Chapter 2
Vincents POV
"Vincent, huh?" I heard the guy called Theadit ask me. I nodded my head to confirm his question.
"Thats a nice name" I heard Geneva say awkwardly.
I blush a little, confused at why he's being so awkward around me. I looked around the large bathroom trying to get rid of the flaming blush before anyone could possibly notice it.
"Take as long as you want." I heard Geneva say gently with a smile.
"I'll go look for a extra set of clothes for him." Theadit stated before he turned around and exited the room, heading down one of the long hallways and out of sight.
I watched as Geneva started backing out of the room, looking at me tensely before giving one more smile, turning, and closing the door behind him. I stood there for a second hearing the sound of retreating footsteps before slowly stripping down and setting the clothes aside, slowly stepping into the water. It must have been boiling as I quickly withdrew my foot with a sharp yelp, getting as far away from the bathtub as I could.
"Are you ok?" I heard Theadit's voice call through the door.
"I-its really hot!" I called back.
"I only made it a little warmer than lukewarm. It shouldn't be that hot." His confused tone told me that he was telling the truth.
I just shook my head no, glaring at the tub as if it was trying to kill me.
"Its really hot." I stated again, under my breath.
"It should be fine Vincent. If not I can come in and-"
"DONT COME IN!" I quickly cut him off, knowing full well that my voice was probably filled with panic. I just hate the fact that I'm completely naked in a strange house. It makes me feel vulnerable. Suddenly my shivers get worse and heavy coughs start to come.
"Okay, okay! I won't! At least get warmer though, otherwise your going to get phenomena."
"Screw phenomena" I muttered under my breath, approaching the tub again and looking down at the water that wasn't even steaming. I stood there for a good three seconds before sucking in my breath, biting my lower lip, and just dunking myself in completely; letting loose a stream of whimpers.
I heard voices outside the bathroom door, but I wasn't quite able to make out what anyone was saying so I just stayed in the water that burned against my skin. I stayed in the tub shivering, listening to the murmurs of speech on the other side of the door when suddenly the door was knocked on and Geneva's voice called through.
"Hey, I got towels and clothes for you. I'm going to set them in there for you, ok?" He spoke as if he was talking to frightened animal.
I panicked and thought of what to do as I heard the door starting to open. I quickly pulled on the shower curtains, making them cry out as they screech along the metal rod.
"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" I yelled quickly, hoping that I had moved fast enough and that he hadn't seen anything.
"I put them on the toilet ok? Take as long as you need to heat up." I heard Geneva retreating from the room again.
"W-wait...." I call out to him through the shower curtain.
"Yes?" He answered, his footsteps stopping.
"P-please don't leave.." I really didn't want to be alone in the house, it seemed abandoned when I was alone.
"You want me to stay in the bathroom? All I was going to do was see my friend off and them make something to eat."
"Please..." My voice was shaking, which i despised. Then the coughs came back again.
"I can stay in here for a while. Just let me say goodbye to Theadit."
"N-no wait-!" But it was to late. I heard the door shutting and I was alone again in this big house.
Geneva's POV
"Be back soon, ok? And thanks for telling my dad. I'll have something to eat when you get back." I told Theadit as we stood in the entryway.
I saw Theadit get a look in his eye while licking his lips, then a look cross his face and his eyes narrow at me.
"Wait. Our food or his food?" He seemed unhappy with the idea of eating human food.
"Ours. And probably his for him if he's hungry."
"How are you going to be able to eat human in front of a human?" Theadit asked me skeptically.
"I don't know. I just know your going to have something to eat at least when you come back."
"Cut it into small pieces.... Or you know, we could just tell the human. I mean, there are only two outcomes in this scenario Geneva. One: He's your drei and you get engaged. Two: He's not and we eat him."
"Yeah. I guess thats the only outcome.. but-"
"You don't want to tell him?"
"Well its not like we tell the normal humans before we eat them either!"
"Tell me what?" I small voice asked and I turned quickly to see Vincent standing there. His clothing was in disarray as if thrown on in haste, which it probably was. I wonder if he doesn't like being alone? For a few seconds I was worried that he had overheard our whole conversation, but it became apparent that he hadn't and that he had misunderstood the last thing that was said. I let out a sigh of relief.
