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Before I say anything, don't mind my bad english. I'm leaving this here because I have no one to tell this. There are gonna be bad words.
I'm 14(m). Now before you think " oh he is so young what kind of problems could he possibly have". I know that. I know that these are very small things and there are people with like million times problems. But I don't know what to do.
To make things clear I don't have girlfriend problems or shit. But I feel like I'm being crushed by an unknown force. Tbh I do have problems in my family. It's also frustrating. But I'm kinda used to it now. But the other problem is SCHOOL. I FUCKING HATE IT.
Here's the thing. I don't like to call it fancy but, you know how the schools in Sri Lanka are called. There fancy ones and there normal ones. I go to a kinda famous school. Not that famous but sorta. And that's the thing. Since people think the school is great ( even though it's not) people expect me to be great in work and etc.
Now I am not a great student at all. I do great in some subjects but most of the time ( by that I mean like 90% of the time) I suck at everything. Sri Lankan school system is a mess we all know that. My opinion is that most of the things we learn is so outdated. And sometimes I just can't stand it to learn useless things. I know you all hear this from every student.
Another thing is teachers. Now I respect them and I don't mean to hate them by any means. But they think like this is still the 90's. All they tell you is you need to learn this because it's gonna be in the exam. Like whyyy???? I fucking hate that shit. I am not interested in learning something that I have to write on a sheet of paper and then not think about it EVER AGAIN.
Like most of the time they just teach us the lesson, give some notes, give us homework and then tell us to _____ ( whatever the english word for katapadam) it. I'm done with that shit. I don't think this is a problem of the teachers. I know there are some great teachers out there. It's the problem with the education system. And I'm not even going to talk about the tuition culture. That shit needs to be stopped.
And when I tell someone like my mom about this, she goes " well what do we do? We can't do anything about it. We just have to go with the ____ ( what is the english word for " ralla"? Is it trend? )". Another thing that pisses me off is how parents want to make their kids be someone with a professional job and a high paying job and shit. Like let them what they want to be. Let them to what they like. Let them be creative. And if they are really good at it and very creative at it, they'll find a way to make money out of that.
The only thing that does is kill our creativity. Not all the kids are good at maths. Not all the kids are good at science. They are good at something in their own way.
Yeah yeah I'm just a kid with dumb thoughts. I don't even know what the fuck am I doing. I just need to release those dumbass thoughts . My fingers hurt so imma stop.
Previous Part My eyes darted around the room, still shocked from the brutality I just witnessed from Shaoni. Katrina had strutted out of view and when my eyes turned to where Brookeās crumpled form shouldāve been he was gone to. At some point both Robert and John had run off towards the growing sounds of gunfire. Shaoni and I still stood in the coliseum, shaken to our cores but both for very different reasons.
*CLANG*
The sudden noise startled me, the sound of metal on metal. The sound came again, this time I heard it clearly and turned around to face the noise only to be met by a few familiar faces.
āDonāt mean to bother you but their shootin up the place, could ya let us the hell in!ā
Rocco shouted as he beat Brookes stolen lighter against the metals bars that closed off the back entrance to the coliseum. Bianca gave me a sheepish wave as I looked over their faces again. Frank, Stein, and Tuck were with her. They must have come through the same way Bianca and I had a few days before.
āNOW!ā
Rocco shouted in irritation as my brain finally kicked into gear and I ran over to let them through the barred metal gate.
āWhatās going on up there?ā
I wondered out loud, concerned by how shell shocked they all looked.
āIād guess something involving the government, with equipment like that I doubt it would be anyone else. Just as we got to the hole Bianca mentioned several men in black tactical gear came out of the forest at our sides. When we didnāt clear out like they demanded they started firing so we dove in.ā
Stein explained.
āI take it thatās Shaoni?ā
He added, pointing towards where she lay, hunched over and taking shaky breaths on the ground.
