Why?
Bay moved in closer, staring for a bit at one particular image of Sila laughing at something Rabbit had said in the East Quad. He’d snapped the shot at the beginning of the semester, the same day he’d discovered that Sila was a student in his class. He’d felt dirty doing it, knowing the picture was there in his multi-slate as he taught the rest of his classes for that day.
Ironic, that Bay had violated Sila’s rights long before the younger man had violated his body.
“Hey,” Nate popped his head around the end of the closet and Bay startled. “You coming or what?”
“Yeah.” Shoving the coats back into place, Bay shut the closet with a definitive click and smiled reassuringly. “Please tell me you made a full a pot.”
“Did you one better,” Nate said as the two of them moved into the kitchen. “I pulled out your espresso maker.”
“You’re the best.”
Nate held up an already filled mug for him. “You have no idea how great it is to hear that and know you actually mean it.”
Bay made a sound of agreement and took the offering, the rich smell of coffee causing him to sigh in contentment before taking a sip.
“Here’s to you hopefully being on the way to a full recovery.” Nate held up his own mug in toast.
He clicked them together and grinned. “Fingers crossed.”
A tiny voice in the back of his head wondered if Nate would still think that if he’d known how Bay had gotten his emotions back in the first place.
Chapter 13:
Routine was the best mask of them all. Predictable people were easy targets and people equated easy with safe.
Three times a week, Sila could be found swimming for exactly one hour in the Vail University pool. His rotation between it and his trips to the library were all part of the camouflage he’d carefully concocted. Knowing exactly where to find him at a certain time on any given day gave those around him a sense of comfort. It made them believe they knew him and his character.
Hard working, dedicated, friendly…He’d crafted the perfect disguise to protect not only himself, but his brother as well. The best lies were the ones most heavily rooted in truth. Hiding worked in a similar fashion.
Since he didn’t want anyone to ever get too close to him, he allowed them the illusion that they already were.
Sila rolled and kicked off the wall, cutting through the water with ease. He was coming to the end of his hour and wanted to get a few more laps in before then. His home planet, Tibera, was a world made almost entirely of ocean. The land, all golden sand and tall rocky cliffs, wasn’t the only populated part due to this fact. Every Tiberan learned how to swim before they knew how to walk. Were taught how to manage their emotions by syncing their breaths to the motion of the waves.
Their people’s emotions were heightened compared to most other species, but they filtered through them quickly so as not to allow themselves to become prey to erratic emotional states of being. Processing information, as well as feeling, and thinking critically were all important aspects to Tiberans.
It’d been simple enough for Sila to act the part growing up—at least once he’d realized he wasn’t normal. Because they sorted through and compartmentalized their feelings so thoroughly, Tiberans were actually known for being levelheaded. All the times Sila showed no emotion, everyone simply assumed it was because he was properly regulating his feelings.
The never would have guessed he actually didn’t have any.
That wasn’t entirely true. He could feel certain things, as he’d explained to Bay two nights ago. But things like empathy, regret, remorse…Those things alluded him. Thank Light too. Sila couldn’t even begin to imagine how tedious existing would be if he had to be concerned over others as well as himself.
It sounded like nothing more than an epic waste of time.
His brother was different though. He felt too much instead of not enough. It’d been harder for him to manage and stay hidden when they’d been on Tibera. It was mostly for him, and to escape their overbearing father and the predetermined fates he’d set for them, that Sila had agreed to run.
He never would have done so otherwise. He didn’t run. He chased.
If it’d been solely up to him, he would have found a way to murder their father. They would have been free of him and gotten his fortune to keep them comfortable. Instead, they’d come all the way to Vitality, with a meager allowance and an agreement with Crate Varun that they would study and then return to fill the roles he’d assigned them.
If he had his way, Sila would be forced to work at the hospital for the rest of his days and Rin would be turned into the next member at the High Council table.
That would never happen.
Their plan was to escape as soon as they’d completed their time at Vail and the Academy. They’d flee and start over somewhere fresh, where they could be whoever and whatever they wanted to be. Thanks to Bay, Sila had built a hefty enough nest egg it was possible for them to go early, something his brother wasn’t yet aware of.
Sila prided himself on his ability to plan ahead, but he hadn’t seen the events of this past month coming. Now he had Bay and his brother was involved with Kelevra Diar. Their plans might be in the process of changing.
