Eugene's POV
Crack.
The sound seemed to break through the thick wall of fuzz in my mind, and my thoughts began to sort themselves out. There was an uncomfortable tingling sensation on my chest, and that small detail brought it all rushing back.
"Ugh…"
The meager yellow light from the cheap bedside lamp threw a golden haze over the room and caused my first few blinks to be filled with yellow brightness. Finally, I kept my eyes open, and although my vision was blurry as hell, I didn't feel as crappy as before.
I lifted my head, my mind still slightly spinning, and took in my surroundings. I was in a whitewashed, large but simple room with a fuzzy dark gray carpeting. There were three metal beds shoved against the wall-Fetch lay on the cot closest to the door, Delsin in the middle, and I was right next to a window. It looked like night-I couldn't see shit outside. Olivia wasn't here.
Where were we?
I could heard shuffling behind a white door right across from me. There was a sound like eggs cracking, muffled by the wall separating the rooms.
"F-fetch?" I called quietly. "Delsin?"
The shuffling behind the door pauses at the sound of my voice.
"Olivia? Is that you?" I raise my voice slightly, hoping for her reassuring reply. There was a tight knot of panic in my chest, winding around my ribs and making it hard to breathe.
There was no response.
"Olivia?" I hastily glanced over at Fetch and Delsin's unmoving bodies. They were in their same clothes from before, but the clothing was scorching in random places and Fetch's jacket had a tear in the front. Their faces were smudged with grime. I put a hand up to my face, and flinched when I felt a layer of sweat, dirt, and soot merging to form a disgusting layer on my skin.
I fumbled for my glasses, and found them on the bedside table. I grabbed them and roughly shoved them onto my face, but the lens were also smudged to hell. Sighing in frustration, I slipped them back off. I looked down, and there was a huge burn mark on my chest.
The knot in my chest tightened. Oh God.
Shakily, I got to my feet. I walked over to Delsin's still body.
"Delsin?" I whispered. The knot loosened when I saw the faint rise and fall of his chest.
"Hello! Olivia!" I tapped the door to knock, but the motion sent the door creaking forward. I stood there, blinking, as the door slowly opened. It was a tiny kitchen, with a basic stove, fridge, sink, and counters with a small wooden table with two desk chairs.
But it was the figure at the counter that got my attention.
She whipped around and backed up like a cornered cat. The electric blue eyes…the platinum hair glinting in the fluorescent light…
Maia Emerson.
I clumsily arranged my legs into a defensive stance as I began to channel my powers. I was already drained of energy, but video pixels sparked at my fingers. "Why are you here?" I stammered. God, if only Delsin was here. He knew how to take care of people.
Maia's eyes widened as she held up her hands, the way a criminal would when caught by the police. "Wait, before you attack…" She had a bright blue hoodie on and jeans. She was a little shorter than me, and by her innocent hipster-teenager appearance, I felt a little ridiculous being so frightened. But I'd seen what she could do. The scar on my chest ached as I glared at her.
"Uh-" A Bloodthirsty Blade flew from my hand, almost taking up the whole room, and slammed into the wall, exploding into a bunch of useless blue pixels.
"Woah!" I whirled around. Maia was standing there, right behind me. But how…?
My confidence was quickly crumbling as it was my turn to back up against the counter.
"W-wait, I-" Maia tried to approach me, but I made a strangled noise.
"S-stop!" I raised my hand, video sparks flying from my fingers. "I-I know karate!" Immediately, I turned red. Of course I didn't know karate, it was just the first thing that came to mind…
"I w-won't hurt you." Her voice was so quiet I had to strain my ears to hear, and it had a shy, apologetic quality that shocked me. It didn't fit the fearless girl that had beat two of the most powerful Conduits I knew.
"Did you kill Olivia?" My breathing began to rapidly speed up, as I fought down panic. "Did you put Fetch and Olivia into some eternal Emerald Dream? Oh God, please don't tell me you can do that too!" Words spluttered from my mouth in a state of fear. Still needed to work on that.
