Mutations:
~ Chapter Twenty-Nine ~
"What is wrong with you?"
Five parked himself down across from me as I forced my body upwards with a grunt, sweat poured down my back, making my top stick to my glistening skin.
Today was our turn in the exercise arena and I had a lot of emotions to work off before I drowned in them, or more importantly, before I vented them onto someone else.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded narrowing my gaze at him, pausing my sit-ups for a second with an irritated growl. Five leaned away a little at my noted aggression, "You're avoiding us." He accused without a second thought about it.
A harsh laugh scratched my throat. I bet that was what Two was trying to convince them; that I was up to something. Now, it wouldn't surprise me.
I knew that he was only trying to get close to me so that he could report back to Veronica, and I was not about to fall for his mind games anymore. Nope. If he wanted to play games, then I wanted my half of the board.
"I'm bored." I gritted out rolling onto my stomach and positioning my arms beneath me as I lowered my body onto them with a puff of effort, "All we do it sit and wait, wait to be told to do something. Wait for more tests, wait to be allowed to leave our rooms to eat...wait for Two to say what goes."
Five's head jerked up in surprise at the last one and he eyed me suspiciously, "I knew that something was going on between the two of you." He declared, in a matter of fact tone.
My shoulders tensed but I wasn't willing to give up on my push-ups, I needed this relief before I burst wide open.
"What does that mean?" I demanded hotly, shoving myself up onto my hands and knees with a scowl.
Two was busy across the room, thankfully he was too preoccupied to even notice our conversation. I could smell the sweat that dripped down his salty skin; smooth and flawless as his muscles flexed every time he hoisted himself further up the climbing wall. Too focused to even think about what was happening around him.
I had successfully managed to avoid him all morning after eavesdropping in on his conversation with Veronica last night, simply because I had no idea of what to do.
There was no one I could count on in this place; especially not Five, who looked up to Two like he was some sort of idol, placed on a golden pedestal, and I doubted that Three would even give my theory the time of day.
"Don't trust Veronica..."
Eric's voice shattered through my thoughts like drumming thunder; he knew. He knew that there was something off about her, all this time I had been ignoring Eric's warning, and now what was I supposed to do?
The only person I could trust was gone. But, how did he know? And what did he know? I was desperate to know what was going on. Why did Veronica want to know something about me that even I didn't know?
And why did she want Two to believe that I was a monster?
"You been acting weird around him." Five stated daring me with his gaze to disagree, "You were acting weird this morning. You didn't even finish your first breakfast!"
I didn't have a response for that, I didn't know how to defend myself from anything Five was saying.
All last night, I couldn't even stand the thought of closing my eyes for a second because all I could think about was Two and Veronica plotting against me, and that voice that whispered through my mind.
A voice. My eyes clenched shut as the frustration boiled through me, what even was that voice? A figment of my imagination? Imagination's don't come with scents like the voice's.
"It's a girl thing." I lied smoothly as I rose to my feet with a shrug, "You wouldn't understand. Okay?"
Five looked fascinated but didn't probe, instead he swung around to drive his fist hard against one of the punching bags with a grunt, "Is it your period? Ander told me that women get that. He wasn't sure if yours would be the same as a normal girl but when you get it- women act weird, and grumpy." He turned to me like he had won a cookie, "He said the best thing to do is leave you be."
"Well, you've done a brilliant job so far." I muttered dryly shaking my head, "And it's not that."
He huffed in annoyance and turned to me with an unamused look on his face, "Look, Two wants to know what's up with you. He didn't ask me to come over to you but I figured that I would do him the favour because...because I like him."Even Five didn't look impressed with his own reasoning, I could tell that he didn't understand why he was even over here, "And plus, we all kind of want to know."
"Even Three?" I drawled, unimpressed.
The temperamental Splice was across the room with a ball bouncing in his hands, his unfocused eyes brimming with concentration within them as he aimed the ball and threw it in the direction of the hoop. Five and I watched the orange ball sink through the net, and clash against the rubber floor with several thuds.
"Three doesn't care about anything." Five shrugged honestly, which was a relief, "Unless it concerns his access to his turkey slices."
Rolling my eyes, I gritted my teeth as I forced a seemingly cool smile across my face. I've never felt the absolute need to lie to someone before. White lies, however, were a different story but right now would be the first time I spoke a lie that I would need to continue; a story lie.
"I'm feeling overwhelmed." I sighed which wasn't not the truth, "I just need some time to figure it out."
