Author's note~ Hope you enjoy.
Adrian picked up the box containing the results from his long night of work, taking the top one out and holding it up for the boys to see.
"How do you feel about playing dress-up?"
Heading to dinner that night, Adrian felt really positive about the events of the day. While the boys were initially shocked and (understandably) a little hesitant about his proposal, after some back and forth and a great deal of explaining all three had agreed to give his idea a try. With a bit of arts and crafts, a fair amount of creative tailoring and no small application of smoke and mirrors, Adrian was confident that he could turn the three outcasts into the most sought after company in the glade. If everything went according to plan, it would also appreciably improve their quality of life in the process. Giving his new friends some time to themselves to consider and absorb the information from the afternoon, Adrian immediately sought out Alby, Zart and Fynn, in turn. Staying deliberately vague on the details of the project, it didn't take him very long to secure agreement from each boy to keep his new help for a full week instead of just a day or two. While grateful for the extension, Adrian still felt the pressure of a time crunch; there was a lot of work to do.
Stopping at their table just long enough to tell Brandon, Stephen and Alec to meet him at the house right after breakfast, he left them to discuss in private and gladly joined Newt and Minho for a hard earned meal. The runners were animatedly discussing supplies, storage, distribution, and organization. He heartily applied himself to his meal, listening to the chatter around him but not actively participating. When Newt cast a couple of questioning glances his way he shrugged it off, more interested in his meat and potatoes than on updates as to how the levels of flour or baling twine were holding up. As he was polishing off his meal Adrian spotted Jeff getting up to leave and hopped up, loping over to catch the med jack before he could retire for the night. He could feel Newt's eyes on his back as he discussed the next level of training with Jeff, and knew he'd probably be getting peppered with questions at the soonest available opportunity. Wanting an early night, he collected Newt and they headed back to the house together, and Adrian silently commended the boy for managing to wait until they'd stepped through the door before unleashing his curiosity.
"What was that all about? What's going on?"
"Hmmm?" Adrian replied, intentionally playing dumb.
"Come on." Newt demanded, exasperated. "I'm not some klunk-for-brains kid. You steal a trio of shanks from their keepers, getting all buddy-buddy with them at lunch. While I'm up to my neck in the bloody supply room, might I add. And just now, you can't even be bothered to talk to us at dinner, but you're off chatting up Alby, the keepers, Jeff. What are you up to?"
"Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies." Adrian responded in a jokey sing-song voice.
"Well, if you can't be arsed to tell me," Newt scowled, jerking a shoulder in ill temper, "then by all means, keep it to yourself. I'll just go to bed so I'm not bothering you. Feel free to sit with those three numptys tomorrow at dinner; Min and I will get along just fine and dandy without your company."
"You know," Adrian said, coldly. "I do believe I can sit with, eat with, speak with anyone I please. I'm, generally speaking, a fairly amiable person. I don't see any problem in having a meal with the guys who've been working their asses off to help me get the structure for the outhouse built and up, guys who're really decent company even when they are up to their armpits in mud or hanging off a roof truss to hold it in place while I lash it down. Their sweat equity saved me a lot of time and effort, I'm not going to just ignore them when the job is done."
Newt hunched a little in shame, feeling his face start to burn as Adrian drew a long breath and continued.
"As for my conversations with Alby, the keepers, Jeff? Do you remember why I'm here? Do you not recall my pledge to do everything I can to better the quality of life here for everyone? Including you?"
Newt mumbled something unintelligible, not looking at the man.
"You're jealous." Adrian sighed, softening his tone a bit and rubbing two fingers over his temple, mentally shaking his head at the utterly stereotypical teenage reaction. "Allow me to clarify. You're my good friend. I feel very close to you; I enjoy your company, and that hasn't changed. I also made you a promise. I told you I'd look out for you, keep you safe. That promise has no expiry, no conditions apply. There is no fine print – I got you, kid. Becoming friends with some of the other boys does not mean I'm suddenly going to toss you aside and disdain you in favor of some 'new bestie'. I'm not ignoring you, replacing you, or ditching you. Understand?"
"If you're not ditching me, then why were you so quiet at dinner? You were so distant."
"I was a little distracted, going through the plans for various projects in my head. And I was brutally hungry, so you'll have to excuse me if my plate held more of my focus than your dialogue on which weights of twine are running a little low."
