HEY GUYS - NOTE THE TIME JUMP <3 <3 <3
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Hawkesbury River
Barden Compound – Stage ONE Reproduction Facility
DAYS INSIDE: TWENTY-FOUR[24]
September 13 – Early Spring
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Violet Warrendale
...
I sit on the ground silently, glancing up at the lazy guards who're too busy pissing themselves laughing to notice that I've been sharpening a bolt to a fine point for the last two hours.
The day after Scorpius hacked into my eye, Thaila and I discussed the escape. I outlined to her why using her father's supply trucks would be risky, because, if she wants Scorpius to take us to Holders Bay there'd be no way for him to know which truck to intercept once we're out. When I finally plucked up the guile to mention the anonymous job posted on CITE.K, she nearly jumped on the offer. So far, it's only Myers, Thaila and I who know about it but Scor confirmed the names on the extraction list weeks ago. Five of us. I'm not leaving without Elias, and Elias isn't leaving without his newfound kid-sister, Teacup, or Reid, and I figure Reid isn't gon' leave without Thai.
ANON approved the names.
Thai and I agreed to let E and Teacup in on the plans tomorrow, given we're three days out.
I don' know how I found myself liaising with only her, but, given the knowledge she has about the Yakuza, and the nature of what is about to go down, it kind of makes sense.
"Did you talk to Reid?" Thai shifts so her back is to the fence, putting the soldiers in her line of sight too. She's been badgering me to get on good terms with him.
"Sure." I mutter. "Actually, we've been bickering non-stop."
Thai looks at me, surprised to find that I'm flirting with the idea of asking her for advice.
"Why's that?"
So for the first few weeks, I was very good at stomping down this little crush I have, but... I ignore the train of thought, formulating a better response, "He won't balls up and accuse me of whatever bullshit he thinks I'm doing."
"He still thinks you're lying about ANON?"
"Yeah." I don't even know what reason he thinks it might be though.
Thai gazes at me thoughtfully, "And you swear you aren't?"
"Yes, Thai. I have no idea who wants to pay sixty grand to get me out." I could groan. I feel like I've had to defend myself every two seconds.
She breathes out a laugh, raising a hand in mock surrender, "Okay, okay, bro I said I believe you. It's him that doesn't."
"I know." I grumble, "That's the problem."
The conversation lulls for a moment, so I glance at her, only to realise she's trying not to let a cheeky expression out as she works at her labour.
"What?" I mutter.
"So it's got nothing to do with-."
I groan, "Oh my fucking god I wish I didn't tell you!" I accuse, though an incredulous laugh escapes my lips when she tips her head back and barks a laugh into the air.
"Well fuck, Vi, how you gon' nearly ask me for advice on him, then bar the main problem as an out of bounds topic?"
I try to grit my jaw, but then a snicker breaks out. "Yoh it's just sharing the bed. I only dreamed about him once." Yes, that type of dream.
She grins, shaking her head. "Yous are a steamy mess, bro."
I squint, "Still got nothing to do with it."
She rolls her eyes, "Don' you understand? It's got to do with," She flicks her hand like I'm too dumb, "Look you're not gon' fix it till you put your pride aside and trust him."
"But he doesn't trust me," I try to articulate.
She drops it altogether, changing topic, "Back in the city I thought you were friends by the way he talked about you."
I look at her too quickly, "What?" It's been a week and a half since he accused me of being a drug addict.
She doesn't lift her gaze from the exhaust she's cleaning, "Back in the city, when we figured out it was you leaving the walls—he knew who you were immediately."
I wrinkle my nose, "Yeah because he was best friends with my brother. My parents took him in for a bit, so he knew who I was." She could've got the impression that he liked me based on that.
Thai glances at me, then back at the exhaust, "Okay. So other than him doubting you over this whole, thing, you don' like him, why?"
I decide to play ball, getting in the weeds. "He had something to do with why Tokyo enlisted. And he's a dick."
Thai narrows her eyes, "Not exactly, Reid told me he begged him not to leave." My eyebrows bounce. Sure. I don't allow myself to believe that maybe my brother left for any other reason than running away.
