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The Life of Another - Chapter 8

_©_Jake Atkinson

P.O.V. - Roger

Ugh, I guess that's what happens when I try to suppress so much. Damn, I haven't bawled like that since I was a cub. Still, I do feel way better. Alright let's see if we can get some of this stuff under control. First up, find out where this body connects to the energy. I know it's not my head like it used to be, I tried that. Guess I just have to turn off everything and start at the bottom and work my way up. I started with a simple meditative form to shut down thinking with words and concentrated on a visual image. Within just minutes, I was asleep.

-Beep beep- -Beep beep-

At first I was disoriented and threw back the covers that I had pulled all the way up over my head.

-Beep beep- -Beep beep-

It was coming from the tablet under the corner of the pillow. I rubbed the fur on my face and cleaned at the corners of my eyes. Damn, that was a noob mistake.

I tapped the tablet screen to find a notification from Dr. Tamner. The time stamp was 6:05 pm. "Roger, you were supposed to stop in for your medications by 6. Please come by as soon as you get this message."

With a glance to the clock in the corner of the display, I realized it was 7:03 pm. Crap!

I hastily responded by typing "I'm very sorry, I fell asleep and woke up just now." and jumped down from the bed.

-Beep beep- -Beep- -beep-

As I slipped into my shoes, the tablet lit up with another notification from Dr. Tamner. "I'm home now, I left your medications with your dorm Rep. Her name is Kriana, Room 220. Message me if you have any questions about the medications or if something comes up."

I replied "Ok, I'm sorry! I'm normally very punctual. I'll set alarms for future appointments."

A moment later she responded "It's alright Roger, I'm glad you got some rest. Good night." and I was out the door.

It took little time to find room 220 at the end of the hall and I paused only briefly before knocking. The door was opened by the Cat-Coon who had walked me to the admin office earlier in the day. I had pre-typed my greeting and hit enter on the tablet as soon as she looked at me. "Hi, I'm Roger. I'm looking for Kriana, some medications were left for me."

"Oh, hold on." She disappeared and left me hanging at the partially closed door.

I heard her mumble something and then a brighter voice answered, "...I'm supposed to meet all the new arrivals to the building anyway." A moment later a sixteen year old Otter came to the door, opening it further. She had on black yoga pants and a baggy navy blue cowneck sweatshirt that hung down to her thighs. "Dr. Tamner left these for you." she said tersely as she shoved a heavily crinkled paper bag at me.

"Thanks." I typed "I met your friend earlier but I couldn't talk then. I have a throat injury. Tell her hi and thanks for me ok?"

Her attitude failed to sway, replying "Yeah, I can read the note stuck on your shirt."

Geez, and this is the Rep.?! What a bitch! I replied via the tablet, "Oooook then, have a good night." and followed up with my patented sh#t eating grin before turning to leave.

There! I see it coming off my muzzle, crap I really do glow like that when I'm angry! It's sorta like heat waves, but blue. That's just creepy, no wonder people get so weird around me. It's her fault though, I was nothing but nice. She makes Surly the Skunk look downright chummy, what crawled up her...

"Hey, wait." I heard from behind me.

I wanted to act like I didn't hear and keep walking but her voice was too loud for it to look legit. With a huff, I turned and stood, half expecting her to hurl a parting insult. I was twenty feet from her door but I wasn't about to walk back to it.

When she realized I wasn't moving she closed the distance to say "You really can't talk?"

I started swiping and hit enter. "Had a run in with a Wolverine and a trach tube after I drowned in a frozen lake... was a bitch of a night. I can barely get out a word before I fall into a coughing fit."

Her manner softened and she responded "Can we go back to my room for a minute?"

I rolled the idea over in my mind, but hesitated.

Sensing my trepidation, she added "For Theresa, please?"

The way she said the last word I thought it might be causing her physical pain. With an exasperated sigh, I relented and followed. She held the door and then shut it after I entered.

"Hey Theresa," she called out "I think you need to read this." She held out her hand, expecting me to pass over the tablet.

Instead, I took a step and held it out so the Cat-Coon could read it.

Kriana's tail flipped in irritation but she pointed at the lines I had just typed out.

Theresa read them and glanced briefly up at me from her seat before looking down and replying in her soft voice. "I'm sorry, I thought you were trying not to laugh and faking the cough to cover it."

I swiped out a reply "It's alright, people have been misunderstanding me allot since I can't talk. Everyone's acting like I'm the school bully and, really, I'm the total opposite of that." I hit enter and then continued "It's hard when you can't talk, people assume certain things on how you look and lately I guess I've looked pretty scary. I'm sorry if your feelings were hurt. I was trying so hard not to cough and I wanted to say something."

