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  This time, Jason was actually surprised to wake up at all.  After that stomping, he didn't think there would  be anything left of him.  He lay on his back.  The room was dark and quiet.  He thought he could hear Emily breathing somewhere above him.    


  He  honestly contemplated standing up at all.  Unlike before when he had passed out. . . This time the pain was still here.  He felt it in his ribs and back.  He had control of his limbs, but his ribs were still definitely broken.      The only thing that lifted him to his feet was the plan he and Rachel had put into motion earlier that day.  Jason didn't know for sure if Emily would tie him up at night or not, but he was glad she didn't. He strained himself and eventually climbed to his feet.  He stood for a moment, just breathing, thinking about the task at hand.  He focused the way he had before, but little to no relief came of it.      


  Realizing that nobody was going to save him if he didn't save himself, he began to walk.  He passed under Emily's bed, walking around the dirty clothes and discarded shoes and sandals.   He was headed for the far wall of her room.  


  It took him a good 20 minutes to reach it with him nursing his ribs and an unknown limp.  He could see her hamper by the moonlight, and walked around it, almost to the goal.   There it was, the vent between Emily's room and the guest bedroom next door.  He scanned the grate, finding the zip tie that he had told Rachel to put on it.   


   Jason reached for it, putting pressure on his ribs.  He winced and withdrew his hand, but suffered through and grabbed the plastic tie.   He pulled, hoping that his current strength was enough to get it to budge.  Having foresight, he had had Rachel spray the hinges of the vent with wd40, making it easier to pull, while also eliminating the possibility of it squealing and waking up his sister.    


   It took some work, but he finally managed to pull the grate open.  He rested, holding his ribs for a minute before soldiering on.  He climbed into the vent, unable to see, but trudged forward slowly until his knees bumped into something solid.  Jason already knew it was a book.  Something to cross the gap where the vent came up from downstairs. He was glad he had someone like Rachel to rely on.    


  He climbed on to the book, and made his way across, jumping off on the other side.  From there, he saw that Rachel had followed his instructions to the T.  The vent in the guest bedroom was already open.  He passed through and into the room.  


   The guestroom was relatively empty, only containing a queen size bed and a couple night stands.  An oak dresser stood along 1 wall.  His mother did take great care to keep it clean though, and often rearranged or modified it for something to kill time.   


 Jason walked across the thick carpet of the floor, struggling to keep his balance.   His ribs really began to ache as he finally made it under the bed, and found what the whole escapade was for.  There, with the charging light green, was his cell phone.      He  rushed to it, feeling a massive weight lifted off his shoulders.  The only question was, did he have the strength left to use it.  Jason walked to the center button at the bottom and tried to press it.  He jumped on it, but it was too stiff.   


 "You have got to be kidding me!" He said to himself as he grabbed the charger cord, which was plugged into the wall behind the head board.  He dragged it to the wall, and using all of his strength, propped it up.  


   Jason paused, holding his ribs for a moment.  He took a knee and just breathed.  He knew this wasn't good.  Emily might have really done it this time.  She might have broken him.   Composing himself,  he rose and tried the button again.  He backed up a few steps and took a run at it.   He lunged out with a kick, striking it with all he had. He was rewarded with a burst of light.      


Jason sighed with relief, shielding his eyes.    Walking up to it,  he pulled the device  from the wall and put it on the ground.  Not wasting a second, he immediately pounded in his password, not knowing if he had the energy to turn it on again if it shut off.   


He looked over the screen.  5 missed calls.  He punched into them.  3 from Clyde, one from Rachel, which was a new number she had added as part of the plan, and one from dad.  Jason checked the date on his dad's call.  It was dated 3 days ago, right around the time his accident had happened.   His heart sunk a little, knowing he really couldn't ask for help directly, knowing Rachel would definitely feel Emily's wrath if she was able to connect the dots.     


Jason selected text messages, and found Rachel in his contacts.  He realised that contacting her for any reason would jeopardize them both, so he changed the name in the phone to "Red".       He started a new message and sent [thank you so much, everything worked well] using the speak function.  It was 4 in the morning, but he had promised he would message as soon as he could.       He sent one more message, before propping the phone back up, and beginning the long trek back to Emily's room.  A half hour and damaged ribs later, he reached the area where Emily had nearly finished him off.  Bearing the humiliation, he layed down in the barely perceivable foot print Emily had left him in, assuming the position.   He nursed his ribs for a while, before drifting off to sleep.     


 The next morning, he awoke to the sound of Emily pounding around her room getting ready.  He opened an eye just as her big foot fell right beside him, causing him to scream and flinch.  Emily paused and looked down at the tiny boy, a look of disgust on her face.  


   "Can I help you?" She asked, her bitchy tone prevalent. 


   "S-sorry, I just thought you were going to step on me." He apologized. 


