Post by Kira & Lee Norris on Dec 10, 2007 19:14:00 GMT
"I tried to... to kill you?"
"Yes."
Professor Major Hoodham sat in the chair beside him, the nurse pouring over the many, deep red scars on his outstretched arms. Every time her finger touched the tip of one, Professor Hoodham's lips tightened slightly, but otherwise, he gave no outward sign of the pain he was in. Lee sat up in his bed, staring at him in awe. For some reason, Major Hoodham commanded his respect. For some reason, Major Hoodham amazed him. Perhaps it was his total cool, calm, collected-ness. Perhaps it was that he was so down to earth. So logical; so matter-of-fact.
Lee liked that.
That's why he didn't understand. "I don't understand."
Professor Hoodham nodded gravely. "I have... seen it before. It's a rare power, but it's there. Manipulation of the mind's thoughts, senses and feelings is an intense process. Whoever was inside your mind obviously had to have been there for a long time to have had this sort of effect on you. You'd been having nightmares, your friend, Ellie, tells me."
"Really?" Lee said quickly, latching onto this new fact. "I don't dream at all now. Either I don't sleep, or I don't dream."
"Your body is still adjusting to the way it was before- without that other person's presence inside of you. Don't worry. It'll come in time."
"So..." Lee said slowly. "This person... was the enemy?"
"Yes. Working for my brother, Marius. Do you remember the Orchid War?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm. Alright. So it's just your personal memories that remain out of reach?"
"Yes, Professor." Lee stopped, and Professor Major Hoodham didn't reply. Nurse Gornray was tutting now, and her magic fingers were beginning to pass over the scars. Lee watched, slightly awed, as the wounds began to melt and mould into each other, healing rapidly.
Hoodham sighed, his eyes closed as the golden touch of the healer surround him. He leaned back, his head resting on the wall.
"Thank you, Nurse Gornray."
"It's alright, Professor," Nurse Gornray grinned, apparently pleased with herself. "It's my job. Ain't nothing big."
"A pay rise would seem in order."
"Well, now, if you put it like that..."
Professor Hoodham chuckled, and Nurse Gornray turned away, tottering back down the beds towards a couple of students who'd just arrived. The students peered around Nurse Gornray, gazing open-mouthed at the phenomenom Lee knew he'd probably become. And their eyebrows shot even further up at the sight of their Headmaster. Professor Hoodham ignored them, leaning round, and flicked his hand carelessly. The curtain whipped around them giving them some privacy.
Lee stared at the curtains for a few moments. "Telekenisis."
"Correct," Professor Hoodham smiled slightly. "Sharp boy."
Lee laughed uncertainly. "I try."
"Chess champion, actually."
Lee's mouth dropped slightly. "Me? Seriously?!"
"Four times, by my last count."
Lee remained silent for a few minutes, contemplating yet another startling fact. Then, slowly, he started to laugh. "Wow! I was a nerd!"
Professor Hoodham smiled. "I suppose you were." He sat up properly now, looking at Lee. "I believe I owe you an apology."
Lee was startled in silence, the laughter dying instantaneously. "Me? Why?"
"I threatened to kill you," Prof. Hoodham told him calmly. "I threatened you, and the thing inside of you, and was forced to hurt you by fighting back."
Lee's hand jumped to his bare arms, which were littered with bruises as dark as his eyes, for Nurse Gornray had yet to heal them. Suddenly, that question was erased. Lee wondered if anger at Prof. Hoodham would come. He wondered if he was an emotional person. But nothing did came. Just a new, strange voice in his head.
"Well, he had to fight back, didn't he? I was trying to kill him!"
Lee would've chuckled if it was funny.
"Nah," Lee said awkwardly. "It's okay. You had to fight back."
"I called that thing's bluff," Professor Hoodham said grimly. "I wasn't sure if it was going to work. Lee, I was not going to kill you. I'd die before I sacrificed one of my own pupils. Understand?"
Lee nodded, slightly stunned at the hard edge of determination in Professor Hoodham's voice. And his respect for the man soared a little higher.
Professor Hoodham looked relieved, and rose slowly. "Lee, before I go... I'm sorry. That thing's gone, and taken half of you with it in its panic. I'm sorry I couldn't have saved your memories."
"Still saved me, didn't you?" Lee smiled, obeying the little voice in his head. It seemed to make sense. "I'm alive. I can still build up those memories again, right?"
Professor Hoodham nodded slowly. "Hmm. Yes. But it won't be like it was, of course. Still, there's always a chance..."
