Chapter 9
I did what I usually do when I was irritated or mad, I went to the gym. The one place I can beat up on things and people didn't get hurt or give me funny looks. Of course the latter I didn't really mind, but I wanted to be a little inconspicuous at the moment. The good news was Mathew wasn't allowed to throw me in jail until I did something noticeably wrong, like try to contact Julia. I didn't have a clue what was up with her, and just thinking about it made me hit the punching bag harder. Already I was attracting attention, and all day I'd heard the whispers, 'isn't that the guy who was arrested?' No one said anything to me, though. Talking to my face just wasn't as safe as behind my back. I really couldn't blame them, I'd do the same myself.
Zechs and his flunkies walked into the gym just as I stopped on the pouching bag. Breathing a little harder than normal I tried my best to ignore them as I grabbed my water bottle from a near by shelf I had put it on. But as my luck would have it Zechs didn't really care whether or not I was left alone.
As if he was sure I wouldn't mind he walked over to me. "Hey Conway," he said somewhat cheerfully. I gave him the 'leave me alone' look, which he conveniently ignored. "I was wondering if you'd mind talking to me."
"Actually," I said, "I would."
Exasperated and suddenly tired, Zechs sighed. "Please? Just for a moment, I need to ask you a few things." I was about to turn him down again, but the look on his face stopped me. He looked desperate, scarred even.
After a moment I answered. "When?"
He smiled gratefully at me. "Tonight around midnight where your friend had stopped by."
I grimaced. "I can't, I'm under 'house arrest', you could say. I have to be in my room from ten to six, unless Mathew, and only Mathew, said otherwise."
"Don't worry about security, I'll deal with it, trust me on this," he assured me. "I have people watching me, too. I'm too closely connected to Alex and the rest of the gang. Being a cousin to the bad guy doesn't help my position much and Mathew's starting to doubt."
My eyes widened for a moment. That would be his way of showing someone was listening, and making it sound like he didn't know they could hear him. Someone knew where we'd be, or at least that we'd be somewhere, somewhere that a friend had stopped by. They didn't know about Tarmine, which was always a good thing. I nodded without answering. Zechs smiled again and left. So as not to look like something was up I moved on to the weights.
That night I went to my room at nine o'clock like I had been doing for the past few days. Taking care of the normal things I threw on a tank top and pair of sweats, my normal pajamas. Climbing into bed I pretended to sleep. I heard everyone come in, taking their time. I remained silent and unmoving, even as Nat checked to see if I was awake. Occasionally I opened my eyes to glance at a clock, but just barely. By eleven thirty everyone had either left again or was sleeping. Only Jet and Alex were still in the room. Being a day off that wasn't surprising.
Silently I hopped out of bed, hoping no one showed up while I was gone, and doubting anyone would. I knew V and the others would be out till about two, if not later. They weren't who I was worried about. I hadn't seen Nickolas all day. But for a while he'd been just a bit less than friendly to me. I was sure that if he came into the room with me gone I'd be reported, and probably thrown back into jail.
Ignoring my fears, as I often did, I threw on a light jacket and a pair of shoes I left my room. I jogged quietly through the hall, not wanting to take too long. I arrived in the courtyard before Zechs, and didn't have a clock to know what time it was. Carefully I found the spot I'd seen him and Tarmine in, noticing it was blocked mostly by several bushes. I stood right next to the bushes, crouching down in their shadows so it would be harder to see me. I knew a person could if he or she really tried, but I couldn't think of a reason they'd be looking, unless they were looking for me.
I waited for what felt like an hour, but it couldn't be more than a few minutes. When I was about ready to head back to my room Zechs showed up, walking causally past, then stopping to tie his shoe before slipping into the shadows. He looked around a bit before noticing me, I didn't stand up.
"Do you know if someone followed you?" he asked cautiously.
I shook my head. "Don't think so. Alex and Jet are sleeping in the room, if they wake up or Nickolas walks in I'd be in trouble, again."
"Who's Alex?" Zechs said, frowning deeply.
I paused a moment, trying to remember his last name. "Alex… Alex Jefferson, I think."
Zechs eyes widened. "Shit," he muttered.
I looked at him with just a little confusion. "Okay, am I missing something or are you trying to confuse me?"
"He's, well, you could say he's a spy-to-be guy. He's in training, but is as good as anybody. He's taking the tests again like the rest of us, but that's not really supposed to be known. I met him in my first training session. He's some unimportant officers son and allowed to join early," explained Zechs.
I blinked, thought a moment, and blinked again. "This would be a bad thing," half statement half question.
"Yeah, it would," Zechs agreed.
Damn. But I'd deal, even if I were dealing in jail, next to Julia, as we sang the blues eating ham sandwiches. Of course I might not be an important prisoner then, and be forced to eat that nasty stuff everyone talks about. One never knows.