āIs she alright?ā
Bianca chimed in, craning her neck to get a better view of her past everyone else.
āThe hell should we care!? Isnāt it her fault weāre doinā any of this in the first place?ā
Rocco grumbled up at us as he laid back on the ground. Glad to see he wasnāt taking things to seriously. Tuck just stared at Shaoni with this intense anger in his eyes, he didnāt say a word.
I know I shouldnāt care what happened to her at this point but a part of me just couldnāt leave Shaoni like this. Sure, she probably didnāt deserve the sympathy but I couldnāt help feeling a little bad for her now that the anger had passed. When I made my way over to her I got the sense I was seeing the real Shaoni for once. I was seeing someone who witnessed her people rise and fall, saw the country we live in change and grow as it became what we know today. Someone whoād lived countless lifetimes as a piece that just didnāt quite fit the puzzle anymore. I thought about everything Bianca had learned about Shaoni, how she was given her powers, no, her burden in the first place. Suddenly I had a pretty good idea of what exactly she brought everyone here for.
āShaoni?... Are youā¦ uh, you ok?ā
I said like I was trying to comfort a dying animal. The closer I got the more I could hear, she was crying. It was that held back sort of crying right before the dam breaks into full on sobs. She was cracking but still trying to put on a tough face, still trying to be every bit as imposing as she had been the first night I saw her. But she wasnāt, now she just looked pitiful.
āYouā¦ youāre right you know Keith. Iām not Justice anymoreā¦ Iā¦I donāt think I have been for a very long time.ā
She choked out through tears that flowed freely down her face as she rose to her feet.
āI donāt know why I brought you hereā¦ I was just so desperate toā¦ā
She trailed off but that was alright, I already knew what she was going to say.
āTo escape? Pass on your burden? This whole thing was to chose someone to pass the Thunderbird spirit onto wasnāt it?ā
I asked, sure that I was right.
āYes, this is what I wanted from the start, to give my burden to one of you. At first I wanted the trials to help me make my decision but by the time all of you arrived I just wanted a way out. I wanted to finally live a real life. Iāve lived too longā¦ I just want to live simply before the end that shouldāve come so long ago.ā
Shaoni cried, more controlled now as she finally started to get a hold of herself.
āSo what? Youād just give it to someone else! What about what that would do to them?ā
āI just wanted out Keith! I know it was selfish, I donāt care! I just want the nightmare to be over!ā
Shaoni screamed out at me. She was hysterical enough that I saw Steinās hand shoot towards his belt. Iām sure he had that gun I saw yesterday waiting there so I held out my hand to signal him to wait.
āWe did good once, in the beginning. But that changed, the wars the injustice I just couldnāt stand by and let that happen so I fought back. I spread the idea that fighting to the death was better than compromising for peace, compromising to save lives. Thatās when weā¦ I went wrong. I lead them astray! I was responsible for their deaths! Every! Single! One! I was bitter and resentful for years and I took it out on anyone I thought was guilty. Iāve lived with that for centuries! Do you think I donāt know Iāve become a monster Keith?!ā
Shaoni finished with a look of profound shame on her face.
I never thought Iād see the day when I actually felt bad for Shaoni. Not some spur of the moment thereās a full on shootout going on above us and I probably shouldnāt let her die, feeling bad. No, I genuinely felt sorry for her after hearing her talk about the past with total honesty for once.
āYou could come with us.ā
I offered, looking back to everyone whoād gathered around her at that point. The looks on their faces all told me they werenāt fans of that Idea but only Tuck protested.
āI wonāt help her crawl outta the bed she made! Keith, do you honestly think she doesnāt deserve everything thats cominā to her?!ā
āNo, but I think sheās suffered enough. Besides, I really donāt want to leave someone down here to die knowing I couldāve done something about it.ā
āYou know what, fine! You care to much about this Keith, she deserves it! But if you want to take her with us donāt be surprised when she goes on and stabs ya in the back! Now come on, we should get moving.ā
Tuck finished, throwing his hands up in the air in an act of frustrated surrender.
