The Lesbian Gene (Lesbian, Gay, GirlxGirl)

Chapter 7: Debate

There was silence in the room. Not from fighting or bickering, but a heartfelt one that everyone understood.

Neil, who took a sharp breath to my right, for once nodded his head. "The one in the Middle East must had been a sham then. I bet the LGBT didn't agree to be injected with the cure there. There must had been a manhunt."

"Like the one they're doing to us," Audra said. "And the scary thing is the victims were acting normal, like they had decided for it themselves."

"However they did it, it must be so anyone who would ask would be told that they agreed to it." Hanz pounded his fist again, disgust on his face. "We must put a stop to this," he said. "I need to turn this around, or my mom's will divorce."

Neil gave a snort. "That's your problem?" he mocked. "What about us? Me and Audra— we don't want to turn straight. That's against our way living, unlike other people here."

Was he talking about me? But Hanz was already shutting him up. "Shush!" he whispered. "I hear something!"

By something, he meant the footsteps and calls getting closer to our window. People were out there in the middle of the day, making us freeze.

"This area?" someone said.

Audra, face set, immediately stood up. Then crept to the window— I wanted to call her back.

But she was already parting the blinds a little when the call from outside sounded again. "We'd check here the last time, boss. The alley is vacant and the store is closed for vacation. Said so on the sign on the front. Maybe we should look elsewhere."

"Copy."

The footsteps from there slowly disappeared. Then vanished entirely. The breath I didn't know I'd been holding was suddenly released.

"I can't believe they're still looking for us here," Audra whispered, crouched and headed back to us, a steady look on her face.

Hanz shook his head, gave me a meaningful look. "That's why we need to rest for one more day," he said. "Just until the smoke clears."

"Yeah, whatever," Neil refused, knowing that it was all for me and not for them as Hanz was trying to convince them. "One more day and we're out. And then we're going somewhere far, where Audra and I could hide until this subsides."

"What about us?" Hanz said.

"What about you?" Neil frowned. "Come or don't come. That's all on you."

"But—"

"Any objections?"

Hanz thought about it for a second, then after a while, resigned to his fate. "I might need to go with the two of you," he said. "Audra, and you, I mean."

"Why?"

"There must be counter cure, isn't there? An antidote? Let's pretend that we're right and my mom's were really victims of this Blackwell guy. I need to find out how to undo it. I can't live with myself knowing what happened to them and not doing anything. That's injustice. What about you, Pax?"

Me? What about me?

There was something crucial about this conversation that I was forgetting. Aside from the fact that this was happening way too fast and out of my control, shouldn't we be seeking help from other people too? Preferably our parents? Not Hanz's, but Audra's and Neil's. Especially mine. They didn't know what was going on.

"I need to go home," I said. "My parents—"

"It's too late."

"Too late for what?" I glared at Neil, who looked like he had set his mind on this. Like he had all but given up on the world, was just resolute to escape. But what about me? My parents were waiting home. My dad, who would always joke that I was too serious. My mom, who cared about nothing else but helping me get out of my shell. And— I shook my head, fiddled with my bracelet. "Wouldn't your parents get worried?"

"They're dead," Neil said, as if it was nothing. "Mine and Audra's. And if you want to go home, then suit yourself. Nobody's forcing you to stay with the three of us."

But. . . But. . .

Hanz looked imploringly at Neil. But once again, the other guy was unwavering, decided on his journey. Standing up, Neil had the last to say. "After we prepare, I'll go on my way to find a safe place for myself. Audra, I'm assuming you'll come with me?"

Audra didn't say anything.

"Good. It's decided then. We'll let a couple of hours pass us, so even Leighton can be rested. After that, we'll go on our own separate ways, or you may come with us, Hanz and Pax, your choice."