Author's Note: So, wow it has been a minute hasn't it. First off just want to apologize for not posting in so long, I'm pretty sure it's been somewhere near a year. I wasn't really expecting to ever update this story since it was the first I'd ever written and was planning on working on other material, but here we are. I'm still fairly young in my writing career, and am working on my dialogue so please be understanding of that. I'd appreciate any comments on the story, positive or criticism, everything is wanted except pure negativity. If you don't like the story to the point of leaving hate, then there are plenty more on the site you can enjoy by great authors. Well let's get to the read and hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters used in this story.
A few hours passed, before Bernie and I finally paused in our search effort. Not a single sign of life lit up the forest, and it filled my heart with dread. I know everyone had made it out of the initial attack, for Lorien's sake I saw Nine practically dragging Sam past the tree line, but what if they were found. What if while Six and I were busy sitting in that cave they were out getting hunted like dogs. What if everything we've worked for was crashing down around us. My thoughts started spinning out of control again, first my romantic dilemma and now this. Bernie sensed my inner turmoil through our link and rubbed his head against my leg. It was enough to jolt me out of my own self-pity and notions of what if's. "Hey buddy, I'm alright really. Thanks." I spoke softly to him, trying to convey at least a little of what I said.
He looked at me in a comforting manor, with those big puppy dog eyes I still hadn't grown capable of ignoring and practically forced me to take a seat with his nudging. I obliged and took a second to recollect myself. Bernie was right, I needed to be in the right state of mind if I was going to be of any use to the other Garde. So far, they've looked at me to lead them and guide them in this war. I may have messed up on the call of rendezvousing with Five, but I have to stay strong for them, for Six, in order for us to survive. I breathed and looked at Bernie once more, "Okay I'm good now. Let's meet back up with the others, maybe they had better lucky."
The walk to the meet up spot was one filled with hope and anticipation that the others had been located. We apparently reached it early cause there was no sign of Six nor Eight when we arrived and it left us too just sit. I chose this time to rummage through my beat-up bag to see what supplies the three of us would be running on for the time being. I had two more pairs of clothes, a compass, a couple protein bars and a half drank bottle of water that Six and I had shared since last night. With both of us running off the adrenaline of the previous day and more focused on finding our friends, we hadn't really thought much about eating or drinking. Overall, the bags contents were disappointing and left me thinking about the best course of action considering the circumstances. We couldn't just leave to the closest town with the Mogs nearby, nor was I willing to leave our friends out here. My thoughts were interrupted when the movement of leaves sounded off, causing both Bernie and I to spring up, my hands lighting up with my Lumen in preparation for a fight. It wasn't until the flashes of Blonde and Raven locks and the always teasing voice of Eight started to appear that we both untensed from our fighting stances.
"Come on Six, just tell me how good it was. I mean you were really into it from what I saw, so I bet it was fantas-" Eight proceeded before being interrupted by none other than the object of her teasing.
"If you don't shut the hell up right now Eight, I promise you will never be able to talk again." Six's angry voice sounded off, as the two of them finally came into view and what a view it was. Both of them were soaked head to toe and looked like they had been through a hurricane, twice. Their hair was messed up beyond repair, I mean it didn't look good when they left but the time away from us didn't do it any favors, and their clothes hung to their bodies like a second skin. Plus, with Six wearing a white t-shirt I could practically see through it causing my face to instantly light up. Bernie pulled at our telepathic link, practically scolding me for looking, causing my embarrassment to skyrocket and my head to quickly snap away from the erotic sight.
"Aw come on Six don't be that way, it's a fair question. Speak of the devil, hey there Four. How did your little escapades in the forest with Bernie go handsome? Find anything of value, maybe an extra Garde." Eight whined, her tone hinting back towards that ever-present teasing vibe she always gives off towards the end.
"Uh fine I guess, we didn't encounter any Mogs or anything. Nor did we find any of the Garde, but more importantly what happened to you two!" Was my immediate reply, my shock and worry seeping through my words.
