Grey II - Ghosts

Chapter 25 - Parish & Prey

Well, someone might get hurt and it wont be me.

She Wants Revenge - Someone Must Get Hurt

I walked into the gym with a searing headache, as if it had grown with each step between my first training and my second. Little lines of fire blazed paths through my brain, and even Ailech had stopped attempting to talk to me as we walked, though when I winced for the third time in as many minutes he spoke up.

"Are you...twitching?"

Tactless as ever, I glared over at him to little effect.

"Are you what, overheating? Like a computer? Are you going to crash? Should I find a nerd to play doctor with you? Two birds, one stone and all that jazz?"

I wished I could just ignore him, but when Ailech got started like this it was better to just answer him so he'd shut up, otherwise he'd keep coming up with different scenarios to entertain himself until I was ready to sew his mouth shut.

"Just a headache, bad one."

Suddenly he was very serious.

"Should I get Abby? How's your vision? Are you dizzy? Can you feel your Sign?"

I stared at him like he was a different person, which in a sense was how he was acting.

"I'm fine. I just need to practice to get my mind off it, that's all."

Ailech nodded slow, but the worried look didn't leave his face. He looked funny when he was worried, like his face didn't know how to wear the expression correctly. I wished I could hear his thoughts.

I was saved from having to say anything more as two men walked in, laughing loudly, followed by Ember, who had apparently been waiting outside until more witnesses were present. I could practically smell the fear dripping from her pores. The men both had dark reddish-brown hair, a deep copper in the gym's light. Their eyes were perfect matches of each other's too, medium brown with a slight upward slant, making it clear there was a relation. They were almost exactly the same height, though one looked younger, his face rounder and his build a little stockier, the other slimmer, his face somewhat thinner. Both looked like tricksters, like they loved a good prank, a good laugh, like they hardly ever took anything seriously, though their booming hoots and wide smiles as they entered might have lent to that impression.

Ember looked strange walking in behind them, in comparison to them, with her light brown hair and large eyes. She was close to a foot shorter than the brothers, almost disappearing behind them as she entered, her wide eyes just peeking out from their sides. She always seemed in awe, or afraid because of how her eyes were, how they were so round and shining. Maybe part of that was because she was afraid, of me at least, but I already had the feeling it was her standard look, not just when I was around.

The younger-looking man saw me first, stopping in his tracks and holding an arm out to stop his brother's advance, who in turn looked forward and saw me. I'd already begun preparing myself for the furtive glances to each other, the cautious eyes, the fidgety movements. Which is maybe why I didn't hide my surprise as I usually would have when they acted completely contrary to my expectation.

The younger one crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest and let out a low whistle, a god damned catcall, and my jaw dropped. The second one stuck his thumbs in his waistband and made a similarly appreciative noise originating somewhere deep in his throat as his eyes ran up and down my body. I could see Ailech's mouth hanging open next to me from the corner of my eye.

"Remind me to thank old Abs next time I see him, brother, will you?"

"Only if you do the same for me. Mmh."