"You know" Arnica says in a hushed whisper. "When you said you had a plan, this isn't exactly what I thought you'd have in mind."
"There has to be something in here" I reply, pulling open different draws filled with perfectly organised papers. "If we want to find out what's going on, it'll be in here somewhere."
"Grace, I don't think Xavier would want us sneaking into his office and going through all of his private documents. And, when you say we, I think you mean you. I'm perfectly fine with not knowing what Noah does. Because I trust him."
"I do trust Xavier, I just need to make sure he's not doing anything that could put him in danger" I shrug and sigh, not finding a thing. "If they would just tell us what's going on, we wouldn't be forced to do this."
There must be hundreds of pages of documents in these draws, now I know why he spends so much time up here in this isolated room.
"I think you have a death wish, if they find us up here, we're both going to die."
"Relax, they won't even know" I reply, pulling open more draws of random documents. "Where do you keep everything Xavier?" I whisper to myself in frustration, there has to be a draw somewhere.
"Top right shelf."
Oh shit. I can feel myself tense just at the simple sound of his voice.
"Xavier" Arnica chuckles nervously, oh no please Arnica. Don't start talking. "Noah, what are you guys doing here? We were just leaving so if you'll excuse us..."
I look up from where I'm currently crouched behind Xavier's desk, smiling innocently as he lifts his eyebrows, staring directly at me. "Oh, hey" I wave awkwardly, a wave which he returns, an unimpressed look on his face as he does so.
"I just uh, I couldn't find a hair tie and I thought you might have one, in this draw. Cause it looks like a hair tie draw?" I mentally face palm, the draws filled with cables and charges. Smooth Grace.
Noah smirks amused as Arnica hides behind him, I narrow my eyes at her, traitor.
"We'll be downstairs" Noah couldn't look any more pleased with the current situation. "Have fun Grace."
"I actually need to go downstairs too."
"No you don't" Xavier answers. I'm still crouched on the ground and I immediately cringe. "We need to talk."
"I actually really need to go downstairs" I stand, he's only a few feet in front of me and I slap his shoulder lightly. "So we'll have this talk later, okay? Cool. Bye - "
"Sit down Grace."
"Okay."
"Are you going to tell me why you were actually going through all of my things?" He pauses, leaning against the desk in front of me. I feel like I'm a student in the principles office being scolded. "Private things that you shouldn't be going through."
"Because you never tell me anything" I answer, not meeting his gaze. "I want to know why you're so stressed out all the time, I never know if you're going to come home at night. And if you are, if you'll be in one piece. Do you have any idea what that's like?"
He frowns, calculating gaze moving slowly over my face and twisted fingers. He doesn't look happy.
"Okay" He answers. "I'll explain a few things to you, if, you explain why I found these in our bathroom draw last night."
He pulls the small capsule of pills from his pocket and I immediately blush ten shades darker, oh no. "Those - That's - That's my draw, why were you going through my draw?"
"I was looking for a hair tie." He answers blankly and I gap at him. "It looked like a hair tie draw?" He tilts his head slightly, copying the innocent expression I'd used before.
Asshole.
"Why do you have birth control Grace?" He doesn't seem angry, he actually doesn't seem to be showing any emotion at all and that scares me. This could not get any worse. "You only use this kind of birth control if your having sex. We're not having sex."
Please God, let the floor eat me so I can escape this awkward conversation.
"Grace."
Of course not.
"It was Arncia's idea" I grumble into my hands, mortified that I'm having a discussion like this with him right now. He's supposed to be answering the questions. Not me.
"They're open Grace, Arnica's pregnant, she doesn't need birth control."
"They're for me." I almost cringe as I say the words.
"You?" I nod. "Grace, we've never had sex before." I don't like the look that crosses his face. "Why are you taking birth control?"
Oh no, he thinks I'm cheating on him.
"No no no no - " I mutter out all at once, my hands forming some kind of weird gesture that my brain obviously thinks will somehow make him believe me.
"They're for you! I mean, not for you obviously because you're a guy but I mean I'm taking them for you.." I stop when he smiles, tilting his head slightly with a knowing expression on his lips. "I'm just going to stop talking to you now and go die in a hole somewhere, far away from you."
"You're taking birth control for when you're ready?"
No shit Sherlock. Thank you for embarrassing me like this. Greatly appreciated.
"I've been ready for the past month, but you're never home and then we fight and it's very hard to bring up this topic." I stare at the floor, this is so embarrassing. "By the way, this isn't how I'd planned on telling you either, so now the plan is ruined."
"What" I don't like the way he smirks, it does strange things to the inside of my stomach. "You planned to seduce me?" I'm sure by now my face is beetroot red and my fingers are shaking ever so slightly with embarrassment. He doesn't seem the least bit worried about how awkward this conversation is for me and the stupid boyish smile on his lips hasn't disappeared. The boyish smile that makes my heart pound harshly against my ribs.
"Right now, I want to punch you in the face. Not seduce you." I tell him.
"No" He leans towards me, large hands trapping me on either side of the seat. "I still think you want to seduce me, but I'm going to tell you a secret" I freeze when his lips brush against my ear, holding my breath without meaning to. "You seduce me everyday, without even trying to."