 "Calm down you little freak.  Everything isn't always about you!" She said as she continued her morning routine, brushing her hair in the mirror.      Jason began to sit up, but immediately layed back down as his rib pain flared again.  He stayed down, just holding them, as Emily finished up.  She was dressed in black leggings and her tan ugg boots.  She also had her high school volleyball sweatshirt on.  Jason wondered what she was dressed for, but didn't have to wait long to find out.   


"Coach called a meeting this morning to discuss our loss last night.  I mean, I know why we lost, but apparently the idiot just figured it out.  "The idiot" she was referring to was coach Matthews.  Jason had never met him, but from what he had heard, the man was a light hearted jackass of sorts.   


 "I have some good news for you.  . . .well. . Maybe not GOOD news but interesting all the same!" She continued.  First of all, put these on." She said, tossing what looked like a little suit coat and pants at him.  


   "It's not that it's a special occasion, these are just all Kylie had left since she doesn't play with her dolls anymore."    


Jason knew the time to rest was over.  If he pissed off his sister,  embarrassing clothes would be the least of his worries.  He braced his chest and stood up, walking to wear the clothes had fallen.  Taking off his shirt, he froze for a moment looking at his chest.  It was a dark black and blue, blotches of yellow highlighted the bruises.     


"Fuck my life." He said, looking himself over.    


 He finished changing, and waited for Emily to pick him up. Finally she walked to him, and extended her palm to him.  He stepped into it without a fight, and held on to her thumb for support.   She stood again, and headed to her door.  She took a final look around her room before shutting the light off and walking into the hallway.  


  "As I was saying, I have a surprise for you.  A guest actually.    Jason's heart fluttered.  Knowing Emily, it wasn't going to be any one he wanted to see or anyone who would help him in the long run.      She walked down the stairs and to her left.


     "Get ready!" She said cheerfully as she rounded the corner.      She walked into the dining room to reveal. . . . Mya Anderson. 


Mya Anderson:18, tall(5'10)super intelligent, minor rival to Jason in shared classes(senior)Brown hair and glasses.    


 "Oh fuck!" Jason said under his breath as he saw Mya sitting at the dining room table, with Kylie sitting across from her. She had on her standard school outfit (which Jason found odd seeing  as how it was sunday) of a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up, a pleated skirt, knee socks, and black and white converses. She was making small talk, asking about. Kylie's school when they walked in.  She lifted her head and knodded at them.     Emily pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, placing Jason on the table between the 3 of them.    


   "Good morning Jason!" Kylie said, chipperly, as if they hadn't been at constant odds as of the last 3 days.     He  ignored her, staring at Mya with a look of terror mixed with anger on his face.  


    "What. . . .what is SHE doing here?!" He demanded.   


 "Umm, how about hello?"  Emily responded, countering his rudeness. 


      "This is Mya!" Kylie said, excited.   


"He knows, Kylie." Emily answered.    


"WHAT. IS. SHE. DOING HERE!" Jason said as loudly as he could.   


"Would you shut up already" Emily shouted back.  


   Finally Mya spoke, adjusting her glasses.      


"Your sister mentioned to me on yesterday after her game that you had a little. . . .accident.  She said if I helped her out with you, I could see your dad's lab."  She explained.  


  Mya Anderson was not only the smartest kid in school, she was also one of the smartest kids in the country.  She had been accepted into multiple colleges by age 15, and had decided to stay in high school just to absorb the experience of it all.  She excelled in science and was a huge fan of their father and his work.  The chance to see his home lab, was one she couldn't pass on.  


  "That doesn't answer my question." Jason retorted.


   "Look Mya, I'm sorry my brother is such a rude little ass, but you already knew that didn't you." Emily said, putting a hand on Mya's shoulder.     Emily turned to speak down to him.     " she is here to examine you.  Examine you and tell me exactly what you're capable of, and design me a plan to keep you from ever escaping.  I'll know your every move little brother!"She explained, a grin forming on her face.      


Jason took a step back as the reality of the situation hit him.  There was no better person to do a job like this and he, his sister, and Mya all knew it.     


"Well, shall we get started?" Mya asked, sounding very professional.      She reached beside her and picked up her backpack.  Setting it gently on the table, she began to take out supplies.  Among them, a laptop, an electronic scale, an old-fashioned notebook and a measuring tape.


  "Ok.  So first I need to ask you guys a few questions." She said, opening her laptop. 


She connected the scale to it with a usb cord.


"Jason, how much did you weigh originally?" 


"Uh. . 130 pounds" he answered quietly. 


"Ok, step on the scale please." She said, motioning to the shine stainless steel surface.  He walked slowly over to it, holding his ribs.  It took him a moment, but he finally stepped on to it. The scale calculated for a second before displaying  [4.0] ounces.


   "Hmm.  That's interesting." Mya said, typing into her computer. 


  "What is it?" Emily asked, suddenly interested.


  "Well. . . According to the numbers, at Jason's current height and previous weight, he should weigh about 2.5 to 3 ounces."


"Yeah, so?" "It means that his body is significantly more dense then it should be, while not taking on any more size.  It's incredible."  Mya finished.


