-7
:Mike:
I've been wide awake since Friday night and Artie's confession; I stayed over at Cam's house, chugging energy drinks, watching scary movies, and listening to creepy pasta stories. Unusual behavior for me, but it's kept me in control. And strangely enough, horror sates and pacifies Mal better than any other measure I could possibly employ right now. No, it's not strange; it's actually the one predictable thing that could be said about him.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to see Dr. Renard until Monday evening. I've called his personal number close to thirty different times, but every time, I get either voicemail or his irritated wife telling me not to call anymore. Because of my growing lack of sleep, I'm more and more tempted to scream into the phone: "Do you have a psycopathic alternate personality that could take control at any time?!"
She hangs up as soon as she hears my voice, though, so I probably wouldn't even get that many words out before she stopped me...
If I weren't so busy trying to prevent Mal from taking control again, I'd retreat into my mind and take care of him directly. There's been a few startling moments where I feel like I could take the horrible measure it'd take to extinguish him, but then I think about Zoey and wonder if I'd ever be able to face her again after everything has been said and done.
"Hey...Mike?" Cam looks at me, yawning and scrubbing at his eyes. "Artie and Adam are coming over. When they do, I'm going to bed because I'm tired. I'd suggest you do the same."
"Cam, I can't-"
"I don't think Mal will try and take control of a tired body," Cam reasoned, frowning. "Besides, if he tries, Adam and Artie know what to do. If things get too bad, we all promised to-"
"Call the police..." I felt a huge lump form in my throat when I imagined holding a crying Zoey's hand through the cell bars, promising that I'd be out in ten years or so. "Is Zoey coming?"
"She was the first one I texted," Cam sighed. "She'll be over later today. I would have held out until then, but...I'm just so exhausted!"
"When is she coming?"
"2 o' clock."
I looked over at the alarm clock that Cam had set up beside his bug tank; his new preying mantis peered over at me curiously. It was only a little after 8 in the morning. My heart panged a little. It was severely selfish on my part, but I really wanted Zoey here in my arms; she could erase my doubts, worries, and fears, even if for only a little while...
"I'm going to see if she can come sooner-"
"She can't," Cam cut me off. "She had to work. She really needs money to pay off that parking ticket, remember?"
"You're right..." I groaned, then patted Cam's shoulder. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful...Really, I appreciate you being here for me, buddy."
"I understand," Cam replied, pulling off his glasses. "I know how you feel, Mike. I have a-"
Enter Artie, rustling down the stairs with footfalls as heavy as an elephant's. Her hair was disheveled; the rings around her eyes eluded to her having the same sleepless night that Cam and I had experienced.
"Alright, Cam!" she said breathlessly, trying to smile, only to have it wilt a few seconds later. "Feel free to head to bed."
"Where's Adam...?"
She was silent for a full minute, mouth a thin line, hands opening and closing. The longer she didn't say anything, my stomach started to flop; I knew that of everyone in the group, Mal seemed to stir the most around Adam, even at the slightest mention of him. Even now, I could feel his irritation and annoyance. Had I fallen asleep? Had Mal-
"With Heather," she sighed, shaking her head. "They're having a long...heart to heart or something. Yeah. God forbid he shelf that shit for one minute...I hate that sonofabitch sometimes."
"That's just the lack of sleep talking!" Cam chuckled. "You can crash on the couch-"
"No." She waved her hand. "You can go get some sleep, Cam. I've pulled enough all-nighters with Adam before that I can stay awake until Zoey gets here."
"Are you sure...?" I chimed in, furrowing my brows and tapping the arm of the couch.
"Yeah," she assuaged.
"Do you want to talk, Artie?" Cam prompted as he started to head upstairs.
"I'll be fine..." she groaned, a warning edge to her voice.
"If you insist."
Cam disappeared, leaving me with, honestly, the last person I really wanted to be around right now. All night, I'd had my reservations and secret fears. The entire time that Artie had shared her story, very graphic memories had played out in my mind; I'd blushed and felt...so weird and awkward. Things were still incredibly awkward. Part of me wanted to grab her and hold her in a tender embrace while another part was balking at the fact that I could think of doing anything like that with a girl that wasn't Zoey.
She was silent, not even looking at me; she stared sullenly at the wood paneled wall, her eyes distant and her lips trembling slightly.
I fixed her with a serious look, frowning. "What's going on with you and Adam?"
