Brave Fear (boyxboy)

Chapter 10

Daisy came grumbling in while they were shooting basketballs. Her feet shuffled and she yawned multiple times in the five seconds since she'd walked into the room. Her blue hair was a mess, sticking out in multiple places. Her sapphire eyeliner from her left eye was smeared down the side of her face, giving her a bright sideburn.

"Mornin', sunshine," Marcus said, holding the basketball in the crook of his elbow. He had taken off his boots and spurs, thank god, but he had left the hat on. He had dark jeans over his legs and a matching buttoned shirt. Zane found himself giggling at the fact that he was playing basketball with a cowboy. He had no idea why, but he found this fact hysterical.

Daisy grumbled, her hazel eyes opening ever so slightly. Despite looking like she just rolled out of bed, which she did, she managed to glare at Marcus. She grabbed a basketball from a side bucket, practically palming it.

She reeled and threw it with one hand. It sailed over their heads and sunk into the basket. It bounced to the ground, echoing in the shocked silence. She gave Marcus the finger. "Don't call me sunshine," she growled. And then she promptly collapsed on a nearby bench, her eyes closing again.

"That girl is awesome," Joseph said, and Zane felt a twist of jealousy in his gut.

Joseph had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, and the blue fabric was pooled at his shoulders. Zane's eyes caught the small mole on the back of his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. His silver ring gleamed under the fluorescent lights. His smile was stretched wide, and his dark brown hair fell over his forehead in sheets.

Zane's next shot sailed over even the backboard.

Joseph grinned foolishly. He shot his ball, and it hit the rim, bouncing off. Zane mocked his smirk. He laughed delightfully, his head thrown back toward the roof.

"Oh, yeah?" Mallory demanded. She squared her shoulders and spread her feet, holding the basketball in one hand. Zane found his jaw dropping as her arm began to lengthen, stretching toward the basket. Zane frowned as she simply dropped the ball into the basket.

"Show-off," he muttered under his breath, walking forward to retrieve his own basketball.

Mallory didn't hear him. Instead, she seemed to be pondering something. "What do you think Wawrzynski will do if we don't train with his weapons?" she asked, throwing out the question to the room. Her arm retracted back to its normal size.

Zane scoffed. "He might not have to do anything,"

Joseph looked at him curiously. He elaborated. "By giving us the resources to train and practically nothing else to do but eat, it's obvious he thinks we'll do it out of boredom. I know I will." He chucked the basketball into the bucket against the wall.

"Why?" came Mallory's response.

"Look around you," he said. "There's no cameras in this room." It was true. Zane could spot no security cameras like in the main room and the bedrooms. "Wawrzynski is loosening his leash on us, expecting us to take initiative. Like I've said before, the more we cooperate with him, the looser that grip is going to become."

"You're one smart cookie," Mallory stated matter-of-factly. "And if we go along with it, we'll learn how to handle a variety of weapons-"

"-which may be helpful in the future," Zane finished, nodding. Mallory gave him a sly look. Her thoughtful brown eyes gazed back into his. Her curly black hair was tied back in a loose bun and several strands had fallen out over her ears.

Zane strode over to the bench and took a seat beside Daisy, who was stretched out, snoring. He ran a hand through his blond hair, smoothing it to the left. He caught a flash of Joseph's blue eyes on him. He smiled to himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He brought his legs up, crossing them in his lap.