Night was black around them, the concrete tile of the sidewalk under their legs, but neither cared. Ben and Justus kept their breaths low and cramped themselves small enough to hide between a stack of soggy-bottomed boxes and the wall of a building.
They had both seen something they shouldn't have, heard shattered glass, and seen dark figures exiting the high window of a building and more, and now were praying silently together they wouldn't be seen.
Gravel hit the box in front of them and Justus told himself, don't look up, don't look up. But it was too late, and he wasn't sure what set Ben off, but he knew without doubt they had been seen and that was why Ben grabbed his arm and sent them running for their lives, splitting up. He almost got away. He almost got away... He heard the thump of flesh on flesh and Ben struggling, slipping on the street.
Justus woke with a sharp jerk of pain to Protector's hand hovering at his shoulder. Pitch black on Protector's half of the room, dim light from his own lamp, and Protector studying him intently.
Shift had brought him here, to the team. For the first few nights, he was sharing with Protector who had merely shrugged and directed him to the bed across the room.
Justus sat up, ran one hand through his hair, still finding it hard to breathe with the fear. "Was I...?"
"Yelling," Protector breathed quietly. He drew his hand away. "I'm sorry."
Justus glanced up at the apology.
"I'm an aggressive mindreader. It hurts the ones I hear." Protector paused. "You probably have a low level headache."
Headache. Justus drew his hand from his head, realizing that Protector was right. His voice tightened as he realized what his team member had said. He was a mindreader. "Let me guess. We're not allowed to have nightmares here." It would make sense to disallow yet another liability, he thought bitterly.
But Protector said evenly, "We all do."
Silence stretched between them for a long moment.
Justus finally broke it. "Do they ever go away?"
"The yelling does."
He clamped his jaw shut and took in all the implications in that statement. Shift's words echoed in his head, and he smiled ironically, without humor. "Low level headache, huh? I can handle the pain." He rolled back over and tried to sleep.
Three nights after Justus' had settled into his own room, the Database knocked on his door and gave him that measuring look she used on him so often, then walked in and he let her.
She turned to him, reddish auburn braid sliding to her back. "I'm here to keep you from getting too attached," she said.
He caught his breath in something akin to a laugh. "I'm not going to love her." Falling in love with Shift was a bad, bad idea. Maybe she still knew the difference between right and wrong, but she didn't care.
The Database scoffed, disgusted expression and acid tongue implying she knew from experience: "They all say that."
Justus held her gaze steadily, unmoving until she yielded, his first victory over the Database. They would be rare.
She shrugged, the gesture far from casual. "Kilter did."
Kingdoms and Thorn Fic: A Time to Die [3/?]
They had both seen something they shouldn't have, heard shattered glass, and seen dark figures exiting the high window of a building and more, and now were praying silently together they wouldn't be seen.
Gravel hit the box in front of them and Justus told himself, don't look up, don't look up. But it was too late, and he wasn't sure what set Ben off, but he knew without doubt they had been seen and that was why Ben grabbed his arm and sent them running for their lives, splitting up. He almost got away. He almost got away... He heard the thump of flesh on flesh and Ben struggling, slipping on the street.
Justus woke with a sharp jerk of pain to Protector's hand hovering at his shoulder. Pitch black on Protector's half of the room, dim light from his own lamp, and Protector studying him intently.
Shift had brought him here, to the team. For the first few nights, he was sharing with Protector who had merely shrugged and directed him to the bed across the room.
Justus sat up, ran one hand through his hair, still finding it hard to breathe with the fear. "Was I...?"
"Yelling," Protector breathed quietly. He drew his hand away. "I'm sorry."
Justus glanced up at the apology.
"I'm an aggressive mindreader. It hurts the ones I hear." Protector paused. "You probably have a low level headache."
Headache. Justus drew his hand from his head, realizing that Protector was right. His voice tightened as he realized what his team member had said. He was a mindreader. "Let me guess. We're not allowed to have nightmares here." It would make sense to disallow yet another liability, he thought bitterly.
But Protector said evenly, "We all do."
Silence stretched between them for a long moment.
Justus finally broke it. "Do they ever go away?"
"The yelling does."
He clamped his jaw shut and took in all the implications in that statement. Shift's words echoed in his head, and he smiled ironically, without humor. "Low level headache, huh? I can handle the pain." He rolled back over and tried to sleep.
Three nights after Justus' had settled into his own room, the Database knocked on his door and gave him that measuring look she used on him so often, then walked in and he let her.
She turned to him, reddish auburn braid sliding to her back. "I'm here to keep you from getting too attached," she said.
He caught his breath in something akin to a laugh. "I'm not going to love her." Falling in love with Shift was a bad, bad idea. Maybe she still knew the difference between right and wrong, but she didn't care.
The Database scoffed, disgusted expression and acid tongue implying she knew from experience: "They all say that."
Justus held her gaze steadily, unmoving until she yielded, his first victory over the Database. They would be rare.
She shrugged, the gesture far from casual. "Kilter did."