"What are my odds?" Again, the little voice came up with a good question. Lee liked it. He liked its logic.
"6,341,234 to 1," Professor Hoodham replied calmly.
Lee's mouth fell open. He couldn't help it. "I... wow!"
"There's triggers, certainly," Professor Hoodham said softly. "But usually it's just the one. And the odds of you coming across that trigger are very slim. At best, you can hope for random thoughts and memories to be sprung at you at certain times. However... the chances of your real memories returning are... darn near impossible."
Lee grinned weakly. "Gee."
Professor Hoodham chuckled darkly. "And I'm sure your friends can take over from there."
Friends... The word seemed so vague to Lee. He wanted details. He wanted names. He wanted a run-down of their histories; his and their's. Maybe his cousin would come back. Maybe she could tell him things. Or that Madeleine girl. Lee smiled at the memory of her.
"Professor, before you leave... can you tell me about Madeleine?"
Professor Hoodham paused, his back to Lee, so his expression was unreadable. Lee waited impatiently, but Hoodham didn't speak for a very long, long time.
"Miss Baudelaire?"
"I... I don't know," he admitted, slightly ashamed of the fact. "She's like... small, with dark hair and-"
"Madeleine Baudelaire is Head of the Warriors here at Orchid Hill," Professor Hoodham said simply. "Just as your cousin is Head of the Spies."
Lee was slightly stumped at that. His cousin? And Madeleine?! But they both looked so...
Well, he wouldn't have expected it. Madeleine was so pretty and Kira was so... out there?
"Who are the other Heads?"
"Macy Deltine is Head of the Academics, and Will Wright is Head of the Carers."
"All girls?"
"All girls," the Professor confirmed, then, with another lazy flick of his hand, the curtain whipped open. Down at the doors, Nurse Gornray jumped, spinning around with a silently squirming pair of pupils held aloft.
Professor Hoodham looked blankly at her for a few moments. "Oh."
"Shaking it out of them, Professor," Nurse Gornray told him jovially. "They've swallowed some nasty stuff up in their Chemistry class. So I'm shaking it out of them, before it reacts badly with their psychokenisis."
Professor Hoodham stared blankly for a few more seconds, then, seeming to accept it, shrugged, and walked on past.
"Carry on," he replied serenely and closed the door behind him.
"Yes."
Professor Major Hoodham sat in the chair beside him, the nurse pouring over the many, deep red scars on his outstretched arms. Every time her finger touched the tip of one, Professor Hoodham's lips tightened slightly, but otherwise, he gave no outward sign of the pain he was in. Lee sat up in his bed, staring at him in awe. For some reason, Major Hoodham commanded his respect. For some reason, Major Hoodham amazed him. Perhaps it was his total cool, calm, collected-ness. Perhaps it was that he was so down to earth. So logical; so matter-of-fact.
Lee liked that.
That's why he didn't understand. "I don't understand."
Professor Hoodham nodded gravely. "I have... seen it before. It's a rare power, but it's there. Manipulation of the mind's thoughts, senses and feelings is an intense process. Whoever was inside your mind obviously had to have been there for a long time to have had this sort of effect on you. You'd been having nightmares, your friend, Ellie, tells me."
"Really?" Lee said quickly, latching onto this new fact. "I don't dream at all now. Either I don't sleep, or I don't dream."
"Your body is still adjusting to the way it was before- without that other person's presence inside of you. Don't worry. It'll come in time."
"So..." Lee said slowly. "This person... was the enemy?"
"Yes. Working for my brother, Marius. Do you remember the Orchid War?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm. Alright. So it's just your personal memories that remain out of reach?"
"Yes, Professor." Lee stopped, and Professor Major Hoodham didn't reply. Nurse Gornray was tutting now, and her magic fingers were beginning to pass over the scars. Lee watched, slightly awed, as the wounds began to melt and mould into each other, healing rapidly.
Hoodham sighed, his eyes closed as the golden touch of the healer surround him. He leaned back, his head resting on the wall.
"Thank you, Nurse Gornray."
"It's alright, Professor," Nurse Gornray grinned, apparently pleased with herself. "It's my job. Ain't nothing big."
"A pay rise would seem in order."
"Well, now, if you put it like that..."
Professor Hoodham chuckled, and Nurse Gornray turned away, tottering back down the beds towards a couple of students who'd just arrived. The students peered around Nurse Gornray, gazing open-mouthed at the phenomenom Lee knew he'd probably become. And their eyebrows shot even further up at the sight of their Headmaster. Professor Hoodham ignored them, leaning round, and flicked his hand carelessly. The curtain whipped around them giving them some privacy.