She managed brief eye contact again and her timidity faded noticeably. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. With the way I look, I get allot of teasing and I guess I jumped to the wrong conclusion."

It wasn't hard to imagine the taunting she likely had to endure and my heart went out to her. My ears splayed and I typed "These things happen, hope we can be friends."

Kriana added "Roger, about earlier. I thought... well it doesn't matter. Anyway, I'm the Rep. for our building so if there's anything from a plumbing problem to noisy neighbors I'm the person you come to."

I nodded and replied via the tablet "Ok, have a goodnight Kriana, Theresa, you too."

After the door shut behind me, I took a breath to collect myself and started down the hall. Maybe I should get on the P.A. system and just make a school-wide apology for existing, might be a real time saver. Eh, it's supper-time, I'lleat something and go for a walk, then I won't be so grumpy. To the kitchen Batman! Damn, I'm such a dork.

As I approached the kitchen I heard voices and my first instinct was to veer off and come back later when it was empty. However, as I got closer, I recognized the voice of the Fox with green fur that I met earlier and decided otherwise. Upon rounding the doorway, I could see that he was talking with two other guys. They were all standing around the center island stove and a pizza pocket spun slowly on the turntable in the microwave behind the Fox. The two unfamiliar people both had their backs partially to the door and it gave me a chance to sort them out. The one on the left looked like a Red Panda and a Red Fox had somehow managed to have a son. His ears were smaller than a Fox's and his tail was ringed. When he turned his head I could see the muzzle was shorter than expected for a Fox too. Luckily, his facial markings consisted of a blend of both species that worked out well. I was so distracted by him I only just then realized that the other person was David. Just as I was raising my hand in a wave, I heard the pounding of running paws coming down the hall towards me.

P.O.V. - Nick

I skidded to a halt in the kitchen door and pushed my way passed Roger to say "Hey, Matt! Grab the phone and call security. Kyle and a couple of his friends are picking on Josh outside!"

Before Matt had the wall mounted phone off the hook Roger had tossed his tablet and a white paper sack on the counter and was sprinting down the hall.

David, Tyler and I all froze for a moment while Matt started talking on the phone. But after the initial shock of Roger's sudden reaction passed, we tore after him. We entered the hall just in time to see him throw open the exterior door and disappear outside.

I burst out ahead of the others and it wasn't hard to spot Roger. The snow that had slowly melted under the sun during the day was frozen over in the cold night air and reflected the blue aura coming off the Wolf as he stepped from the lighted walkway towards the three guys who had Josh pinned up against the dorm wall.

"Why'd you walk away when we called you?" said Kyle, the Hyena holding Josh to the wall.

"Don't you wanna play with us Pinkie?" the Ocelot chimed in.

They didn't see Roger coming. Blue heat waves emanated from his back and head as he stalked up behind Kyle. In a single, fluid motion he grabbed the back of his shirt collar while stepping, turning and bowing in a way that brought the larger, older Hyena off his balance enough to fall, letting go of Josh in surprise. As he fell, Roger followed through, twisting the Hyena's hand and forearm to pin him face down in the icy snow.

I could feel Roger's feral rage and thought for sure he was about to snap Kyle's arm. "Roger Stop!" I called out.

He let go and sprang back to land in a bent knee stance, the steam of his breath visible in the blue light. Dylan and the Ocelot stared and stood motionless, shocked by the sudden turn of events.

I tried to diffuse the situation further, "We called security!"

David and Tyler had caught up with me by then as the Feline responded "You would, you little f#gg#t."

Kyle got up from the snow and went to stand with his friends while rubbing his wrist. Meanwhile, Roger stood silently, never taking his eyes off the three of them as his aura began to fade. I could see from the erratic movement in his chest he was fighting not to cough. During that time, Josh got to his paws and came to stand with the rest of us as we moved in around Roger. It wasn't until he saw us near that he rose to stand in a normal position and the blue glow died down to just his tail. Just before security arrived, he fell into a serious coughing fit.

The muscular Wolverine seemed to recognize Roger. "Roger, if the doc saw you out in the cold night air hacking like this she'd kill me for talking her into letting you out early."

Kyle, who was still rubbing his wrist and hand, said "Dude just came out of nowhere and almost broke my arm! He's f#ckin' psycho!"

"You had Josh pinned to the wall. Three really tough guys picking on a Raccoon five years younger than you." I interjected. I rarely spoke up for myself but for others I always found a voice.

Jack raised his tone powerfully. "Yeah, Roger here has a real menacing cough. Roger, YOU are going to the medical wing with David. EVERYONE ELSE is coming with me."