āSo you realize weāve got to go out there right? Weāre not climbing back out the way we came in so heading out the main entrance is our only option at this point.ā
Frank said bluntly as we watched Rocco scurry out of the hole they had dropped in from. Weād all collectively decided we were better off sending Rocco back home. Frank was right though, and even though the sounds of gunfire had started to sound a little farther away I still wasnāt a fan of getting anywhere closer to them.
āI might be able to help with that.ā
Shaoni replied, getting to her feet with an air of determination.
āStay behind me and move when I tell you to.ā
We all fell into line behind Shaoni without another word. I guess all of us realized the the sobbing mess weād seen before also just so happened to be the same Thunderbird that reduced most of Imalone to ashes. So despite how we felt about letting her lead us around it was probably our best chance at the moment.
I was a little surprised that none ofā¦ whatever was happening out there hadnāt spilled into the mine and made its way to us. We found out why just as soon as the single file line behind Shaoni made it out of the mine. The camp was devastated, what wasnāt on fire or covered in bullet holes was smashed or ripped to pieces. The ground was littered in bodies and shell casings. A few hundred feet in front of us a small group of Shaoniās followers where taking shots at the men in black tactical gear Stein had mentioned. There was maybe ten of them but it looked like those ten had slaughtered nearly all of the followers that had made up this camp.
I threw up on the spot, I was so shocked by the scene in front of me I didnāt even manage to bend over, it just kinda waterfalled out of my mouth. I heard Bianca groan in disgust from behind me. I didnāt understand why everyone else wasnāt reacting the same way I was. As I came back to my senses after a minute or so I took off my now vomit covered jacket and felt the cool air through my shirt. Shaoni had instructed us to move and I mustāve moved on my own. All of us were gathered behind a small rocky outcrop near the entrance to the mine.
āYou doing alright?ā
Bianca asked quietly from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at her and noticed the jewel encrusted dagger from before was clutched in her hand, twinkling with reflections from her now glowing blue eyes.
I could barely hear Bianca over the sounds of gunfire. Which almost certainly meant the last of the survivors were being wiped out. I couldnāt watch anymore death today so I just ducked lower behind our cover.
āYou hear me Keith? Are you ok?ā
Bianca persisted with a little more concern in her voice. I was still trying to pretend I hadnāt just seen dozens of dead bodies but I couldnāt really ignore her forever.
āNo notā¦not really.ā
I said, my voice coming out silent as a church mouse.
āWas it the-ā
I cut her off
āIāve never seen a dead body before, I mean I have but not likeā¦ not like that. The one guy his jaw was justā¦. Just gone. How do you guys do it? How do you just look at that and not react?ā
Bianca sighed and looked me in the eyes. There was a kind of recognition in them, like she was seeing a little bit of herself in my situation.
āWeāve all seen a lot of horrible stuff in our lives, weāre used to it. Still it doesnāt make it feel normal to seeā¦ this. Do you think you can hold it together a bit longer or do you want me toā¦ā
Bianca trailed off but it was obvious to me what she meant. Bianca was offering to soothe that terrified part of me with her powers again.
āThanks but no, Iāll be alright Iāll probably be seeing this in my dreams for weeks though.ā
I answered, trying to make a stupid joke to lighten the mood. Bianca cracked a hint of a smile and that was enough for me.
While weād been talking everyone had failed to notice Shaoni was gone. She had stood up and was walking straight towards where those men in black gear where picking through what was left of her followers. She was glowing though, every single tattoo glowed with an intense white light and then in a flash she was gone, and the Thunderbird was in her place. Frank and Stein stared in awe of the huge beast in front of them. The Thunderbird looked exactly as I remembered. The blue feathers and steel gray beak reflecting in the light from its crackling white eyes.
