Chapter 3

In a flash, Travis spun on his heel, grabbing Kyle by the scruff of his neck. his foster brother hadn't noticed the globes. He was too busy looking down at the dance floor; so when he saw him swinging for him, he looked like he didn't know what to think.

But there was no time to explain. Travis glommed on to his brother and threw him underneath him, promptly quieted his mind to take on his stone like state. If it was a bomb this would be the only way they'd survive. The globes hovered close to the ceiling all around the club, and it was most unfortunate for the people on the balcony that the things were right above their heads. There was no time to escape.

He threw his hands over his head and eyes just in case, but not before risking a quick look at his friends. They had come to the same conclusion. There was no way in hell they were making it downstairs and out the door before these things went off. Their only option now was to dive for cover. When Connor came to that realization he grabbed the back of the big leather chair Brenna was sitting in and unceremoniously dumped her out of it before promptly covering her prostrated body with it, everyone who noticed him doing it, got with the program and did the same. Chairs, couches, and tables started popping and flipping all over the place like popcorn in a crowded theater. The music was still playing, but you couldn't hear it over the screams.

Everyone cowered on the floor covering their heads; some even plugged their ears in anticipation of the loud bang that would come with the explosion, he could see it all clearly from his spot on the madly protesting Kyle.

And wasn't that just the that cute  thing, apparently Kyle thought he had a choice as to whether he would save him – think again dude.

Travis looked up wondering why the thing hadn't had gone off yet, and wondered again if he had enough time to crawl away when it burst like a water balloon, spraying a fine mist directly in his eyes. Everyone screamed in unison which indicated to him they had gotten sprayed too.

He had to guess because he couldn't see. His eyes stung like a mother. Damn his stupidity, he hadn't turned his eyes to stone because he had wanted to see what was happening, but he wished he had.

They were watering like a son-of-a-bitch .

Kyle's muffled voice rose from underneath him, "Brah what's happening? He squeezed out with a groan." Let me up. I'm helpless her." He pleaded.

Travis panicked when he sounded like he was being crushed, and eased up on him a bit; until Kyle groaned in relief.

When he was able to keep his stinging eyes open for more than three seconds he risked a quick look above his head to find that the globes were gone.

So he cautiously got up off of Kyle who was still laboring to breath. And suddenly he realized ah . . . shit, he must be pretty heavy when he's turned to stone, because Kyle looked like road kill does after it's been run over by a Mac Truck.

"Oops . . . sorry Bro, did I crush you?" Trav reached his hand down to check for any protruding bones frisking his brother vigorously.

"Quit it, "Kyle said letting out a muffled groan, before slowly turning over. To Travis's relief he seemed to inflate as he did it. He squeaked out, "Brah never do that again."

Travis stood up and took a look around. All around him kids were doing the same. They looked like a bunch of gofers coming up out of their holes. Lots of them were squinting and wiping the liquid off their bare arms and legs. He took a quick look at the dance floor. The people that hadn't made it out in time were lying in a heap of bodies. Tangled together like snakes. There were loud moans and cries from the people who had been trampled in the stampede for the door. Lots of people were crying, especially the ones who had experienced the bombing during the Samhain ball. They had relived that horrible night in their minds no doubt.

WTF was this all about he had to wonder? He wasn't a bright guy he didn't come to brilliant conclusions like Zach and Lauren did. He couldn't even begin to imagine why someone would want to send . . . what . . . essentially magic water balloons into a crowded club, and cause a wide scale panic.

No one aside from the trampled seemed injured. He felt fine even his eyes stung less. So why do it? Was it just to demonstrate they could? To show everyone that the club wasn't as safe as they thought? Why the hell would Liam's crew target the Halfblood club? They weren't going to enlist any new recruits this way. The arguments had begun recently at school, as to whether the seniors should defy the council, and join the cause instead, but he doubted they would now.

Travis reached out his hand to Kyle to help him up and drew him to his feet. He dusted him off as he came up giving him a once over to make sure he was alright before he went over to the rest of his friends.