The Ocelot started to say something but Jack, the Wolverine, cut him off. "Save it, we're all gonna sit down and QUIETLY watch some security footage together. I know you three know the way to the security office, especially you Kyle. The rest can follow. March."

Roger was still sputtering but he seemed to have it mostly under control as Matt came trotting over to talk with Josh. We broke away from David and Roger but I couldn't stop myself from looking back at them. I reassured myself that David would take care of him and followed the group to Security.

P.O.V. - Roger

What a f#ckin' day. Damn, my shoulder is killing me after that little stunt. My meds are in the kitchen.They should help with the cough at least.

I started to walk back towards the dorm entrance when David spoke in his ever calm demeanor. "I think we're supposed to go to the medical wing."

I realized I had no paper or pen and the tablet was inside. I squatted under the light of the pathway and tried to write "MEDS" in the crusty snow with a claw and pointed back towards the kitchen.

The bear shrugged and didn't seem to care one way or the other so I walked back to the kitchen with him at my side. The sack was where I had tossed it and I opened it up to find an inhaler and two ziplock baggies, each containing one capsule. There was also a note that stated "Roger, take 2 puffs from the inhaler every twelve hours. The green and yellow capsule is the antibiotic, the other is for pain. You can open them and pour the powder into a drink or on your food. Make sure to come to my office tomorrow morning for your next dose. -Dr. Tamner."

Food, good idea. I started to rummage in the fridge as David began talking. "It was cool of you to stand up for Josh like that, those guys are always pickin' on someone."

I set down the turkey slices and tortillas I had discovered so far and picked up the tablet to respond "Not if I'm around."

I continued to forage and found shredded cheese, a handful of plum tomatoes and fresh spinach leaves. At first I piled everything on top of a tortilla with the intention of making a turkey salad roll-up kinda thing. However, my lack of culinary skills left it looking more like a mutant, overstuffed soft taco. David watched with a bemused smile as I shrugged and started searching the cupboards. I lit up with excitement upon finding a blender. After plugging it in, I dumped the plate's contents into the pitcher, tossing in an extra turkey slice or two before putting on the lid.

David raised an eyebrow. "You can't be serious."

I flashed a mischievous grin and punched the button marked "liquefy". It roared to life while I held down the lid. After I turned it off I poured my meal into a bowl, added the capsules and started lapping at it.

David shook his head "Dude, just... wow."

I swiped at the tablet on the faux granite countertop with one hand "I have to eat soft stuff until my throat heals, the raw spinach kinda worried me so... yeah." I lapped some more and added "it's not bad, I'd offer you some if it didn't have medicine in it."

He held up his hands in a defensive posture. "No, thanks. So what happened? When I got there Kyle was just getting up."

I continued to swipe with one hand while holding the bowl with my other as I ate. "The bigger Hyena had Josh pinned against the wall while the Cat and the other Hyena were standing beside him. I guess you could say they were engaging in general assh#le-ism." I was surprised at how well the speech synthesizer handled the last word, and smiled.

He asked "Ok, but what happened between then and when I got there?"

I finished drinking the last of my supper and began to fill one side of the sink with hot water to wash everything. As the water ran I typed "With a situation like that it's just a matter of changing the dynamic. I changed the dynamic." I offered a closed mouth smile and turned off the water.

"Yeah, so what's that mean?" David queried.

I typed out "In Aikido a basic principle is taking your partner's balance, some like to think of it as helping your partner fall down. The big Hyena unwittingly became my partner and I took his balance. Normally I would have just yelled to get them to focus me but I had to improvise." I braced myself for the question that always followed, sure enough.

"What's Aikido? Is that like Karate or something?" David asked.

Using the tablet, I responded "When followed to it's fullest it's much more than a physical form of defense, it's a whole lifestyle and philosophy. It depends on the teacher but the way I studied it involves respect for all life, your adversary is thought of as a partner. Injury is to be avoided for all involved."

David mulled this over and then asked "So why was he screaming about his arm?"

I took a breath and typed out "I had his wrist and arm bent in a way that causes nerve compression but I didn't torque to the point of injury, it just hurt. I needed the other two to realize the dynamic of situation changed and I was the one in control. That, and I've been having some emotional issues lately. Looking back, I wish I had handled things differently."

I started piling the dirty dishes into the hot, soapy water and David chimed in helpfully, "You know there's a dishwasher right over there."

Now he tells me? I offered up a shrug and a grin and washed them manually.

I finished cleaning up and grabbed a stool to sit next to David who was already on one. Relieved to be off my paws, I leaned over the counter and tapped idly at the screen. "Just because Jack said you have to take me to the medical wing doesn't mean you have to be stuck with me. If anyone asks we'll just say that you tried to take me there and fought valiantly but in the end I overpowered you and ran away." I hit enter and my tail wagged slowly at the joke.