"No, no, I-I wouldn't do that." Maia's eyes widened. "Don't worry, I won't go all Garrosh-massacre style like I did last time." The words seemed to tumble out before she would stop them.
"I-wait." I blinked. "You know WoW?"
"Er…" Maia scratched the back of her head. But I remembered who she was, and I snapped back to reality.
"Why are we here? Where are we? Who are you? Wait, I already know who you are-but why are you here? Where's Olivia? Euhhh?" I trailed off in confusion. I was really bad at interrogating. Jesus, Delsin, Fetch, wake up…
"Uh…" Maia looked flustered, like she couldn't keep up with my questions. "Okay, um, y-you're in an o-old abandoned house, about 5 miles from B-Boston." I tilted my head, a little flabbergasted at her wavering confidence and her awkwardness. She was playing with a strand of her hair, and she refused to meet my eyes, intensely focused on her shoes.
"I-I brought you here two days ago, a-and your water friend i-is…um, no, wait, Crystal said s-she would take care…" She trailed off as all her confidence broke, as she pretended to be fascinated with the floor.
"Um, are you…okay?" I didn't think I would ever meet anyone as awkward as me, but Maia took the cake. Strange for one of the most powerful Conduits in the nation.
"G-great." For one second, her eyes flickered back, and I froze at the sight of her wide, blue eyes. They were so bright and alive, a clashing contrast with her typical appearance.
For a second, all I could do was stare at those depthless electric oceans. Then she looked away, and my cheeks heated as I, too, looked down. This was ridiculous. Why was I so…weak? Fetch had once told me not to be afraid of my powers, to embrace them-but easy for her to say. I knew I was powerful, but the thought of such power-it scared me a little. It was easy being all powerful in Heaven's Hellfire, but real life? That…that was different.
"You have stuff on your face." She mumbled.
"Huh?"
"You look terrible." She admitted bluntly. It was apparently easier for her to talk when she was being (painfully) honest. "Here."
She shuffled to the counter, shouldering past me. Our shoulders bumped, and I scooted away, and sat somewhat uncertainly on a chair as she picked up an orange dishtowel and wet it under the faucet. She carried the dripping towel over as she sat across from me.
"Now-now hold still." She said, trying to be firm. I stared, at a loss for words, as she began stroking the towel across my face. I squeezed my eyes shut as she became more aggressive, scrubbing my skin raw, but I could definitely feel the grime getting wiped off, and my skin seemed to breathe a sigh of content as I opened my eyes, my face damp. Maia studied the now filthy towel, expressionless.
"Sorry. You can do it yourself. You still have some stuff on your face." She tossed the towel at me and stood.
"So-" I wiped my glasses clean on my shirt and pushed them on. "Why are you taking care of us?"
Maia paused at this as she returned to the counter. I noticed an orange bowl and empty eggshells next to it. She picked up her spoon and continued stirring the concoction in the bowl, with slow, measured movements.
"I felt bad, I guess." She shrugged. "I mean, I thought Crystal called me because she needed someone taken care of. That's usually the only reason people call me." Her voice took a note of scorn, but it quickly vanished. She kept a complete poker face as she opened a cabinet, found a salt shaker, and carelessly shook the salt into the bowl and continued stirring.
"She had some ridiculous theory that Kyra and I-well, she thought there was a r-rift." Maia cranked up the stovetop, and a little blue flame sparked as she slid a frying pan onto the top. "She thought that I would need 'allies'. "I'm on your side, Maia."" Maia shook her head a little, her blonde curls bouncing like basketballs as she poured the egg-thing from the bowl into the pan. There was a delicious-sounding sizzle, and my stomach rolled over like a whimpering puppy.
"Anyway," She continued as she gave the pan a small shake. The scent of cheese, salt, and egg permeated the air and dropped straight into my gut. I shifted as my stomach growled loudly, but the sizzle of the frying pan drowned it out, thankfully. "It's all nonsense. But I guess I'm just cleaning up my own mess."
"I still don't know if I trust you," I stammered. She connected her gaze with mine, and her deeply intense blue eyes churned my emotions, bordering on wariness and admiration.
