Project Nebula

To Hear A Different Voice

It was Saturday, finally. Though a Saturday already passed, I woke up paralyzed and excited for what the day had in store. I fell asleep sitting on the couch. Indigo, I'm guessing, thought I was lonely and laid his head in my lap. Good thing we woke up at the same time so I wouldn't disrupt his sleep. First thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Indigo jumping to his feet and skipping to the kitchen. It was five or six in the morning, so the room was close to being pitch black.

The first jerk was mechanical and stiff. My joints seared like a broken stick ripping into flesh. I could've tried again, but I immediately gave up. Indigo was messing with pots and pans in the kitchen. In only a few minutes, he hopped out the kitchen with a mug of coffee.

"How'd you know I liked coffee?" I asked.

"Relax, Castor," Indigo whispered, "I'll take care of everything else."

"Thanks, I—"

"You're welcome. I got this."

We heard a fist bang on the door. Only a few hours ago, that newspaper staff basically barricaded me. It could only be the next best thing: Helix. And of course it was. Indigo opened the door and it was exactly who I expected. My heart still pulsated through my chest. Or it could've been a flutter.

Helix was wearing a purple and black Vicar Point sweatshirt and his usual tight jeans. His gray eyes were still raiding my confused mind. He couldn't bat an eye at Indigo.

"Way to start morning, secretary," Helix sneered, brushing the hair out his face, "Putting on a homemade club uniform and hang in a dead person's house."

"This is your fault," Indigo shoved him, "You let this happen."

"I recorded a video of a fight in a school restroom."

Helix turned his attention to me. He plopped down next to me and crossed his legs. He never crosses his legs. Then again, he wouldn't be sitting next to me.

"Castor's dead!" he hollered and punched me in my shoulder, "No matter how much you bitch about me not giving you answers, the only person it really hurts is me!"

I'd kill to get him to stop rambling on right in my ear. I could hear him swallowing tears and nearly burning up. I really, really, really wanted to wipe the tears from his eyes, but I was petrified. Indigo hauled his tote bag from behind the couch. He dug his hand into the contents and pulled out a pack of Uno cards. Ripped cardboard and a faded logo from maybe a decade ago. He also spilled a few other miscellaneous items, too, like pencils and beads.

"We can make it fun, Helix," Indigo chuckled, "Let's play devil's advocate with the rest of the council."

"Everyone is going to participate." I stood up.

"I'll come up with the rules."

Helix watched as Indigo walked into the small hallway to my bedroom. I still felt I couldn't move my legs to walk away with him, so I sat back down. Stiff joints. Very mechanical. Maybe Peirson wasn't as active as Indigo told me, I thought.

About an hour passed, Helix and I were ready to doze off until the front door opened. Harper was in the council uniform. Xander was in the same baggy sweatshirt Helix wore. Chance donned a dust pink sweater. However, it was so early, they didn't care to tidy themselves up. It was embarrassing to see them judge my tattered carpet and unkempt belongings. That didn't even equate to Helix and I reclined on a couch in the dark. Harper tried hiding her mocking laughter by keeping her head down. She sat by the television, crisscrossed on the floor. The two looked too appalled to take another step.

Then another half hour passed of tiredness and deteriorating conversation. Helix was already knocked out. Everyone was scattered around the room. Xander was picking away at my wallpaper and Chance cuddled up in the corner, chewing on his sleeve. Indigo marched into the center of the room, raising the torn pack of cards in the air like a starter raising his pistol at a race.