āThatās it, Thatās the god damn bird!ā
Tuck yelled like we couldnāt see what was right in front of us. I think he was just surprised to see the Thunderbird again. Even after years of swearing to get back at āthe birdā for the friends he lost I donāt think he ever thought heād come face to face with it again. Seeing it must be bringing up more than a few memories heād rather forget.
āDonāt do anything youāll regret! Sheās been helping us Tuck, at least put your differences aside until weāve gotten all this figured out.ā
Stein yelled over an ear splitting screech from the massive bird as Tuck began to tense up. Every muscle in his body looked like it was about to pop, they were bulging to an inhuman degree. With a long exhale he loosened up and the swelling went down.
āDamn itā¦ fine! But only till we got things settled here, after that I need to have a āconversationā with thatā¦ thing!ā
Tuck shouted in begrudging agreement.
The men in front of us all turned toward Shaoni, her new form towering over them. Then I heard a familiar voice shout out,
āYou wanted it gone, Youāre looking at it! Whatāre you all waiting for!ā
A commanding voice rang out from one of the people in front of us. I didnāt take long to spot the platinum blonde hair poking out from under the armored black helmet the woman wore, not just any woman, Katrina. I didnāt have much time to let that sink in before Katrina made a fist, stuck two fingers up in the air and shook them forward at us. After that, all hell broke loose.
The men behind Katrina rushed forward, guns drawn. Stein drew his own pistol and cocked it, taking aim at the approaching men. Tuck tensed up again and this time he didnāt hold himself back. Bones cracked and skin shifted to accommodate the inhuman muscles he now possessed. Hair sprang up all over his body and under it his face became more angular, his nose almost snout-like. Tuck looked something like a werewolf but definitely not the wolf man I expected. He looked more like an extremely hairy, unnaturally muscular feral person than any wolf man. Frank, Bianca, and I all hunkered down behind the outcrop, waiting for the worst to happen. Shaoni took to the sky with a flap of her massive wings as the gunfire started.
Nothing ever really prepares you for how loud a gunshot actually is, especially a whole bunch of them from fully automatic weapons. Thereās nothing quite like being shot at either, at some point you just have to accept the fact that at any moment one of those things flying around you is going to hit you and just get ready for it. That doesnāt actually do anything to calm you down though, at least it didnāt for me. I was huddled behind that little outcropping like a puppy hiding from fireworks on the fourth of July. Wind gusted all around us as Shaoni flapped her wings furiously. The wind coming from her winds was so intense it blew the bullets being fired at her off course. Lead rained all around us as I listened to the cracks of even more bullets being fired. I heard growling as something roughly Tuck sized tore forwards toward the gunfire.
The sky was turning an enraged black and rain had already started to fall in sheets. Lightning struck the ground every so often as well, to close and regular to be natural. I peaked up over the outcrop at one point. I was just in time to see one of the men get struck by a bolt of lightning and tense up as he fell to the ground. As the men kept firing at Shaoni some of their shots started to hit home. The bullets that didnāt get turned away with the wind glanced off her massive form. Whatever those feathers were made off seemed to stop most of the bullets dead in their tracks but it was becoming obvious Shaoni couldnāt keep this up. From our position behind the outcrop Bianca and I both felt the beats of her wings and the gusts of wind that came with it coming slower and slower. We shared a glance for just a second, from the look in Biancaās eyes, I felt certain we were doomed. More and more of the bullets seemed to be hitting Shaoni and her movements became slower still until eventually it happened.
With a shrill cry she fell from the sky, her blue features stained red in places. Shaoni hit the ground with an earthshaking crash and lay still. Katrina screamed something I couldnāt hear in the violent storm that still raged all around us. When I inched my way up to take a look I saw Katrina and her men charging toward Shaoni guns drawn. Behind them I caught sight of Tuckās muscular figure getting back up from the ground. I hadnāt been keeping an eye on him before but it looked like heād seen better days. He hesitated a bit before me moved, looking back to the outcrop where we were and over towards where Shaoni lay. He looked once, twice, then shook his head, mind apparently made up and ran at the men on all fours.
