𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕
𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒎 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅
𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏
♧.♤.♡.♢
I was walking around trying to find the perfect pawn for my plan, when I saw her.
She just came back from her game, she was covered in blood.
She probably had to sacrifice lives to survive.
I mean I wouldn't have thought twice before sacrificing a life if it meant I could live. I don't understand why people make such a big deal about it.
And I know she knew that, yet she was walking like she was lifeless herself, lost, gone, empty.
'Ameya' she doesn't hear me, I walk closer to her and grab her shoulder
'Ameya?' and she stops, her eyes meeting mine. They're numb. Empty of life. Like mine.
We weren't so much different, but she always had something more that I didn't have. And I couldn't understand. Even if she knew what to do to survive, she still tried to save people. She still had sympathy. She cared.
But right now, she was empty.
I don't know why I did this, but I took her back to my room.
It felt strange to see her like this, like me. Somehow our roles switched, she was the empty one, and I was the one taking care.
She was like an enigma. I could easily read her, yet it was still impossible to figure out how her brain and heart worked.
But she was an enigma and I was clever. I was going to solve her.
But first I had cleaned all the blood that was on her, pouring a bath for her. No wounds, a heart game and an empty stare. The blood wasn't hers. But it wasn't strangers either.
I don't even know why I was doing this. I just felt like I had to.
Once I'm done, I go take some clothes for her and come back to give them to her. I try to read her eyes, but as soon as hers meets mine she immediately shut them. Way too fast to be random.
It must have something to do with the blood, with the reason she is still alive.
I just shake it off and help her get dressed, but now, she is the one staring into my eyes.
Like she suddenly came back to life and her life depended on it.
What is going on, why is this so hard to understand, an enigma, a puzzle. I needed to figure it out.
I take her back to my bed. She was traumatized that's for sure. And I noticed she had recurrent nightmares, so it was better if she stayed here for the night. At least I could wake her up if needed.
But Niragi made an apparition. This coward. I'm glad she told him to leave. Ain't no way I am leaving her with this psycho, no matter the connection they had.
And he left, so only her I remained once again.
I was eyeing her, she was lost.
I sit down next to her
Who are you Ameya?
I was about to back away, not able to figure anything out of this puzzle. But she grabbed my wrist, stopping me from leaving.
I looked at her again, the look in her eyes changed. It was filled with so many emotions. A mix of pain, comfort, fear and relief. I couldn't understand how many she felt, nor how it was possible.
I just couldn't understand. She kept me puzzled once again.
But I understood she needed someone. So I nod and laid down next to her.
She tried to close her eyes but immediately opened them out of panic.
I grabbed her shoulder by reflex. 'Hey, hey, you're safe'
And she actually calms down. Why did I do that? What's going on?
I needed to figure it out, and quickly. I needed to win the game, before she could take over and checkmate.
So I do something unexpected. I make my move. I pull her too close to me and she lays her head on my chest. It was so out of the usual, but it didn't felt that bad.
It was like when you make a move in chess and just as you take your finger off the piece, you see the mistake you've made, and there's this panic because you don't know yet the scale of disaster you've left yourself open to.
And that's how the disaster began.
My heart was beating fast, but I easily calmed it down.
But another unexpected thing happened.
I fell asleep. During the whole night.
I woke up eight hours later.
I never fell asleep so fast and never slept for so long
I was used to sleepless nights at the hospital, and kept the habit here, spending time to craft or observe. My mind always has something to work on.
Insomnia had been normal to me, not being able to fall asleep, except when rain was falling at night. But it was quite rare when it happened.
But Ameya, she helped me sleep that night like she turned off the light and calmed my obsessed mind.
What was wrong with me? What was happening to me?
I never acted like this before, I never got so much confusion about someone before. And I couldn't understand
Kuina arrived shortly after and I went to the shower. I needed to think. I couldn't let myself get confused, not now.
I was about to get out when I heard the last part of their conversation.
Ameya was explaining to Kuina what happened during her game, she was talking about a little girl, with heart disease. And her organ transfer kept getting postponed, so she was meant to pass away.
Nozomi, she didn't say her name. But I knew, I knew because I was the one that delivered the news about her transfer being canceled.
So much information blurring my mind, the night, the sleep, Nozomi, Ameya...
Too many puzzles entangled to another, yet I couldn't solve any. It was making me crazy.
I needed time to figure it out.
♛
So for the next few days, I avoided her as much as possible. She even tried to come at night, but I never opened the door, and she eventually stopped.
It was weird, I easily got used to her presence, but now it was missing; she was missing.
I shouldn't think about it, I need to stop thinking about it.
I've spent time with Kuina but didn't mention my troubled mind, we needed to work on our plan.
But my mind couldn't stop wondering about her. It needed to stop.
I needed to focus back on the plan.
The plan. Ameya was observant, trustworthy, loyal and had connections to the militants, especially Niragi, which could prouve to be really usefull if needed. Maybe including her in the plan shouldn't be such a bad idea. She could help us get the card and we could leave.
