Down End Road

Alexander Griffin

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We were all stuffed in the medical ward of Hope Manor. The smell of steel, blood and window cleaner burned my nostrils. Myra sat on a chair, eyes unseeing as she bounced her leg up and down. All of us waited patiently for the results.

Although I had only met her father once, he had seemed like a good man. By the way mine and Maverick’s dads were waiting anxiously beside us, we could tell he was important to them.

The door squeeked open with a tinny cry of protest from its hinges. “He’ll live.” Miss Wilson said, taking off her latex gloves and passing them onto a younger man beside her. “But before you go inside, there is something you should-”

Myra rushed into the room before Miss Wilson or Agatha, as she insisted we now call her, could finish. I followed silently behind, only pausing when Agatha grabbed hold of my arm with her long cold fingers. “I should warn you, Charlie’s condition is gonna be hard on Myra.” Agatha warned soberly.

I nodded understandingly, then barged in. Charlie was lying on the bed. His chest moving barely. A horrible wheezing sound echoed across the room as he tried to breathe.

The medical ward at Hope manor was old, and hadn’t been used in centuries. Which is why I was so confused to see it decorated with modern amenities and medicines.

Myra kneeled at the side of his bed, holding his calloused hand in her smooth dainty one. Wisps of her quiet whispers reached my ears, and echoed in my ear drums. “Come on daddy, wake up.” She asked. A silent tear slipping from her eye.

I knew he position must of been hurting her. Her legs, still cut into ribbons, were dripping dark red blood onto the cold stone tile floor. Curls, wild, tangled and littered with clumps of mud and blood, some green from the shifters, some red from us and her, were splayed behind her neck and covered the majority of her back.

I saw movement in my peripheral, as my dad and Mavericks dad, shuffled into the room. As hard as they might have tried to not disturb her, Myra picked up on their arrival and jumped to her feet. Wiping the glittering tears from her eyes, she stood with a straight spine and determined features.

They stared at each other, silently battling to prove who was more. More powerful. More deserving. Just more. “Charlie was a good friend of ours.” Noah, Mavericks dad, filled the sickening silence.

“I’m sure he was.” Myra replied quietly. It wasn’t rude, or condescending or sarcastic. It was a simple response that she used to try and collect her thoughts. Almost automated how robotic it sounded.

“Can we, see him please?” Roger asked. Jutting his angled chin behind her. My mother was right when she said I looked like my dad. Same jaw, same hair, same skin, same lips. The only part of me that didn’t look like him, was my nose and eyes. No, my eyes were completely unique to me.

At this question, Myra’s face paled a bit. She seemed to sway on her feet slightly. She looked back to her father, a growing reluctance dominating her fierce stance. Her shoulders sagged a little. Grabbing onto her fathers hand, she turned back to my Dad and Noah. She bit her lip, then pointed her eyes downcast.

An eternity seemed to pass by before she let his hand slip from hers, she nodded almost imperceptibly. That was all they needed before they shot forward in a blur to stand by his bedside.

Myra swallowed thickly and I saw her eyes flutter, fighting to keep open. More violent swaying toppled her over as she collapsed, in a heap of bleeding limbs oozing red.

I caught her before she could reach the ground. I had already used all of my energy in the battle, but using my powers one more time wasn't my limit if it involved Myra.

I felt sweat break out on my brow as I tried to stand to my feet before I gave up and leaned against the nightstand. My dad and Noah stared at us oddly. I pulled Myra closer to me, my brain not permitting the action, giving them a slight glare.

My eyes turned from slits to saucers after I realised what I had just done. Looking down at Myra's exhausted form I suddenly realised the terrifying lengths I was willing to go to protect her.

Maverick and Ally, quietly stepped into the room. Noah's eyes immediately snapped to him, then to their joined hands. I smiled a little, enjoying the sight of them so comfortable with each other.

"We're gone for nineteen years and we come back to both of our sons whipped beyond reason." My dad muttered to Noah, he snorted out some laughter, before regaining some composure.

I chuckled quietly to myself, staring back down at Myra in my arms. I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. I brought her closer to me, it was like she was the air I needed to breathe, to survive.

"Oh, Myra." Ally suddenly exclaimed, seeing Myra unconscious in my arms. She sped over to me breaking hands with Maverick, kneeling on the floor beside me. I glared at her when she tried to reach her hand out to touch her.

I wasn't so shocked this time. Even my brain didn't want her disturbing Myra. "She probably collapsed from exhaustion, and blood loss." Ally added as a side note.

I nodded my head, gathering the last dregs of my strength to wobble to my feet and slowly walk Myra to a hospital cot across from her fathers. Try as hard as I might, my arms gave out and the limp girl in my arms toppled onto the bed. My legs gave out from exhaustion next before I crumpled to the floor at the side of her bed.

"Woah, dude!" Maverick called from the entryway. He rushed to me, clasping my arm and pulling me to my feet. I stood for a moment before collapsing to my feet again.

"No, I'm fine, I'll just stay here for a while." I muttered sleepily. My head rested on the side of the bed as I grabbed one of Myra's pillows and placed it beneath me.

"Alex, its fine, there's a whole maze of bedrooms upstairs, we can just take you to one of those..." Mavericks voice trailed off to silence when my eyes began to droop closed.

"I need to stay here, and protect... the princess." I fumbled through my words, before falling into a brilliant sleep.

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"Oh, you're alive, honey you're alive." A feminine voice cried. Feet padded across the room before I heard a soft grunt.

"Hone-honey, your squeezing me too tight, I don't know about you but I can only cheat death a few times." Someone said. The voice was deep and gravelly -most likely from disuse.

"Ah, Charlie Remington, never do I want to hear such morbid words come from your mouth again." The woman protested loudly.

"Sh, shh-"

"Don't you shush me-"

"No honey, shh, the kids are sleeping." Charlie explained.

"Oh my goodness she's bleeding. I'm going to get Agatha right now and give her a piece of my mind about not treating my daugh-"

"Honey, don't. We're testing... something." Charlie hesitated but continued. "We think... that Alex is her prince." Charlie explicated.

A rustle of sheets sounded and a creaking sound came from the old bed springs as something sat on the bed. "So, she knows?" the feminine voice asked quietly.

"She... knows something. I'm telling you honey. She came in looking a lot worse than that. It scared the crap out of me, and I wasn't conscious for half of it." Charlie confided. The woman sighed and sniffled.

"We just wanted a normal life for her Charlie. She was going to go to Oxford." The female cried quietly.

"She could still have that." Charlie comforted.

"No she can't. She's our daughter, for Jeffersons sake! She wouldn't leave this place even if it meant her life was at stake. I mean look at what she just did. She was SHOT! for Hamilton's sake!" The female sobbed. Her cries were muffled as I assume Charlie pulled her into a hug.

"We can talk about this later, but right now I have to tell you something." Charlie said, "Roger and Noah are alive." He rushed out.

A shrill gasp rang out in the room followed by a heavy sob. "Alive! Cassandra and Rosemary, Noah and Roger. They're- we could- this is wonderful. We have to go see them." The woman exclaimed joyfully. "But, wait what about BEN!?" She questioned.

"He's dead Becca. He pushed Noah and Roger into the portal." Charlie began. "He also tried to kill our daughter, and shot Maverick instead, then he shot me." Charlie finished.

Rebecca remained silent for a moment, processing all of the information that had been handed to her. "Cassie," was all she managed to say.

"I know honey, I know." Charlie comforted.