They didnāt hear him coming from behind over the storm and as they raised there weapons Tuck pounced. With one swipe of his humongous hand he sent one of the men flying off towards the forest. Even Katrina was surprised by Tuckās sudden attack. The time provided by everyone taking a moment to decided who to point their gun at gave Shaoni just enough time to act. She shot one wing out, glancing off everyone near her and knocking them to the ground. One of them menās helmets flew off with the hit and Stein quickly lined up a shot and fired, hitting the man in the top of the head. The look in his eyes was devoid of any emotion as he ducked back down behind the outcrop. I got the sense this wasnāt the first time Stein had killed, not surprising considering his time in Germany. Still, there was something unsettling about that look in the old scientists eyes.
As Katrina and her men got their bearings again and started firing at Tuck bullets plinked off the outcrop. Apparently they hadnāt forgotten we were there. I stole a quick glance over to where Shaoni had fallen but the Thunderbird was gone revealing a hole in the ground created from the impact of her fall.
āTUCK!ā
I screamed out to get his attention for a moment. Tuckās head swirled towards me just long enough for him to see my outstretched hand pointing to the hole in the ground. I grabbed Biancaās hand and pulled her to her feet, making a mad dash to the hole. Frank and Stein saw what we were doing and followed after us. Stein fired wild shots off towards Katrina and her men while Tuck kept harassing them.
By some miracle Tuck was still going even as I saw bullets tear into him, he was an animal. He tossed the men around like rag dolls and at one point I turned to see him bring his now claw-like fingernails arching upwards. The head of the man heād hit was bent back at a sickening angle, he was dead there was no question but Tuck didnāt even stop to spare a thought for the man. Seeing one of their comrades killed in front of them seemed to get the attention of the entire group of them. I hated to admit it but it was exactly the distraction we needed.
As we ran past the chaos of the fight I heard a mix of screams of agony and determination. At one point one of the menās broken bodies flew over the four of us and hit the ground with a wet crunch that sent a shiver down my spine. We just kept running though, everyone following behind me because I looked like I had a plan. To be fair I did, it was just a bad plan, more of a feeling honestly. I thought if we could get into that hole Shaoni made we might find a way out, a real long shot but it was the best I could do right now.
By the time we reached the hole and I jumped in Tuck had thrown just about every one of Katrinaās men all over the little clearing we were in. Some where very clearly dead but some where rolling around and groaning. Katrina was still standing though, just before I fell deep enough into the hole I got a quick glance at her as she took aim at Tuck who seemed to finally be feeling all the punishment heād been taking.
I didnāt even have time to scream a warning before my feet hit the hard rock below me and everyone else fell in on top of me.
āSorryā¦ sorryā
Bianca squeaked out as she pulled herself out of the pile of bodies weād become. Frank, Stein, and Bianca seemed alright but my ankle was definitely sprained, badly.
āCan you walk on that?ā
Bianca asked, examining my ankle in the strange blue light that emanated from further down the chamber weād fallen into.
āMaybe? Here can I just lean on you?ā¦. yeah, yeah thatāll work.ā
I told her, using her to pull myself to my feet and leaning on her for support.
āWhat are we looking for Keith?ā
Frank wondered out loud, a little fear creeping in to his voice as he looked around the chamber.
āIām not actually sure, I was hoping weād find Shaoni down here, maybe a tunnel out.ā
I grunted out honestly, still reeling form the pain shooting up from my ankle.
āWait whereās Tuck?ā
āIf he didnāt make it down we have to assume the worst. We canāt afford to wait now.ā
Stein answered, quickly and professionally like someones life wasnāt at stake.