"Oh, Six and I decided to go for a nice dip in the river to cool off. It's so hot here and we just needed some reprieve. We contemplated stripping down, but thought you might enjoy the sight. Our clothes sticking to our wet bodies. Doing nothing at hiding away our skin, especially Six, I mean her shirt is practically see through now~." Eight replied back, my face getting redder as she continued to speak.
"Uh, I mean. I-I, would never. That's not-" Were the only sounds capable of leaving my mouth as my mind practically shut down.
"Eight can you ever shut up and not be a tease or a pervert for a second! We were out looking by the river when my wonderful companion stumbled and fell in, pulling me with her. She's lucky I didn't kick her ass the second I was out the water" Came Six's input, all the while she fixed Eight with a glare that could kill someone.
Eight's grin never left her face, it actually only grew brighter as Six explained what occurred. She was very clearly amused by the events that had transpired during their search. "Aw I love you too Sixy, I know you had just as much fun as I did. I would do it all over again too, our swim and everything." Eight said, with as much sweetness in her voice that she could muster. She always acted this way around Six. Always trying to get on her nerves and make her lash out, I never quite understood why, but I knew now was not the time for such an event.
"Okay well, I'm just glad both of you are fine. I'm guessing you didn't find anyone considering no one else is here, unless Nine is gonna come barreling through the foliage and start bragging about how many Mogs he killed. It's getting late, we better find some shelter before it gets too dark out." I interjected before things could escalate further between the two.
"I guess John's right. Let's get moving." Came Six's response, venom still dripping from her words. Eight merely kept smiling and nodded, satisfaction clearly written across her face at getting to Six. There were very few people who could break that impenetrable wall Six set up, but Eight always managed to find a way through and it bothered Six to no end. It was easy to tell; I mean whenever Eight was around Six always seemed to be annoyed. I honestly have no idea what's going on between these two, but I hope for my sake that we find the others before it blows up from their close proximity.
The sun had just started to set when we found a cave big enough to house the four of us. The timing couldn't have been any more perfect, cause it started to rain just a few minutes beforehand. It had an overhead that protected us from the downpour completely and the trees provided the entrance with plenty of needed camouflage. I had grabbed a few of dry pieces of wood to use as a small fire, and used my Lumen to light it near the mouth of the cave. It always amazed me how far I had come with my legacies since first developing them back in Paradise. I still think back to those days of Henri tossing balls at me in the backyard hoping to activate my telekinesis. Those were simpler times, times where the worries never felt as prominent, at least for me. Back when I thought a normal life was still possible, and I dreamed of never having to actually fight in this war. But those thoughts were merely fantasy now, and meant nothing for me or the people I'm trying to protect.
We all ended up deciding a change of clothes was in order after the events of the day. The girls especially needed to get out of their soaked garments and into something fresh, leaving us with very little left as spares to wear. I closed my eyes when the girls did theirs, but they both just kind of looked at me expectantly when it was my turn. "Uh, aren't you guys going to you know, turn around or something?" I hesitantly mentioned.
"Oh, grow up Johnny, we aren't five years old. Who cares if we see you in your boxers, it's not the end of the world." Six said brashly, her tone making the idea out to be the most normal thing ever.
Eight jumped in with, "Yeah it's no big deal. We're out on the run from killer aliens in the middle of a forest, us seeing you half naked isn't that big of a deal right now. Show us what you're working with hot stuff!" clearly taking enjoyment in my reluctance and having another chance to tease me. I didn't exactly have an argument against what they said, so I went ahead and bit the bullet. I pulled my dirty shirt from off of my body and quickly slid on one of the others in my bag. I then picked out a new pair of jeans, that weren't caked in dirt from the forest floor and took swallowed down my nerves. I moved to slide my current one's off, getting a slow whistle from Eight when they hit the floor. My face couldn't get any redder and as I slid the new pair on, but I dared a look towards Six who I could have sworn had the lightest of blushes dusting her cheeks. Being a powerful alien from another planet means a lot, but at the end of the day having two girls like Six and Eight watching you undress was heart pounding. It only got worse when Eight decided to start her usual teasing once again. "Wow, you may be called Four, but I'd say you're a ten any day." she said with a wink, "Wouldn't you say so Six?"