I shrug, "He's stuck up, he's always been a prick to me."
"He is a prick." She remarks, "Especially when he doesn't trust someone. He keeps secrets, too." She adds, and I look at her too quickly, which she takes as an invitation to continue. "He's had to carry a lot of shit in silence because of his mum."
I don' say anything, and she frowns at my blank features. Cola and I baby sat Bloom once, for his mum. I felt special, because his mother loved Bloom more than life, but that being said, I always had a bit of dislike for the woman. All I can remember is she loved Tokyo and she had this gorgeous mane of curly black hair. I don' know how to explain, but she used to strike me as the kind of mother who would turn on her daughter the second she grew tits... you know, like those mums who see their daughters as competition, and their sons as pseudo husbands?
Thai continues casually, but my skin crawls in discomfort. I feel like I'm invading his privacy. "She had a revolving door of dock-side scum who would father one child, then fuck off and die." She flips her thick black hair, "And most of his siblings are just estranged acquaintances who used to come steal from her... Bloom doesn't know she's related to a lot of them because of that shit that happened with Kade."
I scowl at the mention. Reid was a low-level Yakuza member when my parents took him in, but one of his eldest brothers was in charge of the Yakuza drug runners.
My father made Reid spy on his brother, but when Kade found out, my father needed him dead. So he made Reid kill his brother to prove his loyalty to the Ghouls.
I've always hated my father for it. I still get sick with guilt even though I had nothing to do with it.
Thai seems to like that my attention is undivided. "He's secretive because Bloom is too young to handle any of the burdens he's had to bear, so he just keeps shit to himself to make it easier for everyone."
I have to swallow down a pang of guilt. Maybe he's private for a reason. God knows I am. "Yeah," I try to agree with her. I try to remind myself I don' like him enough to care, but I find myself unable to fuel any passion into it. "Alright. I get your point."
She flashes me a satisfied grin as we each return to work for a moment. "You're related to him through Bloom, right?" I muse.
"Yeah, my uncle Jamie was her dad, and Kade's dad too."
"Bloom and Kade were blood siblings?" Like same mother and father?
Thai grins, "Yeah," She laughs, shaking her head, "Reid's family tree is a mess," Her eyes hold a sparkle of sentiment, like it's a running joke her family used to share, "So, my Uncle Jamie had Kade with Satya. Ten years go by, they're still together, you know, still using and stuff, and in that time Satya has three other kids from three different guys."
My eyebrows shoot up, "While dating your uncle?"
"Well, on and off."
"Fuck so how many siblings does Reid have?" I scratch my arm. Tokyo always said it was a crazy amount.
"Blood? None." She shrugs, but I prompt her with a look and she sighs as she tries to count, "Well, five years after Kade there was Bentley, but he died at six." She puts two fingers in the air, "Then Vella, except she enlisted ages ago." Three fingers, "Reid was eight years after Kade," Four, "but by then I think my Dad got uncle Jamie off needles and he dumped Satya, you know, to recover from the addiction. Once my uncle left her Satya really just started popping them out. Anastasia, French, Cura and Apple, Tiger..." Five, six, seven, eight, nine, "But then, three years before Kade died, my uncle relapsed so he found Satya again, and somewhere amidst their little bender, out plopped Bloom." She finishes counting, raising both hands to display ten fingers. "Uncle Jamie died before she was born though. Overdose."
"Sorry," I mumble, but she tosses her hand in dismissal like she's at peace with it. "So all them kids had different dad's except Bloom and Kade?"
"Well Apple and Cura were twins so they had the same dad. They're Ghouls now though so totally lost track on what the fuck happened to them." She chitters out a little laugh when a thought occurs to her, "Fuck man they could be in here, all I know." She looks to me in question, and my brows shoot up.
I sure as fuck don' know anyone named Apple, but there is this girl from Castle House who lives with her dad and her twin brother. Her name is Q. She's younger than me. Eighteen?
"Did you grow up with Reid?" I ask.
