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 Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:36 am
 They were out. They were gone from that horrible place. They were safe. They had to be—there were no cannibals here, and no walls, there was no shelter where the panic could fester. They were free. For a wild moment, Nkiruka thought that maybe they could go home now. They’d done the whole “being chased by monsters now,” it was very scary, now that meant that their time here was over, right?
No. Real life didn’t work like that. Only haunted houses. They were at the Academy now. Nkiruka hadn’t been going to the Academy for long enough to really get attached to this place, but everyone else was super attached to it. That probably came from attending it for so long. Dad and his friends especially loved this place, but hey, they had lived here for a while, right?
Dad was on his knees in front of her, asking if she was okay. Nkiruka nodded. “No one bit me or anything, Dad,” she said. She kissed him on the forehead. “Same for you?” She didn’t want Dad to have been bitten. The bites were the creepiest thing…
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:38 am
 Before Sigrin could really realize what was happening, xie was floating in the air, levitating off the ground to the doors. Then xie was being set on the ground. The Academy. They were at the Academy!
Sigrin groaned and looked around. The dizziness was starting to clear up. Xenophon was sitting nearby, scanning the crowds anxiously. No doubt he was looking for his family—that was what Sigrin would have done in his circumstances. Xie hoped that they would be moving soon. Xie didn’t really want to move, not with whatever was wrong with xeir ankle, but moving on would mean that they had found Jurvik and Nkiruka, and they might finally find out if she—and Jurvik—were safe after all.
Sigrin slid off xeir boot and examined the damage to xeir ankles with xeir fingers. Xie had managed to sprain xeir ankle. That wasn’t good. It was no wonder that xie had, though—an examination of the boot revealed that xie had slipped in a pool of blood. Which meant….
Xie looked down at xeir skirt and groaned. Bloodstained. Fantastic. Xie slipped xeir boot back on and gingerly got back to xeir feet. “Any sign of the others?” xie asked. Xie just wanted to be reunited with them, and to be safe. Xie didn’t want any of this…
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:40 am
 Sigrin seemed to be recovering now that xie was on the grass and not being carried around. Thank goodness for that—Xeno had been worried that xie might have gotten a concussion from the trampling xie’d received. Xie did not look good. Xie had slipped in a spatter of blood on the ground, and now xeir dress was stained with blood—or at least, he hoped it wasn’t xeirs.
Xeno bit his lip. Sigrin didn’t seem concerned about xeir knee—surely that said, stronger than anything else, that xeir knee was fine and that the blood had come from some other victim. Instead, Sigrin seemed more concerned with xeir foot. That would explain why xie had slipped—although xie wasn’t wearing particularly high high heels, xie was still wearing heels. Xeno swallowed and went back to scanning the crowd, standing on tiptoes for a glimpse of his father. He was about the same height as Dad now. And he was still growing. So…yeah, in a couple of years, he’d dwarf Dad.
He didn’t like that thought. After a couple of false leads—no, that’s a Demon-Imp hybrid, not Dad—Xeno caught sight of his family. He gave out a shout, then turned to Sigrin. He took xem by the arm and gently pulled them towards Jurvik and Nkiruka. He whispered a thanks to Oreia for keeping them all safe when he couldn’t.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:42 am
 Jurvik frowned. “Bitten, Ruka, what do you—” It didn’t matter. “No, I wasn’t bitten or hurt or anything. I was so worried about you, Nkiruka, I’m so glad you’re okay!” He hugged her tight and closed his eyes. He never wanted to go through that again.
Someone shouted his name. Jurvik turned to see the only things that could make him feel better: Xenophon and Sigrin. Sigrin was limping, and xeir pale skirt was covered in blood, but other than that, they looked okay. Thank the Nine! Jurvik kissed Ruka on the forehead and released her. He got to his feet and looked Xeno over. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Dad—what about Nkiruka?”
“Good. And she’s fine, Xeno, she just got…” He hesitated. His daughter might never forgive him for saying that she’d been frightened. “Startled. I think she saw something that freaked her out.” Jurvik turned to Sigrin. “Sigrin, you’re hurt, what happened?”
Sigrin shrugged. “I sprained my ankle, and I got a big lump on my head.” Sigrin frowned, then lifted up xeir skirt to reveal a scraped knee under more blood. Xie let the skirt drop again. “I swear, most of that blood isn’t mine.”
Jurvik breathed a sigh of relief. No one was more hurt than they might get in a PE class. “Good,” he said. He looked around. “I think we’re supposed to go inside. Follow me.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 11:43 am
After all of that excitement, Nkiruka had been reunited with her family (and Sigrin), but they weren’t staying outside. Oh, no. They were going back inside, to another ruddy shelter, to sit around and wait again for the monsters to come. Several times on the way to the bunker, Nkiruka balked, trying to yank her hand out of Dad’s grip and escape. The third time she did this, Dad turned to look at her and merely sighed. People had beaten Nkiruka and gotten no response. They’d starved her and gotten no response. They’d made rules that no one was to interact with her for a week, and still they’d gotten no response.
Just by sighing at her, Jurvik made Nkiruka feel guilty. She’d already upset him once tonight, and everyone was worried—she’d never heard Xeno sound so worried about her before! Nkiruka bit her lip. “Okay, Dad,” she said. Then she added, “But I’m doing this under protest, okay?”
“I understand,” Jurvik murmured. “It’s not ideal, but please, Nkiruka—just…put up with it, for a little while?”
Nkiruka nodded. “I hope we don’t have to run from this one, though.”
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