"I don't feel stuck" he responded. "I finished my homework and there isn't much else I wanna do."

I swiped some more, David was surprisingly patient while I typed. "So if it's not too forward, what's everyone's story? I mean like you and Nick and Jim. How'd you end up here, what do you guys like to do... that kinda stuff."

David leaned onto the countertop with both elbows, his chin resting in his hands as he began to talk. "Jim started glowing when he was about twelve or thirteen and it wasn't long before he started having trouble at school, gettin' picked on and all that. His parents aren't bad but they kinda just tried to ignore it and hoped it would all go away but it didn't. Some stuff happened, that might be kinda personal so I'll let Jim tell it if he wants, but after that he ended up here. He can stick his paw in his mouth sometimes so don't take it personal if he says something harsh, he probably didn't mean it that way."

I nodded and yearned for a beer. Guess that's off the menu for about the next six years, no major loss though. I lazily swiped out "You don't seem to glow or have horns, what brings you here?"

He shifted to support his head with just one hand and used the other to trace imagined designs on the speckled smooth finish of the counter as he spoke. "I math. I know it sounds weird that way but that's best I can describe it. For me, it's a verb. I've always had a thing for numbers but a couple years ago it changed. This surface for instance, see the speckles in it? To you the little dark red flecks, black flecks and gray flecks and such, they're random right?"

I glanced down at the fake granite finish and nodded.

"Not to me." He replied. "I could write out a system right now that plots out any color you choose. However they make this stuff it's a repeating pattern. Most people don't see it, but it's there. I can look at a detailed map of a coastline and figure tide patterns based on the erosion. Sounds cool at first but the thing is I can't turn it off. If I ride in a car I have to keep my eyes closed. The painted lines, power poles, pavement cracks, cross streets, other cars going by at different speeds, birds flying over... it overwhelms me. My brain tries to see patterns in all of it. It's kinda like being at a loud party and everyone is talking all at once and you just wanna get out of there, but worse. That's why I like computers. I can drive in GTA Five because the algorithms, to me, are so simple and predictable. I know where the pedestrians are gonna be, what model of car is gonna be coming around the corner. It all makes sense and I don't get overwhelmed."

I listened quietly but intently and typed when he finished "It must be hard not having an off switch for something like that. Does it get in the way of things like relationships and emotions?"

He sat up and let his hands drop to his lap where they sat idle. "Sometimes, I take medications that help to a degree but there's side effects." It seemed like he wanted to add to that but instead said "I don't go to regular classes, mostly self study with some one on one. I have to avoid groups of more than a few people but I'm not a hermit. I need to decompress and have more alone time than most people seem to want but I like being social in the right dosage."

I offered a tired smile as the pain pill started to kick in and the little, and not so little, aches and pains started to fade. Via the tablet I said "I'm kinda like that, socially I mean. I can totally relate about the groups and needing to decompress parts." I tried to sound casual as I asked, "So how's it with Nick? From what little I've met he seems like a nice guy." And he's hot as hell! I thought.

His gaze came back up to meet mine, having looked away while he was talking about himself. "He is. We get along well because he's... good at reading people. He can tell when I wanna talk and when I need to be left alone without me having to say anything. We've known each other for years. He was born a deviant, he's looked like that since day one. His parents are Coyotes if you're wondering. I've met them and they have to be some of the best parents ever. You can imagine he had more than a little trouble in a regular school. His parents wanted to home school him to keep him safe but he has a thing about being seen in the world. He said he feels like he needs to be out there because others shouldn't feel like they have to hide. That sums him up well, he's always thinking about the other person. He and his parents compromised so now he's here."

I was dying to ask if Nick had a boyfriend but I couldn't think of a way to steer the conversation that direction without seeming obvious. The days events were catching up with me and I was feeling the buzz from the pain medication too. My concentration drifted and I started imagining Nick with more than his shirt off.

"Hey, you're starting to do that rippling glow thing again." David offered in his ever casual tone.

I snapped out of it and jumped off the stool, my ears going back and tail tucking as I fought the urge to hide in a cupboard.

David rose slowly and straightened his shirt while he said "It's ok, you don't have to worry about stuff like that around me, or most people at the school. I mean we're all deviants here."

I nodded as my tail slowly relaxed and my ears came back up. Then, with a tired sigh, I grabbed the tablet to type "Thanks, I'm still stuck in 'the world hates me' mode. Hey, I really appreciate the company but I'm beat, not as bad as last night but still..."

David replied "It's ok, I know you've been through a lot."

"Thanks again for the tablet work." I swiped, and headed for bed.