Interlude 6

“I hate you, mum!”

Why did those have to be the last words I ever said to her?

“Hey…can I talk to you, after school?”

Why didn’t I say I was free when she asked?

“You, Duncan Wilson, are dead.”

Why was I chosen?

Duncan could not sleep.

No matter how he rocked and turned, or how he lay, he could not feel himself drifting off.

Instead, all he did was struggle as a million terrible possibilities ran rampant through his mind.

He thought of his best friends, Hajime and Kayleigh, and dreaded to imagine them as traitors, constantly lying to his face and plotting behind his back.

Then, he thought of his team, of the friends he’d made and fought beside, of the girl he’d started to fall for, and the wicked, vile expressions on their faces when they revealed themselves as the traitor.

He was reminded of the masked man who took Dame Chelsea and Princess Aeila away, of the cold-blooded Dread Knights and the bandits they’d killed on their first assignment.

All the worst possibilities kept playing inside his mind, as doubt festered in his heart.

Who is it?

Why?

When?

How did we not notice?

Are they being threatened into it?

Did they do it willingly?

I wish I knew. Duncan put his arm across his eyes. I wish…I wish…

Duncan didn’t know anymore.

Defeated, he rolled onto his left side again and curled into a ball.

“Who is it?”

***

Kayleigh punched the training dummy so hard it shattered in a billion pieces.

Sweat dripping from her brow, she took a deep breath and exhaled, slowly removing her gauntlets from her sweaty hands.

“Boss.”

She turned to find Elysa behind her, holding a glass of ice water, smiling faintly.

“Thanks.” Kayleigh gratefully accepted the drink as the two women sat side by side on the steps to the training hall. “Didn’t know you were still awake.”

“That’s my line,” Elysa said. “It’s not good for your skin to stay up this late.”

“I don’t care about that.”

“You should a little. Delicate skin is one of the privileges of young women like us.”

Kayleigh didn’t know how to respond to that, especially when Elysa started laughing softly. “I’m guessing that Duncan didn’t take the news too well.”

“…Yeah.”

“Understatement of the century from the looks of it.” Elysa stood up and picked up one of the splinters from the dummy. “It’s not your fault.”

“I never-”

“You don’t have to say it; it’s written all over your face.” Elysa used Draupnir to conjure a gust of wind to gather the wooden fragments in a corner. “I didn’t spot anyone acting out of the ordinary, so I’m guessing the traitor must be fairly spooked.”

“Traitors.”

Elysa sighed. “Nonetheless, they’re keeping their head down.”

“For now. I imagine they’ll start moving again once we all go on our next assignment.”

“Of course, that’s the logical conclusion. Which also means we’ll have a harder time narrowing down our suspect list ourselves.”

“The other teams can help.”

“Or they can make it worse by reading every little move or thing as a possible traitor move. Did you never play Werewolf or Project Winter before you died on Earth?”

Kayleigh shrugged. “No matter what we do, it’s all just conjecture and theories at the moment.”

“…You sound angry.”

“I am.” Kayleigh scowled viciously up at the ceiling. “I don’t know who they are, but I will make them pay for putting us all through this.”

Well, I know who you’re mainly doing this for, boss, Elysa thought with a wry smile.

***

It’s okay, they haven’t figured it out.

All they have right now is witness testimonies and evidence without proof of a culprit.

They haven’t figured out how you infiltrated King Alexander’s room or what time you could possibly have made it in there.

What troubles me is that it’s becoming harder and harder to get information to the Demon Emperor - he hasn’t sent me any orders, only Mímir has.

Have I still not done enough to prove myself to you?!

No, calm down - let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

He’s watching, no doubt, waiting for the perfect time to reveal himself to me and the others.

I’ve heard that he can show mercy to his enemies, so I wonder if he’d make some allowances for my friends. Hmm, maybe if I asked them to become Awoken or convinced them to join me?

…The former is probably easier.

Still, I can’t help but be anxious.

It’s only going to be a matter of time before they figure it out.

Akane and Kayleigh have been investigating this for weeks, maybe months, even if it’s just as a hypothetical scenario, so that puts me at a bit of a disadvantages and, if they stop and think about it, they’ll find out the answer easily.

I’ve hidden my tracks well and they don’t have any solid evidence…I wonder if I believe that or am trying to convince myself that that’s the truth?

It doesn’t matter.

On our next set of assignments, I’ll make my move.

It’s a shame that it will be the last time I appear before them as an ally, but I hope they understand - if not, they will once they’re Awoken and then we can all enjoy living in Aangapea together until we die.

We’ll be rich and powerful, and we’ll have all the time in the world to do whatever we want, wherever we want.

I longed for this; I’ve always longed for this…I just don’t think the others have.

I hope that spider was right about who’s accompanying us next time.

Ah, I can’t wait!

***

Hailey stopped polishing her shield.

She glanced over at her bed and saw Yve, her pyjamas dishevelled and snoring peacefully, stretching out across most of the gigantic mattress. All of a sudden, Yve had been lying rather comfortably and then she suddenly rolled over in his sleep, kicking the duvet onto the floor.

I really wish she stopped asking to sleep together if she’s just going to do this.

Every day, Yve always asked if they could sleep together and, occasionally, Hailey agreed, though she’d started agreeing more and more as of late. Unfortunately, depending on the day, Yve would hit Hailey in her sleep or steal all the bedsheets, or kick Hailey in the spine or roll around endlessly.

Other days, if they hugged or held hands, Yve was as still as a log.

Of course, Hailey found that too embarrassing to do every time and this was the result.

Yawning, Hailey put her polish supplies away and slowly made her way back over to the bed, gently shaking her friend awake.

“Yve, you’re doing it again.”

Groggily, her friend awoke and then smiled innocently, like a small child. “It’s Hailey!” She wrapped her arms around her friend’s neck and dragged her onto the bed. “Yay, Hailey! Yay! Rejoice!”

“Can’t…breathe.”

“Yay, yay! Yay! Yay…yay? H-Hailey, oh God, I’m sorry.” Yve released her and then immediately sat on her knees, begging for forgiveness.

“It’s alright, but I really wish you’d fix this bad habit.”

“Sorry. Can I make it up to you somehow?”

“Hmm, how about a chocolate cake from the bakers down the main road?” Hailey suddenly recalled a memory she’d long forgotten and winced. “…Actually, never mind.” She lay down, her back facing Yve, and shut her eyes. “Just…don’t do it again.”

David…

That night, Hailey welcomed Yve’s warm arms around her body, holding her in gentle comfort.