āHe never had to come out here for me! We can at least wait for him, give him a chance-ā
Stein cut me off
āNone of us had to come here for you! We knew the risks so did Tuck. If we wait here now his sacrifice means nothing!ā
Stein yelled at me. He was right, none of them needed to be out here but I still didnāt like leaving someone behind. As Frank and stein trudged forward Bianca and I hesitated a bit.
āI donāt want to leave him either but Steinās right. Just lean on me and lets keep moving, we can come back later and look for hisā¦ā
Bianca trailed off before she could say body but I got the message, and if Bianca was moving forward I really didnāt have much of a choice.
We didnāt have to go far to find Shaoni, her usual deerskin clothing was ripped and stained with blood in places. All in all she didnāt look as bad as I thought she would. The light we saw at the entrance was coming from her tattoos as every one glowed brightly with blue light. The same light glowed faintly from four Thunderbird totems placed in the corners of the huge room.
āWelcome to my nest.ā
Shaoni said with a dry chuckle, extending her arms out to her sides before immediately clasping them back over a wound in her side.
āShaoni, are youā¦ are you going to be alright.ā
I asked, but before I could get any sort of answer I was interrupted by snarky laughter and a cocking gun.
āWell thanks for leading me right to where I wanted to be Keith.ā
Katrina remarked as she walked into the room.
Biancaās eyes glowed that all to familiar blue but Katrina was a step ahead of her.
āYeah I wouldnāt try that if I were you. Sure you could force me to walk right out of here but itās going to take a second to break me, longer than it would take me to pull this trigger.ā
Katrina responded with a sneer, turning the gun on Bianca. Bianca jumped back like a scared cat. Ducking under my arm and putting all my weight back on my sprained ankle.
āWait Donāt!ā¦ Argh!ā
I cried out at her just before I fell to the ground.
āOk, ok justā¦ donāt.ā
Bianca conceded, putting her hands up and backing away as the blue glow faded from her eyes. When he saw what Katrina was doing Frank wrestled Steinās gun out of his hands and pointed it straight at Katrina, finger trembling on the trigger.
āDonāt you dare hurt her!ā
Frank shouted, face turning red with fury.
āWell thats cuteā¦ā
And with an earsplitting bang Katrina turned and shot Frank in the leg. He fell to his knees, dropping the gun heād been holding as Stein scrambled to hold him up.
āDonāt get in my way, donāt threaten me, and I wonāt have to hurt anyone. Now Shaoni, where were we?ā
Katrina cooed with murder in her voice as she took a step forward. I tried to pull myself up to my feet, only succeeding in making a pitiful cry as I fell back down again. Bianca flinched towards me but backed up fast when Katrinaās gaze shot her way.
āKeith, youāre still alive? I donāt know how you keep getting mixed into things but youāve gotta learn when to just give up. I was supposed to kill all of you down there after the third trial. I gave you an out and you just stuck around. Tell you what though, you can still walk away cause I feel bad you got dragged into this in the first place. I have no idea what she was thinking, roping you into this with no idea about the supernatural at all.ā
Katrina addressed me, pointing over at Shaoni after helping me to my feet. It hurt to stand but I was getting used to the pain.
āAbove everything else I was supposed to kill the Thunderbird and thats what Iām going to do, after that you all can walk out of here.ā
Katrina took slow steps toward Shaoni who simply glared at her. She didnāt try to run though, something told me she was ready, no matter how the next few minutes played out. But I had one more trick up my sleeve as I limped over, putting myself in between Shaoni and Katrina.
āShe just wants out of all this Katrina! You have to know about where she came from, everything sheās been through!ā
I yelled through gritted teeth, biting back the white hot pain shooting up from my ankle.
