Free Minds

Chapter 115.

   It only made sense that like me, Dorian and Rav be given time to process the presence of our mind-controlled friends and/or schoolmates and cope with its effect on them.

   Also, it was the best way to help Rav get his spontaneous proposals to me out of his system without me resorting to Speck-inspired means.

"Are we okay now?'' I asked the boys. Not that I had a watch or anything, but it seemed like enough time had been spent gawking and releasing strangled sounds at those below us.

   Rav nodded, though his attention was now on Dorian. So was mine, honestly.

   The plan was us finding the students first so that Dorian could do what he'd told me and Rav would help save everyone. Well, we'd found the students.

   We watched Dorian pace around for a minute or two until he settled in front of the bannister, looking down at people as the hand of his not holding the Neuroskel clenched the bar so hard his knuckles turned white.

   Being unable to see his expression from where I was, I took reluctant steps toward him, eventually resting my hand on his shoulder and leaning into his side.

"You'll be fine, Dorian."

   He didn't reply to that, but I watched him set the Neuroskel next to him and turn to face me. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

   My arms encircled his neck as he held me closer and tighter. The deeper he went made the thought of letting go eventually a thousand times more difficult.

   Because then the current fire coursing all over me would dissipate, because then I'd experience the withdrawals that followed his lips no longer on mine, because then although he's not far away, I'll miss him like crazy.

   With a heavy heart, we finally came apart for air. That's when I saw how tear-filled his eyes were.

   But then he picked up the Neuroskel and said with a tone more humorous than his features, "You know, once you get used to it, Deth is actually a cool name."

   I frowned. What was he talking about–Oh. Our disastrous couple's name.

"No, it's not." I scoffed.

   He gave me another kiss–on my cheek this time– and moved to whisper in my ear, "I know. But that's what we'll make everyone else think."

   I rolled my eyes. "Good luck with that."

   All it took was our eyes meeting for us to betray our mock straight faces.

"Okay." Dorian was still grinning when he remarked, "I'm ready."

   We proceeded down the stairs which led us to everyone, me holding onto his empty hand and Rav on his other side, looking every bit like the younger brother he was.

   We settled on the large, bare space from everyone else under the stairs.

   Dorian sat cross-legged on the floor while Rav and I remained standing, holding onto our guns, in case Speck woke up and tried to attack or any of these students broke out of their trance.

   I flinched at the clicking noise the Neuroskel made when Dorian put it on his head like one would a helmet. What he was about to do was such a longshot and it wasn't easy watching him take this risk. But I couldn't forget the strong conviction emanating from him as he explained to Rav and I what he was going to do to save everyone.

    According to Dorian, he knew his tattoo couldn't be what made him immune to the mind-control devices by the time Speck used the third placement gun on him. When our principal kept implanting the devices in him–here's the strange part–, he saw his mind connect with and explore the entire makeup of each device. This lasted for only a few seconds before that image went black. Then he felt nothing but a numbness right before passing out. It was Speck's scan that made him understand that his brain severed that every connection by destroying the device.