Seth enters Siem’s office with all of his humour gone. Siem wasn’t alone. Hanna and X were still talking with him but he gained their immediate attention, despite what appeared to be their intense discussion.

“How did it go today?” Siem moves his full attention to Seth smoothly.

“I’m starting to make him mad.”

“Is that all?” Hanna asks, a little defeated. Seth knew that she was a mix of wanting results and, despite what she says and does, worried.

“It’s progress,” Siem rebuts her.

“But will it be fast enough?”

Seth had to admit that even he was feeling on edge lately and that they might not have enough time to help Kae learn… “Well, I’m open to suggestions.” This was trial and error…unfortunately, for Kae.

“We don’t really have much of a choice…I’m not that creative.” Siem switches back to him tiredly, sitting back down in his chair. “Unless Hanna wants to step in with the-”

“What do you take me for?” She hisses back, angrily. “I’m not above punching you, Siem.”

Hanna knew more intense, or rather inhumane, ways of getting those with abilities to ‘awaken’. It would be quicker…but the side effects would not be great…and X wouldn’t sit silently by either, Seth would imagine. Plus, he suspected that Hanna liked the kid a lot and didn’t want to earn his hatred because they want to ‘hurry it up’.

Not to mention that this was fun and hilarious. Who knew that riling up Kae was this amusing…

X stares coldly at them for a time, his silence was always frosty. “…The target you are using will not move,” he finally says. “It will always be ineffective…until you refocus your aim.”

“Which is…?” Seth prompts, long used to the riddles.

“You are aiming with an emphasis on self-preservation…at game that does not play that way…”

“…You’re suggesting that I’d change the target?” Seth grumbles while reaching for his smokes.

X stares straight through him, giving him goosebumps. “…I am suggesting nothing. …My personal…” he frowns, struggling with the sentence.

Seth couldn’t help his eyes widening with surprise, stopping in his search, it was rare for anything ‘personal’.

“…feelings…is that I don’t…enjoy even considering it. It was merely a comment…it will not work…results do not…form completely or as satisfactorily as you may think it will if you keep doing this. You have to change…it”

In the most roundabout way possible, Seth thought as he realised that his smokes weren’t in their usual spot. “We can’t make him go through what we did either, X.”

“I know that.”

A sad smile appeared on Seth’s face for a moment but then it turned evil, “Besides, I’ve long thought up this plan, don’t make it go to waste.”

“…That is your own fault.”

Hanna on the other hand was frowning, deep in thought at what X had said. “It’s too risky to even consider that alternative…to threaten Kae with the endangerment of someone else. That sort of emotional blackmail to exacerbate his codependency would theoretically work but…it would destroy him and his trust…”

“Hanna?” Siem asks, wearily. He could see her going pale.

“I…don’t know what we should do,” she finally admits out loud. “I don’t want to willingly harm, or even threaten to harm, someone else just so that we can give him a nudge.”

“But we can’t rely on his defence mechanism to surface every time it becomes an emergency either,” Siem protests tiredly. He then sighs, Kae was literally a glass cannon and the only one of his kind.

-----

I hid behind the wall and Lady as the lift opened onto the dining floor.

‘Is anyone standing there waiting?’ I ask her to be the eyes. I see her move a little forward, her head swivelling while taking in the sights and sounds around her.

‘No.’

I step out, tiptoeing towards the kitchens and hoping that no one will appear in front of me. It’s just five meters to the first doorway…five meters and then I’m safe…Ok, easy enough. I basically leap into the dining hall, earning weird looks from the few who were still eating in there, but I only let out a breath in relief as Lady strolls over.

This is not fun.

Seth is probably looking at the security camera footage, giggling his head off at me. Frowning at the thought, I make my way over towards the buffet line of food and grab the butter chicken and rice before plonking myself down in the far corner to watch people enter and hope that none of them are in on the game.

I was also struggling with the fact that this was the longest time in a while that I’ve been apart from X…and it was hitting me as a shock at just how much I depend on him now. What do I call our relationship? We’ve never really poured out our feelings to each other…and imaging a gushing X…with his poetic cryptic remarks…really didn’t suit him and I’d probably get him check for brain damage. …And I’ve never really thought about being in a relationship before and I’ve literally fallen into one without discussing it…how do I even talk about it? Do I even talk about it? I mean the extent of relationships that I know about are in books or the random bullshit that Cody claimed to have…only for Anne to punch holes in his lies to deflate his ego. I never took much notice of the idea of something outside of my family.

I look up at two people walking in with a smirk lining their faces as soon as they saw me but still made for the food. …So there are two that I’m gonna have to run from. Fuck. I don’t even know their names…and they immediately know who I am. This is not fair. Fuck you, Seth.

“Well don’t you look a lot more glum than normal, mate.”

I look up at Oz, completely unamused. Great. The other one.

Oz gives me a shitty grin as he sits down, “Having fun?”

“So much that I wanna kill your brother.”

“There is a long line for that. He loves stirring people up and Siem gave him free rein over you, of course he’ll get creative.”

“I’ve got glitter in my hair,” I start to complain.

“Hey, some people are into that.”

I ignore him as I continue, “I smell like pancakes.”

“Still, people are into that-”

“I am more on edge than normal, thanks to the new game where I’m the only target.” I then eye him, annoyed. “Are you in on it?”

He looks at me for a second, “Nah.”

I relax my shoulders a little.

“I can’t be bothered chasing you all over the place. I have better things to do.”

“Such as?”

“Clipping my nails.”

“…What?”

“My point exactly.”

What was the point?

He smirks while getting up and patting me on the shoulder, “Don’t need to add to your worries, buddy. I have a lower threshold for bullshit compared to that moron… unfortunately he inherited our mother’s flare for it…but he doesn’t mean harm by it …and is probably frustrated enough to be doing it in the first place.”

I look at him confused.

“He does worry about you, kid. I’ll be back, just gonna get something to eat.”

Sure as hell doesn’t feel like it. Feels more like he found an easy target and let loose. I sigh and continue eating the chicken. I couldn’t taste it. My headache still throbbed in the background and I could see more people with shitting grins on their faces when they saw me. Which just increased the tally to six. How the fuck am I going to get to the lift without this bullshit.

…I hope it’s just water.

Or I could sleep here. I look at the carpet. It’s better than what I’ve experienced throughout the years. I once had to sleep in mud in a cave because it was the only “dry” spot during a monsoon that I was caught in.

Oz lazily made his way back and purposely sat in such a way that I’d have to move in order to look over his shoulder to see the doorway to watch for people.

“Enough of that, mate. Worrying about it now will only wreck your appetite.”

“Too late.”

“Just eat the damn food.”

“I was doing that,” I complain but pick up the fork anyway. “Where is everyone else?”

He shrugs while moving around some creamy yellow soup with a spoon, “Who knows.”

“For an informant, you suck with information.”

“Depends on the target, eh?”

“You suck.” I wanted to snap his neck.

“Cheers for the compliment,” he even raises his spoon like a wine glass before eating it.

“Are you sure it’s only Seth with a flare for bullshit?”

“Who knows…”

I stab the chicken, grumbling to myself. “You’re just as irritating.”

“Careful with the compliments, X might get jealous.”

I stare at him incredulously before feeling like my face is on fire.

He grins, “Seth’s right, it’s fun to rile you up.”

He just laughs as I sigh, “Goddamn pirate.”

Where the fuck are you, X? I’m dying here.