Origins- Chapter Two- Safety

Chapter Two

In which a familiar face reappears, and the Narrator uses the word "Lorgnette"

Niall wasn’t doing very well. Cassidy was going to town on his face, and he couldn’t really see anything but two flesh-coloured blobs flying into his nose. He tried to get Cassidy off of him, but the thug was built like a grizzly bear, so he couldn’t really do much. He scrabbled around for a while, and eventually managed to weasel his way out from under Cassidy and locate his glasses. Although he would never be able to wear them as normal, he held the frame tightly and brought the lens up to his eye like a lorgnette. Although he would never be able to win in a physical fight, he could at least see.

With his newly acquired vision, he looked around to locate Dianne. Once he had found her, he gestured frantically for her to go, and jumped out of the way of an incoming punch. Dianne mouthed, “I’ll go get help,” but Niall didn’t want to make a fuss. Before he could stop her, Dianne ran out of the school gates.

“Fight me like a man!” Cassidy shouted, now annoyed that he couldn’t hit Niall.

“I’d really rather not, if that’s okay with you…”

They “fought” for another few moments, Cassidy swinging at Niall, and occasionally hitting him, and Niall trying his very best to avoid being beaten to a pulp. After a short while, Dianne came back, practically dragging a man over to them. The man looked to be in his late fifties to early sixties, and he wore a long black duster, with an odd cowboy-style hat. There appeared to be a cat following the man, but that would be absurd.

“You there, the big guy. Yes, you. I’d advise you to stop what you’re doing right now,” Cassidy said, in a thick southern drawl, his bristly beard quivering as he spoke. “I don’t like bullies.”

Cassidy snorted derisively. “You gonna make me?” He asked, a little too confidently.

“Well okay then,” Cassidy replied, more confidently than Cassidy had been. Slowly, Cassidy began to back away, with a confused look on his face. He turned, equally slowly, and just as bemused-looking, before walking into the school building.

“What did you just do?” Niall asked in awe.

“I think I just made your friend go and tell the headmaster about what he’s been doing. That’s what I did,” With that, the man turned around, and walked out of the school gates. Niall was almost positive the cat was following him.

“Where did you find that guy?” Niall asked Dianne.

“I don’t know,” she replied, “He was the first person I saw. He said he was a police officer, but his badge said “Candy” on it, so it was probably a fake.”

“Well, he sure was helpful,” said Niall, watching the man walk until he turned a corner and was lost from Niall’s impaired sight.

“Um, Niall? Do you want to go get more tape?” Dianne questioned.

“I think that’s probably wise.”

* * * * *

Later that night, Niall had trouble sleeping. The benevolent stranger had seemed to have amazing authority, and Niall wanted to know why. He had stayed up late on the laptop, looking up assertiveness and mind control, but none of those things seemed to fit in with what the man had done. Niall resolved to find out more about him when the morning came. He eventually dozed off, still wearing his glasses, a book on hypnosis lying open on his chest.