Most days I would be happy to be in class and away from doing patrols, but today is not that day. Classes all day were torture without Rez. It’s just a reminder that we as a group have royally fucked up with her. She wasn’t in Survival Class today or any class as far as I know. I did see Moni, but I didn’t get a chance to ask about Rez or see how they were coping after the earthquake. Though, with how she was bouncing around, she seemed to be in a good mood.
The atmosphere around the dorm room is pretty depressing. It’s obvious it has to do with what went down at the beach. It’s led us from chilling with Moni and JP at lunch on the daily, to hiding up here in our fucking dorm room like cowards. I think since I came later in the game, I don’t have as much playing against me. Hopefully my groveling has given me a head start on being on her good side. When she blew up, she pretty much directed her anger at Levi and Zeke, the latter of which is taking it really hard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zeke so down, but if we can fix things, I’m sure he’ll be alright.
I hope she’s okay. First our supposed betrayal had to be hard enough, but JP had said she couldn’t find her Familiar? The little rat thing could be anywhere. I don’t know what I would do if I lost one of my animals. Granted I’m not as close to them as it seems she was to hers, but still…they are a part of me and I would be lost without them. I’ll go out this evening and ask the woodland creatures to keep a lookout for a shifting rat/cat hybrid thing.
I want to do whatever I can to help. I feel like I was just given the green light to get to know her and all of a sudden, BOOM! Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO, and do not collect $200. I hate Monopoly; it's the dumbest game in the world. Who enjoys ripping people off with getting all the utilities and railroads? How is that even legal?Fucking Ryker.Why not hide and seek, where it actually takes agility and tracking to win? Either way, I won’t let this little setback deter me. She said actions speak louder than words, so that’s what I will do. I just need to find a way in with Rez so I can get to know her better.
The slamming of the front door brings my attention to the hallway where a perplexed Ryker marches in and plops down on the sofa. Drying up the last of the dishes from lunch, I notice him slouching and rubbing the bridge of his nose. Following lunch, Levi and Zeke went back to their rooms to change while I cleaned up the kitchen. After this weekend, we really didn’t feel like eating down in the cafeteria and taking the chance of running into Rez. None of us want to feel the sting of her rejection again.
Ryker had taken off, and by the look of things, whatever he ended up doing didn’t pan out the way he wanted. Drying my hands, I throw the dish towel on the counter and join him on the sofa, handing him the first bottle from the fridge I can find.
Taking it, he quirks an eyebrow at me. “Plush Malt?”
Shrugging, I reach for the remote and start to surf the channels, not at all paying attention to what I’m seeing. “Figured you could use it.”
“Thanks, man.” Ryker pops the top and takes a long swig before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Thank God we had some left over in the fridge. That shit is expensive as fuck, but it’s worth every penny. Plush Malt, or Happy Juice as the Trolls like to call it, is a specialized malt. Drinking it is like a mood balancer. If you’re mad, it helps make you happy. If you’re horny, it will kill your libido. The options are endless, and since I’m not sure what the hell is wrong with him, I figured it wouldn’t hurt him to just get back to the regular Ryker we all love to pick on.
“So, do you want to talk about it?” I ask, switching over to Hellflic, our version of Netflix, to see if I can find anything to watch.
“Talk about what?” Levi walks in wearing one of his normal suits and sits in his favorite lounge chair, Exile—yeah, that’s what he named the chair. I will never understand why he changes out of his uniform just to wear a damn suit. It’s like a suit of armor. Saturday at the beach was the first time I saw him out of a suit since we were kids.
“Do you even care, or are you just reporting back to Mother dearest?” Zeke snaps, walking in wearing only a pair of basketball shorts.Oh hell, here we go again. Are they ever going to get over their differences?I wish I could lock them in a room to work their shit out. Better yet, they could probably benefit from hitting up the blood matches and beating the shit out of each other. Hmm. I might suggest that soon if they don’t get their shit together.
The tension between the two is practically palpable in the room. “What is your problem?” Levi straightens out his already pristine cufflinks and tries to play down Zeke’s anger. But taking in his stance, he’s not going to let up. I have no idea if I should pounce between the two of them or just ignore it and let them have it out. I can barely control my anger on a good day, so I have no idea what could happen if I jump in the middle of this shit.
“Pfft. And here I thought you were smart. Guess not if I have to spell it out for you,” Zeke growls out as his body tenses. He stops just in front of Levi’s lounger and locks eyes with him.
“Stop playing games, Zeke, and tell me what has that concerned look on your face.” Levi slowly stands up and straightens his lapels while not paying attention to the bomb waiting to detonate in front of him. Stupid move since Zeke has a short fuse. His mood swings are all over the place, but one thing is for sure, when he feels strongly about something there’s no way to sway him easily.
I can see what’s about to happen before he—probably subconsciously—even does it. Body language is everything when it comes to fighting. So as Zeke shifts his weight to his rear leg, it doesn’t surprise me when a crack sounds in the room.
Damn. I know that smarts.I’ve grappled with Zeke before, and when he adds in speed, he can pack a decent hit to even knock me off balance.
Picking himself up off the ground, Levi reaches for Zeke. He’s not a fighter like your typical mage with spells and potions, but it plays towards his speciality.
Sidestepping him, Zeke growls out, “NO! I’m allowed to feel what I’m feeling. Don’t take that away from me like you did Rez.”
Levi blanches as pain and remorse reflect in his eyes. Rubbing his jaw, he pleads with Zeke as he takes his seat once again, holding his hand over his jaw.
“I am sorry, Ezekiel. I truly am. I never meant to hurt you, I only—”
“Was thinking about yourself and what you could do to please ‘Mommy dearest,’” he spits out, clenching his jaw. He starts pacing as he unleashes the truth. “Don’t you see that it’s fucking toxic? All she’s doing is using you? Her love isn’t unconditional like they say love should be. How many times has she given you a compliment, only to take it back in a backhanded way? Or to use it against you later?” Zeke pleads. “Don’t you see the difference between her and your dad? Between her andus? We’ve always had your back and because of your blind fucking devotion to her, but this time you probably cost us the one perfect thing in this shitty world. I get it, Lilith is the closest to a mother figure any of us has ever had. But that doesn’t make what she does to you acceptable.” With his speed, Zeke launches himself into Levi’s face and screams, “Get your head out of your ass, or you’re going to lose us too!” In a blur, he leaves the dorm, slamming Timber in his wake.
‘Well that was rude. I’ll make sure he’s okay. Or at least see if I can track him around campus,’our Door Knight Timber states, and I’m grateful for her.
‘Thanks.’
‘You’re welcome, my surly one.’
We sit in uncomfortable silence until Timber speaks up.‘Zeke is burning off some excess energy. He’s running around the grounds.’
Everyone releases a collective sigh, and Levi finally speaks up but continues looking at his hands in his lap. “Do you all feel the same way?” His voice comes out scratchy, as if he’s holding back emotion.
Ryker and I exchange a look before looking back at him.
“Yeah,” we say in unison. Shifting in my seat because I would really rather not talk about this, I sigh in relief when Ryker speaks up.
“Levi, what you have going on isn’t healthy, and I should know what’s unhealthy around here. Keeping secrets, especially from us, is only going to tear us apart. You can’t keep a family strong with secrets.” He trails off, and my inner wolf perks up.
