Somehow, Dennis and Eve push trainers onto my feet and get me in a car without raising too much suspicion. I still haven't fully recovered from my panic attack. My eyes are swollen and sore, as is my throat from crying.
I just can't accept my fate here. A whole week, possibly more, away from my home that I've barely left for years. Away from my mum, who is worried sick right now. Probably cursing Dennis, and losing it over trusting him. She's not the only one…
"Hey, Arthur, I just contacted Mel, a member who is still in the Normension right now, she's gonna look after your mum as a favour to me." Dennis lets me know gently. I blank him.
Even though I appreciate the thought a lot, he's done more than pissed me off. He doesn't deserve a thank you.
"You could at least thank him, he didn't have to do that." Eve comments bitterly.
I send her the most frightening glare I can muster. "Says the bitch with no manners?" I snap without thinking.
I know I'd fucked up, not just by her deathly look, but also by the round of gasps then stony silence.
"Remind me why I didn't let Reed take him." She seethes after an insufferable silence.
It's so tempting to speak back, but I'm already on incredibly thin ice. I am stuck with this lot after all, I need to play nice.
"Because we're low on members?" Gregory guesses from the driving seat.
She scowls. "It was rhetorical, dickhead." She shakes her head in disbelief then glares out of the window to the poor passersby.
"Rhetorical…" Gregory mumbles under his breath, clearly puzzled.
Dennis places a hand on my bouncing knee. It bounces on its own when I'm nervous. Somehow, his hand soothes it. "I really am sorry, Arthur." He says sincerely.
As much as I want to stay mad at him and scream at the top of my lungs, I can't. Not only would it get me kicked out of a moving car by Eve, it would also ruin our friendship.
I blush as I think back on what Phillip said, or as they keep calling him, Reed.
I called Dennis my boyfriend, and yeah, I was flustered and embarrassed and trying to escape the situation, but my thoughts on it… Why did it sound so right? You know, calling him my boyfriend?
I assume my blush grows an even darker shade and quickly turn my head so it's less visible.
That's the last thing I need to be thinking about right now. All those novels that get too tied up with love and/or lust, when this shit like this is happening… They were sent back to the library. Immediately.
"So, what's going to happen?" I bravely speak up.
Dennis opens his mouth to answer me, but Eve quickly butts in. "I'm gonna let Reed take you so I don't have to deal with your shit. Plus, he'll bid so damn high for you, we'll be able to afford a new hideout!" She exclaims.
I grind my teeth together. "You can't sell me off, I'm not an object." I state as calmly as possible. Again, I don't fancy being kicked out of a moving car.
"To him you are practically a living pawn. All his lot are. I wonder if I can squeeze a couple mil outta him." She wonders aloud with a wicked smirk.
I scowl, biting down hard on my bottom lip to prevent myself from screaming.
WHAT IS HER ISSUE!?
"Um, guys…" Gregory breathes as slows his speed.
Eve rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat, still not wearing a seatbelt. She should really wear one… Well, nevermind. "What, Greg?" She groans.
He lets out a nervous chuckle. "Um… I think we're being followed…" He says, his voice barely audible.
My eyes widen in horror, whereas the other two aren't fazed. "You and your paranoia, Greg, honestly. Just take a left here, and see if they follow." Eve advises with a wave of her hand.
"But that's a one way street." Greg protests, provoking a giggle from Eve and Dennis.
"All the illegal shit we do, and you're worried about that!?" Dennis exclaims.
All this really didn't help my nerves. What kinda stuff does this gang get up to…?
With a sigh, Greg begrudgingly takes a sharp turn down the one way street. And sure enough, the car behind follows, almost causing an accident in doing so.
Well, that's not a good sign!
My panic immediately builds up again. It's really strange not passing out when I get this feeling.
"Oh, my fucking god!" Greg squeals, nearly losing control of the car.
Eve slaps him round the back of his head with scowl and turns to look back at the car following. I continue to hyperventilate in pure panic. "For fuck sake, it's Rosie. Pull over, Greg." She growls.
Too scared to disobey, Greg follows her orders. Dennis grabs my hand and squeezes it assuringly as Eve bolts out the car. It doesn't help in the slightest.
"Hey, chill. It's just her crazy ass sister." He continues to try and assure me. It would've helped a little if he hadn't added that she was 'crazy'.
"Why did she have to follow us like that?" Greg whines, pretty much headbutting the steering wheel, then squealing when he hits the horn in doing so. I could’ve laughed at the comical view if I wasn't in this insane position right now.
