Vivid (BoyxBoy) {Pipe Dream: Book I}

Chapter-Thirty Nine: Pool-side

He cocks his head to the side, evaluating something as he stares directly at my face. "Not...exactly. There is...something blocking like...thick fog." He frowns. "No entry, it hurts. Do not push...must wait for the pull. The pain would be too much. I don't want it to hurt. But sometimes...something pokes through and I feel it. Clear with intent, I can feel...more." He reaches for my face. "Why is it missing?"

"What's missing?" I've become so used to him now that even as his fingers brush my cheek, I don't move even with a pulse of electricity numbing where he touches.

"If I knew, it wouldn't be missing. But...it's very frustrating. Perhaps it will...come with time. But for now, I am...relieved that I can see something at least. Your intent is...frustrating you. I know that much. Words cannot...soothe that. I am also very bad at communicating in this way. But..." His sentence dies as his fingers touch my hair. He frowns again, looking at something beyond me but then refocuses, his fingers falling away from my face. "It's still too early for you to go anywhere. But...I will do whatever it takes when the time is right. Even if it means betrayal."

Those words were incredibly heavy for some reason and I found it very hard to swallow. "You would seriously go against Siem?"

He nods, moving to a sitting position beside me. "If that becomes something that you desire."

Why? Just why would he go that far? I stare back down at my feet, distorted under the water's surface.

Hearing the door open, I look up to see Seth walking through, "All done for the day?"

I watch him as he walks closer, "For now..."

He smirks, "That's good. Siem's thinking of letting you back up on the surface to get your meals...he thinks it's about time that you slowly get used to being up there as part of the team."

What a brilliant idea Siem! I have just felt the that this was a loving home from the second I landed on this building. The laser guns just gave that extra warm welcome! It just really drives home I'm one of the team.

"I can see the sass just bleeding from your eyes, Kae," he chuckles. "I know it's been...well hell since the moment you've been here. But being locked away any more than this won't help with the tension. And it's not like we're expecting you to sing songs and dance around a camp fire."

"And here I thought that was plan A," I growl.

I can see the grin widening. "Hanna said to either go there tonight and see how it goes or she'll feed you October Orange."

"...Do I dare ask what that is?"

"She said that she has it ready as well as a camera."

Oh that shit. "Is starving an option?"

"Yeah, but I wouldn't."

I stare at him, weighing up my options. Awkward dinner, throwing up with Hanna videoing it or Hanna tying me to a chair and throwing up and Hanna videoing it.

X ran a hand over the back of my head as if to attempt soothing me, "It is not like you will be going in there alone."

Oz had got me with a pair of scissors the other day, so feeling a lack of hair between his touch and the back of my neck was not something I was used to as the chills that went down my spine soon followed. I have not been thankful losing all that hair, even if Oz stated I looked like a muppet that went ass first throw a wind tunnel before being dragged by a cat over dry grass to lure birds that mistook it as a nest...he was very poetic that morning.

"Yeah, X and I are normally treated with a bit of distance usually as well at the dinner table. Gives us a spare table. Maybe with us it will seem a little less...antagonistic," Seth grins.

"Can't wait," I muster, almost tasting the bitterness of what I'm going to have to face.

"There's the spirit! Oz will also be joining us, so it's not like we're pushing you towards the angry mob with poking sticks all on your lonesome."

"Sure as hell feels like it."

"...Siem also told me that I can soften the blow by saying this," he clears his throat and begins imitating a thick uncanny Siem accent, " 'After dinner we will discuss the possibility of searching outside Laax in the next twenty-four hours'. Or so he says, anyway."

I stare at him keenly, "You're serious?"

"No. He's serious. I'm just the fat pigeon he decided to send down cos someone is refusing to lift the intercom silence down here."

I look over at X who just blinks unapologetically back at us.

"Also, I'm going to start amping up the workout regime on you. You will need to start training how to run and," he points to that blasted rapid pool, "using that as well. In the afternoon-" I mentally groan, "Oz has enlisted himself as a trainer. X will also begin teaching you combat basics. Self-defence and mixed martial arts. It's a good source of discipline and if you find yourself in a situation where your mental defence mechanism is on the blink it's good to always have a backup."

Can't I just go back to not doing anything except sleep?

"Anyway, this pigeon delivered the message of the all and powerful king, I'm gonna go find Oz's cookie stash."

"Behind his desk next to his toy dragon," X said without batting an eyelid.

"And thank you all omnipotent X," Seth simply salutes him back before walking out the door. "Seeya tonight, kid."

I'm seriously planning my escape. Tonight. I would rather wander the streets of Bolin, being gunned down for being a Hexer than what they are making me face tonight. Or Spartan training brought to you personally by Oz that Spartan spawn of hell. I'm suspicious he's still pissed that I melted his goddamn robot...but...Siem is going to go look for that SD card. I can't pass that up.

I sigh, another long fucking night.