen completely. Reaching the clinic, I slam the door closed. Gathering a breath, I walk to the front desk to sign in when I see Lilith. She sees my face and frowns.
“What’s wrong?” she asked tensing up. Shaking my head and holding up a finger, I catch my breath and stand up holding out the flowers. “OH! Thanks, kiddo, you didn’t have to get me anything.” Smiling she turned to the computer and asked me to step to the other desk to sign some documents. Easy, he said! Just show your band he said-that’s when I remembered to show my armband. She took a sharp intake and said for me to sit down to wait for the doctor. As I sit, I realize that there were tears down my face from remembering my Uncle’s leaving me in the freezer. Sniffing, I wipe my face and pass time by playing Candy Blush on my phone.
~~~~
After waiting, the doctor comes out and asks me to sit down so we could start the check-up. After taking care of the basics and checking my vitals, she asks me to show her my armband so she knows what faction I belong to. Shifting my shirt to where she can see the band, I remember that weird mark and pause.
“Hey, Doc. Can I ask you a question?” I press hesitantly. I’m not entirely sure should even be showing the mark, but Curiosity was getting the better of me and caused me to get a little bold.
“Sure Spyro, what’s the problem? Are you hurting actually hurting anywhere? Cole called about an incident that happened last night.” Upon mentioning Cole’s name, I grow hesitant and shake my head. The chance that Cole would hear about the weird mark was high, but I needed to know now. I lift my shirt and show her where the mark is.
“What exactly is this? I’ve been wondering for a while. I mean, I have a birthmark but this is nothing like it. Would you mind telling me what it is?” She moved closer to the mark and shifted her glasses. Moving to her desk, she wrote on a piece of paper and then looked at me. Observing me, she looked a little below the birthmark to marks on my back. As she squinted, I pushed the shirt down.
“Well, I would say that it’s a completely normal reaction to the armbands. After wearing them, they give you a mark, of sorts.” smiling, she moved to her desk and flipped the piece of paper onto my clipboard and turned it over. “Rest assured, nothing seems to be wrong. However, those other marks…Would you mind telling me about them?” she looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to reveal the puzzle behind them.
Looking away, I absently reply,”It’s nothing..”
“I doubt that”
“Well, it’s true.”
“Is not”
“Is so”
“no”
“Yes”
“I’ll call Mr. Meister.”
“…”After looking at her face, I try to judge her bluff and she looks serious. “Fine!” Taking my shirt off, I show the main marks the doctor had been referring to with a reluctance. No one has seen these before, except my father, he was my most trusted person and was the only one who truly knew the history behind the markings. ” My father said that I got them from my mother’s side of the family, but I can’t tell you much about them. I haven’t really met them before.”
The doctor took a close look at the markings and laid a hand on my shoulder where the ‘flower mark’ was. “I thought Undine didn’t have markings on them. Why did your mot-”
“I don’t know! I-I just know that I’ve always had them and no one else did. My dad never told me much about it and none of the other Undine bothered with me because of them. That’s. honestly, all I can tell you.” Taken back by my outburst, the doctor nodded and shrugged it off. She declared me healthy and told me to make sure Cole got splashed in the face for worrying too much. She opened the door to the lobby but grabbed my arm before I walked out.
" Make sure you tell Cole about the markings and that flower. I know in most cases when family hierarchy changes, it can be tough. However, you should try to be open with him about this stuff. As for the scar on your lower back, I presume it has been handled since you didn’t cower from showing it to me but be careful of who else sees the flower and marks. I fear that not many would take it very well, or would get all bent out of shape.” Ruffling my hair, she gave me a tap on the back above the scar and said I should enjoy the rest of my day. Handing me a card, she also told me to contact her if anything felt off or weird in the next couple of hours. She’d wait for only 5 days until she told Cole about what I told her but after that, she would tell him if I had not already done so. Something about how she was bound by a Hippopotamus statement or something…
Walking out of the office I didn’t see Lilith, which stunk since I planned on walking her back home so I could have someone to chat with. She was really nice and seemed to be caring enough. Definitely pretty, but she must have been a good five years older than me. I walk by the cafe and shudder at the memory of my Uncle stalking my workplace. Whatever he wanted, I didn’t want to hear since I was through with him treating me like mud. As I pass an alleyway, I catch a glimpse of something shiny and bright and shield my eyes away. The moment the feeling passed, I felt an arm circle around my neck and stab something into its side. In a panic, I try to use what I learned the day before and try to gain some distance but whoever it was flashed a light in my eyes. Now dizzy from the sudden change in lighting, I stumble into a wall and feel my legs start to lose strength. Crumpling to the ground and losing focus of my surroundings, I pray that someone is near and has at least called the police. The assailant comes close to my face and smiles.
I’ve seen that smile before, but where??? The world fades out for the second time in a row as something wraps around my torso and hoists me into the air.
~~~~~~~~~
The figure lifts the boy, easily, into the waiting truck. Searching around for witnesses, it spots a cat in the alleyway where the abduction had just occurred. Deciding that it was nothing to be worried about, it moves on to the front of the truck and climbs into the vehicle, starting it. Pulling out a phone it dials a number.
“Hey, yeah it’s me. I found what you’ve been looking for, so where do you wanna meet up.” A pause goes by,”No, he wasn’t hard to capture, but will Meister be pissed when he discovers I took the kid. At least you will finally get an item that will be worth millions…why? Well,” pulling out a picture, the figure chuckles to himself as it gazes at an image of markings on the boy’s back,” let’s just say, it’s one HELL of an attribute the boy’s got.” Hanging up, the figure drives off to wait for its client to mention their rendezvous. This boy just gave him the chance at a jackpot.
“Now, we’ll see who’s all high and mighty Meister.”
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