Strength by Angela B. Macala-Guajardo

moment as he ran, then said, “We used to be friends. He’s not who he once was.”
    Roxie wanted to know what happened but her body must have run out of adrenaline. The pain increased tenfold. She urged through clenched teeth for Aerigo to hurry, then started moaning. The longest and most excruciating minute of her life later, they reached the back porch. It felt like her knees were being held together only by her skin, and her whole body felt like Daio had stepped on her, instead of squashed her with his hand. Aerigo sidestepped inside and the screen door screeched shut behind them.
    “Oh, my god! What happened?” Grandma said.
    “Where’s your nearest shower tub?” Aerigo said.
    “This way!”
    Roxie recognized the path down the hall, and then the acoustics of the bathroom. She opened her eyes when she felt the ceramic tub touch her skin, then screamed once her full weight settled on it. She gasped for breath as she tried to find a way to take in air without it hurting. Every bone in her body had to be broken, or almost broken. She hugged her arms to her chest and raised her knees so her feet were flat in the tub.
    “Is there anything I can do to help?” Grandma said from the doorway.
    Aerigo reentered the bathroom with a bottle full of a clear oil. “Rub this all over her.” He popped open the cap and squeezed a generous portion into Grandma’s hands. “Rox, I apologize. This is going to feel worse before it feels better.”
    Before she could voice her question, she understood what Aerigo meant. The oil felt like it was burning her skin off. Roxie screamed again and started begging them to stop. The fire spread over one arm and leg, then the others, over her stomach and back and neck and face and hands and feet and hips and knees and ankles and elbows—everywhere. Roxie stopped her pleading and broke into sobs. She wished she’d never run off.
    Roxie heard her grandmother sniff. She squinted open her eyes and discovered she wasn’t the only one crying. Then she noticed Aerigo’s eyes were aglow, strangely with a swirling of blue and red, the colors of sadness and anger. She’d never seen her eyes do that, nor been told they have. They glowed one color at a time; not two.
    “Turn on the water and set it at room temperature,” Aerigo said.
    Grandma turned the handle and water gushed over Roxie’s toes. Her heart started beating faster as she watched Aerigo pour more oil in the water. Thankfully, the water’s touch brought relief, instead of pain. Roxie tried stifling her sobs in hopes of encouraging her grandmother to stop crying as well.
    “Plug up the drain and please go pack some change clothes and travel items for Rox.”
    Grandma wiped her eyes. “Where are you going?”
    “Away from here. New York City. The sooner we leave, the sooner you’re safe from Daio. He’ll follow us and leave you in peace.”
    “Take a plane. It’s the fastest way to get there. Roxie can show you the way to the airport.”
    “Can’t you come with us?” Roxie asked in a hoarse voice. The water filled the tub enough to cover her feet, which were the only parts of her body that had stopped hurting.
    “It wouldn’t be wise,” Aerigo said. “We have to leave as soon as you can walk.”
    “But bones take weeks to heal! And who knows how long until my knees will work again.”
    “You’re a proper Aigis now. You heal a lot faster than a human can.”
    News of her healing powers didn’t bring any comfort. Grandma left the bathroom.
    Aerigo kneeled beside the tub and tested the water. “Feeling any better yet?”
    “Just where the water’s touching.” Sobs still snuck out of Roxie. Overall she did feel a little better, however she felt like one massive bruise holding together a bunch of fractured bones. Aerigo cupped some water and poured it over Roxie’s knee, then gently rubbed it a couple times, making her clench her teeth. Aerigo poured another handful of water on her knee and rubbed again, but that time