A glare was all she got in response, a clear tense air filling the cave as both women stared each other down. I assume Six didn't want to give Eight any more satisfaction, because she merely scooted herself down and laid her head down on her bag. I wanted to check with her, and make sure she was okay, but thought better of it with the extra presences. Bernie took this as his own personal queue to go to sleep and scooted next to me in a ball, a bundle of adorableness nestled by my side. That left me and a still grinning Eight still up, and as I surveyed the cave once more our eyes locked. I don't know if it was all Garde or just these two, but Eight had these bright green eyes that just lit up with mischief. They just completely ignored all ideas of order and responsibility, and in that moment, they captivated me just like Six's could. In that moment, I finally appreciated just how stunning she really was, even with all the dirt and grime that had built up from the harsh conditions. It took me a second to break free from that thought process and sever the eye contact that had remained. I saw that her smile had softened, and looked as sincere as I had ever seen. It made my heart pick up a few beats before I heard the movements of Six and realized what I was thinking about. This was Eight I was thinking about, and I already had enough issues with my feelings for Six and Sarah clashing, I didn't need to add more fuel to the flame. I was near disgusted with myself for even thinking such things, especially after everything that had happened with Six. I wanted to chalk it up to exhaustion, even though I knew it had some more depth to it than that, and decided to call it a night as well.
"Well we better get some sleep; we have a long day tomorrow if we're going to find the others." I mentioned with a bit of a fake yawn added in, "Don't want to be exhausted if we run into any Mogs while we're out here."
Eight nodded her head in a confirmation, before flashing those mischievous eyes at me once more. "Yeah, but I don't have anything to lay on. You and Six have your bags but what am I supposed to use. What is a poor girl supposed to do, lay her head down on the cold hard floor of a cave." She said, her voice holding a thick whiny air to it.
"Oh, yeah I don't know how I forgot about that. Here you can just use mine, I'll be fine." I replied back, not wanting her to be uncomfortable. Apparently that answer didn't suit her though, because she pouted her lips together clearly not satisfied.
"No, I don't want you to be uncomfortable either. Oooh, I have an idea. Maybe I could just use you as my pillow, you know so everyone is comfortable. It's the best way." She suggested, her eyes still fixated on me, pinning me in place.
I was kind of caught off guard and nearly froze at her idea. I knew Eight to be flirty and I knew she loved to tease people, but it still threw me for a loop. Once I processed what she said I decided to shut the idea down quick, especially with Six right next to us. "Um, I don't think that's necessary. I'll be fine, you just use the bag. Really it's no big deal whatsoever." was my answer as I slid her my bag. A frown quickly replaced her smile and my heart sank at seeing it. She removed her eyes from me to the bag and sighed, causing even more confusion to wash over me at why she seemed so disappointed.
"Whatever." was all she said in return, as she grabbed the bag and rolled over in the opposite direction, placing it under her head as she did so. I looked at her, wondering why she seemed down. I could only think she was upset she didn't get a better reaction out of me, since she pretty much lives to rile people up. I discarded any more thoughts on the subject and just looked at both of my companions, and when my eyes found the form of Eight the previous thoughts resurfaced. I quickly shook my head to clear away those thoughts and rubbed my hands over my face.
"What am I getting myself into?" I said with a sigh. I pushed myself off the wall and laid down cuddling further into Bernie. As the night continued on, I laid there, trying to fall asleep, all while my mind was cluttered with thoughts about the two girls with me and another out there in the world who still holds a piece of my heart.