"Things will never be the same again."
Gneiss Underwood never thought that he could have a shot of a normal life.
Growing up in an environment where everything defied sanity, guns and loneliness were his normal companions, if not danger and Death h...
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"There are poisons that blind you, and poisons that open your eyes."
Number Twenty-Six
Krad had just gone back from fixing the flight schedule when a hysterical scream from inside the room made him jump off his skin. Instinctively, he pulled out a gun and zeroed his attention on any potential threat.
The hallways were empty; most agents were either guarding outside or readying the plane for Faye's transportation to the headquarters. The air was stale and no sound was out of ordinary. He quietly rushed towards her room, and as he came closer, he could hear Cecilia's weak attempts to calm the shrieking girl.
As he opened the door with his gloved hand, he growled at the sight he saw.
"What did you do?" he growled at the woman, his gun already in his back pocket as he approached them. Tears streamed down Faye's closed eyes as she shook like a wet kitten, her bandaged arms and chest matted with blood from her reopened wounds. Krad's voice was cool and business-like as he pushed her back to bed. "Calm down. You're too weak to be up."
"G-Gneiss?" Her pale lips trembled. Her hands groped in the air and found his shoulders. Frantically, her fingers trailed to his face. His expression was grim. "Why can't I see? Am, am I b-blind? It can't be possible. I can still see when you found me. I saw you. Arashi and Rael were there too. I can't be blind! No, I can't be –"
"You are blind, my dear," Cecilia spoke dryly, "Why can't you accept the truth?"
Krad's withering glare could have easily turned Cecilia to ashes on her spot. "I'll talk to her alone, if you don't mind."
Alone being emphasized by his mocking tilt of the head.
"Of course, I don't," Cecilia smiled unaffectedly, and she merrily bounced her way out of the room, even going as far as giving Krad a wink that he didn't acknowledge. "Take your time. You have much to catch up."
"Just go," he hissed.
When he was sure that the crazy woman was out of hearing range, he returned his attention to the crying girl who buried her face on his chest, as if seeking to hear his heartbeat to calm herself. It was awkward how close she was, and he couldn't even bring himself to hug her or even pat her back. This kind of physical contact was something he's not used to.
"Stop crying," he murmured, trying to sound as firm and soothing as possible. He could see her forcing herself to swallow sobs and failing miserably as she almost choked. He used the back of his hand to dry her pallid cheeks. They were cold. Again, he was at a loss. He wasn't an interaction kind of person. Should he say something comforting? Something funny? Witty? What would a normal guy do? What would a friend do? Better yet, what would 04 do if he was in his shoes? The words were out before he could even think through it.
