You Fight For All The Wrong Reasons

My eyes can't believe what they have seen
In the corner of your room you've stock-piled millions of my memories
Oh doctor, doctor, I must have gotten sick somehow
I'm going to ask you a series of questions and I want them answered on the spot right now
-The Phrase That Pays by The Academy Is...

I heard the ring of the doorbell echo through Mitch’s house. Christina’s face appeared at the window, and opened the door. “Are you taking visitors?” I asked. Mr. Kostick had arrived two days ago, and he hadn’t let us see Mitch yesterday because he was still “getting organized”.

“Yes, we are. Oh, and happy Thanksgiving! Are you able to come over here tomorrow?”

“I think so. Cam wanted me to spend Thanksgiving with him, but I gently broke it to him that Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to food, and you’re not going to find any of that at the Payne residence.”

Christina’s eyes darkened at the sound of Cam’s name, but she laughed. “How did he take that?”

“I think he understood.”

“That’s good. So you’re definitely sure you can come over? Mitch’s mom was wondering if anyone would be able to help her with the preparations. Almost the entire pack is coming.”

Everyone must be really freaked out about Mitch. “Sure, I can get here earlier.”

“Great! I’ll be here too, and so will Julia and Alicia.”

“Sounds like a plan. Okay, let’s go see Mitch.”

We tromped up the stairs. I drummed my knuckles on Mitch’s bedroom door. “Mitch!” I called.

“Come in!”

I opened the door, and took a step back, surprised by the change of scenery.

Mitch’s room had been transformed into a hospital. Besides the headboard of his bed, nothing lined the back wall. That spaced had been cleared for the oxygen tank that ran its tubes up Mitch’s bed. A heart monitor stood beside the oxygen tank, beeping steadily. A bulky ventilator loomed in the corner, waiting patiently for the dire situation in which it would be used.

Dr. Kostick had used Mitch’s desk as a lab - pill bottles and aerosolized medications and a half a dozen devices that I couldn’t name were scattered about the surface. In the corner of the room was a bulky bag, probably full of Dr. Kostick’s medical equipment.

Mitch grinned at us from behind his face mask, and then slipped it off so we could understand him. “Welcome to my oxygen bar.”

I forced a laugh and kneeled down beside Mitch’s bed, tracing the oxygen tank’s tubes with my fingers. “Things look different,” I commented. I stood back up and sized up the ventilator. “You won’t have to use this baby, right?”

“I sure hope not.”

Things were starting to get a bit sinister. I decided to change to subject. “I’m coming over for Thanksgiving tomorrow.”

Mitch’s eyes lit up. “Really? Awesome!”

“Yup. I chose you over Cam.”

“Of course you did. Who wants to spend Thanksgiving not eating?”

“I know, right? That’s practically a crime. Who cares about peace treaties? Food is the main aspect of Thanksgiving!”

Christina laughed. “You guys are too funny.”

We smiled at her. “Speaking of food, I’m starving,” Mitch said. “But I can’t leave.” He gestured to the oxygen tank. “So maybe…you could get me something? Please?”

“No problemo. I think your mom’s making dinner anyways.”

“Okay, cool.”

“Be right back, Mitch.” I shut his door and walked out with Christina. “Wow. He sounds really good,” I commented to her as we walked downstairs and into the kitchen.

“Yeah. But trust me; he would be a mess if he wasn’t on oxygen. In fact, my dad said that he wouldn’t have made it if he had been human.”

I raised my eyebrows. “But will Mitch ever get better completely? Like, will this ever go away?”

“Yes. If we treat it right, and for the right amount of time, we should be able to get the chlorine out of his system. This case is obviously different from any human one, so the treatment’s a bit different.”

I nodded. “So Mitch is your dad’s little clinical trial?”

“My dad’s been doing this forever. He knows what he’s dealing with. Oh.” Christina’s blue eyes locked on mine, and the look in them told me what she was about to say wasn’t good. “My dad also took a look at Trey’s eye yesterday. He’s gone blind in that eye.”

It had been more than obvious that Trey was going to loose his vision in that eye. But hearing it being said out loud, knowing that it was official, still deflated my hopes.

“Oh no.”

“It’s not good. But Trey’s strong. He’ll manage.”

We had found ourselves in the kitchen. Mrs. Windsor was working away at the stove. “Hey, girls,” she said without looking up. “What can I do for you?”

Christina immediately began talking to her. My eyes drifted into family room right next to us. Trey, Ashley, and Lance were all huddled around the coffee table. Their bodies blocked whatever they were studying so closely.

Curious, I wandered into the room. “Hi, guys,” I greeted. “Whatcha doin’?”

Trey looked up. His blind eye was looking inward, making him look slightly delusional. “We’re launching another attack on the vampires,” he explained. He smiled lightly. “And we planned it this time.” He held up a notebook. Diagrams and maps were intricately drawn all over the pages, and notes had been jotted down inside the margins.

“Wow,” I managed to say. “That’s…going to work.” My heart sank as I saw how perfectly each line had been etched, and how perfect each idea was behind them.

“But…” I started to say. Trey, Ashley, and Lance all looked up at me. “What if…what if these vampires aren’t the ones who did this to Mitch? Maybe it was a coven from out of the area?”

“We’ve checked,” Ashley said, his grey eyes piercing. “Their scent was on Mitch’s clothes that night. It wasn’t just a vampire-y scent; it was their scent. It was definitely that coven.”

“Oh,” I said, defeated. “Just wondering.” I walked away.

Christina met me just outside the kitchen. “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.

“We’re launching another attack on the Payne’s. And I’ve seen our game plan. It’s absolutely fool-proof.”