Crazy is the Name of My Game

(22) Prince of Fools

 Leonn Adams

"How long has she been sleeping?"

Jason's worry mirrored mine. It was so rare for him to be worried that it made things feel more unsettling.

"I dunno, eighteen? Twenty?" he replied distractedly. "Check the clock dude. I'm sure you can tell the time yourself."

Jason was crabby, and so was I. Not in our best moods, the tension radiating from us made the atmosphere inside the guest room of his mansion seemed so thick you can slice it with your finger. The maids made a wise decision not to wait on us. The food they've prepared for breakfast was still sitting on one corner untouched. It's past dinner now.

After a while, he grunted, "Hey man, will you let me pour a bucket of water on her?"

Jason paced restlessly around the room while I kept myself on a stool, my hand glued to the cold hand of the unconscious girl tucked under the duvet.

"You can't be serious," I growled as I instinctively put myself between him and Erica. He looked worn out, his blue hair in disarray, his eyes highlighted by the dark circles around them. The bandages on his injured arm were tattered. And he didn't care.

"I am," he said matter-of-factly. "She hasn’t stirred at all. Something is awfully wrong with her."

"Of course something is wrong," I answered wearily. For a smart guy, Jason could sometimes be dumb. "You don't need to point it out."

"What I'm saying, old soul, is that we shouldn't be waiting here for nothing. We need to do... something."

"Like what?" I asked snappily. The plan was for us to lay low for a while. Erica would leave Georgia as soon as the coast cleared, and then, I would never ever see her again. But how could I initiate the preparations, how could I send her off when she was in this state?

I mean, for a day she did nothing but breathe...

"For a start why don't you try to get some rest? You haven't slept a wink. We need to have your brain cells working."

"You think I can?" With my free hand, I rubbed my temples. A headache was forming. A really bad one. "Speak for yourself. You need sleep as bad as I do."

"Look at the mirror, Len. You look like hell."

I didn't bother to check. It wouldn't change anything.

"I've been thinking Jase," I started slowly, my attention focused only to the steady movement of Erica's chest. "They must've slipped something on her in the hospital. The men after her were dressed as nurses. It's easy to put two and two together... but I can't find of a way to undo it... was it a drug or..."

"Why don't we call a doctor?" he suggested with a sigh. He walked towards the windows and slightly moved the curtains to allow the moonlight inside the huge room.

I shook my head. "Risky. I'm not letting anyone near her."

He merely snorted, his blue eyes showing the irritation and fatigue he unnecessarily shouldered for the past few hours. "Oh. So do humor me and say you had a medical degree in your past life, that you can see what on earth is wrong with your girl. Come on, Adams. Tell me."

"Not now, Jase. Do me a favor and shut your trap."

"You are being unreasonable."

"Careful," I corrected, "I'm being careful and rational."

"For once, why don't you listen?" There was a hard edge on his voice. "It's not that hard, isn't it, Len? You know, being open-minded?"

"I can handle this perfectly myself. I don't need you to tell me what to do."

The silence that followed made my nerves stand at their ends.

"You know," Jason spoke coldly, "I think this is your problem."

"What problem are you talking about?" I looked up and saw anger in his features. His eyes were dark with burning fury. It was the first time I've seen him like this. In this lifetime.

"You're pushing everyone away. You are acting like a damn martyr who takes all blame upon himself and then insists on dealing with them by yourself."

With his arms folded across his chest, he reminded me very well of his past self, Dangal. His ferocity was present -- scratch that, burning in his expression, in his presence. It was frustrating, the way he stared at me as if I was a stranger. A stranger who pissed him to the marrows. Jason Greene was a very carefree, immature guy, and compared to his former life, was nothing like the no-nonsense fighter who nearly killed me twice.

Right now, he appeared that he wanted to try to kill me for the third time.

"What do you think I'm here for? An accessory? If you forgot, we're supposed to be friends. Friends help each other."

"Yeah? You can't possibly help me." I retorted. "What can you do? You don't remember your past life. You can't perform magic. You don't even understand a thing."

"What the heck do our past lives have to do with this? This is the present, Len! Don't dwell on the past! The problem is happening right now, in front of our faces. Now, not then."

"Well," I sneered, "you seemed to have forgotten that this is MY problem. Mine. The past and now. Butt the hell out of it."

"Not anymore. With everything you do, you're just hurting everyone around you. You left Lee and your parents without a word. You come back as if nothing happens. You used that redhead and now, you are using me. Worst of it all, you're taking an innocent girl with you to your road trip to the ashes. This problem is getting bigger because of you!"

"What I do with my life is none of your business."

"You are the Prince of Fools."

Contempt. There was no other emotion on his face.

"Shut up."

I stood up and we were glaring face to face. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Oh yeah?" he challenged.

I smacked him right in the face. His response was much quicker than I anticipated, hitting me fully on the gut. I doubled over, tactfully avoiding the follow-through kick. Before I managed to balance myself, he tackled me to the floor, pushing me and pulling me in a way that rattled my head. There was blood on his nose. There was a cut near my lips. He was panting. I wasn't. But I was losing.

I snapped a finger and in an instant, he couldn't move. Invisible chains of air shackled his arms and legs, and he shouted all kinds of profanities to me.

"Darn it, Adams! Let me go!"

I released him as soon as I stood up.

My head cleared up as soon as I felt magic flowed out of my fingers. I couldn't believe what I just did. Pathetic.

"Cheating with magic." He shook his head with disgust. "How low could you go?"

"Look, I'm sorry about what I --"

"Forget it," he hissed. He dusted himself off and wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand.

"You don't understand --"

"Don't I? Hah! Screw you." He stormed off the room, slamming the door as loudly as possible. Before he left, I heard him mutter, "Now, I truly understand how that little tigress felt."

Hi!

I'm back and uploading again.

To those confused, this chapter happened after they got out of the hospital. Erica was saved by Len and Jase and was in the midst of hiding. If you remember, Erica was having dreams about her past lives. And after her last dream, didn't wake up. This chapter is a little like a filler for some cool things you'll read in the future.

Thanks for reading!