"I saw him around as a kid. Then he disappeared for ages, figures that's the first time he went to the Ghouls, but if I'm being dead honest I don' know nothing about what happened to him then, except that he put Kade down." I guess Thai doesn't realise that he probably lived with my family around that time. "But when he came back after a few years, once my father finally dropped the grudge about killing Kade, he took him in. Mostly cause Dad's always had a soft spot for Bloom, and Reid was her guardian by then... Anyway, we was real close until Akimitsu kicked him out, seeing how we ended up living in the same building." She shrugs.
"How about you? What was your family like?"
Her features sadden, "Just been my dad and me for a while."
I fall quiet, nodding softly.
"Uh, Dad is real traditional, you know? But mum was a fire cracker. A little rebel. Full of love, she really brought the best out of him... and uh, I had a big sister. She was great, like the type of person that was just easy to adore."
I listen, gazing at the side of her face when it falls sadder again, "It was good when Reid came back. Dad always said I reminded him of mum, and well, that's all well and good but he didn't know how to raise me. Got too dictatorial when I pulled skeptic moves," She grins a bit, "Reid got him to back off, helped us see eye to eye a lot more." Her features warm slightly, as though she's imagining her dad's face.
A little blade twists in my heart when I see her think about her father with so much adoration.
"Myers was in the same building?" I hum, and she nods. Thai's father is wealthy. I'm sure she lived in Haven. Putting two and two together makes me cough, "He lived on Akimitsu's Reserve?" I have to stifle my shock.
She nods, "When Akimitsu kicked him out, it was brutal as... until he disappeared again. Only figured out he was living Dockside when I found him in here."
"Haven to Dockside?" I balk.
"About the biggest fall from grace there is," she bounces her eyebrows in agreement but I glance away, trying to play my interest down. "Soon as Reid joined the gang, he made it his mission to get into the Reserve for his sister... and his mother, of course. That's how he was roped into the executive ranks." The way she phrases it makes me wonder if it was something that Reid never sought out.
He has a natural ability for tactics and, no matter how much I dislike him, he can be a formidable leader... whether he likes it or not.
I can't believe he worked his way into the Reserve, for his sister? I know he loves Bloom; I could tell that much by the brief encounter at the hospital queue... but now I can see little details that I never focused on before.
It was apparent that she trusted him with her life.
"So he took guardianship of Bloom when he went back to the Yakuza? What about the other kids?"
She shrugs. "Well, well I mean his mum was living with them too, but he was the one who looked after them. And the others? Two are dead. No idea 'bout the rest."
"God," I try to stifle the desire to piece the picture of his life together. How did Satya go from having ten kids, to living with Reid and Bloom in the Haven? I try, to put it together. Out of ten, four are dead, one in the army, two in a different gang, and Bloom missing. What about the last one?
"When Akimitsu threw him out," She scratches the healed cut on her forehead, "Satya died." Her features darken as she watches me closely. "Reid was too good to the bitch, though. She was a piece of shit. You don' go telling him that's what I think of her though. He loved her either way."
"Hope! No, Hope!" My father screams, grasping her corpse. I have to draw in a steady breath.
I mutter, "I didn't like his mum either but I only met her a few times. She loved Tokyo but didn't like me none."
"Didn't like me none either," Thai agrees, "Sad death, though." She adds sombrely, glancing at me like she wants to say more. She breaks eye contact.
I swallow, averting my gaze as I try to disguise the growing ache in my chest. "I think the reason he's been dog glaring me so long is cause he's got it in his head that I knew about all this." I admit, gesturing at the compound, "And he won't come out and say it, but I kind of think he thinks I'm only in here because I'm doing some kind of job for my father, or something..."
I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she smirks, "Well, what have you told him?"
I glance at the soldiers, "That I didn't know. And that I'm not in here to help my dad with some batshit conspiracy theory."
She laughs, "That's it? Three weeks and that's all you've said?"
"He don' talk, so why should I? He makes it pretty fucking apparent that he don' like me none anyway." I defend, inspecting the bolt subtly.
Thaila shrugs, "So how about that Manic guy? What him like?"
"Scorpius?" I arch a brow, "Uh, he's great. We get along, always laughing, work well as a team." I squint at her. "Why?"
