3 Saera

Kyle couldn't help himself. He needed to know the girl was fine - though he knew it already. He was being a worry wart. He wanted to see her, but his mother forbade it. It wasn't proper for a young man and woman to be in a room together alone. He'd begged and begged her until she finally said, "Only so long as I am there with you." Kyle quickly agreed to the proposal. "We're making it quick. I have to be in the lab with your father in a few minutes." Kyle nodded. His heart raced as they neared the door to the guest bedroom.

His mother quietly opened the door. He swallowed the hard lump in his throat. He felt the guilt hit him all over again. He hadn't meant to harm the poor girl. He only wished to speak to her. He doesn't remember much about what had happened that night, only when he had woken up in his subconscious had he seen the cruelty he'd bestowed upon her - the way he'd held her up by her neck, strangling her near to her death. His mother gave him a soft, knowing smile. She encouraged him to go in with a slight shovel from behind. "I will stand guard here," she whispered. Kyle barely caught the words as his heart pounded loudly in his ears.

He walked slowly, carefully over to the bedside. He grabbed the chair, which was at a desk next to the bed, and sat down. Now, He had a full view of her face. She wasn't as beautiful as most girls her age, but she wasn't ugly either. Her hair was incredibly long and thick with curls all the way to the tips of the strands. He was tempted to touch it. It looked very silky and soft. He restrained himself, however. He didn't wish to accidentally awaken the poor girl. The bandages around her neck accented her pale skin. She was like an angel.

Doctor Misfit watched her son and smiled knowingly. She could tell very well what her son was feeling, what he was thinking. She chuckled to herself. Turning around, she quietly left the two alone, leaving the door open of course, and went to meet her husband in the lab.

*-----------*

Only a few hours had passed, but to the girl it had felt like an eternity. At first, everything was fuzzy. She couldn't feel much. Gradually, the feeling returned, and she could tell she was laying on something soft and comfortable. It was warm. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She caught a glimpse of someone asleep by her. She startled a bit to see a young boy sleeping by her. How long he'd been there, she wondered. Pain ripped through her neck as she tried to sit up, and a soft yelp left her throat. She grasped at her neck to find it had been bandaged.

The boy stirred. His eyes fluttered open and immediately he saw she was awake. A soft smile graced his face as he sat upright. "You're awake." The statement was a matter-of-fact. She could only nod slightly as even looking his way was painful. "I'll go tell my parents." He stood hurriedly, almost tripping over himself, and rushed out the door. She wondered where she was. She wondered who the boy was.

A few moments later, he entered the room again with two other people. It was obvious they were his parents. They surrounded the bed. "How are you feeling?" the woman asked. You could hear the concern in her voice. The girl placed her hand on her throat. "Is it painful?" The girl nodded and winced afterwards. The woman sat on the bed where she could touch the girl's face. "I'm Doctor Misfit," the woman introduced herself. "If you don't mind, I would like to remove the bandages to apply a salve." The girl nodded, wincing again.

Doctor Misfit carefully removed the bandages. Gently applying the salve, she looked into the girl's eyes only to find her staring at her son. How intriguing, she thought. Doctor Misfit reapplied the bandages, stood up and handed a notepad and pen to the girl. "You can write your answers instead of trying to speak. Your throat is damaged and trying to talk will only make it worse. Please use this for the time being."

The girl took the pad and pen and wrote "Okay" on it. Doctor Misfit nodded in approval. "First question: what is your name?"

The girl wrote, "My name is Saera. It's a pleasure to meet you." What a polite young lady, Doctor Misfit thought. She would make my son a good wife someday. She chuckled at her own silly thought.

"Second question: how do you know our son?" Saera quickly wrote, "I go to the same school as he does. We are classmates." The smile on Kyle's mother's face seemed to broaden. Kyle stared at his mother and knew she was up to something.

He coughed. "Mom, I don't feel it's a good idea to ask her questions right now as she has only just awakened and still needs rest."

His mother pouted a bit before sighing. "Fine then. We will leave you alone. Rest as much as you can. Supper will be ready in a few hours." She then turned to Kyle. "You come with me for a moment, Son. I need to speak with you on something important." The grin she aimed at him was filled with mischievousness. Kyle gulped. He knew this talk was coming. He only wished he could have avoided it longer.

Everyone left the room. Saera was alone. It was quiet, peaceful. She laid down again, wincing as she did, and managed to fall asleep again.