“How do you expect me to chill?” I grumble.
Dennis lets out an exasperated sigh, leaning his head back on the headrest. "I know, stupid thing to say…" He mutters under his breath.
"YOU ARE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!" Some lady screams at the top of her lungs. I assume it's the 'crazy ass sister'.
"THEN ACT LIKE A FUCKING ADULT FOR ONCE!" Eve yells back.
They scream back and forth, streaming endless profanities at each other. Dennis eventually speaks again, directing my attention back to him. "I've missed you, you know." He says weakly, taking me aback a little.
Since when does he get emotional like this?
He sighs then bows his head, staring down at his fidgeting hands. "And I know I haven't started on the greatest of terms, considering you're stuck here for the time being. It's scary, I totally get that…" His voice trails off and he sighs again. His eyes are distant; guilt ridden.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
I purse my lips and place a trembling hand on his knee. He doesn't look up, or even acknowledge its existence. This worries me further.
He looks like how I imagined myself looking when I was about to doze off. Or Faze out, as he called it.
"Dennis?" I urge for a reply, my voice weak.
He still doesn't respond, still staring deep into space. I find that my breathing pattern is falling into dangerous territory now, and tap Greg's shoulder furiously.
"Is this normal?" I question breathlessly.
He shifts in his seat to look around and observe Dennis. His eyes widen at the sight, not filling me with confidence.
"Put his seatbelt back on." He orders then immediately starts the car. I hurry to do as I'm told then grab Dennis' hand in support. Tears now stream down my face.
Please be okay…
Greg throws the shifter into reverse and stamps on the accelerator, throwing us back into our seats.
A little squeal escapes me, and Eve's and her sister's screams grow distant as he zooms down the road.
"She's gonna kill me for this." Greg nervously says. I would say he's joking, but with this short amount of time I've known her, I know better.
"Is he going to be okay? Why is this happening?" I cry.
Greg doesn't answer me. Suddenly, he takes a sharp turn down an alleyway and shuts off the engine. "Quick, we need to get him inside."
I struggle to undo our seatbelts as Greg leaps out the car. I scramble to get out of the car as Greg lifts a limp Dennis into his arms. I follow him like a scared puppy to a heavily bolted door.
"Chelsea! Open the door!" Greg hollers as he kicks instead of knocks. Dennis is still completely out of it; staring into oblivion.
We hear keys jingle then bolts sliding across the rusted metal, as well as a pissed off voice. "Calm your tits! I know the Surfing balance is fucked, but-" She cuts herself off to gasp as she swings the door open to see our situation. She jumps out of the way so Greg can run Dennis through, holding her hand to her heart. "Fucking hell…" She breathes then looks up at me. "You must be Denny's mate."
I nod shyly. "Yeah, Arthur. Nice to meet you." I greet awkwardly. Blinking back my tears for the hundredth time, I take a step closer to her. "Will he be okay?"
Her expression softens and she nods slowly. "Yeah, this isn't the first time, he Fazes out even after a short time in the Normension." She explains to me gently then pats my back. "Let's head inside, you must be overwhelmed."
That's a huge understatement…
She gestures for me to enter before her, so I comply. She follows me in soon after, bolting the door once slammed shut.
The dark hallway holds a horrible stench, I try my hardest not to gag as she leads me through it.
Wow, do they use this hall as the toilet or something? It smells that bad.
The disgust must've been written all over my face, because she then says. "Sorry about the stench, you can blame me for that. The guys wouldn't stop being childish pricks, so I stink bombed them."
I almost laughed at the irony of that sentence. "A taste of their own medicine then?" I reply with a weak smile.
She nods then abruptly stops on the spot and her arm oddly twitches. I look up, baffled, to find she's winking as well. It all looks uncomfortable and unplanned.
Before I can ask her if she's okay, Greg rushes towards us and places a hand on her shoulder whilst wiping sweat from his brow. She starts making squeaking noises like a mouse. "Don't worry, it's just their condition. They have Tourette's Syndrome."
Two things about that statement confuse me further. I've never heard of that syndrome, plus- Oh, shit. I've been using their pronouns wrong. I feel bad.
"Oh, okay. So, they're okay then?"
They both nod, and Chelsea gives me a smile, most likely grateful for my understanding.
"Tics are a bitch. That's what the noises and that are called by the way." They state with a little laugh.
Huh, interesting. I'll have to ask them more to help me understand later.