"No offense, but I'd rather talk to Zoey about it," she replied.
"Okay..." Sweat was beading on my forehead; my cheeks were burning.
"It's hot outside..." she mumbled, folding her arms tightly.
"I wouldn't know..." I chuckled awkwardly. "Haven't been outside yet tod-What are you doing?"
She was standing up now, walking back and forth, and stroking her chin. "Pacing."
"Why?"
"I'm thinking..."
Pacing, I understood; she probably did have a lot on her mind. I watched as she wandered towards the bug tank, biting down hard on my lip and hoping that Zoey would get off of her shift early or that Adam would show up. I'd automatically assumed that he would; he and Artie are pretty much inseparable, except for when it came to Heather, apparently...
Artie reached into the bug tank and removed the preying mantis. She was expressionless as the bug wandered up and down her arm, her eyes studying it intently. Blowing out a breath, I swallowed hard, feeling my heart beating like a drum in my chest.
Ba-dum.
That was when Artie raised the mantis towards her face. My stomach became a bunch of twisted knots, apprehension and blood rushing as I felt like something horrible was about to happen.
Ba-dum.
...In one swift movement, she'd bitten the mantis' head clean off. She was stuffing the rest of it into her mouth, chewing rapidly; I could hear her crunching, unable to pull my eyes away. Pupils shrinking, I could hear my mental screaming. But, I was silent. Just...silent.
Ba-dum.
...Disgust raked across my entirety as she turned towards me, swallowing and then smiling crookedly and guiltily...
:Mal:
"Cameron won't be very happy about that..."
"I know..." Artemis murmured, her eyes wild. "I...I never told you this Mike, but-"
"You still eat bugs, Firecracker?" I laughed, narrowing my eyes. "You're back in civilized society, my dear. You can eat real people food instead of choosing between stolen goods and little creepy crawlies..."
Her lips drew downwards into a frown like a broken bow. Those green eyes start shrinking to period sized pinpricks, her face turning snow white as she succumbs to fear. She's never looked more beautiful than now, her nerves wracked and her world crumbling apart because she knows that I'm back in her life.
Then she sighs heavily, brows drawn. She almost says something, then stops, her face so blank and nondescript I know that she doesn't know what to do next.
Chuckling, I stand up and walk over towards her, prop my index finger under her chin and tilt her face upwards. She's a little bit shorter than Zoey; the perfect height for my favorite kind of potential consort.
"What's wrong?" I prompt. "You aren't happy to see me...?"
"What do you think?!" she quips, returning to her original gusto. "You're the reason why I developed a nervous habit of eating bugsat all!"
"You voluntarily chose to eat them in lieu of stolen property..." I replied, then sighed contentedly. "I didn't stop you because I found you dominating smaller, weaker members of the food chain absolutely adorable. There was an untamed and wonderful charm to it. Magical..."
"You're romanticizing one of the things I hate about myself!" she cried.
"Firecracker..."
"Don't you dare call me that!" she seethed, her face bright red. "Say it again and I'll stick your pet nickname for me up your asshole..."
I reached up and caressed her cheek, watching as tears gathered at the edges of her eyes.
"Quit touching me!" she yelped. "You have no goddamn right to touch me like that, you bastard. So stop it before I bite your finger clean off and eat it whole." Her eyes were wild, shining with such deep-rooted malice and hatred I knew she was serious. It was the same feeling, the same chaotic rush I'd experienced myself only a few days ago; such...unexpected and unrestrained beauty.
"It's physically impossible to bite off an entire finger," I told her calmly, snickering.
I waited for a long moment, watching as her hysteria started to die down.
"You certainly haven't lost your quick temper, have you?" I smirked at her. "You used to keep it contained around me, but I suppose I've lost your favor..."
"Let's cut the bullshit," she hissed, her voice cold. "You know exactly why you lost my favor, bastard: You took the money and ran."
"Now she shows her true colors..." I clapped a hand on her shoulder and she scowled up at me. "Was it really necessary to throw me under the bus with your sob story last night?"
"It's not that far from the truth," she snipped.
"Heh. I could easily break both your wrist and your legs and escape." Then I leaned in towards her ear and whispered, "And we both know you can't risk calling the police..." I fondled one of her precious pineapple shaped earrings. "Jaime's money really seduced you, didn't it my dear Firecracker? More hidden blank checks? I thought you learned your lesson the first time..."