Thaila smirks lightly, "So, are you keeping your distance from Reid because you're being loyal to Scorpius?"
I shake my head, "No, no."
"Oh so you'll just keep him secret from this Scorpius guy?" She pushes.
"No, he'd egg me on if he knew." I blurt but then I cuss myself silently for admitting so much because she looks at me a bit too quickly, grinning.
"Wait so it's not like that between you guys? I thought he was your boyfriend." She twists to face me, and I push a curtain of hair in my face.
"No. Not really... we work better as friends."
She rolls her eyes, "So you mean one of you is whipped on the other?"
I laugh, "No, I mean, he's hot, sure, and I'll probably end up with him but, I don't know," I shrug, not bothered to unpack our history. "I get more excited by the idea of him finding a real partner than the idea of us being together." That's why it hurt so much when I found out about Delilah's death.
"Reid always said you were reckless for making friends with a Manic..." She mumbles, "Bit high handed considering how blasé he was about the outside."
"What?" I gulp.
"I reckon he was reckless when he put his hand up to leave the walls for Akimitsu." She glances at me but when she sees my face flare in outrage, she realises she accidentally let the cat out of the bag and winces.
"Reid was leaving the walls? That hypocritical fucking-." I pull myself together, "You mean it, he was leaving the walls?" He nearly grilled me alive, saying I was untrustworthy and snaky because I was leaving the city. That hypocritical prick! I itch to ask her why he was leaving. What did Akimitsu want? How far did he go? Did he see the Manics? Zeros?
Thaila shrugs, going silent as she watches the soldiers absently. "So are yous fighting? Other than, eye fucking." She slots a hairband in her mouth and starts fussing over her hair again. When I don' reply she takes it as a yes. "Who usually starts it?"
I imagine the few prickly encounters we've had since the night Scorpius hacked into my eye. Or even the time right before that when he checked my arm for track marks. Was it concern? But then he called me an addict like mum.
"Depends." I snark, prickly. "Honestly we haven't argued since Scor managed to tap my phone. But, we're definitely not on good terms."
"Well you gon' have to work with him if you want to get out, and he don' trust you none. In his head you're the princess of the Ghouls, he thinks that you think he's some dock-side monster, so he's got his back up all defensive." Thaila shifts like she's bored, but I blink at her silently. That was mighty perceptive, but if she's right, then he sees me as having the upper hand. That he's on the defence, and I'm on the offence, but I had it in my head that he was the one who saw me as bad. Maybe I've been looking at it all wrong. "You still talking with that Scorpius guy?"
"Yeah, jus' texted him," I wave my phone in explanation.
"Oh sweet..." I can tell she wants talk about the escape. "Wouldn't it be better to have more people?" She asks.
I shake my head, looking down, "More will attract attention. Five people, max." I talked him into taking Teacup too.
She nods, scratching her chin, "You still happy to play house with Hito till we're gone?"
I groan, "I thought you said he didn't wan' meet no more."
She shakes her head, "Nah. Wants to see you tomorrow night."
I pucker my lips in dislike, "Yeah alright."
Thai glances over her shoulder, and I realise she's looking at one of the compound walls in the distance. I make a mental note of where it is. "I could've got a supply truck of kids out. Seems like a waste," She murmurs, almost regretful. Two soldiers stand, and we fall silent as I stuff the bolt in my cargo pants and resume scrubbing the vehicle parts.
"You think we can hide a truck full of people in Holders Bay?" I ask, sarcastic.
"Labour's done." One of them announces.
"Meet you at Darling Grounds tomorrow."
...
Steam swirls in the sleek bathroom, sticking to the lavish granite tiles and condensing on the mirror. "Can you hurry up?" Reid raps his fist on the door, and I scowl at my reflection.
"I'm not finished," I mutter.
"What?" He asks from behind the door with an intolerant tone, making my skin prickle, but I remind myself that fighting will worsen things.
"I'm not finishe—." I lurch when Reid swings it wide and trudges in, my jaw dropping in outrage.
