Nurse's Office

Peter quickly put Micah's arm on his shoulder, struggling to push him onto the nurse's office.

He had to run across the hall of bells, then turn over to the one mile wide field.

Which by the side was a door, which led to the stairs to the nurse office.

Peter did so, with great struggle to keep Micah from falling to the ground.

When he finally reached the stairs, he stumbled onto the nurse's office.

He opened the door weakly, and collapsed Micah to the ground.

"Well, uh—what happened?" the nurse asked. She was a mixed person, with hair that had enlarged braids, and looked very proper in her puffed up uniform.

"He accidentally hurt himself on the swing," Peter lied, not hoping to expose himself as a witness to a fight.

The nurse seemed a bit confused, but decided to proceed.

She quickly clutched her hands onto Micah, carrying him to the bed.

She rushed over to her desk, rummaging through her drawers.

She finally picked up an ice pack, which she then turned to Peter.

"Where was he hurt?"

"Right by the side of his belly."

In the dimly lit room, she delicately pressed her fingertips against the tender flesh of his ribs, tracing the contours cautiously. "It appears he's sustained bruises, likely from a recent altercation," she murmured thoughtfully.

Peter's countenance twisted into an expression of concern. "He must have really been through something to end up like this."

She nodded gravely and swiftly made her way back to her desk. Rummaging through her drawers once more, her hand finally closed around a sapphire-blue bottle. She retrieved a cup and carefully poured a cerulean liquid into it. "Give this to him. Open his mouth and pour," she instructed Peter.

Following her directions, Peter administered the elixir into Micah's mouth, the viscous substance trickling down his throat.

Suddenly, like a heartbeat racing, Micah's eyes snapped open. He shot up, drenched in sweat, surveying his surroundings as if awakening to a new reality.

"Hey, you're back!" Peter exclaimed, then lowered his voice as Micah seemed disoriented.

Micah staggered off the bed, stumbling into a table. The items on the table scattered and clattered to the ground.

"Wait, calm down!" Peter shouted, rushing toward him.

He managed to restrain Micah, but an unseen force pushed him back. He toppled onto the bed, flipping over and landing face-first.

Though he feared he had injured his nose, there was no blood. Grateful for his intact health, he struggled to comprehend the situation. The room appeared empty, with only him and the nurse. "What happened?" he inquired, half-believing he had slept for days. The nurse stammered, clutching her chest in distress.

"He just... ran!" she managed to blurt out.

Peter looked between her and the empty room, then dashed to find Micah.

As he sought to return to the field, his mind raced with possibilities.

What had occurred?

What had he done?

Where had Micah gone?

Had he entered another realm?

The last thought particularly terrified him as he realized Micah wasn't in the field either.

Where could he be? he wondered, disoriented and scared.

He gazed around, weary and weak, attempting to ascertain his location.

And discern where Micah had fled.

Thankfully, he glimpsed movement from the corner of his eye.

Brown hair waved amidst the bushes.

Micah.

He sprinted toward the bushes, shouting Micah's name at intervals.

Crashing through twigs and undergrowth, he stumbled and fell, his leg searing with pain, vision blurring.

But he managed to see a large hand reaching out.

He grasped it, finally getting a clear view of Micah.

Micah seemed normal, but his actions were not.

It was as if he bore the personality of a werewolf during a full moon.

"Micah," Peter rejoiced. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing, really."

"Well, you ran into the bushes after a very strange meltdown."

"Meltdown?"

"Yes, meltdown. How long has it been since you ran from there?"

"Just a few minutes?"

"Oh," Peter sighed with relief. "But why did you run?"

"I was afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Yeah, of what I saw," Micah said, curling into a ball. Peter moved closer to him, gently. "What did you see?"

"I saw a large face, a very terrifying one, wielding a mace."

"A mace?"

"Yeah, a ball with spiky protrusions."

Peter was already taken aback by how little Micah could remember.

"Well, continue."

"I only had this bright green sword, and you by my side, running toward him, ready to fight."

He let out a deep breath, urging Micah to continue.

"Then, I saw myself unleash a blast of lightning, crackling and illuminating the monster. My vision blurred, and then I woke up."

"Well, was that a sign?" Peter asked, immersed in suspense.

"I don't know, but I want to find out."

"Find out?"

"Yes—I want to know what I was given. Perhaps you can tell me."

Peter hesitated, recalling what he had been told.

"Don't tell anyone," the nurse's voice echoed in his mind.

"I don't know," he fabricated, sighing. "I am just as confused as you."