āI know enough Itās sad sure, but everyoneās got a sad story these days. Sheās been flying around taking out whole towns to use as havens for people who want to follow this ass backwards sense of justice sheās got. I donāt want to become that person whoās hunting down supernaturals like her no questions asked just because I was ordered to. But in this case sheās responsible for hundreds of deaths. The āaccidentsā that happen in those towns are all her fault, and not all of them are as nice as Eagles Peak. The kind of people a town outside of any real form of government or law attracts arenāt the people you want to be neighbors with. Sheās got to die Keith, so do you if your going to try and stop me.ā
Katrina explained as she stalked closer to me. I really didnāt want to do what I knew I had to do next but I couldnāt watch anyone else die today.
āAlright, I guess thereās no other way then, Shaoni Iāll take on your burden.ā
The whole room exploded into a chorus of āwhatā in varying degrees of shock but my mind was made up. I turned to Shaoni as she asked,
āAre you sure Keith?ā
āYes.ā
Before anyone could recover from the shock of what I was about to do she reached out and grabbed my hands. I took hold of herās and she said something in a language I couldnāt hope to understand as my vision went white.
When I could see again I wasā¦ somewhere else. Lightning flashed intermittently overhead and a grassy field extended out forever around me. In front of me stood a misty grey form of a bird it was huge, easily twice the size of the form Iād seen Shaoni take. Through its shifting misty form I could see Shaoni. The bird seemed to be talking to her but I couldnāt make anything out, I could only guess it was a Thunderbird spirit. It seemed to nod to Shaoni before it turned to me and stared me dead in the eyes. Its beak didnāt move, actually no part of it moved but I still heard its voice in my head as its eyes continued to boar into me.
āMy chosen, Justice, claims she has lost her way, is this true?ā
I couldnāt begin to describe how this voice sounded, powerful is the only word that came to mind. I didnāt feel like I was in any danger though, in fact I felt calmer than I ever had.
āShe has.ā
I got the sense that quick simple answers were probably best here.
āJustice spoke very highly of you. You offered to succeed her if she is to be believed.ā
āI did, but how exactly do we-ā
But I was cut off with a bow from the spirit who evaporated all around me. My vision blurred and everything went white again as I collapsed into the soft grass.
I came to on the floor next to Shaoni, it couldnāt have been that much later because neither of us had any new bullet holes in us.
āWhat did you just do?ā
Katrina asked standing above me and looking absolutely stupefied.
āThe Thunderbird is dead.ā
Was my simple, potentially completely bullshit answer. Katrina looked from me to Shaoni and back again, eyes growing wide as the realization dawned on her.
āYou know what? That works for me, just donāt cause us any trouble and we can just forget this whole thing ever happened. Oh, I like the new eyes by the way.ā
With that Katrina walked off and climbed a rope ladder she had attached to the ground outside the hole we fell through.
Everything else that happened was a blur, we went back out and found pretty much all of Katrinaās men dead. Tuck was shot several times and barley breathing when Shaoni of all people found him. She called us over and Stein assured us heād be alright if we got him back to the lab soon. We carried Tuckās hairy form over to one of the SUVās and raced back into town. On the way we drove past Katrina whoād also taken one of the SUVās and was heading out of town. Bianca made a comment at some point that I looked different. When we got back to the house I looked in a mirror and saw my eyes where the same shade of grey Shaoniās had been.
Speaking of Shaoni we took her with us, she followed us over to the car after she found Tuck. She looked a bit like a lost puppy at that point if Iām honest. I guess finally being able to live your life free of some strange sense of duty after hundreds of years will do that to you. Shaoni hasnāt actually said much since we settled back in at Biancaās house. She eats and goes through the motions of normal life, sheāll even shoot you a warm smile if she catches you staring at her. Iām still not used to seeing her with green eyes though. I think she just feels lost but Iām ready to help show her the ins and outs of normal-ish life when sheās ready to ask for help.
