No changes here as well.
Ely:
We made our way to the dining hall to get some food. "Ely?" Jordan asked as we stepped up to get something to eat.
"hmm?" I replied, distracted by the food in front of me.
"Where do you keep your lock picks?" He questioned me.
I grabbed a plate of lasagna and a small salad as I glanced up at him, "I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Besides, they aren't exactly hidden." I grabbed a bottle of water and headed for our usual table.
I could feel Jordan's eyes on me as I sat down and I turned quizzical eyes on him. "What?" I asked.
"I'm fairly certain you wouldn't be able to fit them in your pants..." He murmured, trying to figure it out.
I shot him a look, but I could feel my cheeks heating up at the thought that he had checked my pants out for possible hiding places.
I didn't respond, but jumped lightly when I realized there was an apple on my tray that hadn't been there before. I glanced around, "what-?" I started to ask.
"You need to eat more fruit, Kitten." Dominic muttered. His cheeks looked a little pink and I bit my lip to hide my smile.
"It wouldn't make sense to put them in your hoodie, because what if you get too warm and take your hoodie off..." Jordan trailed off. His eyes were still looking me over intently.
Before I really thought about it, I blurted out, "I'm not wearing a shirt under this, so I doubt I'd take it off if I got too warm."
Jordan blinked and his eyes seemed to turn a little glassy. Shawn choked as he was take a drink and Dominic sputtered out a, "What?"
I felt my cheeks heat up, "What? I'm still fully covered." I muttered.
Jordan shook his head and let out a soft chuckle, "So, you admit they aren't in your hoodie... They can't be in your pants or..." He glanced under the table, "Boots. I'm fairly sure I would have noticed if you had bent down to retrieve them..." He looked at me with a calculating look in his dark eyes. "Bra?" He asked.
My eyes widened and I looked at Shawn and Dominic, silently sending them a plea to help.
Dominic shoved a bite of his sandwich in his mouth and Shawn shot Jordan an annoyed look. Jordan sighed, "No bra? Do you have special holsters somewhere?" At the shake of my head he frowned. "Magic? That's the only other way I can see you carrying them..." His eyes continued to rake over my body as he started to eat.
"Yes. That's exactly how I carry them around." I deadpanned.
Dominic snorted and choked as he was swallowing. Jordan pounded him on the back really hard. "Dude, try chewing your food first."
Dominic gave him the finger as he started to recover and went back to eating.
~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~
We got back up to our room without incident, and I made eye contact with Jordan to get his attention.
Gently, so that I wouldn't ruin the curls, I pulled each of my lock picks out of my hair and laid them on the coffee table. "Damn! Seriously? I hadn't even been close." Jordan mumbled as he shook his head ruefully at himself.
Shawn ran his fingers through his hair as he said, "Dom, help me finish moving things around?" Dominic gave a small nod.
It didn't take them very long to finish moving the beds and when they came back out, Shawn said, "I forgot to let you know earlier, but Mr. Cason said that if we do well on our last test, we'll be able to start taking missions as early as the week after next."
Jordan let out a whoop, "That means we'll be free to come and go as we please!" He said excitedly.
I rolled my eyes with a soft smile and Jordan grinned at me playfully.
We ended up spending the rest of the evening playing Pontoon without placing bets. After I got ready for bed, I climbed in and waited for the others. My bed was furthest from the light switch and Shawn was sleeping directly under the light switch. All of Jordan's things had been moved into Dominic's room to make room for all the beds.
One at a time the guys stepped into the room. Jordan sat on his bed, wearing just a pair of dark green boxers and a t-shirt. Dominic came in just after him wearing a pair of black pajama pants. Shawn came in a few minutes later wearing a pair of black shorts. "Our test tomorrow isn't until after lunch, so we'll have the morning free to do whatever." He said as he sat down.
I wasn't sure what I'd do with my free morning, but I was looking forward to it. I yawned and curled up in my bed so that I could burrow into my blankets. I looked forward to finally being done with testing week because it seemed to drag on for forever.
The room was silent as Shawn finally turned the light off. The silence continued for a brief moment until I listened closely to the sounds in the room. Someone's breathing had picked up. I sat up, but couldn't see anything as my eyes continued to adjust to the dark.
I used my hearing to locate the source of the sound. "Jordan?" I asked softly.
Someone suddenly rolled out of their bed and their feet hit the floor with a dull thud. "Fuck, I can't do this." They muttered as they left the room.
Shawn quickly turned the light on as I rolled out of my bed. The sudden brightness made me see spots and I crashed to the floor. "Shiz, was the necessary?" I asked without heat.
I saw a black dot in the middle of my vision as I stumbled out of the room, "I'll go see if he's okay." I said, talking over Shawn's apology.
"Do you want us to come help?" Dominic asked.
"No, I'll let you know if I need more assistance." I stated as I slipped down the hallway and padded into the living room.
Jordan was sitting on the couch, his fingers tapping out a rhythm on his bouncing knee with nervous energy. "Jo?" I called softly, making sure he was aware of my presence.
He glanced up at me, "What?" His tone was sullen when he finally replied.
I sat down next to him. "What's wrong?" I asked gently.
His eyes were looking past me and he mumbled, "I can't do it, Sunshine."
I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his chest. "What can't you do, Jordy?" I asked, keeping my voice soothing and quiet.
His whole body shuddered and he wrapped his arms around me to pull me into his lap. He buried his face against my shoulder and inhaled another shuddering breath. "I can't be in the dark." He said it so softly that I had to strain my ears to hear it.
"Can you tell me why?" I desperately wanted to know what had turned this confident and playful guy into the insecure guy before me.
He was quiet for so long that I was sure he wouldn't answer me. Finally he whispered against my neck, "It's how my step-mom used to punish me."
I stayed quiet, fearing that if I said anything, he'd clam up and refuse to say anything else. "My step-mom would tell me scary stories when I was little. I must have been five or six the first time she locked me in the basement. That wouldn't have been so bad, except it escalated. She eventually started locking me in a closet. She'd tell me all sorts of scary stories first, and then I'd be locked in a dark, cramped space for hours. Sometimes I'd be left there for days." His voice shook a little at the memory and I squeezed him tighter.
I wished I could do the same exact thing to his step-mom. How could anyone be cruel enough to lock their child, biological or not, in a dark closet with the intent to terrify them?
"Now, whenever I'm in the dark, I have panic attacks. It's why I keep a mini flashlight on my key ring... but that doesn't really help me at night." He muttered.
I thought about it for a few moments, and then asked, "What if we kept the hallway light on and left the door open a little so that it's light enough for you, but dark enough for the others to sleep?" I asked softly.
He looked completely surprised. "You don't think..." He trailed off and I gave him a funny look.
"Did you think any less of me when I freaked out about those spiders?" I asked softly, trailing a finger down his chest.
He shivered lightly and shook his head, "No. But that's not the same. Those spiders were big mother fuckers. I know logically, there's nothing to be afraid of in the dark, especially when there are three other people in the room with me."
I blinked, "But you have a reason to be afraid. Maybe, eventually, you'll overcome your fear of the dark, but until then, we'll just have to work around it. You will have to let the others know, though."
He sighed and hugged me even tighter to his chest. "I know. And I will... Eventually. Thank you, Sunshine, for being the amazing person you are."
I felt my cheeks tinge red. "I'm not that amazing. I'm only telling the truth." I murmured.
He dropped a kiss on my temple and I jumped a little in shock, "You're still amazing for not completely giving up on me."