I am number Ten

CHAPTER 4

             It wasn't long when I started to feel stronger and better. The doctors say I was very lucky and I didn't crack my spine or head. My helmet protected my head from a concussion and I landed in such a way that protected my spine. All I suffered was some road rash, whiplash, cracked ribs and some big bruises. The doctors say I would up and able-bodied in a week or so. During my time in the hospital, Annie had me picking the next place to go. I told her I wanted to go more abroad. Out to Europe or down to Africa, somewhere with more sights and sounds. Annie shut down places near where we think Number One and Three were killed. No doubt they would be heavily monitored by the Mogs at this point. Hoping that another Garde would one day come there again and step into another trap.

            We decided to let this move be even slower for the sake of my friends and lessen my depressive state as much as possible.

        The whole time I had this feeling that we were being monitored somehow. Of course by nurses and doctors but something else too.

         The entire time I was in the hospital, I spent my time honing my latest legacy. I practiced filtering out certain minds and putting emphasis on others. A lot of the time, I had a headache from the overwhelming thoughts in others' heads, but I knew how to adapt and focus.

            I made a few friends in the hospital too. There was an elderly lady from Wisconsin, June, who had had a hip replacement. She would tell me all about her three grandchildren and how quickly they were growing.  She was a strictly Catholic, her rosary gave it away, and she believed that God would call her when she was ready. She continuously said parables and often repeated things, which told me her memory was slowly going. But she was a pleasant conversation and spun tales of her life for my entertainment. I continuously read her mind and could not find memories of these people. I soon realized that it simply was her imagination and her mind was slowly going. A nurse told me is he is all she has left. For the sake of letting this woman die happy, he lets her live in her fantasies. She was a frail woman who never married or had a life. She lived in isolation all her life, and I was the first one she had actually talked to.

         There was a cancer patient named Lance, who had had three surgeries and was constantly in chemotherapy. I learned that he often thought of his wife, who had left him for the sake of their son, not wanting him to grow up with a dying father. He also had been evicted from his house to pay for his chemo and simply lived at the hospital now. He never talked about his misfortunes though, but he thought about them a lot. He tried to talk about the weather and happy things. He constantly tried to smile and I knew my presence was justified.

            I also got into drawing. It's long waits for the doctor and nurses and a lot of time for myself. I began sketching my memories on paper. I pictured Grandpa's snow-white hair, always in a messed up mop, Grandma's sweet smile with her hair pulled back as she cooked. Most of all, I pictured Anali.  I drew her taking her first steps, her first bicycle ride, her first day of school and even her first legacy. I had to guess at how she would look like today and I cried a little bit just at the thought. So much was stolen from her and a lot was stolen from me. Every day I have to keep on living with daily pressures of staying alive, mastering my legacies and the burden of knowing that my family will never be together again.

            I draw my feelings out on the blank pages. I draw my pendant. I draw my dreams of the three hunted Garde and the images of the beings that I'm sure are Mogadorians. I also draw human things too; all the Lorien things are kept in a secret folder that Annie guards with her life, I draw Lance sitting in a chair, deep in thought. I draw June counting the beads of her rosary and her three grandchildren. I also sketch a vast ocean with dolphins leaping from the water in front of a lovely sunset and a simple meadow with billions of stars above it. I often give my drawings to other patients and nurses as a thank you and to brighten their rooms and halls. I felt better by presenting the drawings, felt like I'm contributing and making a difference in someone's life. I definitely felt my depression will be less.

            It was my final night in the hospital. Tomorrow we would be on the road, moving to safety. I felt resentful about leaving this place. I felt that maybe my connections were a curse. I contemplated this until the lights went out.

        Immediately, I jolt upright. Monitors in neighbouring rooms are beeping wildly. At first, I think that I might be overreacting and it is just a power failure. But my instincts tell me something different. Some kind of ominous feeling hangs over my room and I sense darkness and evil lurking in the shadows. I swallow hard and grab my two balls from my nightstand. I swap from rubber to stainless steel as I hear rushing footsteps down the hall. I begin to get nervous and I stand on my feet, preparing for the worst.

        I have to get to Annie and we have to leave immediately. I hear a scream down the hall and the sounds of deep thundering footsteps that follow. I hold my breath in as each sounding footstep gets louder and louder. My heart pounds in my chest and I take my position. I use my legacy to hear the figure's thoughts. I can understand little of what is said, only a few words...

 A Number... one of them... reinforcements...die

 I see a large shadow cross over my door. I become silver and rubber over and over again, almost like a twitch. All at once I see a green light and there is an explosion.