He almost laughed when Connor finally took the chair off of Brenna. He looked like he was afraid she would hit him, but she had just smiled at him and reached out her hand for him to help her up. When he threw his hands to the side and backed up she just looked sad as she sprung to her feet herself.

Meg looked pissed that Cam had pulled the 'I'm protecting you shit', thing again. The girl was seriously scary. Ray was helping Liv off the floor and patting her on the back looking concerned. Liv's eyes were scanning the crowd and he didn't need three guesses to guess who she was looking for. Marley must have been backstage when it all went down but she'd wasted no time getting to her girlfriend after the fact. She leapt from the stage and brushed passed him with her vampiric speed, taking a scared Liv in her arms. Liv's face lit up when she pulled her from her to check if she was injured, and seeming satisfied, they melted into each other once again.

Travis couldn't help but smile at the scene. So far it looked to him like none of the others had gotten sprayed which was great, but sprayed with what he had to wonder? He only knew the when and the where of this mystery, which left the why, the what, and the how of it. Why do it? What was in the balloons? And how the hell did they get them passed the wards?

He got to his cluster of friends who he noted looked as confused as he was as they checked each other for injuries. Luckily aside from some bumps and bruises, they were fairly unscathed.

SHIT guys what happened? He heard Zach's voice in his head.

He looked down to the dance floor to see Lauren and Zach weaving through the throng of people trying to make it to them on the balcony. Fric and Frac were with them picking those that could stand off the floor. The bartenders were going around with clean clothes and ice for people's wounds. Trav hoped the Medmages would be here soon.

Then he remembered the rest of the gang had been on the dance floor and he rushed to the edge of the balcony.

Zach must have heard his thoughts, because he leaned into say something to Lauren before they both changed direction and started looking through the people that were lying on the ground for CJ, Ryan, and Xan.

Finally someone had decided that Rihanna's Work was not a fitting backdrop to tend to the wounded and shut the music the fuck down. And he could suddenly hear himself think. He looked to the rest of the gang who were milling about upstairs looking for anyone who might have gotten hurt there. They found a fourth year Halfblood Brownie that had sprained her ankle but aside from that everyone seemed okay for the moment. Who knew what was in the balloons and when it would take effect, besides until they dealt with the crisis downstairs he and his crew were stuck here.

No, going downstairs and adding bodies to that mess was out of the question.

It was a relief when the Medmages arrived. They spread out like a fan from the door, starting first with people who were unresponsive on the floor then working their way upstairs. One examined him for a long time after he told him he was sprayed in the eyes with the liquid, but he hadn't found anything.

"Mr. Stone we have a portal downstairs waiting for the injured. I'd like you to come with us. I need to do some good old fashion blood tests, and some other not so standard tests that my field kit doesn't contain."

When Trav looked reluctant, he insisted, "It's not advisable for you to ignore the threat. Who knows what the insurgents are capable of?"

"You heard him Brah," Kyle jumped in, "if you won't go willingly well I'm sure if we all pitched in we could manage to lift you." Kyle looked at all his friends who laughed and nodded their heads in agreement.

Travis laughed too at the picture in his head that he suddenly got of them all struggle to lift up the stone statue that he could become.

"Okay he said reluctantly, "If you think it's necessary."

"And I'll come with you Brah," Kyle added.

"I'm afraid you haven't any choice actually, "the nervous Medmage said, "Everyone has to be checked as a precaution you understand?"

They all nodded solemnly and trudged downstairs unhappily.

So much for their fun night out, Travis thought sadly. All he wanted to do tonight was try and forget the crazy mixed up world they lived in and to be a teen guy, whose biggest worries were acne and girls and not exactly in that order, what he would get instead would be poked and prodded and given tones of foul tasting elixirs. He rolled his eyes when he saw Lara wave at him unhappily as he exited the club.

Outside he noticed that the portal was indeed waiting just on the opposite side of the door. It took awhile for everyone to go through, as they could only transport two or three people at a time, but at least the medmages were nice enough to ask the first timers or novices if they needed any help. And boy was he glad he hadn't refused, because the entire experience was disconcerting AF. He didn't know what way was up or what was down inside the vortex and when it was over he felt oddly violated.