"You are now," He prowls past me so fast that I squish myself to the basin to make room for his fat ass. Dickhead. He wrenches his towel from the drying rack, turning back as he barges past me, nudging me aside like a doll. I veer back in mute shock. He's normally a prickly asshole, but Jesus that was harsh.
"What is your problem?" I demand, "You're lucky I have some damn clothes on."
His features crackle with unreleased irritation, glaring at me like I'm just some obstacle in his path. He looks like a soldier with his broad shoulders and towering frame.
"What crawled up your ass?"
He doesn't reply with anything other than a nasty glare, his angular features dark and brooding. "I want the Grit-Off," He gestures at the cupboard behind me, but I press myself into the counter, sticking my chin up adamantly. Grit-off is a hand wash used to remove the engine grease from labour.
"I wan' don' get."
"Does everything have to be a fückin' argument with you?" He dumps his towel at the shower door, his shoulders wound up, and his jaw clenched.
Jesus he's fuming.
That question doesn't even deserve an answer, so I glower up at him, studying his features. The dark skin around his eyes is a faint purple against his tan skin, and the vein in his temple tracks down until it meets his bruised cheekbone.
That's new.
A jitter of nerves bubbles in my chest when he stills, growing distracted by my prolonged eye contact. I forget what I was doing, succumbing to the pressure of his gaze. A second of silence passes between us.
His anger descends into something else.
"You gon' move?" He snaps.
"No." I gesture my toothbrush, "I'm gon' brush my teeth." I snark, bitchy and insolent.
He pushes me aside so he can yank the cabinet open, but I slap the steamy mirror shut. Then, lightning-fast, he catches my wrist with a rough hand, his shoulder grazing my cheek and sending a waft of his smoky scent at me as he pulls the cabinet open and grabs his stupid grit cleaner. My breath catches when his muscular quad brushes mine before he drops my hand and nudges me at the door callously.
"Reid," my voice is level, "What's wrong? I get if you had a shitty day but I don' understand why you're making it my problem."
He grits his jaw as he twists the cap off. Why's he so wound up? He glowers silently at his reflection as he lathers it in his palms, immediately sending the chemical-like scent everywhere. It's the only thing that can get engine grease out of your skin, but it reeks like the fuel Scor and I threw all over Crippy's tent.
He doesn't say anything for a moment as he works it into his palms, the muscles in his chorded forearms flexing, "I don' see why you gotta make a point to make it fuckin' worse." He stands over the basin. Anger cracks its lash at me. I prowl at him and slip my äss between the gap.
"The fact I took ten minutes too long in the shower don' mean you can act like a fuckin' dick." I disguise it, but the patch of skin I used to nudge him goes hot, prickling like I can just anticipate how close he is to me. I snatch my toothpaste and glare at him in the reflection.
"Ten minutes?" He balks.
Okay I was in here for a while, but I didn't realise he was back from the hall.
"Yoh," I say in a threatening tone, warning him I'm not going to play around if he really wants to pick a fight about something as menial as this.
The air practically simmers with tension and the muscle in his cheek dances. "Not right now."
"Then get out—." Before I can get my sentence out he tries for the tap, but I block him, leaning over the basin slightly to checkmate him, because if he follows, it'll close the gap between my ass and his hips.
"I wan' wash my hands this shīt reeks. Please, get out." He nearly groans, exasperated.
"You're actually a brat."
He just curls his lip in contempt, "You kidding?" His features flare into the reckless anger he had when he smacked the gun out of my hands or he pinned me to that stupid hospital barrier. But then his eyes focus on my décolletage as my breath catches. The crackling glare on his masculine features descends into a smug glint, and my heart thumps when he looks at my lips through the mirror. I look down, gripping the counter.
Behind me, Reid looks down at the space between my back and his chest, so I press myself into the counter to make more room. He reaches around me but I drop the toothpaste and grab his wrist.
The heat of him barely inches from my ass makes my heart race. I should be freaking out on Reid for being so close.
His green-grey eyes hold mine through the mirror and his chest rises slower than usual like he's trying to control himself. Still, his dirty glare says something else entirely.
He reaches around me, "What're you doin'?" I dig my nails into his wrist, hyper-aware of the way his chest brushes my back.