Five didn't look interested in the slightest, not enough to probe for any more questions anyway. He simply nodded his head in satisfaction, "Good enough for me." He sighed before blurring out of sight. He returned to whatever it was he was doing before he came to bother me.
One thing was made clear; as much as liked Five, I couldn't trust him. I didn't blame him though. I could feel the same need inside of me to follow Two as Five did, a primal need buried deep within, to please him and fight alongside him, if necessary.
But that emotion was being clouded by a bitterness that dared me to challenge him; I knew how packs worked. We need an alpha, and it was obviously intended that it would be Two.
"What's going on with you?" Three demanded, scaring me at his sudden presence and I nearly yelped at the sight of him, "I may be blind but I can feel something in the atmosphere, something not good."
That makes two of us.
My attention was diverted from him when a sudden whiff of a ghostly scent wafted through the air and my eyes slipped shut as I tried to trace it but it was too scarce.
Not to mention that the smell of Three's natural odour swallowed it before I could even think of latching onto it. Frustration boiled in me as my head fell back in agitation; how could I ever track that damn thing!?
"The vents." I whispered in sudden revelation as I squinted my eyes towards the ceiling, "It's in the vents."
Above us, the ventilation circuit was exposed enough for me to see the maze of overlapping metal outlets that were wide enough for me to fit into, I knew it.
Finally, my lack of height would eventually come in as a tool, instead of something to glow red and embarrassed about. I could already feel a plan hatching inside of me as my eyes trailed the length of the climbing wall, high enough to make a jump.
"I know." Three murmured thickly, his voice was tense with warning, "And whatever it is, should stay wherever it is."
My eyes narrowed as I turned to him, "You know about it?" I demanded wondering how he managed to act so oblivious to it. Three shook his head and lowered his mouth to my ear discreetly, "I sense it. It doesn't know that though." And judging by his tone, Three wanted to keep it that way.
"What?" I demanded breathlessly. How could he not feel compelled to find it, like I did?
Three looked at me with a certainty that would have swayed me, had this been any other argument. But this I knew, deep in my gut, I needed to discover, "I feel it's malice, Six. Whatever it is has hate within it that burns so deep that it has no morals; it is not like us." He tried to drill into me.
"You're wrong." I disagreed with a shake of my head and I lifted my gaze, "It needs our help. They have it locked up, helpless and alone...I can smell its loneliness."
Three looked as if he could murder me, if given the chance. He stepped so close to me that I felt my guards rise as a growl rumbled deep in my throat, "It will kill you, if given the chance!" He snarled in a low voice, "Go looking for it; and you will mess this up for all of us!"
A second snarl erupted from my throat as his own body shook with barely contained anger. A shout in the distance was deafened to us as we met nose to nose, neither of us were willing to back down.
Neither of us willing to submit to the other. Three was bigger than me, stronger than me but between the two of us; I was quicker and stealthier.
"Six!" Two's voice boomed through the arena, forceful enough to make Three halt his growling but he didn't dare look away from me, "Walk away. whatever this is, isn't worth it."
But I couldn't. Didn't they understand that the same need to establish dominance that thrived in them was alive and well in me? An old hunger formed in my chest as my gaze locked onto Three's.
I knew well that he couldn't see but he could do everything else. I wonder if he could taste me dare; I dared him to initiate a fight with me.
I craved it.
"I said backdown, Six!" Suddenly, Two was in front of me, and I bared my teeth as my leg lifted. I didn't even know what was happening until it was done.
My leg swung out and landed a swift kick on Two's chest that made him stumble back, more in shock than surprise, "What the hell was that!?" Anger bellowed in his growl, a noise so fierce that it shook the bones inside my body.
Something cold and new trickled through me, or maybe it was fiery and old. But I didn't lose my nerve, I couldn't let them think that I would just bend to his every will without question, so, I lifted my head and met his gaze straight on.
"You are not my alpha." I stated through gritted teeth, trying to keep the anger inside me at bay, "You want that, you have to earn it."
I didn't want to say it, but I felt the need to. The animal instinct inside of me may be suppressed by my humanity but it was still thriving underneath the surface, how could I allow a man that I didn't trust to simply take the role of an alpha in my life?
Until I found out exactly what was going on here: I would be my own alpha.
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A/N
Sorry for the long wait everyone, I hit a wall of writer's block but I can feel it slowly leaving! I hope that this will satisfy any annoyances.
- EmbracingYou