"Why don't you want to tell me what you're working on? You don't trust me?"
"It's not about trust. And I never said I wouldn't tell you." Adrian explained, patiently. "But neither am I obligated to run every little detail and thought by you. I don't mind you asking questions, kid, but you need to remember it's my choice whether or not I answer them. Especially when you skip the asking part and go straight to demanding."
Newt flushed brighter, utterly chagrined.
"Now. I'm working on one or two things are still in the concept stage; if they come to fruition, you'll see them first hand. You know about the outhouse; it was a lot of heavy work, but we got it most of the way there with the time put in today. I asked the keepers if I could borrow the guys for a little longer so I can get things squared away and, thankfully, they agreed to the loan."
"You could have asked me for help." Newt said, still a little put out.
"Not for construction; you're not ready for that kind of work yet. I was going to ask you for help with something else, though, if you're willing."
That perked the boy right up. Adrian bit back a smile at Newt's enthusiastic response.
"What's up? What do you need me to do?"
"While I haven't been able to spend much time with Jeff over the last week, he's already learned so much of what I've showed him that I think he's ready for a new challenge. To reach the next level, he needs more hands-on experience. Not on your injuries," Adrian assured, swiftly cutting Newt off before he could begin to panic at the idea. "I'm not talking about him actually working on you; you've been treated and are healing up, right on schedule. What I need is someone who has the time to stand in as a 'practice doll' for Jeff, so I can see how he would treat specific, common injuries and ailments that might turn up in a place like this. What I'd like to do is send you to the med hut in the morning with a list of 'symptoms' or 'injuries' that he has to address. You play along, let him 'treat' you throughout the morning, however he sees fit. I'll pop in around lunch, see how he did, then, again using you as a dummy, I offer corrections and demonstrate other methods for dealing with the same situation."
"That would be helping you?"
"Of course." Adrian snorted. "I can tell Jeff how to do things a hundred times, it'll never be as effective as actually showing him what to do. This kind of training could mean the difference between a life saved and a life lost. You're stuck here in the glade until you heal anyways, it wouldn't require any physical effort from you, and you'll be a hell of a lot happier if you're working on something productive. You're the best choice for the job."
"Well, when you put it that way." Newt smirked. "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow. No time like the present, right?"
The morning sun was just peeking cheerfully over the walls as Adrian sent Newt off to the med hut with his first fictional injury. He enjoyed the crisp, fresh air as he puffed on a cigarette, waiting patiently for his new friends to arrive. Before he could make it all the way down to the filter the trio emerged from the cover of the trees, looking a little nervous, a little excited, and reluctantly eager. Adrian smiled wolfishly at them, beckoning them to follow as he headed deeper into the woods. He lead them to a tangled thicket of several kinds of berry briars and set them to picking, explaining the basics of natural pigments and the importance of only ever using plants that were known to be non-toxic. Once they had a good selection, he took them back to the house and showed them how to spread out the berries in even layers on small woven racks so that they would dry evenly. With that finished, Adrian picked up a bundle of burlap and old t shirts and turned to his crew, a devilish grin on his face.
"Today, ladies, we're going to learn how to create bras, AND what goes inside them. Is there a volunteer in the audience?"
Alec cleared his throat, standing up with his features painted by a mixture of panic, determination and humor. Adrian had him pull off his shirt and used him as a mannequin, pointing out the areas on a torso that created a female profile, and which aspects would need to be de-emphasized to make the illusion as believable as possible. He picked up a strip of soft, faded fabric that he'd cut from the bottom of one of the old shirts.
"Brandon, Stephen, on your feet. B, lose the shirt. Steph, pick up the other blue band there and copy what I'm doing on Brandon."
Moving slowly so that everyone could watch and keep up, Adrian demonstrated where and how to place the strip on the chest, how tight to make it and how to pin it in place, cutting off the excess length. He fashioned straps from thinner pieces of cloth, explaining placement and support as he went. Once started, Stephen worked with steady hands and a confidence that surprised and pleased Adrian, picking up the techniques with enviable ease. When the two models were wearing properly fitted and pinned foundations they all switched off, and before long all four were shirtless, sporting haphazard 'sports bras' and looking absolutely ridiculous. The boys dissolved into fits of laughter as they took a moment and admired each other's handiwork.