"I told you to stop touching me," she snarled, gritting her teeth.
"What can you-"
She reached up and grabbed my hand; my eyes widened when I heard loud cracking and popping. Then she let go of my hand and I stared, wide-eyed, at my now broken index finger; I looked back up at her and she'd assumed a defensive martial arts stance.
"You bitch."
"I could do far worse," she said sullenly. "I could kill you."
"I'd like to see you try..."
"I would if Mike weren't there," she hissed.
"Took you long enough to-"
:Artemis:
Mal slumped forward, fell to his knees, then face-first into the puce carpeting. Breathing heavily, my heart was a rumbling storm cloud in my chest, lightning zapping my nervous system with adrenaline and thunder roaring in my ears. I felt a spike of relief, but I knew I was still in deep shit; Cam stood right behind the now unconscious Mal, his arms folded and an angry look on his face.
"What else are you hiding, Artie?" he demanded.
God...I'm busted. I'm so busted.
"All right, Cam," I sighed. "I did far more than destroy friendship bracelets...I broke Heather's hairbrush, burned her clothes, tossed a stink bomb in her cabin one time...You guys really have no idea how bad my rivalry with Heather is..."
He raised a brow, tapping his forearm impatiently. Of course he could care less about that right now.
"...I tried to steal a million dollars from Jaime three years ago. I kept a blank check hidden in my pineapple locket..."
"You have others hidden in your earrings, don't you?" A knife stabbed me in the heart at the accusation in his voice. Of course he doesn't believe me; after he tells everybody else about the details I left out, I'll lose credibility with them, too. My friendship with Adam is already a string pulled so taut it could snap at any second.
Lump in my throat, I reach up and remove my earrings, willingly handing them over to Cam. He looks at me with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. I just let the earrings speak for themselves, letting Cam pop them open and remove my photo reel of the pictures Adam and I took at comic con last year. The ones where he cosplayed as the 4th Dr. Who and I cosplayed as Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite. He tried to get me to go as the humanized TARDIS, but we managed to compromise on Elizabeth, due to her being a fellow time-space manipulator...
I can't help smiling like an idiot when I think of him wearing that multicolored scarf; he was so handsome. Mmm, I hope I can smooth things out to the point that I could convince him to wear it again someday.
"Cam..." I groaned. "Please don't tell Adam?"
"Why didn't you just tell us the other details last night?" Cam cried. "I...I don't know if I can trust you anymore!"
I furrowed my brows and looked down at the tops of my Converse. "I'll tell Adam and Zoey in person as soon as they get here and...and then I'll just go..."
"Why did you do it?" Cam persisted, frowning. "You seem to hold such high respect for Jaime. Why would you...?"
Cameron, I was probably the most delusional, cartoon-obsessed fourteen-year-old in the world. There's more than a few screws loose in my head; it was like that before I ever even met Mal, but he really didn't help anything. And, as much as I hate to admit it, he led to me becoming more grounded and down-to-earth. I'll always be irrational and harebrained, but not as bad as I was three years ago...
Taking a deep breath, I felt my cheeks flare up as I admitted, "I wanted to buy my own island and build a Mojo Jojo style lair on top...Mal and I used to discuss it at long length, calling it our 'early retirement plan.'"
"...I'd hire an entire team of scientists to create deadly viruses!" Mal bragged passionately, smiling. "With our volcano lair, we could be far away from society, silently plotting the slow degradation of society...Making plans to take over someday. I'd be their ruler, their king!"
At the time, I assumed that Mal was getting lost in a surreal empowerment fantasy, similar to what I liked to do when I was daydreaming or otherwise. He was at his happiest here, grinning contentedly; he leaned against a strong oak, arms folded behind his head and legs crossed.
"So you'd be the world's dictator?" I baited, smiling fondly at him.
"Dictator has such negative connotations...," he replied. "I see myself more as...the gently guiding hand. People are stupid, my dear. They need someone to guide and help them out."
His response floored me. I thought we'd just been having a cavalier discussion, the same bullshitting as saying that Double D had a mutated cyclops eye under his hat or what might happen if Scooby and Shaggy from Scooby Doo became crazy zombies that ate Fred and Daphne, and then infected Velma.
"That's the mentality of a dictator..."