Lee stared at the curtains for a few moments. "Telekenisis."
"Correct," Professor Hoodham smiled slightly. "Sharp boy."
Lee laughed uncertainly. "I try."
"Chess champion, actually."
Lee's mouth dropped slightly. "Me? Seriously?!"
"Four times, by my last count."
Lee remained silent for a few minutes, contemplating yet another startling fact. Then, slowly, he started to laugh. "Wow! I was a nerd!"
Professor Hoodham smiled. "I suppose you were." He sat up properly now, looking at Lee. "I believe I owe you an apology."
Lee was startled in silence, the laughter dying instantaneously. "Me? Why?"
"I threatened to kill you," Prof. Hoodham told him calmly. "I threatened you, and the thing inside of you, and was forced to hurt you by fighting back."
Lee's hand jumped to his bare arms, which were littered with bruises as dark as his eyes, for Nurse Gornray had yet to heal them. Suddenly, that question was erased. Lee wondered if anger at Prof. Hoodham would come. He wondered if he was an emotional person. But nothing did came. Just a new, strange voice in his head.
"Well, he had to fight back, didn't he? I was trying to kill him!"
Lee would've chuckled if it was funny.
"Nah," Lee said awkwardly. "It's okay. You had to fight back."
"I called that thing's bluff," Professor Hoodham said grimly. "I wasn't sure if it was going to work. Lee, I was not going to kill you. I'd die before I sacrificed one of my own pupils. Understand?"
Lee nodded, slightly stunned at the hard edge of determination in Professor Hoodham's voice. And his respect for the man soared a little higher.
Professor Hoodham looked relieved, and rose slowly. "Lee, before I go... I'm sorry. That thing's gone, and taken half of you with it in its panic. I'm sorry I couldn't have saved your memories."
"Still saved me, didn't you?" Lee smiled, obeying the little voice in his head. It seemed to make sense. "I'm alive. I can still build up those memories again, right?"
Professor Hoodham nodded slowly. "Hmm. Yes. But it won't be like it was, of course. Still, there's always a chance..."
"What are my odds?" Again, the little voice came up with a good question. Lee liked it. He liked its logic.
"6,341,234 to 1," Professor Hoodham replied calmly.
Lee's mouth fell open. He couldn't help it. "I... wow!"
"There's triggers, certainly," Professor Hoodham said softly. "But usually it's just the one. And the odds of you coming across that trigger are very slim. At best, you can hope for random thoughts and memories to be sprung at you at certain times. However... the chances of your real memories returning are... darn near impossible."
Lee grinned weakly. "Gee."
Professor Hoodham chuckled darkly. "And I'm sure your friends can take over from there."
Friends... The word seemed so vague to Lee. He wanted details. He wanted names. He wanted a run-down of their histories; his and their's. Maybe his cousin would come back. Maybe she could tell him things. Or that Madeleine girl. Lee smiled at the memory of her.
"Professor, before you leave... can you tell me about Madeleine?"
Professor Hoodham paused, his back to Lee, so his expression was unreadable. Lee waited impatiently, but Hoodham didn't speak for a very long, long time.
"Miss Baudelaire?"
"I... I don't know," he admitted, slightly ashamed of the fact. "She's like... small, with dark hair and-"
"Madeleine Baudelaire is Head of the Warriors here at Orchid Hill," Professor Hoodham said simply. "Just as your cousin is Head of the Spies."
Lee was slightly stumped at that. His cousin? And Madeleine?! But they both looked so...
Well, he wouldn't have expected it. Madeleine was so pretty and Kira was so... out there?
"Who are the other Heads?"
"Macy Deltine is Head of the Academics, and Will Wright is Head of the Carers."
"All girls?"
"All girls," the Professor confirmed, then, with another lazy flick of his hand, the curtain whipped open. Down at the doors, Nurse Gornray jumped, spinning around with a silently squirming pair of pupils held aloft.
Professor Hoodham looked blankly at her for a few moments. "Oh."
"Shaking it out of them, Professor," Nurse Gornray told him jovially. "They've swallowed some nasty stuff up in their Chemistry class. So I'm shaking it out of them, before it reacts badly with their psychokenisis."
Professor Hoodham stared blankly for a few more seconds, then, seeming to accept it, shrugged, and walked on past.
"Carry on," he replied serenely and closed the door behind him.