He'd ported with Meg when they chased down the deathworm, but that had been in the heat of the moment and it had been somehow different too, more like a magical slide then this . . . whatever it was . . . chalk it up on the list of things he never wanted to do again.

Once on the other side, as he sat in a waiting room waiting to be seen by a more senior medmage, he got a feeling that the medmage that had seen him in the field was stumped and perhaps they needed to call in an expert on . . . what . . . exploding water balloons? Who knows?

When his name was called his friends all stood up with him and patted him on the back before he set out down the white halls of the medical centre. When he got to the room he was being led to by a friendly female mage she opened the door and told him to strip and put on a Johnnie coat. She handed the blue thing to him, as he looked at it dubiously. Wondering did Johnnie coats even come in his size. He was right though when he went to try it on he'd ripped it trying to get it across his large shoulders. So he decided to greet the doc in his boxers and wife-beater.

When the doctor entered the room you could have knocked him over with a feather -- would his world ever stop being weird? He'd been expecting an old dude in a lab coat what he got was a dude in a grass skirt with pancake makeup all over his face and red lines painted over his eyes and a real bone through his nose. He walked in like there was nothing weird about the way he was dressed in a modern day hospital and walked right up to Trav to introduce himself.

He chuckled at the look on Travis' face before he spoke, "Don't worry mate," he began, "I get that look a lot." He pointed to Travis' stunned face for emphasis and continued when Trav's mouth fell open, "especially when the shocked individual hears my British Accent."

"I'm a Tanzanian born Swahili, Babu or what you Westerners like refer to as a 'Witchdoctor'. If you are wondering why I am here let me put your mind at ease. We 'witchdoctors" are experts in the field of witchcraft-induced ailments and conditions.

Trav was speechless. He'd never been reprimanded before for things he hadn't said. So he lay back apologetically afraid to say anything, unless asked, he was too nervous he would offend him again.

"Now I've been made to believe that it is you that may have been doused with the highest concentration of the concoction, is that correct?

If the Medmages thought that, who was he to contradict them? So he nodded his head in agreement, and laid back on the hard hospital gurney.

The witchdoctor began his ritual -- chanting and circling the gurney in the centre of the room. He had a stick that he shook over him and it rattled like it was filled with tiny stones. Travis began to shiver, but he didn't know if it had to do with the cold table and room, or his jangled nerves over this weird ass situation, or even something to do with what he'd been hit with.

The doctor got more and more frenzied and asked him to repeat after him. He did, and when the guy started slapping him hard enough to leave welts, he couldn't believe it but, if it worked to diagnose what Liam was up to then so be it. It didn't make it any less weird though.

Finally the doctor collapsed breathless on the floor and fell to his haunches. He stood up finally on shaky legs, sweat streaming down his face and chest and said, "I'm afraid I can't tell you what was used but, I can say that whatever it was wasn't fatal.

Travis' eyebrows shot up to his hairline in shock. Was that actually something he should have been concerned about? Oh now he got why his friends had insisted on coming with him and why they looked at him weird. Sometimes it took him a little longer to come to conclusions like that but they must have thought that from the start.

When the doctor dismissed him he walked down the corridor to rejoin his friends.

They all stood up when he came through the door looking like they were holding a collective breath. He walked over to them and announced, "I've got some good news and some bad news with a face a serious as a heart attack."

Kyle sat down looking like his knees gave out from under him.

"The good news is I'm going to live . . . the bad news is you're stuck with me. "He laughed at his own joke when Kyle sprung off the chair and threw himself on his back wrapping his hands around the back of his thick neck and pretending he was strangling him.

"Brah, don't ever do that to me again!" Kyle complained.

The gang jumped into the dog pile and promptly stopped worrying about him when he started to walk towards the exit with them all on his back.

****************** THANKS FOR READING********************

I hope you all liked this chapter.

Well good news Travis seems fine. I hope he stays that way?

It has to have been Liam responsible for the globes, right? Who else could it have been?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.

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