Damaged Mate

6

I hadn’t even thought about how to find the choir’s practice room once I finally got inside. But I didn’t need to worry; once I stumbled into the main floor, the melodious sound led me down the hall and across the freshmen wing. One of the math classrooms seemed to be the source, so without even hesitating, I shoved my way through, completely out of breath. Every head turned my way, and the music cut as a few members started mumbling under their breath. Eyes widening, Laura quickly pulled away from the line and hurried to my side. “O-oh my gosh, Aria! What’s w-wrong?”

“Clyde—h-he, and Aiden.” I gasped for air, trying to push the words out. “Trevor. I gotta bring Trevor.”

“Oh.” The way Laura said that made me think this was a common occurrence. She quickly turned back the choir group, staring directly at a guy sitting at a rolling grand piano. His brown, wiry hair was pulled back into a bun, showcasing his dark-skinned face and startling blue eyes. They almost reminded me of Vanessa’s, though they were far more inviting to look at.

Before Laura could say anything else, Trevor pushed himself up from the piano bench and quickly crossed the room. “Go and let the nurse know what’s happened, okay? I’ll take care of everything else.”

All I could do was nod limply as Laura gently tugged on my hand. Letting her lead me, I slipped out the door behind her and we started back to the main office. Trevor practically sprinted past us and pushed through the back doors.

“L-Laura,” I managed to croak out. “They’re gonna be okay, right?”

For once, Laura looked completely in control. She didn’t seem calm, by any means, but at least she wasn’t panicking like I was. “It-it’s okay. This happens a lot, they’ll be fine.”

“Fine” seemed to be put in heavy quotations, but I decided to trust my new friend. I didn’t want to be dead weight, so I forced myself to keep up with Laura, following close as we went through the front office door. We wound around desks and passed through more doors, eventually reaching the end of a short hallway before coming to a complete stop in front of a very colorfully decorated door. Someone had cut out slips of tissue paper and covered the glass, creating intricate designs all across with deep, richly-colored ink. Before I could fully process it, Laura twisted the knob open and slipped inside. I followed her inside.

The smell in the office was almost otherworldly, a strange mixture of peppermint and lemon-y citrus. All the typical fluorescent bulbs had been replaced with soft, amber lighting, and heavy curtains covered the windows with a variety of crystals and strange, natural knick-knacks cluttered on their sills. The whole room gave off seventies, tree-hugging hippie vibes, but to be fair, the nurse herself seemed to dress the part as well. She had to be in her mid-thirties, wearing a loose, silk blouse, a pair of faded jeans, and somewhat reasonable shoes (though I’m sure she’d have been barefoot if it weren’t a health hazard). Flowers were braided throughout her sleek black hair, curling well past her shoulders and partially pulled back and away from her angular face.

“N-Nurse Aurora,” Laura began, “I, um th-the boys…”

The nurse nodded her head slightly, almond-shaped eyes fluttering as if she had been asleep. “Would you mind changing out my water, Laura dear?”

Laura nodded, quickly shuffling across the room before unplugging what looked to be an electronic oil diffuser.

“It’s not as potent as burning the scent,” Nurse Aurora explained. “But the school found it too much of a fire hazard.” She glanced my way, gesturing me forward. “You are unharmed, yes?”

I blinked, not even realizing that was a possibility. “I, uh… I don’t know.”

Nurse Aurora’s strangely serene smile persisted. “They’re quite frightening, yes? And they get into such a frenzy, no awareness at all of others around them.” She held out her hand as if to gesture me forward. “It is not your fault, though. They are very easily riled nowadays.”

I took an awkward step, feeling a lot more relaxed than I had before. “So… Aiden and Clyde are regulars here, huh?”

A soft chuckle escaped Nurse Aurora’s lips. “You could say that, yes.”

Her hand drifted toward her desk, flipping on a much brighter lamp as she inspected my wrist. Her touch was amazingly light, as if the air itself was holding it in place.

“You gonna need to cut it off?” I joked.

Another chuckle slipped out as Nurse Aurora gently released my wrist. “I think you will survive another day. Do not be surprised if it is tender tomorrow, though.”

Yeah, I didn’t need to be a nurse to know there was gonna be a bruise. Lots of tugging and pulling and balls being thrown my way today. Glancing behind my shoulder, I caught Laura returning with a freshy-rinsed diffuser, setting it carefully back in place before thumbing through an entire library’s worth of oils. “You have a lot of… scents,” I offered weakly.

“There is healing found in every medium,” Nurse Aurora spoke coyly, as if sharing some deeply-guarded secret with me. “It may not be as potent as modern medicine, but such commodities often blind us to other possibilities.”

Okay, so, the nurse here was a bit weird. Still, she seemed competent enough, and the school board wouldn’t just hire a crazy person to take care of kids.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Aria Harvey.”

I blinked, barely even registering what the nurse had said. “I-I’m sorry?”

Nurse Aurora’s smile was somewhat unnerving. “You’re Mr. Harvey’s daughter, yes? He speaks so highly of you during our appointments; I am very thankful for his in-depth understanding of monetary transactions.”

My brain felt like a record skipping as I managed a smile. “O-oh! Yeah, that’s me. I guess Dad talked about me coming to live with him?”

“With much enthusiasm,” Nurse Aurora confirmed. “I am very saddened to hear of your mother’s departure, but I do hope you have found new purpose here in Ayersville.”

“So far, so good,” I replied weakly. “For the most part, anyway.”

A loud slam echoed across the school, somehow managing to reach all the way back here. Laura jumped slightly, nearly dropping the small bottles of oil as she hastily scrambled to put them back in place.

“Th-that must be them.”

“I will ask you to wait outside.” Nurse Aurora beamed. “It can be quite troublesome to work with such a full room. But you are welcome to stay until I finish.”

Part of me wanted to run, there and then. Just catch the first bus back to the city and totally forget about this crazy day. But that wasn’t how a Harvey handled problems, and I wanted to make sure Aiden was okay. So, I managed a nod and slipped out the door, Laura quickly on my tail as the sound of thundering shoes followed soon after.