Yeah that's it I wanted her to work with us to get the cards, nothing more. Right?
Kuina came to my room, we had to discuss about what to do and when we would get in actions. She was sitting on my bed, playing with the stick in her mouth.
'So we still haven't found who we are going to use as bait' she tells me
'Not yet, but it shouldn't last. I'm going to find someone soon'. I sit down on a chair and look at her. 'I was thinking. Ameya could help us get the cards'
She looks at me wide-eyed 'Ameya? You want to use her as bait!?' She raises her voice. She and her had gotten really close since her arrival at the Beach. At first I had told Kuina to befriend her to get more information but it quickly became more than just some professional relationship. Kuina really liked her, she was her friend.
'No, not as bait. She would be on our side, but won't fully know the plan' I explain
She nods. 'I mean, yeah she's smart, but let's not forget she's a heart one. What if she betrays us? Do you really think we can trust her? Because I do trust her, but for the plan, it's risky'
'She won't', I will make sure of that, I won't let it happen
She moves her positions, laying her elbows on her thights 'How?'
'You'll see' I will make sure she won't betray me. I will make her loyal to me.
She sighs. 'Well, I trust you'. And that makes me smirk
So a new plan made its way into my mind, Ameya. I had to make sure she would hundred percent commit to me, to the plan. I needed to make her fall for me.
♛
That same night, I went looking for her. I knew where to find her. A place where no one else goes. Except us.
And she was there, in her all-black attire, opposite to mine, sitting by the moon. I couldn't help but notice how attracted she was to it, like it was her remedy, her safe place.
I guess the moon is to her what a midnight rain is to me.
'I had a feeling I would find you up there.'
She doesn't even look back at me, so I just walk to her and sit down
'Oh so you decided not to ignore me anymore' She says coldly
'I needed time to think'
It was only a whisper but I caught it. 'Yeah I got plenty of time to do that too'
I knew what she was referring to, the heart game she played really had impacted her. Something in her changed after it. When she came back, something was missing, she wasn't the same.
Nozomi's death really impacted her.
But I knew she shouldn't blame herself for it, because after all, she didn't do anything. Her death was inevitable, and it wasn't because of her, but because of me.
I felt uneasy thinking about it.
So I told her, I reassured her. But that wasn't part of the plan, the plan.
Damn, I really need to keep focused.
She wasn't stable right now, because of the little girl's death. And I needed to use it to make her want to join my plan.
So I do it, I use her emotions to manipulate her. And it works, she wants to know more. Humans are so easy to manipulate sometimes, it's pathetic.
'What's your plan exactly?' she tells me now standing up
I now stood up too and was standing in front of her. This is where my second plan begins, I need to make her fall
So I take a step closer to her 'we need to use someone to get them. I could have used you, but that would be a shame to waste such potential as yours'
I saw confusion in her eyes, it was working. I explain to her the plan, well what she needs to know about it.
'But if you won't use me, why tell me?'. She asks
'Because I will need your help' I say. I only need her for the plan, nothing else. Right?
She sighs. 'So that's why you came to talk to me hum? And I thought you had missed me' she says sarcastically
But I don't say anything, because I don't want to admit it, but I can't deny it either. Did I missed her? No, I couldn't possibly. Could I ?
'How can I trust you? What tells me you won't actually use me? What if you are manipulating me right now' she's on her guard, and that's completely normal. I didn't expect her to agree so easily.
But I needed to make her fall for me. For the plan. I had to move the chess pieces.
So I take a step closer, our eyes locked, our bodies almost touching. I can feel the tension rising from our closeness. I tilt my head to her side and slowly whisper in her ear and quote her 'Sometimes a pawn is enough to change the whole game. So I am using one of mine to save the queen and win the game'
I hear her gasp and stop breathing. It worked. I had an effect on her.
So I smirk at the action.
I was about to back away and leave when she does something I hadn't planned, she makes a move in turn.
She grabs the front of my vest, and pulls me back to her. Her hands were almost on my body, making me tense from it
And she whispers back 'make me a pawn or make me the Queen of your game, but don't make me your enemy. Cause two can play a chess game, Cheshire'
Her hot breath slid on my cold skin sending me shivers on it. I can feel my heart suddenly accelerate by her bold action.
She did have an effect on me too, and now she was the one smirking.
She then left me standing there. My mind was going crazy. She left me puzzled once again.
How could she have so much effect on me? I was the one supposed to make her fall, yet I was the one who crashed.
She had outsmarted me tonight. I usually would have been mad, but I wasn't. I knew she wasn't as easy to get, she was smarter than this. I should've expected this from her. After all, we weren't so much different.
I needed to find another way to get her.
And that's how the most thrilling chess game of my life began.
♛
I went to a game tonight, I still had a few days left but we needed to work on the plan so I had to get a long visa to be sure everything would go well.
But unfortunately for me, it was a club game. The worst category I could have played, working with a team was clearly not my strong point.
And it showed, the game implied guns with limited bullets. We were in a mirror maze and had to shoot at the mirrors to make our way out. But an idiot shot at me when it wasn't a reflection.