"I mean, that's cool I guess" Emily said, not really grasping it.


"Ok.  What do you weigh Emily?" Mya asked, looking up from the screen. "Oh uh, . . .about 150." She answered quietly, looking away. 


Mya gave her a blank stare. Across the table, Kylie burst out laughing, slapping the table in her laughing fit.  Jason just kept his head down, nursing his chest. 


"Hey, you can shut up Kylie!" She said defensively 


"She weighs 185 pounds." Kylie revealed. "She told me the other day." She finished, still  giggling.  Mya looked to Jason, expecting to see a reaction out of him, but he didn't even crack a smile. 


"Oh yeah, well dad says you're going to be even bigger than me someday so just keep laughing Kylie!" Emily countered, just looking for something to say.  


Kylie's laughter died down, but she still wore her grin.  "Alright, so back to the density.  The best way to understand it, is to say that if you were your same size, you would weigh about 300 pounds. Only, you would move just like you do now, or even faster from what you described he can do. " Mya explained.


  "Woah, that's so cool!" Kylie chimmed in. "And that little suit makes him even cooler!" 


"Well somebody has to wear a different outfit once in a while." Jason said jokingly, but still not looking up.


 


He  always gave Kylie shit for wearing the same basic outfit everyday.


    "Hey!" Kylie shouted as she realized he was making fun of her. 


Jason couldn't explain it, but he suddenly felt inclined to take a step back, then move his head to the left.  He didn't fight it, and stepped back, just as Kylie reached up to flick him in the chest. Her finger caught nothing but air.  He waited a moment, before moving his head, as she flicked again, this time for his face. He avoided it too, the look on his face never changing.  She was about to try again when Emily broke it up. 


"Stop it you two, you're embarrassing me in front of Mya." She shouted.   Kylie sat back down and folded her arms, pouting. 


Mya had been watching the whole thing, and began to type quickly.  Jason couldn't take standing anymore and sat down on the scale, still holding his chest.  His face was pale now.  


"Are. . .you ok?" Mya asked, noticing him. 


"It's my-" he began, but looked over to see Emily giving him the evil eye.


"Yeah, I. . . I'm fine." He corrected quietly.  Mya brought her face close to him, looking him over.  


"Do you mind if I take a peek?" She asked calmly, half to Jason, half to Emily.


  "I mean, if you really want to.  You can do whatever you want to him, by the way!" She said as her and Kylie shared a chuckle.   Mya ignored her comment and gently stuck out her palm for Jason to climb on. 


"Take off your jacket please." She commanded, still politely.  Jason hesitated, before slipping his arms out and laying it off to the side.  


"Eww gross!" Kylie said obnoxiously as she saw his heavily bruised body.   Even Emily was taken aback by the sight.  "What the hell?" She said under her breath.  Mya didn't react, but pulled out a magnifying glass. She studied him, looking over his battered body.  "What happened to you?" She asked, slight worry in her voice.


   "Oh I uh. . -"


"Emily squashed him good!" Kylie blurted out.  A flash of horror shown in Mya's eye, but her face remained unchanged. 


"Yeah, that." Jason admitted dejected. 


 


"Well yeah I did, but. . .but he always healed himself before. " Emily added, defending her actions. 


"Interesting." Was the only reply Mya offered.   She set down the magnifying glass and looked to Jason.  


"Can I try something?" 


Jason said nothing, just expecting her to do it Anyway.   "Lay down." She said to him.  He paused, before gingerly laying down in her palm, stomach up. Kylie and Emily watched on, as Mya began to stroke his chest as gently as possible, although it still caused him to withdraw from her touch.  She felt one side of his ribs, then the other with her giant finger tip, before rolling him over and doing the same on his back.


"Hmm." She said finally.  "It looks like they are all broken" she informed them all. 


Kylie's face was shock and horror when she heard the news. She looked to Emily, not sure what to expect.


  "Why. . . Why isn't he healing?" She asked Mya, putting her hands in front of her mouth. 


"I'm not entirely sure.  I do have some ideas though." She said, rolling him over again. Mya moved him even closer to her face and studied his legs, noticing one was slightly longer than the other.  "I'm going to try something Jason.  It might hurt a little bit." She warned him as her long slender fingers from her other hand came into view.  


She carefully grabbed his slim waist, and began a slight pull. She could feel tiny joints popping into alignment as she added traction.  Jason immediately felt somewhat better.   Next she held his upper body steady with her palmed fingers.  Mya put her index finger on his hip, and pushed quickly and sharply.  A small crack could be heard, and instantly Jason could feel relief begin to flow again.   


"Is that any better?" Mya asked as she held him in a stretch for a moment.  


"Actually. . .yes it is" Jason answered quietly.  "Your body is pretty far out of adjustment.  It stopped the flow of whatever heals you.  That should offer you some relief, but time is wasting. " she said as she set him back on the table.  


"Let me see the rest of the house"  Mya commanded, standing.     

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