While none of them had ever sewn anything before, they all got the hang of basic needlework with very little fuss. As the morning marched on towards noon, Adrian helped them create and secure cups, add button closures, and trim excess base material to form a more streamlined feminine shape to the home made undergarments. And though it was cutting it a little close on his deadline for the day, he demonstrated how to join two cut off ovoid shapes onto a circular back to make a breast form, filling the form with a mixture of dry grain for weight and loose feathers for softness. It was just past lunch time when the four comrades stood in a ring, eyeing each other's 'breasts' with clear amusement and a touch of wonder. Adrian smiled indulgently, undoing the buttons on the back of his own garment and pulling it off.
"I know they look plain now; we'll fancy them up and put finishing touches on them another time. Peel 'em off, throw them in the bag with the rest of the material for now. Good work today, 'ladies'. Really. Now, I hate to cut and run, but I'm a bit behind here, so I need to kick you out. See you here, same time tomorrow, alright?"
"Absolutely." Brandon exclaimed, thoroughly caught up. "I can't wait!"
"Me neither." Stephen added, shyness gone and a wide elated smile splitting his face. "I'm kind of loving this – I've always wanted to try making clothes, but the other guys would laugh whenever I mentioned it, so I never got the chance."
"I'm in, too." Alec affirmed, pulling his shirt over his head and grinning charmingly. "It's more interesting – and less creepy – than I honestly thought it was going to be."
Shooing them along, Adrian chuckled to himself as he watched them walk away, joking and jostling each other as they argued amiably about who would be the hottest when they were done. His light amusement turned into a full belly laugh as he heard Stephen, shy delicate Stephen, state with full confidence that he'd be the hottest because he had the most amazing tits. Carrying that much needed lightness with him Adrian did a lightning quick clean up in the house before bolting off to the med hut. He was ready to see what Jeff had accomplished while unsupervised.
Puffing a little when he got to the building, he strode in with confidence and rapped his knuckles solidly on the wooden door of the office. He'd given Newt very simple, specific instructions that morning as to what his 'injuries' were, what to tell Jeff, and how to act. As it was the first day Adrian had kept it very simple; a broken arm from falling out of a tree. When the door opened in front of him, it took all of his effort to keep a straight, neutral expression on his face.
It looked like a small bomb filled with medical supplies had detonated in the new room. Bits and pieces of equipment and bottles of medicinal concoctions covered every available surface. Jeff had a maniacal glint in his eye, and the patient himself? From the waist up, he looked like a bad movie version of a mummy, wrapped in layer after layer of bandages, rags, even what looked like bits of twine and rope. Even his head was wrapped; all Adrian could see of a face were the clear blue of his friend's resigned and mildly irritated eyes. Biting his tongue, literally and figuratively, Adrian closed the door behind him and leaned on it for support, taking a deep breath.
This might take a bit more effort than I'd anticipated...
As the week wore on, each day followed the same pattern. Adrian tutored his 'girls' in the mornings, teaching them step-by-step how to transform themselves into something completely different.
At the house they completed their bras, finishing the raw edges and even trimming them with a surprisingly realistic lace look-a-like, made from carefully folded and snipped material. Adrian spent one whole morning explaining and demonstrating the different techniques and methods used for making a variety of clothing dyes from roots, berries, flowers and even tree bark. Together, they dyed all of the remaining fabric – and their new bras – in various shades of reds, purples, greens and blacks. The boys were delighted, eagerly devouring each new bit of knowledge that was offered to them. He taught them how to make clothes that created a feminine figure, how to mix clean rendered tallow with crushed dried berries, charcoal and various natural minerals to create very effective cosmetics, and was just starting to show them how to pull it all together.
Meanwhile, the afternoons he spent with Jeff and Newt in the med hut, patiently guiding the fledgling medic towards confidence and competence.
Everyday after lunch he rushed over to the med hut to rescue poor Newt from Jeff's overbearing attempts at 'healing'. With the long suffering Newt dutifully playing along, Jeff learned how to properly immobilize and splint broken limbs, treat head wounds and concussions, wrap ribs, check for internal injuries and diagnose common illnesses. They worked on wht questions to ask, when to bring in a second pair of hands, how to recognize allergic reactions, and the importance of prioritizing injuries.