"Moving you so I can wash it off," He mutters as he presses his forearm against my side, guiding me to the corner of the sink. I look down at his forearms, at his masculine hands which drop with the soap.
Despite his gentle actions, his attention picks up a new degree of heat when I release his wrist begrudgingly, shifting out of his way. The Grit-Off on his hands brushes my toned stomach as he moves me by my waist, though the liquid has an icy sensation from all the chemicals in it.
"You got it on me." I snap, twisting to collect my towel from behind him, but the movement forces his hand to spread against my skin. I gasp at the sensation of alcohol evaporating, looking down in dismay at the substance smeared all over me, before I shove myself back, wiping myself off.
"Princess as fuck," He mutters, like I'm being dramatic.
I go cold, and my back stiffens, anger grabbing me. "Backstabber as fuck."
Anger bursts across his face. That chip on your shoulder is showing. "You don' know what the fuck you're talking about." Reid kicks his boots off, yanking his shirt to reveal a muscular chest covered in a patchwork of tattoos, but I avert my gaze, my skin prickling.
"What are you doing?" I mutter.
He turns around and twists the shower taps, letting the water hiss as his pants hit the floor.
"You can go," He gestures at the door, and I look away adamantly, a swarm of impulses pulling me in every direction until I clench my jaw.
I snatch the tooth paste up again and squeeze it along the bristles, jamming it in my mouth as I bend over the basin and lean on my elbows, brushing furiously. A draft of steam whispers against the base of my spine, but I don't bother adjusting my top, my skin prickling. I glare at the tiles, fuming.
Fück I'm an idiot... I nearly scream in frustration, angry that he somehow managed to win the silent power-scuttle between us. I hear him step under the hot water, his breath hitching like he likes it.
I keep brushing, my cheeks flaming in embarrassment. I should storm off in a huff but my ego won't let me admit defeat, not when I know I can take him.
The thick steam enunciates the boiling tension but I remain silent, even when a sprinkle of water kisses my lower back.
...
Reid Abrax Myers
...
I scrub my hands, glaring at her back as she leans over the basin on her elbows, making her tight waist slope until her hips are dangerously arched. Her short tank top slips to reveal her lower back, and I glimpse that tattoo again.
I splash the water over my chest, but when it hits her, she flinches slightly, and her breath stills, making it impossible to discern if she's pissed off or horny.
I've been in a foul mood all day, battling the constant fücking desire to belt the living shīt out of Wilkes. We were lifting gear from a road train, and Wilkes was on the crane. He fucked up the controls, and I nearly got my neck snapped for it. Lucky I just got a bruised cheek. The stupid prick held me back for a work safety breach. I didn't even make it to the hall. Two hours of that bastard yapping in my ear about all the things he wants to do to Thai, Violet. Him took to asking how Bloom was, and I nearly lost it.
Guess I kind of am now, I was just rude as for no reason.
Does she realise what that view is fücking doin' to me? I grit my jaw. She's made it obvious she doesn't want anything like that so I'm gon' respect it.
Vi brushes irritably, refusing to look in my direction when she holds her hair back and spits the toothpaste, "You're a hypocrite." She jams the brush in her mouth and ties her hair out of the way, which earns a kind of response that I don' need to deal with right now.
I nearly groan, bracing my arms on the wall as the boiling water races down my back.
Does she know how hard she's making this? Her signals are fücking whack. What with those fück-me eyes and that nasty little glare... She's stubborn, bītchy and stand-offish, but then she looks at me like she's worried.
What's worst is she holds secrets to her chest. Drives me up the wall.
"How?" I scoff. She keeps brushing, but then she gags on it and my cöck throbs at the litany of ideas it inspires. "Jesus, Vi." I cuss, and she stiffens, gripping the counter.
Fück, cünt.
I look away and try to remind myself who she is. I force myself to remember where we are and why the idea of her digging her nails into my back is about as wishful as getting back to Lake Darling.
She's Tokyo's sister, for fücks sake.
My foul mood returns, and the exhaustion makes my anger ten times more irrational.
...
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