I am Number Ten

CHAPTER 10

        I wait for the blood and the pain!! I think that this wound will kill me and I sputter forward onto my knees. I need to remove...what?

        The knife falls from my chest but there is no blood. I check the front of my shirt and no blood is seeping through it. I feel my chest and there is no gaping wound.  Is this a legacy? They do seem to come when I need them most. Protect the chest first, where the heart is. I stand up and smile at Blake's stepfather. He is frightened by the fact the knife did not cripple me. I see him frantically search for something else but this time I am ready. He grabs a wrench and hurtles it at me. I hold my hand out and it freezes in mid-air. I can see the father is terrified, so badly he might wet his pants. I twirl the wrench in the air in front of him.

"Leave here and NEVER come back. You leave now, then I won't pound you for hurting the boy who is supposed to be your son. You're a disgrace and you will never EVER, have contact with him again. Do you understand?"

        The father nods and steps over Blake's body and runs for the door. He pauses for a moment at the door.

"LEAVE!" I scream at him and he does so.

        I kneel down next to Blake and examine him. He has a black eye coming and I think he may have been cut too. I roll him onto my lap and stare at his face. I can see he's fighting to stay conscious.

"It's okay," I tell him, "You're safe." I hear a sigh of relief and he shuts his eyes.

"I need to get you to..." 

        Tires screech and I hear sudden footsteps. Crap! It's the police. The drunkard probably ratted on me, either that or they found him passed out in the street. I immediately try to pick Blake up and pull him out of sight. The last thing I need is to fight off cops or try to explain it. I hear heavy boots outside in the snow and I search for the thoughts. I stop short...

        There are no lights, there are no sirens and there are no human voices... I whip around to see a pale-faced man in a trench coat and sunglasses. His skin is deathly pale but his teeth are yellow. I can see him holding a knife, too long for a human to use.  He smiles at me...he knows who I am. I stand in front of Blake to protect him and I throw my hands out. I shut my eyes and focus. All I need is a moment. I focus in on this life form's thoughts and pull with my telekinesis. The figure jolts forward and I steal his knife from his grasp. I hold it and it feels weird, it lights up in my hand. It feels like it was meant for me to hold it. I think it's Loric made.

"No!!!" he snarls. "She was not supposed to..."

        I never hear what I was not supposed to do because I stab him with the dagger. He bursts into ash on the floor but I hear more coming. Knowing that Blake is my priority, I shove the dagger in my belt and run over to him. I sling him up on my shoulders and head for the back door. I hear the boots attempting to follow me and the mixed, unintelligible thoughts in their heads. I'm fighting against what is now a blizzard of blowing snow, I can barely see anything two inches in front of me. I'm also fighting the cold and with Blake on my back, I should be an easy target. A few blasts whiz by my head but I'm quick and superior to these idiots. I throw a few zigzags into the mix to avoid the blasts.

        I reach the tree line, which gives me a chance to turn around and face my opponents. There's probably six or seven at most. They too are having difficulty managing the snow but they know where I'm heading. I still need more time to get Blake to a safe place. I throw my hand out in front of me and a wall of snow rises from the ground. I make a few motions and the snow swirls at my command. I hurl as much as I can at the Mogs and then dash into the brush. I sidestep roots and underbrush and make my way deeper into this forest. I can hear Blake moaning in confusion and I know he's cold, I didn't exactly have time to grab him a jacket when we're running for our lives. I lay him against a tree and wrap him in my coat but it won't protect him. I hear another gunfire up and I'm torn between protecting and fighting. I look up.

I float Blake up into the higher branches of a pine tree. 

He'll be okay I assure myself and turn to fight.

        The first Mog has found his way through the wind and snow but I'm too fast. I use my Externa to turn stainless steel and I run towards him. He fires, I dive to the side and slide underneath him and cause him to lose his balance. He falls and I grab the gun with my telekinesis, I stand up and squeeze the trigger. He's ash at my feet and I have a weapon! I slip behind a tree and listen for more footsteps. Another Mog comes into the clearing and I take aim. He's unaware of my presence and I really want to have a little fun but Blake is weighing heavily on my mind. There's a flash of green light and more ash. Two down, five to go. I go silver again and wait. I hear more movement and I turn to fire. The first shot misses but the next one in the chest. The ash blows into the wind. I hear another cannon fire up and I turn but I have no time to fire and get hit in the chest. I go flying back and lose my gun and my steel ball.  I expect a burn but my Externa plus my new legacy have protected me. It'll be sore but I can still fight. 

        I grab the dagger from my belt and use my Externa. I become black, blue and silver. This is handcrafted for my kind. The Mogs must've stolen it from one of the others or even from the invasion. I run after the Mog with the blaster, I duck, doge and dive his blasts until the clicking of an empty gun is heard. I grin at him and deliver a shattering uppercut to the chin. He falls against a tree and I stab him through the chest to finish him off. I expect the next Mog's to come after me but there is silence. I bite my steel lip and run back towards Blake is.

        The Mogs are retreating away from the tree but Blake is fine. Not for long I think to myself. I float myself up with my telekinesis to where Blake is. He's out cold and I know he's hurt. I need to find the Mogs before they escape and bring a whole army into the town. I spot their retreating figures and I toss the sword at them. I control it with my telekinesis and slash all three of them in one go. Their ashes blow into the wind and I bring the sword back to me. I check Blake and then slowly climb down with him.