So now I had a bullet in my abdomen. Despite my misfortune, I am still lucky, the bullet avoided all vital organs. I only had to extract it. Good thing I knew how to do that, but to do it on myself was going to be something.
I arrive back at the Beach, holding onto my wound, my white jacket soaked with blood, I had lost a lot of it already, I needed to be quick and efficient. I go straight to the kitchen used by Ann. I knew there was so stuff I could use to repair myself. I was grunting from the pain but didn't stop to ask for help.
I open the cabinets and find everything I need, a surgical clamp, some pliers, a thread, a needle...
I sit down on the table grunting when I hear a gasp coming from the entrance of the room. I quickly look at who's in there ready to tell them to leave me alone, when I recognize her shape.
'What happened to you!?' she rapidly makes her way to my side. She was wearing the hoodie I gave her when I found her back from her game. I smirk at this, it looked goo- No, it didn't.
'A stupid idiot fucking shot at me by mistake' I tell her and she put her hand on my forehead.
I look at her confused, 'Sorry, I was just checking if you had a fever, you swore three times in one sentence. Didn't think that was in your vocabulary' and I laugh but immediately stop because of the pain.
'How can I help you' she instantly demands
'I don't need your help'
'Yes you do, look at yourself you idiot', I glare at her
I just shake my head, I hated needing the help of others. Especially now since it was because of the club game that I got this bullet.
But it was Ameya in front of me right now and do it it on myself was not a good idea, so I could make an exception.
I carefully take off my vest and my t-shirt leaving me bare chest. Did I also mention I hated being so much uncovered?
But there was only her, so I forget it and lay on the table.
She is eyeing me carefully, looking for any signs of pain.
I take a deep breath 'okay, I'll inject some morphine next to the wound. The bullet is still inside so you will have to extract it' her eyes went wide
'What!?'
I don't reply. I take the morphine syringe and inject it, the pain already fading. 'Listen carefully okay'. She nods. 'I will try my best to guide you. Now take the clamp '
She grabs it and put her hands close to the wound. I can see her hands shaking. She's nervous, who wouldn't?
'Now, get in and find the bullet. Be careful not to let it move too much, it could damage an artery'
'Oh my' she takes a deep breath and gently makes her way into the wound. I tense up and grunt, still feeling a lot of pain despite the anesthesia.
'Sorry, sorry, sorry' she says panicked, moving her hands away but I quickly grab them
'It's okay, I'm fine. You can do it'. She looks at me unsure, she licks her lips and focus back on what she has to do. Her hands stoped shaking and I can feel her moving in the wound, clearly not pleasant.
'Can your hurry'
'I'm trying my best. I was a psychologist not a doctor' she snaps at me
Once again our role switched, she was the one operating while I was the one reassuring. I wonder how many times this kind of things will happen. I can't let it happen more, she was confusing me.
'I got it! I got it! It's out!' she cheers taking the bullet out nad holding it proudly in the air, I sight in relief
'Great, now clean the wound with some demineralized water and gauzes'
She nods, her joy fading to get focused again. She takes a gauze soaked with water and clean the blood so gently that I almost doesn't even felt it brushes against my skin. She is so delicate in her movement, not trying to hurt me more it's fascinating watching her work on me.
What? I- the blood loss really is making me mad right now
'Okay now?' she asks once she's done
'You're done, I'll stitch myslef' I try to sit back up but she put her hand on my chest pushing me down.
'Nope, I'll do it'
I lay on my elbows. 'You don't even know how do it' I tell her
'I watched you do it on my thigh, I'm pretty sure I can replictate it on your wound'
I raise an eyebrow challenging her. 'Okay, let's see how well you observed'
I see her smile, she pass the thread through the needle and gets closer to the wound. As she began to stitch, I notice how well she is replicating my exact movement from when I worked on her. It's fascinating seeing how well she understood and how good she was at doing it.
She then signal me to sit up so I do grunting a little bit from the pain, the anestesia slowly fadding out. Then she once again replicate what I did, she takes some bandage and place it on my side, holding it with one hand and makes her way around my torso to wrap it around me.
She is close, really close to my body. I can feel her hot breath on my skin, I can feel her hair sligltly brushing over me when she goes to wrap it around, her arms making their way to my back, ultimately making her get closer to me.
'Breath or the bandage will be too tight'
I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't even realize I was holding my breath. I exhale and she takes a piece of tape, place it on my side securing it in place and she was done.
I look at the bandage. 'Well you should think about changing of sector when you get back' I see her smile
'Told you I could do it'
I chuckle, 'Thank you'
She quickly turns her head to me. Did I really just thanked her? I really need to rest and get some blood back in my system.
'You helped me, so I help you' she pauses 'We both doesn't work well in teams, but together we seem to make a good one'
And that makes me think even more, we both hated working with people, but yet, I had been here for her, and she had been here for me when needed, multiple times, in really intimate moments.
She was right, we could count on the other, we did made a good team.
That's why including her in the plan is a good idea. No other reason, right?
♛