"Is it wrong?" Mal challenged, frowning. "Look at how horribly people abuse their free will: Wasting their lives drinking alcohol, being stuck in a dead-end job..."
"Not everyone is a strong, independent thinker with the same opportunities as Henry David Thoreau!" I snapped. "Just because someone doesn't live up to your standards doesn't mean you have the right to change them or control them."
"Who fed you that claptrap...?" Mal chuckled, then smirked. "You don't honestly believe that. If you did, you wouldn't constantly be challenging Heather's opinions, now would you?"
He leaned towards me, his eyes keen and pensive.
"How many times have you told me that you wanted to take her down a few pegs...?" he observed. "You say that if you wounded her pride enough, you'd make her realize how rude, horrible, and callous her behavior towards others is. You wanted to change and mold her to your standards."
"Somebody needed to challenge that bitch..."
"Are you truly the libertarian you portray yourself as?" Mal chuckled.
I groaned and sucked in my lips, staring down at my shoes as familiar guilt started rolling in my stomach again...
Cam fixed me with a deadpan expression; he knew me well enough to know that I was telling the truth, but my confession had lessened his personal opinion of me greatly...
"All of us are having a very long and serious discussion with you later, Artie," he groaned, shaking his head.
"Don't tell Adam about the pictures...?"
"I can only handle one psychological issue at a time," Cam sighed.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" I yelped, cheeks turning red with utter embarrassment.
"We obviously can't wait for Dr. Renard..." Cam dug in, changing gears. "I'm calling in somebody else."
"Who...?"
"My girlfriend Dawn!" he said with a slightly giddy, but adorable smile. "Maybe she can help Mike out with her spiritual connections...Do you think you could get your older sis-"
"Last resort!" I warned, shaking my head. "I've been taking huge gambles not telling her that I've been hanging out with Mike...She'd freak if she knew what was going on. I'm already on thin ice with her as it is; she's locked up everybody in our family, including her in laws...She's figured out that Mal's back, Cam."
"Would she help?" Cam returned earnestly, frowning as he started punching out a message on his phone.
"No..." I admitted.
Cam stopped right in the middle of what he was doing and looked up at me, surprised.
"She believes in sacrificing one for the cause of the greater good," I sighed. "She wouldn't even stop to consider Mike if it meant getting rid of Mal permanently."
"You care that Mike's there!" Cam protested. "You could convince her-"
I shook my head. What you're asking is absolutely impossible, Cam. Most people think that Athena is an eccentric peace-loving and pacifist hippie. Nope. If everyone had seen the rant she went on the night Mal was dragged off to prison; she cursed and made several harried, hectic motions with her hands, declaring that if she could, she'd execute Mal French Revolution style. The woman can hold a ferocious grudge; it was so bad that she had to take anger management classes back in 2009. Strangely enough, those very classes are where she met Carlos for the very first time; he asked her out on their first date after some short angry man had incited the class to a riot and they destroyed the teacher's car...
It's a very long and weird story. Long story short, though, anger management wouldn't be anywhere near close enough to curb my sister's rage around Mal. It both terrifies and flatters me...
"Trust me, Cam. She wouldn't cooperate..." I frowned. "There's a reason why I refuse to let you guys come over to my house: I'm scared that Athena will be visiting. She'd chase Mike with a butcher's knife..."
"Artie-"
"I'm being serious."
"Dawn's going to ask for a second person to accompany her into Mike's mind."
"You wanted to ask my pregnant older sister?!" I balked, glaring daggers at him.
"I didn't know she was pregnant!" Cam protested. He calmed down then started massaging his forehead, casting another glance at his phone. "I was hoping Athena could cooperate since she has similar abilities and expertise to Dawn..."
"Tell Zoey to get her ass over here," I replied, brows furrowed. "Out of the lot of us, you or Zoey would be the best bet on making sure that Mike's the one in control when he wakes back up."
He looked up at me, nervous.
He had so much to worry about; he probably didn't trust me, potentially, to be the only one watching over him, Dawn, and Mike as he ventured with Dawn into God-knows-where. So many more daggers piercing my heart at that realization. With a shuddering breath, I grabbed his shoulders and stared directly into his dark eyes.
"Cameron," I said, trying to keep my voice from warbling. "Judge me for the person you know now. Please..."
"I can't, because you haven't changed as much as you keep trying to tell me." He held up a red credit card with Alejandro's name on the front.
Oh God...That fell out of my wallet...