But instead of an expected snide retort, she inquired meekly, "Do you want an omelette?"
"Um," My head screamed at me not to trust her, but I was just too hungry. "Yeah. Please."
"I didn't poison it. I don't have the legal authority to have any life-threatening chemicals in my possession," Maia said flatly, reading my mind as she slid a paper plate in front of me.
"Um…okay." I couldn't help it as my mouth watered, cutting into the egg and bringing a heavenly bite to my mouth. "Mmm."
"Is it good?" Maia asked innocently.
"I still don't trust you." I said through a muffled mouthful.
"I wasn't asking you to." She replied. I blinked, stunned by her genuine honesty. For a criminal, she was truthful.
A little too truthful, maybe?
"I should still turn you in," I blurted out. "You're a criminal." I shrank back a little. She was sure to explode and take off before I could actually do the turning in. But instead, Maia sat back in her seat and tapped her chin with her finger.
"Hmmm." Instead of being angry, Maia contemplated this thoughtfully. I stopped eating and watched as her little nose twitched, her eyes having that deep, thinking look.
"Well, think of it this way, Eugene Sims-yes, I know who you are, you're very famous-take two criminals bound in chains. You would have to release one-"
"Why would I do that?!"
"Just let me finish. The first criminal kills to temporarily sate his bloodlust, steals to temporarily satisfy his never-ending greed, but he keeps doing these things because he always wants more, always wants. "
I didn't see the point in this, but I nodded for her to continue.
"The second criminal only killed because he was attacked first, and he was frightened, scared. He stole because never, in his life, has he ever had enough to eat or wear or anything. Partly for revenge at the world, for never giving him a chance, but mostly it's for survival. A diamond can buy month's supply of food. A cargo box can contain much-needed clothes, or soap, or water, things vital for survival. And he keeps stealing because that is the only way, because the world just goes too fast and that food is going to run out eventually, and those clothes won't last long, so he always needs to replenish his stock. It's a battle between wants and needs."
"So…I'm guessing you're the second criminal?" I said stupidly. Her eyes remained calm, but this time they hold onto my gaze. I knew she wasn't lying.
"True, I am a criminal. I have a tainted record and I'm not exactly not guilty of what I've committed over the years. But I never wanted to be a notorious criminal, never wanted to frighten anyone. I don't even want to be the richest woman on the earth. I just want a sense of security that is very hard to achieve for street rats like me."
"This is a very confusing lesson." I pushed my glasses up my nose. I couldn't help feeling sympathetic for her-I never considered the luxuries I've been able to enjoy.
"Yeah. I guess you can't really understand." Maia's face closed off, and her eyes broke off again and fixated upon a random point.
"I remember you, you know." She said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"That night when I was on the run from the D.U.P.'s. Even then I recognized you from the D.U.P. wanted posters. They weren't after me, but I was still afraid." Maia fumbled with her sleeve.
"Yeah, I remember you from that night, too." I said slowly. Talking to her seemed easy, a sense of security I haven't really experienced before. When I'm talking to Delsin and Fetch, I do feel secure-but this was different. More like being able to comfortably confide in all the deep and feels-y stuff.
There was a muffled groan from the next room. Maia's head snapped up and she jumped out of her seat. Surprised at her sudden jumpiness, I stood as well, looking at her expectantly.
"I should go. They'll be waking up soon. And I'm sorry again about what happened." Maia backed to the window, nervously glancing at the door. "Remember-I was never here."
"Wait-" But in a blinding flash of white light, she was gone. I could see a faint streak of the same light dashing across the landscape, and at first I considered chasing after her, or sending an Angel. But these thoughts were quickly dismissed as I assessed her speed-she disappeared over the horizon in a millisecond. No way I could catch her.
"Ugh…guys?" Delsin's voice was groggy with fatigue. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. Those intense blue eyes imprinted upon my mind.
"Eugene?"
"Yeah," I opened my eyes. Remember-I was never here. Her words mingled with the image of her eyes as I forced a smile. "I'm here."