Sam sat on the phone with Albert, discussing the most recent fundraiser the community was holding. Apparently Perdido Beach had been nearly completely rebuilt but the world still believed that the FAYZ survivors still needed consolidation. And the public thought money and counseling was the right form of consolidation. "Who gets it this month?" Sam asked. Many of the families had split the fundraisers but lately, everyone had more money than they knew what to do with. When that happened, who else to call than the head of Albert Co.?
Of course, Albert had no financial leverage or power in the real world. Bertos no longer existed and he was just a normal kid, albeit with a promising future in the economic workings. "I was thinking we could split it again. Or donate it to the littles. A lot of those families have therapy bills to pay."
Sam thought. He wanted to take the money and keep it hidden under his mattress, like old Depression vics. He wanted to stock up on more Twinkies and cans of soup and toilet paper and asprin. He wanted to add another wing to his house for Quinn to move in. He wanted to save money for...for something he hadn't even talked to Astrid about yet. "Let's split it. I understand a lot of the Perdido kids were traumatized, but not as much as we were. They didn't dive into line of fire. They just stood just out of reach. Sure, it sucks for them, but c'mon, brah. I think a few of us deserve a bit more."
Albert laughed at him. That really grind Sam's gears. The cod fish himself laughed at Sam? No. "Well Sam," Albert sighed. "Look whose gotten self righteous after all this time."
Sam clenched his teeth as Albert went on. "You're feel it too, don't you? That ominous storm that's brewing? You wanna be in control again. You said you didn't like being a leader, but we both know that's a load of crap. Admit it." He went silent for a moment. "You still there?"
"Yeah."
"Well, Sam Temple, we'll split it, half for us all, half for the littles' families." He chuckled. "Good luck with those hero complexes, BRAH."
And with that lingering smirk- Sam could hear it in his cocky, pubescent voice- the line clicked off.
A knock on the office door made Sam jump, he dropped his phone; Astrid stood in the door way, in a thin white bed slip, her hair tangled and a mess around her face. Her legs were bare and taunting. Sam forgot about his conversation with Albert almost instantly. "Hey sleeping beauty." He said, a smile quirking his lips.
"Oh hush." She sneered, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She walked over and sat on Sam's lap. That drove his thoughts wild. He didn't think his body would ever get used to the electricity that coursed through it every time Astrid's thighs and hands touched him. "Who was that?" She asked. Her voice still sounded tired. He loved when she looked and sounded like this. This was Astrid: Uncharted. This was Astrid, who very few people got to see. She had her guard down. She wasn't Astrid the Genius, or Astrid the Sister. She was Astrid, the Sam's girl friend. Astrid the Normal.
"Hm?" Sam let his hand wander over Astrid's shoulder, pushing down the strap.
She held his face, forcing him to look at her. The tiredness was off her face now, replaced by the ever-demanding, smart Astrid. "The phone. I swear sometimes it's like all you can do is think with your di-"
"Hey woah," Sam laughed. "That body part has feelings you know."
"Over-sensitive ones, I'd say."
"I know you're not talking."
Astrid hit him. He laughed- he deserved that. His girlfriend still glared daggers at him. "I'll only tell you if you do that thing you know I like."
"Oh, you mean me using my advanced vernacular to get you excited? Like when I talk about the reactions in your body are purely behavioral and can be explained through psychodynamic psychology? How your unconscious drives and conflicts influence the way your brain and its receptors work, even if they're not even cognitive?"
He laughed, faked a shudder, and kissed Astrid. "Yes, exactly that." When she didn't respond, he sighed, and sat back, her weight still on his lap. "It was Albert. We were talking about the fundraiser and what to do with the money."
"Shouldn't we let, ya know, the government take care of that?"
Sam shrugged. He didn't wanna argue with her about this. Astrid always sided in saving the money and maybe going to college or giving it all to the kids who DIDN'T risk their life in fighting Gaia.
"What did you decide on?" She asked. Her face was guarded, as if she was ready for a fight.
"We're splitting it. Fifty goes to us, the fighters, and the rest goes to the littles' families." As soon as Sam said it, he saw the look of anger flash over her face.
"We all fought, Sam. Just because you and your hot shot Moofs did the hard, physical fighting doesn't mean us normals were any less great than you." She shoved off of him. Did she REALLY just call him a Moof?! She shook her head at him. "We were all fighters. Even people like Sinder and Justin and...and Howard. Even Zil. We all fought."
And with that, Astrid left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Sam stood up, slammed his fist into the wall, where the paint chipped and stormed after her. He left the room too fast to see the green burn left on the wall.