I nod along with them, then turn to Gregory. "Is Dennis okay? Where is he?" I worry, peering behind him.
He gives me a tight-lipped smile. "He'll be fine. He really shouldn't go back to the Normension, but Eve practically drove him there. I still don't know what happened, but there was definitely a disagreement."
That's a relief… Not surprised Eve did that, especially considering he was pleading on the phone to her about me. Feels like that was ages ago, but it's literally the same day.
Gregory's phone buzzes, and he lifts it to view the screen. His eyes widen in horror.
"Speak of the devil!" Chelsea shouts as their head leans into their shoulder then shoots back up. I assume they're the tics they mentioned.
Gregory mumbles an apology then zooms away to go pick her up, I assume.
I feel so sorry for him, let's hope he comes back in one piece.
"Let's check on Dennis." Chelsea proposes, tapping my back with their hand and leading the way.
I still stumble along a little, considering I haven't properly walked for god knows how long. I'm shocked I can do it as well as I can.
"Marissa, I really don't need bed rest." I hear Dennis complain as we grow closer.
Thank god, he's awake already!
I now rush into the room I hear them in. Dennis and I both sigh in relief when our eyes fall on each other. "Are you okay?" We ask in unison. He chuckles a little at that.
I nod slowly and answer first, scratching the back of my neck. "Yeah, as much as I can be. I'm more worried about you."
His smile doesn't reach his sad eyes. He still seems dazed. "I'll be alright. Nothing to worry about." He dismisses with a wave of his hand.
Chelsea rolls their eyes. "At least you're not as dead as Greg's gonna be. Left Eve on her own to help you, by the sounds of it."
Dennis and Marissa wince at the mere mention. Sounds like they've experienced her wrath before.
Marissa then adjusts her colourful headscarf before turning to me with a beaming grin. "Ah, so this is Arthur! What a handsome young man you are!" She exclaims then traps me in a warm hug.
Huh, Dennis must talk about me a lot.
I smile weakly in her embrace, even though she's squeezing the life outta me.
She must be the mother figure of the group, that seems really obvious to me. Though I hold back my tears yet again, as her warm hug mainly reminds me of Mum.
She's going to be so scared, worried sick, and that makes me feel so guilty.
Dennis didn't exactly drag me here, I hold a big part of the blame, too. Yes, I didn't realise I'd be stuck here, but I should've been more wary.
She pats my back gently, and I realise I'm squeezing her just as tight. With an embarrassed chuckle, I release her and step back. Her eyes hold deep sympathy.
"Sorry." I mutter, shuffling my feet.
"No worries, dear." She consoles. She then turns back to Dennis, wagging her finger at him as he attempts to leave the bed. "I don't think so! We haven't seen you for weeks, you owe us an explanation, young man." She demands in a much more frightening tone.
He gulps, carefully sitting back and hugging himself. "Eve threw me out…" He begins to say, but doesn't continue.
Marissa and Chelsea roll their eyes. "Obviously. But why? I know she's a nutter who doesn't need a reason, but c'mon, you must have an idea." Chelsea pushes.
His bottom lip trembles as he struggles to hold back his tears. Mine don't need much convincing to fall, and I stand at his bedside, offering him my hand.
With a shaky breath, he warily reaches for it then clasps it tightly. He squeezes his eyes shut. "You know when the ParaPigs tried to raid us a few months back at the old place?"
Obviously I have no clue, but recognition lit both Marissa's and Chelsea's eyes.
"Obviously. You nearly burnt to a crisp, scared the absolute shit out of us!" Chelsea exclaims, their twitching returning.
My eyes widen in horror.
Burnt to a crisp!?
"Language." Marissa scolds them then locks eyes with Dennis. "What does that have to do with it? Like you said, that was months back. And none of that was our fault."
Dennis chokes a sob, and I squeeze his hand tighter. "The head ParaPigs found us…" He hiccuped before struggling to continue. "Eve heard him offer me a position to be one of them, to snitch on you all. I obviously refused, but…" His voice trails off as he stares into space again.
No… Not again… I don't even know what he's talking about exactly, but I'm scared shitless.
Is this seriously what he's been going through since our argument? I thought I had it bad…
Chelsea stumbles and falls to the ground in hysterics, their twitching turning into violent thrashing about.
Marissa runs to their side, I assume to try and stop them from hitting themself.
I stay glued to Dennis, trying my hardest to calm my tremors and be there for him when he comes out of it.
Though many things still weigh heavy on my mind, all my anxiety screams at me is…
What have I let myself in for?