Act 17, Obsolete.

His head felt like delicate foam, frothy and in-concrete, his thoughts the miniscule bubbles which popped and went away. His head was slack, a vague discomfort that lay stagnating at the back of his mind, a dull ache that was out of his control. His eyes were bleary as he stirred, at first noticing how dark it was, followed second by the nausea settling in his stomach, clawing up the back of his throat causing him to swallow thickly.

He hadn't realize he had been making throaty (almost pathetic) whimpers until he had become just conscious enough to register sound.

His stomach spasmed, throbbing in painful ways, not just due to nausea but a pain that prickled along inside of him, as if a bed of nails was laid along his skin and every movement drove them deeper and deeper.

His head lifted.

No, He lifted his head up.

His eyes settled in the darkness, he noticed the smell finally, damp - mold and moss. Concrete upon concrete.

Then panic seized his body, causing his veins to tingle, emitting a sharp gasp. His head felt feather light as he tried to jerk himself upwards, realizing swiftly.. he was bound down. He flexed his hands, gaze dropping dumbly down to his arms, which were wrapped in duct tape, not tight enough to cut off circulation.. but he certainly couldn't get up.

He couldn't breathe, sweat pooled and dripped down his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing as a blanket of fear swaddled him and squeezed.

He looked around the space, there was slivers of light coming from the top of the walls, tiny windows that let just enough light in from outside, but the windows were overshadowed by greenery.

He didn't realize it until he tasted salt, but he had began crying, tears leaving dark tracks on his face, pooling at is chin and dropping onto his knees. He let out a harsher sob, his body shaking as he wormed in the chair, stuck in this dingy basement wasn't right.

*It wasn't correct. Where was Emily? He wanted his mama, he wanted his mama this wasn't fair this wasn't how this was supposed to go, how did he get here? He missed his home, was this karma for what he had done? He was sorry, he swore he was sorry and he was going to tell the truth when he got out, he swore it.

He sobbed more, head bowing as he rasped for breath, croaking out finally "Please," his voice sounded scratchy and pathetic but he continued "Please, please.. i'm sorry! I'm sorry.. please let me outt... God..please.."

Then, a voice. The voice called, way too fuzzy to grasp or pinpoint.

Kacper had managed to lift his head up, snot was lining his upper lip which he couldn't wipe away,

"It's okay," The voice said, though even they sounded unsure. It was like a big white spec in his cloudy vision, growing bigger as the person approached. "Please.. be quiet."

Something textured pressed against his face suddenly, causing him to flinch, it dragged down his tear tracks before pressing to his nose.

"Blow," The voice demanded, his vision less blurry now but still fogged up due to the tears.

All that flowed through his veins was the sharp edge of dread, the fight or flight telling him to 'run' but being wholly unable to.

He blew his nose as commanded, sniffling once what he now realized was a rag was pulled away, finally looking up..

Eve.

She looked.. uncanny without her glasses, like she was a bug taxidermist, pinning him with her stare and mounting him into the chair. She had took great care in bringing him here, that was obvious, he didn't feel injured..

Emily's eyes widened upon seeing Kacper's expression, her eyebrows pinning together as she knelt before him.

"I'm sorry." Emily started, Kacper had hope that maybe this was all just a horrible joke "But.. i can't let you go, not anymore." His hope was shattered like fine china.

But still, in all this was the ebbing and flowing of the feeling of intimacy, the blowing of his nose, the ensuring he wasn't injured the... softness of it all. Their tether, their infinite, unshakable tether. This scenario.. was a mix of calm and cruel that caused disorientation.

"I.. ever since we met," Emily started, letting out a shaky laugh, standing to turn around, away from Kacper. Her speech wouldn't come naturally looking at his pathetically childish look of hurt. "I've felt this.. obsession? This link both of us have, you've felt it too.. i know you have."

Kacper's stomach felt like a pit.

He was a puppy sinking into the hand that fed him and the hand that victimized him. He was submissive to this feeling, as Emily must've been too. Yes. It was obvious now.

"I tried everything to get rid of it, praying, therapy, digging into school work.." Emily waved her hand around as she spoke "But.. it wouldn't stop. Unless i was with you, unless i was with you everything was too loud. When i'm with you it's like wearing noise cancelling headphones, it feels like everytime we are near my body is a growing shrub and my roots are tethering to yours..." She drabbled out, sighing

"I had been following you around school, praying this feeling was just a crush.. i found your address from reception the first day we met, your phone number too. I told them you lost something and i was returning it." Kacper could hear her shaky breaths, her proof of being alive with suddenly made him quiver, it was instinctive.

"Lord knows i've tried to quench this feeling.. but every interaction it felt more.. right." Emily finally turned "Like.. how things should be?" She approached once more, patting Kacper's head like a pet "I gave you some sleeping pills and thee... thing you are allergic to, carried you down here... You are awfully light, you know?"

How young and dumb he was.

This festering feeling that had blossomed between them, it was sickening. It was wrong and disgusting but God wanted it, right? If it hadn't gone away with time then surely it was proof of the divine. Kacper shuddered, looking up at Emily.

"Yeah.." He finally offered, swallowing "I.. felt it too.." he mumbled, quietly. He didn't believe he was admitting this, second to not believing any of this was real.

He was starting to feel claustrophobic in his own skin.