"So?" I asked.
Zechs thought a moment. "Well, for starters, no late visits. No unusual talks with any hints when someone, anyone, could be listening. Unless you know it's safe, if I say anything out of the ordinary ignore me. We'll meet in obvious places, I don't care where."
"Why?" I asked. "Why are you putting yourself at risk?" I stared at him, my face a passive blank as I waited for the answer. I didn't want it to be because we were family or friends. I wanted it to be something I could believe. He wouldn't help me for either of those reasons, and if he said them I'd know not to trust him. I didn't want Zechs lying to me.
He stared back at me, mirroring me. Neither of us smiled or frowned, just that blank look of unknowing. "I… my father wants you out of here, safe and alive. He wants you to do what you came to do and leave. That's it." I could believe it. Milliardo had the family bond that Zechs often lacked.
With a nod of my head we both turned away. We'd said everything needed, and it would be a risk for either of us to stay. Maybe on a later day we'd talk, a very latter day.
In my room I paced. I had moved everything back to where it had been before I left, but still I was restless. There was nothing to do. I couldn't leave. I couldn't talk to anyone or even stay up late watching stupid soap operas. I didn't want to wake anyone up by turning on music, though the idea was tempting. I wanted to break something. To pull out a sledge hammer and smash away at everything in this room to show my annoyance. Unfortunately that wasn't on the lists of things I could do, either.
The door to the room opened when I turned to face it. Nickolas quietly walked in, nodding hello to me as if he wasn't surprised to see me up and about. That made me pause. Any other time besides one in the morning I'd probably shrug it off but he shouldn't be so laid back about me pacing. Or maybe I was just nervous about him being a jerk for the last week. He seemed rather devoted to Oz, and not a big fan of the 'spy'.
"Hello," he said with a smile.
That bothered me. Nickolas had never, that I could remember, smiled to me. He'd laughed with me, talked with me on rare occasions, but never smiled. It seemed just a little odd. "Hi," I answered, so not to sound out of the ordinary. "How was your day?"
He thought a moment before answering. "Pretty good. I'm being advanced a level in my training."
"That's good," I said. Then I remembered it was a day off. I looked at him with a little curiosity. "Why were you training today?"
"Oh, I wasn't. I was just called in to be told of my progress. They called in a couple people, maybe one of your friends, too," Nickolas suggested.
"Maybe," I said.
I did what I usually do when I was irritated or mad, I went to the gym. The one place I can beat up on things and people didn't get hurt or give me funny looks. Of course the latter I didn't really mind, but I wanted to be a little inconspicuous at the moment. The good news was Mathew wasn't allowed to throw me in jail until I did something noticeably wrong, like try to contact Julia. I didn't have a clue what was up with her, and just thinking about it made me hit the punching bag harder. Already I was attracting attention, and all day I'd heard the whispers, 'isn't that the guy who was arrested?' No one said anything to me, though. Talking to my face just wasn't as safe as behind my back. I really couldn't blame them, I'd do the same myself.
Zechs and his flunkies walked into the gym just as I stopped on the pouching bag. Breathing a little harder than normal I tried my best to ignore them as I grabbed my water bottle from a near by shelf I had put it on. But as my luck would have it Zechs didn't really care whether or not I was left alone.
As if he was sure I wouldn't mind he walked over to me. "Hey Conway," he said somewhat cheerfully. I gave him the 'leave me alone' look, which he conveniently ignored. "I was wondering if you'd mind talking to me."
"Actually," I said, "I would."
Exasperated and suddenly tired, Zechs sighed. "Please? Just for a moment, I need to ask you a few things." I was about to turn him down again, but the look on his face stopped me. He looked desperate, scarred even.
After a moment I answered. "When?"
He smiled gratefully at me. "Tonight around midnight where your friend had stopped by."
I grimaced. "I can't, I'm under 'house arrest', you could say. I have to be in my room from ten to six, unless Mathew, and only Mathew, said otherwise."
"Don't worry about security, I'll deal with it, trust me on this," he assured me. "I have people watching me, too. I'm too closely connected to Alex and the rest of the gang. Being a cousin to the bad guy doesn't help my position much and Mathew's starting to doubt."
My eyes widened for a moment. That would be his way of showing someone was listening, and making it sound like he didn't know they could hear him. Someone knew where we'd be, or at least that we'd be somewhere, somewhere that a friend had stopped by. They didn't know about Tarmine, which was always a good thing. I nodded without answering. Zechs smiled again and left. So as not to look like something was up I moved on to the weights.
