Chapter 22 - 22. Fever?

The three worked in silence for another hour just talking when they found they needed some help with something. Art had started to fall asleep while looking at the essay he was hand writing and made the first move to leave. "I will see you two tomorrow at school. We have gym class so we get to double up on our training." He was very excited to actually participate this time instead of being sent back to the nurses office.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I will bring some extra clothes." Jane was glad she had been reminded, she would have forgotten the right gym clothes and ended up wearing the same smelly ones as the day before.

The three walked down the stairs and outside on the front porch."I have to head that way, so it's up to you to walk with Jane home Asher!" Before Asher could say a word Art had already run off.

The two looked at each other with an awkward smile, Asher stuck his head in the door grabbing his jacket, "Mom I'm walking Jane home! I will be back in a few minutes!"

"You know if I get in to trouble I can just take off my mask and freeze them in their tracks, I'm perfectly safe walking home alone.." Jane's face was turning red, however there was no way to see this under her mask.

"No it's totally fine, what if you ran in to some creepy guy? Even if you froze them in place, who would keep an eye on them while you called the police? It's always safer in pairs...Not that my powers sound like they would do much." He was a little discouraged thinking that he lacked the proper skills to defend someone. But that would need to change.

"I know you would be the best person to partner up with. I just have a feeling that you would have my back." This was completely unexpected, Asher stopped for a step before he fully absorbed these words. He had no idea how he would thank her.

Jane stood taller and held her hands behind her back walking with a little bounce in her step knowing she had just made Asher speechless. "You know I have been thinking a little on your home work that You asked Art and I for help with, do you want to hear what I think?'

This brought Asher out of cloud nine and back down to earth. "Yes! Of course I do, I need to figure out exactly how my powers work so I can get stronger. Talking with you and Art has shown me how far behind I am to others. My sister has even gotten a nickname for being one of the best in her class." He grasped his fist tightly feeling like he could run for miles with this motivation.

"Well the making your enemies fortune in to misfortune part aside, it sounds like your power is kinda interesting. It's like mine, it's two parts. I can stop people in their tracks and I have this changed body. It is pretty great for incapacitating criminals and then defeating others at the same time." Jane held her hands up showing her sharper nails and scaly arms.

She was silent for just a few moments as the streets passed. "To me it sounds like fate or whatever controls luck is pushing it your way. Does that come with some drawbacks? Yea of course it can be a great boon to have some luck, but a real friend won't run away from you because of that. From what I can see you are pretty lucky, If I didn't run after you that day then I would still be stuck at home without a dream to follow. You are my good luck charm and I don't plan on running away just yet." Jane looked a few houses down and realized she had gotten home. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had, her face burned with embarrassment after saying all those things. "That's my house over there, I will see you tomorrow!" She ran off and in to her condo leaving a crying Asher in the street.

Jane had not even seen him break in to tears, the words she had just said were some of the most heartfelt words he had ever heard. With the memories of his other world mixing with this worlds he had felt like two people smashed together, But in this moment everything became one, he had friends, he had goals, he had a family, and most importantly he had hope. 'I'm going to be a hero and I will be the best hero this world has ever seen!' these inward cheers flooded his being.

Asher had started his walk home with tears still streaming down his face, years of pain band suffering due to his bad luck being vented. He may never have considered anyone an enemy or anyone to be at fault for the things that had happened but instead is his own bad luck. However it was true that he had felt hurt by every little bad thing. The simple things like finding a rock in his shoe or even when he would be drawn out of a lottery to clean the classroom every single time. These things all weighed on him after some time.

"Empty your pockets and hand over your wallet!" A man in a black mask stepped out from behind a bush holding a knife out in front of him. "Do it slowly and I won't send you to the next life!"

Asher was too stuck in his own head to notice the orders of the masked man or the knife in his hands. He walked right in to the man. "Ah! Sorry I wasn't looking where I was going." Asher wiped away tears with one of his hands while the other was still at his side.

'This kid just walked in to my knife, oh my god...I am going to jail for murder…' This thought was the only thing that the man had in his head. "I just Wanted to scare you in to giving me some money like the others." The masked man stepped away, the knife still firmly grasped in his hands.

The knife blade was nowhere in the handle, 'The blade went so deep it's stuck in this kid...ahh i'm a child murderer. I will be sentenced to death with this' The man's greatest fears flew in to his mind and started to consume him.

"Mr. What do you want money for? I don't have any, I just walked a friend home." Asher was confused about what was going on. This guy was acting so strange. "Is this man sick? His face must be very cold since he is wearing a ski mask, this is a flu symptom. He is cold when it isn't cold outside at all, it's a high grade fever.'

Thus the misunderstanding was made, Asher pulled out his phone and failed for an ambulance, "Don't worry I have an ambulance on the way just stay here."

"Yes you're right, I will stay here in your last moments. I will explain my faults." Asher looked at the man talking crazily. The masked man was too distraught, 'This kid is in shock and he doesn't even realize there's a knife blade in his heart.'

They both stayed in this position for five excruciating minutes while police officers that were nearest to the location were dispatched to give first aid while the ambulance was on the way. Asher watched as the man deteriorated talking to himself about repenting and accepting his wrong doings. The masked man watched as the child he had stabbed was in shock acted like he was completely fine.

The sounds of running came down the street and two officers on foot reached the pair. "Officers, over here. This is the man I called about." Asher raised his other arm and the blade of a knife fell to the ground. "Where did this come from?" Asher stared at it even more confused. 'First fevered man and now a random knife blade falling from the sky? What is this' He was extremely confused.

"What!? You mean I didn't actually stab you when I tried to rob you!?" The masked man was beside himself, he had thought so wrong. Every moment of terror and repenting was just a sham in all of this.

The two officers heard his exclamation of disbelief and acted swiftly. The man was pinned down to the ground in a whoosh of air. The other officer created handcuffs from ice and placed them on the masked man. "Kid are you alright? This man was trying to rob you. You are lucky he seems very unstable at the moment." The first officer pulled out a notepad while the second kept the masked man detained and read him his rights.

"Now please tell me everything that has happened since you came in contact with this man"....Asher explained everything from his perspective giving the officer the best answers he could.