Mystery Savior Chapter 9
#4 of Mystery Savior
Hideaway Pizza is a place that already exists. I do not claim ownership of this place, nor is anything that I say about it, or even plan to say about it, true.
When we had reached my house, we parted. I had offered to help him with some of the cuts that he had gotten; but he declined. It's too bad, because my mom is a nurse, and she has the best medical equipment that is legal for any individual to own, and I have my mom's gift for intuitively knowing how to tend to wounds.
'Speaking of my mom, what am I going to tell her that happened?' I thought to myself. Even though I barely got a scratch from this fight, she will know that something's up merely by how late I arrived home. My face will be even more of a tell-tale sign. Obviously, I wasn't going to hide the truth from my mom, but how was I going to break it to her that I had injured someone? I imagine that she wouldn't have as negative reaction as I did. She would see it as self defense.
'Then why don't I see it as self defense?' I asked myself. I mentally sighed and thought about it. After a few seconds, I deduced that it's not that I don't see it as self defense; it's that I caused someone pain, even if it was for a decent cause. Just because I did something good doesn't mean that I didn't do something bad.
If I waited until I figured out what I was going to say to my mom to go inside, I would be out here for half an hour. I might as well go inside. I took a deep breath, and opened the door.
She wasn't near the front door waiting for me. Good. That means that I haven't been gone for so long that she would be worried. I paused, listening for my mom. I knew that she had to be home; it was too late for her not to be. I could hear her cutting something on the chopping board. I took a whiff of the air, and smelled onions. I headed to the kitchen, trying to guess what her response would be. Only one way to know for sure.
"Hi Mom, sorry I got home late," I said tentatively.
Without looking up from the chopping block, she asked me, "How did it go with your science teacher?"
"Huh?" I replied. I had completely forgotten that it was this morning that I had gone to Mr. Aktion to ask for an extension on my project. That seems like ages ago. "Oh, yeah. He gave me another week to do it."
My mother gave me a piercing look. For having the same soft blue eyes that I have you would think that such a sharp look would be possible. "What happened? You look like you had a rough day. Did Loki and his gang mess with you on your first day back?
Dang! I forgot that today was also my first day back since I had been attacked. Looking back on how I was able to overcome Loki right after he had attacked me made me think of how I may be able to use that later if he tries to go after me again. This made me flinch. I was starting to think like someone who fights all the time, something that I never want to think like.
"I- I kinda had to help someone," I replied. "They were beating up someone else."
"Exactly how did you help?" My mom asked.
I calculated that she probably had an idea of what I did. After all, she was the one that paid for the tai chi lessons. Even though I've never been in a fight, she knows that I'm capable of defending myself when I'm not ambushed.
I sighed loudly. "I got Loki and his gang to bring their attention to me. I then tricked Loki into fighting me by himself. I think that his snout might be broken from his impact to the cement. After that, me and the guy that they were beating up ran out of there."
"Oh, hunnie!" my mom replied. She rushed over to me and hugged me tightly. "I'm sorry. I know how much you hate causing people pain."
I hugged her back, and much to my embarrassment, started crying for the second time in less than four hours. It first started with one tear trickling down, and then started pouring out like a flood. "I didn't mean to! I should have gotten a teacher, its just . . . this was all my fault!"
My mom pulled me at arms length to look me in the eyes. "How the heck could this possibly be your fault? They were the ones who attacked you, and they were the ones to attack the other person. This is in no way your fault!"
I looked up at her through my tear-filled eyes and replied, "The guy that they were beating up, the one that I helped save, it was the same guy who had gotten them off of me last Friday. If I hadn't needed saving that day, then those bullies wouldn't have wanted to get revenge on him!"
My mom gave me the saddest look I've seen in her eyes in a while. "But what you did was to help someone. Their purpose is to wreak havoc wherever they go. What you did is absolutely different from what they do. And it sounds like you didn't even throw a punch! You are doing everything that you see is necessary without causing anyone pain. They are the ones who should be crying, because they have no reason for fighting."
My mom always knew just what to say to stop my crying. When my tears had fully come to a halt, she hugged me tightly and said, "You know what? We're going to eat out tonight! Where do you feel like going?"
"Really?" I asked. "But you're almost finished cooking dinner."
She smiled and said, "It can be put in the fridge for tomorrow. Besides, you look like you could use some good restaurant food."
After thinking about it, I said, "Hideaway Pizza sounds really good right now."
"Good. I have a coupon for there that expires soon," she said with a grin creeping across her face. "And while we are there, you can tell me all about this boy that you saved."