The Sonorous Timer

Chapter 26 - Putting on an act for Pierce

Austin had coloured his hair and replaced his stylish clothes with clothes of comfort mainly. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then I realized there could be a meaning behind the sudden change. Has he finally caught onto what's really going on around him? Has he understood that they are the evil creatures who have brought an evil cycle fraught with danger upon us? At last, has he realised that they are working insidiously in our society by picking participants one by one?

The look on Austin's face was scarily empty, almost like he functioned like a robot. He didn't ask me personal questions this time, nor did he seem bothered by the fact that I'd showed up out of nowhere. "How was it to be in the room alone?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Nothing I haven't done before," he answered assertively, shrugging his shoulders. He cast a glance at me before he finished his coffee, and got up to leave. "I have some reading to get done with. Do whatever you want, I don't care," he clarified. Well, that's welcoming and very charming.

I ended up laying on his sofa, staring at the ceiling with a mind filled with nasty thoughts. Neglecting my frustration regarding the situation with Manu was difficult, and honestly, it seemed impossible. He'd stopped messaging and calling, leaving me with nothing but a tedious silence and a nagging curiosity towards him. What he was doing, saying and thinking was no longer for me to know, and that felt uncomfortably peculiar. 

Austin returned after half an hour or so. He dumped down on the sofa followed by a loud groan. "Tired of reading?" I questioned. His face was smudged into the pillow, preventing him from answering properly. He nodded though, which I took as a clear answer to my question. "Well, you know, we could do something a bit more... interesting," I suggested. His head shot up immediately, a curious gaze fixed on me all of a sudden. "Like what?" he asked dubiously. Here goes nothing, I guess.

Moving closer to Austin, he looked to understand the situation slowly and therefore he got up. He probably assumed I wanted the bigger sofa, which was right, but I had other things to achieve. When the distance between us was dangerously small, I stopped, allowing him to react to my sudden strange behaviour. "Right, I forgot something in my study," he said. "You have a nice watch," I stated, faking a smile. "I'm not wearing one," he scoffed softly before leaving.

A message from Phoenix ticked in, in which he asked how things were going. I told him that I'd complimented Austin's non-existent watch, but Phoenix wasn't the slightest bit impressed by that. "Try harder, I'm serious," read his final message.

When Austin returned, the need to move quicker kicked in. It felt like I had one more timer ticking, including and counting every second I spent in the phase of hesitation and reluctance. Austin looked at me with a stern look, though he also seemed intrigued by my sudden change of attitude. "Manu's gone, and so is Tamara. There's no need to pretend like we care," I said. What I said was a lie, but I had no other choice than to customize my language to fit his personality in a way. I have an idea of what attracts him by now, and I need to play on that... I need to put on an act.

My change of words worked. I had in a way manoeuvred him with the false persona that I'd created during my time at his house. Furthermore, the height difference between Austin and I was rather small, and therefore, it was easy to make eye contact with him often. "What do you even want?" he whispered, his head tilting so that he met my gaze again. "An enjoyable diversion for the night, that's what I want." The crook of his mouth tugged upwards, forming a smirk on his face. "I won't deny you such."

First when Austin's breath hit my neck, I began struggling with vivid imaginations of Manu popping up in my mind. Engaging in something erotic with another person than Manu won't be easy to recover from. Surely, Manu won't be glad to hear about it, and as much as I'd like to keep it a secret, people will talk and spread the word eventually. However, this wasn't of free will. This was Phoenix's will, and though it was right in his mind... it was wrong in so many ways to me.