I cough, trying to cover just how much his words effect me. "You're not getting anything" I push his chest backwards, fighting my inner self that basically wants to rip the clothes off his fit and tattooed body. "Until you tell me what's going on."
"It's complicated, and probably hard for you to understand since you don't know much about how gangs work" he grabs one of the pieces of paper I'd pulled out, handing me the photo attached. "But basically, that man is my boss."
I stare down at the older looking man in the photo with grey hair and dark eyes. I feel like they're burning through me, even though it's just a photograph. He looks big too, tall and muscled, even for his age.
"His names Victor" Xavier explains. "And he likes to make my life as painfully difficult as possible."
"Why?"
"Because I'm good at what I do."
"And that's a bad thing?"
"He feels threatened by me" He answers. "I've been trying to deal with him for the past month, he left this photo for me on my desk."
He hands me another photo, "It's Sam" I whisper, already sad just thinking about him.
"Yes, a month ago."
"What?" I stare up at him. "Sam's dead."
"I thought so too."
"No, I mean, he's dead. You said he died. We buried him. He's dead. You saw him die."
"Not exactly."
Not exactly?
"What?" I can feel my eyes water as I look up at him. "What are you talking about?"
"That night, I saw Sam get shot in the chest. I got distracted afterwards, by the time I managed to try and find him he was gone. I figured they'd taken him to torture information out of him before he died. I didn't want to tell you that."
"You told me, you told me he was definitely dead."
"I couldn't find him Grace, anywhere. I looked all night, I asked everyone. I couldn't tell you, Tom or the men that I wasn't sure where he was, I had to tell you all I was sure he was dead. I thought he was. You can't survive a chest shot like that without medical help."
"But you never saw him die."
"I saw him get shot in the chest, I never thought he'd survive that."
"Oh my" my eyes widen in realisation. "Tom, you have to tell Tom, he'll have no idea." He was devastated after Sam died, Sam was his best friend and boyfriend. I don't know how he'll cope.
"He's already on his way to help me figure this out."
"I don't understand" I tell him. "If Sam's alive, why didn't he come and find us? Or try to get ahold of us? Or Tom? Why does Victor have him?"
"I don't know the answer to any of those things yet" He runs a hand through his hair. "That's what I'm trying to figure out."
He pulls a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Read this."
Xavier.
I'm okay, don't worry about me. I'm trying to help, you have to trust me. - Sam
"What does that mean?" I hold the paper tightly between my fingers. "Sam's alive?" I feel a hundred different emotions all at once.
"I'm not sure how long for" he answers. "If I can't find him soon."
"But he told you not to worry" I stare at the paper. "Why would he say that if you know he's in trouble?"
"I haven't figured out that bit either" He sighs as I frown, just when things couldn't get anymore complicated than they already are. "He's an unsolved case."
"Fantastic" I mutter under my breath, sighing heavily at the photograph of Sam and Victor together.
For the first time my eyes cast behind Sam, a boys standing behind them looking in another direction but I recognise him, I recognise him straight away and sit up so fast I almost give Xavier a fright. Almost.
"What?" He questions, he looks wild with worry as I stand.
"I know that boy" I point to the chubby outline. "I know him, that's Masons roommate" he takes the photo from me. "That's Alex."
*
"I'm sorry" Xavier's hand rest over my seatbelt when I try to pull it off. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To help, Alex doesn't even know who you are and if you go by yourself, Mason will probably lock the door instead of let you in."
Xavier looks up at the college and then to the passenger seat at me. "I don't want you getting involved."
"It's talking to Alex Xavier, I'm just trying to help Sam and then I'll leave you to figure it out, okay?"
He sighs, obviously not happy with the current situation as we both get out of the car. "I feel like I'm going to regret this" he mutters lowly as I look back at him.
"Thank you, Mr positivity" I stick my tongue out at him and then look forward again, feeling his eyes burning through the back of my head.
I knock twice on the door, it's well late now but Mason still answers. "Grace?" He questions, then looks up behind me and swallows ever so slightly. "Xavier?"
"Hey" I smile, elbowing Xavier's ribs to get rid of the killer glare he's sending in Masons direction.
"Yeah" Xavier's voice is anything but friendly. "Hey."
Mason stares at Xavier for a second longer than he should before he looks at me. "Uh" He looks at Xavier again. "What are you doing here? Again?"
"We need to talk to your roommate" Xavier stares directly at him as he talks, his jawline looks even sharper than normal. I'm sure he's grinding his teeth together.
"Alex?" Mason looks at me now. "You want to talk to him?"
"Do we look like idiots?" Xavier almost growls out. "I don't have all night for this."
"Well, you might have to wait all night" Mason smiles, a very unfriendly sarcastic smile in Xavier's direction. "Because he's gone out."
"Gone out where?" If possible, Xavier's jaw gets tighter.
"I don't know" He shrugs. "Where would you go if your favourite hobby is blowing up mystical monsters and not socialising with anyone but your virtual dragon that you fly around on in the land of crazy make believe online geeks?"
"I really don't like you" Xavier says, staring down at Mason whose a good foot and a half shorter than him.
"The feelings mutual" Mason folds his arms across his chest as Xavier lets out some kind of primal like grunt. "But I think I can help you find Alex, and Sam."