That night I went to my room at nine o'clock like I had been doing for the past few days. Taking care of the normal things I threw on a tank top and pair of sweats, my normal pajamas. Climbing into bed I pretended to sleep. I heard everyone come in, taking their time. I remained silent and unmoving, even as Nat checked to see if I was awake. Occasionally I opened my eyes to glance at a clock, but just barely. By eleven thirty everyone had either left again or was sleeping. Only Jet and Alex were still in the room. Being a day off that wasn't surprising.
Silently I hopped out of bed, hoping no one showed up while I was gone, and doubting anyone would. I knew V and the others would be out till about two, if not later. They weren't who I was worried about. I hadn't seen Nickolas all day. But for a while he'd been just a bit less than friendly to me. I was sure that if he came into the room with me gone I'd be reported, and probably thrown back into jail.
Ignoring my fears, as I often did, I threw on a light jacket and a pair of shoes I left my room. I jogged quietly through the hall, not wanting to take too long. I arrived in the courtyard before Zechs, and didn't have a clock to know what time it was. Carefully I found the spot I'd seen him and Tarmine in, noticing it was blocked mostly by several bushes. I stood right next to the bushes, crouching down in their shadows so it would be harder to see me. I knew a person could if he or she really tried, but I couldn't think of a reason they'd be looking, unless they were looking for me.
I waited for what felt like an hour, but it couldn't be more than a few minutes. When I was about ready to head back to my room Zechs showed up, walking causally past, then stopping to tie his shoe before slipping into the shadows. He looked around a bit before noticing me, I didn't stand up.
"Do you know if someone followed you?" he asked cautiously.
I shook my head. "Don't think so. Alex and Jet are sleeping in the room, if they wake up or Nickolas walks in I'd be in trouble, again."
"Who's Alex?" Zechs said, frowning deeply.
I paused a moment, trying to remember his last name. "Alex… Alex Jefferson, I think."
Zechs eyes widened. "Shit," he muttered.
I looked at him with just a little confusion. "Okay, am I missing something or are you trying to confuse me?"
"He's, well, you could say he's a spy-to-be guy. He's in training, but is as good as anybody. He's taking the tests again like the rest of us, but that's not really supposed to be known. I met him in my first training session. He's some unimportant officers son and allowed to join early," explained Zechs.
I blinked, thought a moment, and blinked again. "This would be a bad thing," half statement half question.
"Yeah, it would," Zechs agreed.
Damn. But I'd deal, even if I were dealing in jail, next to Julia, as we sang the blues eating ham sandwiches. Of course I might not be an important prisoner then, and be forced to eat that nasty stuff everyone talks about. One never knows.
"So?" I asked.
Zechs thought a moment. "Well, for starters, no late visits. No unusual talks with any hints when someone, anyone, could be listening. Unless you know it's safe, if I say anything out of the ordinary ignore me. We'll meet in obvious places, I don't care where."
"Why?" I asked. "Why are you putting yourself at risk?" I stared at him, my face a passive blank as I waited for the answer. I didn't want it to be because we were family or friends. I wanted it to be something I could believe. He wouldn't help me for either of those reasons, and if he said them I'd know not to trust him. I didn't want Zechs lying to me.
He stared back at me, mirroring me. Neither of us smiled or frowned, just that blank look of unknowing. "I… my father wants you out of here, safe and alive. He wants you to do what you came to do and leave. That's it." I could believe it. Milliardo had the family bond that Zechs often lacked.
With a nod of my head we both turned away. We'd said everything needed, and it would be a risk for either of us to stay. Maybe on a later day we'd talk, a very latter day.
In my room I paced. I had moved everything back to where it had been before I left, but still I was restless. There was nothing to do. I couldn't leave. I couldn't talk to anyone or even stay up late watching stupid soap operas. I didn't want to wake anyone up by turning on music, though the idea was tempting. I wanted to break something. To pull out a sledge hammer and smash away at everything in this room to show my annoyance. Unfortunately that wasn't on the lists of things I could do, either.
The door to the room opened when I turned to face it. Nickolas quietly walked in, nodding hello to me as if he wasn't surprised to see me up and about. That made me pause. Any other time besides one in the morning I'd probably shrug it off but he shouldn't be so laid back about me pacing. Or maybe I was just nervous about him being a jerk for the last week. He seemed rather devoted to Oz, and not a big fan of the 'spy'.
"Hello," he said with a smile.
That bothered me. Nickolas had never, that I could remember, smiled to me. He'd laughed with me, talked with me on rare occasions, but never smiled. It seemed just a little odd. "Hi," I answered, so not to sound out of the ordinary. "How was your day?"
He thought a moment before answering. "Pretty good. I'm being advanced a level in my training."
"That's good," I said. Then I remembered it was a day off. I looked at him with a little curiosity. "Why were you training today?"
"Oh, I wasn't. I was just called in to be told of my progress. They called in a couple people, maybe one of your friends, too," Nickolas suggested.
"Maybe," I said.