Frank and Stein went back to doing their normal experimenting pretty fast. The whole thing past them by like a particularly eventful weekend. Even Frankās bullet wound was quickly forgotten about. Pretty much as soon as he treated it it was like it never even happened to him. Tuck got back on his feet with a lot of help from Frank and Stein. He walks with a permanent limp now but other than that heās fine. Richelle just about had a conniption when we told her what happened and she hasnāt left Tuckās side since. She seemed surprised when we described his transformation and we came to find out he never told her about his, āConditionā. That may be why theyāve been so inseparable lately, she just wants to help him however she can and he sure isnāt complaining about that.
Tuck and Shaoni have been getting along as well. I never thought Iād see the day those two sat down and just talked but after a tense first few weeks they came to an understanding. They arenāt old friends now by any means but Iāve walked in on them both talking about their pasts. Maybe sharing stories helps them deal with living such long lives.
As for me and Bianca we started dating and thats beenā¦ well thatās been just great. I think its good for both of us cause after everything that happened at the old mine I was just a bundle of nerves. Having someone like her to talk to, someone who gets it, whoās seen so much worse helps put things in perspective. She finally has someone to really talk to in town too. Theres not a whole lot of trouble for us to get up to but weāve started making a habit of pouring over Frank and Steinās notes on the supernatural. Not the most riveting idea for a night in but I like learning more about whats really out there.
I still donāt feel any different after taking on Shaoniās āburdenā. Maybe that sense of duty she felt really was just all in her head, a promise to her people that she never let go. Honestly I havenāt tried to use whatever powers might come with my own condition. I just donāt feel like I need to. Like I told Katrina, the Thunderbird is dead. Iām sure not going to be the next Shaoni or anything like that but maybe Itāll help us find Brooke.
Thats the one thing that keeps Bianca and I up at night, we never found Brookeās body. The two of us went up to the old mine a week or so after everything happened to look around for any sign of him but we didnāt find a trace. In fact the whole thing was cleaned up and the entrance to the mine was collapsed. Iām willing to bet whoever Katrina works for came back to try and wipe away any traces they may have left here. Maybe they found Brooke out there and dealt with him themselves, maybe heās still out there somewhere. But for now everythingās been pretty calm, even normal around here.
Rocco is still a menace, Tuck still leaves the Eagleās Roost door unlocked at all hours of the day, and theres still next to no people living here. Without Shaoni and her trials looming over me life is actually pretty good here. So thatās my story, how a storm and a huge bird dragged me halfway across the country and I started dating a succubusā¦right after I became the Thunderbird. It still seems crazy when I say it like that. Maybe Iāll dig up something on Brooke but for now I think Iāve finally found my new normal out here in the curiously named town with no Eagles and no Peaks.
We adopted a male neutered cat a little over 3 years ago from a pet shelter. He is very affectionate and we love him, but things have become intolerable at home. He is āmarkingā things at home, and yesterday I discovered that he has marked several sets of curtains in our home. Several weeks ago, he marked one of the beds in our house and the carpeting next to it. This morning I found he marked our dogs bed. We came home from a trip a few months ago and he immediately jumped in the suitcase and peed on the clothes. He has even peed on the humans who live here and on our bed sheets. Sometimes heās outright peeing, other times heās actually marking, where he wiggles his tail at the surface heās marking. Weāve seen him do it.
I have spent close to $1,000 on this cat. Heās been to the vet multiple times, about a month ago the last time (once to a cat behavioral doctor). I had them do a complete work up on himāurinalysis and blood work. Everything was fine as of several weeks ago at his last visit. I have tried 2 different brands of pheromone diffusers, a kitty āProzacā prescription, and different types of cat litter and making sure his litter boxes are clean. Heās also attacked one of our other cats recently and I had to break them up a few weeks ago. He seems to have some type of psychological issues that I just donāt know how to address. In addition to the marking and fighting, he chews on anything he can find that has plastic packaging on it. We donāt have any new pets in the houseānothing has changed.
Before I make the awful decision to return him, has anyone else dealt with this issue successfully? We love this guy and donāt want to return him, but itās getting out of hand. I want to make sure Iām not missing something. š¢