"We think you...." Theadit started, but quickly looked away as if it pained him to say this.
"You think what?" Vincent gently pressured Theadit.
"We think you have the early symptoms of phenomena... We didn't want to tell you because we didn't want to worry you. So your going to have to take some medicine to get better, ok?" Theadit lied to him quickly.
I really need to get Theadit to teach me his lying skills, he was good.
"I'm sorry. I probably should have said something earlier." I heard Vincent get into a small coughing fit and saw his skin turn more pale and transparent.
"I-I would've preferred t-to have been told.... earlier... But better late than n-never, right?" He told us with a small smile.
"It'll be fine. I have the medicine to get rid of it."
"I'm going to go out and get the refills on those two meds, k?" Theadit told me while heading to the door. I knew he was really just going to go tell my father the lie that I was helping a small tribe of mermaids after a disaster.
"We'll wait." I told him with a small smile, looking over at Vincent again.
I watched as Theadit left and dove into the sea, before turning around to look at Vincent again right as his stomach growled loudly. Through the paleness of his face he had somehow still managed to blush scarlet.
"Do you want something to eat?" I tried to hide a laugh.
He nodded shyly, looking away out the window as more coughs come to wrack his small body.
"Maybe if you eat something warm the coughing will settle down."
"I-I'm F-f-fine!" He gets out in-between his coughing fits.
"No your not. Theadit will be here soon with something to help your coughing. I'll make something warm for you." I told him gently, watching as he looked around for somewhere to sit down.
"Theres a couch over there" I told him, pointing to a small connecting room to the side. He nodded and stumbled over to the couch, slumping down on it when he was close enough.
"I'm going to go cook something." I told him, watching him carefully.
"Wait... T-thanks for everything. The bath, the warm clothes, saving my life, but i think i should just go home-"
"NO! u-uh... we can't because the island is about thirty miles away demo the coast. We wouldn't get back until a week later.
"I'm sure we could find a way-!"
"There is none. Ive tried before. Unless you want to swim with your coughing." I watched as a embarrassed blush graced his face.
"Fine. Next week then." He settles on, not looking happy.
"Maybe when your 100% better you can leave, not till then."
"I'm leaving when the next boat comes-!"
"That won't happen for a month. So the only way you'll possibly leave is by swimming."
I watched as his eyes narrowed and him looking at me in suspicion.
"You said it was a week first. Now you said a month. Thats changing your story: therefor your lying."
Where's Theadit when you need him?
"Okay, you got me. I never was good at lying. But it will come back within the next week."
"No, there it is! So I'll take my leave. As I said, thanks." He told me, looking out the window as the supply boat was coming towards our island.
"Wait! You can't go!"
"I have to! I have someone I have to take care off!" He started running away from me and I could tell that I was starting to really freak him out.
"What? Who?" I asked him, confused at what he was talking about.
"My little brother, please!"
"You are not going to leave right now! Thats not a boat that will take you back!"
"Please! He's alone right now! He called saying he was sick so I got on that god forsaken boat to get home. Please."
"There's no possible way."
"But my brother-!"
"How much younger than you is he?" Theadit was back. I have always known that Theadit has a soft spot for younger children so if this kid was younger than twelve, we were going to his home.
"Why?" Vincent asked Theadit cautiously.
"I just way to know." Theadit responded calmly.
"About two hours."
Theadit looks over at me, probably having the same thought going through his head. A twin?
"Wait... A twin?" I ask Vincent cautiously.
"He's a twin, right?" Theadit asks at the same time.
"Why do you need to know this information?" Vincent seemed to be closing his shell, obviously getting much more cautious.
"Reasons." I waved it off, trying to seem casual.
"Is he your twin?" Theadit asked again.
"Y-yeah.... Non-identical twins.... But he tends to be sick a lot... So can I go?"
"Not yet. We're not done here." I answer him, not willing to let a possible Drei slip away.
"What left do we do here?! Victor needs me!" Vincent practically shouts and I feel the stung tug at victors name.
"Perhaps we should accompany him home?" Theadit asks me, noticing my reaction to his name.
"Yes. Perhaps we should." I told him while nodding, a small smile on my lips.
My drei was Vincent's twin. Thats why I was drawn to Vincent, because all twins have a connection. I finally have a way to get to my last drei and I was not going to loose it.