“Of?” Bay’s brow furrowed.
“Now that you thought about it, you should choose. Am I getting you justice, Bay?” Something wicked flashed within Sila’s eyes. “Or am I getting you revenge?”
Chapter 22:
Bay ended up entering Vail alone. Sila had gotten an urgent message just as they’d pulled in front of the main building and he’d dropped Bay off before quickly leaving. He hadn’t even bothered saying where he was off to.
He’d spent the better part of the afternoon replaying that last question Sila had asked him over and over again, but he still couldn’t settle on a definitive answer. It was obvious which way Sila wanted to go, but…
Drugging August and Lan had been the worst thing Bay had ever done to another person. Aside from that, he’d never harmed anyone. Still, even knowing it’d eventually led to them being murdered, Bay didn’t feel guilty. He’d do it again if given the chance. Maybe all of Bay’s emotions weren’t fixed after all. Or maybe he’d just grown permanently numb in some regards, even if he was now able to access others.
He was subconsciously pressing at the spot at the center of his chest when he found Berga waiting for him in front of his office at the end of his final class.
“Something up?” Berga asked, eyeing Bay’s hand over his heart.
He dropped his arm and straightened his spine, checking to be sure there weren’t many other students mingling in the hall. The two of them never acknowledged one another on campus, so this visit was odd and, considering how many unsettling things Bay had experienced already that day, he was automatically on high alert.
“Can I help you with something, Mr. Obsidian?” Bay unlocked his office and then held the door open for him. “We can discuss this inside if you’d rather?”
“Thank you,” Berga nodded. “I’m thinking about taking one of your classes next semester and I had a few questions.”
“Of course.” They kept up the act until Bay had closed the door behind them. Then he moved to his desk and sat down, waving for Berga to take the empty chair across from him. “Anything the matter?”
“I wanted to see you for myself,” his friend said, eyeing him openly. Berga was a Vital like Bay, but his hair was a jet black, and he’d been born with two small crystal horns, a feature that for the most part evolution had done away with. On the outside, he appeared stoic, a little nerdy even, but the truth of the matter was he was anything but.
If Bay hadn’t grown up with the guy, he might even be afraid of him.
“Flix told me you’ve seemed different lately,” Berga began. “I didn’t believe him. I didn’t see how there could be results when you’ve all but given up on experimenting.”
“It’s called therapy.” Bay corrected lightly.
“A doctor gives you a set of instructions you’re told to follow, and then you log the possible changes that result from following said instructions,” Berga stated plainly. “I’m not sure how that’s any different from conducting an experiment.”
“I haven’t gone back to therapy,” Bay confirmed. But he was recognizing similarities between his friend and Sila that he hadn’t noticed before.
“But you’re no longer looking at me like I bore you.” He frowned and cocked his head, clearly perplexed by this. “These past couple of years you’ve regarded everything with disinterest. Even after I told you, in great detail, about how I’d taken apart—”
Bay held up a hand to stop him. “I remember, thank you. I don’t need to hear about it again.” His stomach wasn’t exactly turning inside of him but it certainly gave warning signals. Considering everything he was able to put up with from Sila, that had to mean something.
But then, Berga was a different sort of devil entirely. He was the devil other devils went to when they didn’t want to get their own hands dirty, after all. It was no great secret. Bay knew what a Butcher was, as well as the types of things his friend got up to in his free time. Testing out a couple of non-lethal poisonous teas was nothing.
“Are you fully recovered then?” Berga asked, thankfully dropping the story.
“I’m not sure,” Bay said. “I think so?” He’d been able to maintain a balanced emotional state ever since their second time in the alley. Even when Sila had vanished on him for three days, Bay had been able to feel just fine without him.
He knew that, because he’d been in a total and complete panic that he’d never get to see the real Sila again.
Pathetic.
“Are you logging—”
“Not an experiment,” Bay cut Berga off. “Remember?”
He slumped back in the large wooden chair and made a huffing sound. “Suit yourself.”
“I will be, thanks.” Bay smiled. “You didn’t come here just to see if I got my emotions back, right?”
Berga was too busy for something like that.