Every night Adrian dropped into his bed, exhausted from the frantic pace. And every night Newt curled up on the couch and wondered what his friend was doing that left him so fagged at the end of the day. After a full week of staying at Adrian's place, Newt was healed enough to start lightly jogging in the evenings and was preparing to head back into the maze, and he still didn't know what the man was really working on. Any efforts to pump Adrian for information ended with vague, ambiguous answers that completely failed to satisfy his curiosity.
Tomorrow, Newt promised himself as he drifted off. Tomorrow, I'll find a way to get it out of him.
The moon was only slightly more than half full, casting eerie shafts of watery translucent light through the thick branches of the trees. Perspiration ran down Newt's face and into his eyes, blurring his vision, but still he ran. It slicked his back, a frigid finger tracing down his spine, but still he ran. Dodging trees, leaping downed logs, bursting through undergrowth, he ran desperately, blindly, as if his life depended on it. The voices behind him grew faint, and a small spark of hope fired in his heart. Just a little longer, just a little further, and he might loose them, get away. He burst into a small meadow, streaking across it to the cover of the trees on the other side. Just a little further.
A hard, warm body rammed him from the side, sending him sprawling. Before he could scramble to his feet, he found himself face down in the moss, a knee pressed painfully to his spine to keep him down, his wrists gripped tightly in large, calloused hands. He bucked and squirmed, fighting not to scream, fighting to escape. It was no use; his captor was too strong to break away from, to heavy to dislodge. A nasty, phlegmy laugh sounded from above him.
"Over here! I've got him!"
The sweat froze on Newt's skin and he shivered violently, mind blank with terror at what he knew was to come. He chanted mentally, pleading desperately.
Not again. Not again. Not again.
Footfalls sounded on the soft ground and Newt found himself roughly pulled to his feet, his hands being tied with course twine. He drew a deep breath and tried to focus on the gruesomely smiling face of the ringleader of the gang, barely a foot in front of him, the rest of his group falling into a rough circle around them. He was surrounded.
"Can't outrun us forever, sweetheart." Wes smirked greasily. "It'd be so much easier on everyone if you'd just cooperate. Hell," He ran a hand up Newt's thin, trembling torso. "You could even enjoy it."
Newt swallowed audibly, trying to find his voice through the terror. When he did, it was a weak, petrified squeak, but it was audible.
"Why? Why do you want me? You KNOW there's others here who'd be more than willing to...with you guys. Why is it always me? What did I do to you to make you..."
Wes gripped Newt's chin in his left hand, idly rolling something between the thumb and forefinger of his right. Ignoring Newt's disgusted flinch, he leaned in close, nose to nose with the blonde, almost whispering now.
"But we don't want the 'other guys' Newtie. We want something those shanks down stairs keep refusing to send us, something those boy-lovers aren't. We want a woman."
Wes crushed the berry he held in his right hand, reaching up and smearing the juice across Newt's lips in a sick parody of lipstick. He added a smear to each cheek, a sloppy red circle that provided the only color on Newt's chalk white face.
"And since little Eric couldn't take the strain of being stuck here in the glade anymore and offed himself- " Newt's face twisted, his eyes dropped. "-that just leaves you; you make the most convincing girl here. Nothing personal, Newtie. Sometimes you just gotta take one for the team."
Wes stepped back, apparently satisfied with Newt's horrified silence. Turning to face the other boys, he pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the boy that still held Newt firmly from behind.
"Doug managed to nab the shank before he could rabbit on us, I say that gives him first shot, eh?"
The other boys voiced their approval and their leader nodded, stepping to the side and joining the ring of waiting boys. All eyes were glued to the pair in the middle, every mind was focused on their own turn with their helpless captive. A hand slid up Newt's chest from behind, sliding under the battered cotton of his shirt. Doug buried his nose in the pale flesh of Newt's neck, inhaling deeply and moaning as his hand roamed freely over the unwilling boy's flesh.
"He even smells like a girl."
"Funny, I don't see the resemblance myself."
The strong, placid voice shattered the night; all heads turned to try and locate the source. A lean, dark haired figure dropped nimbly to the ground from the wide branch of a pine tree on the edge of the meadow, strolling towards the group and looking as though he hadn't a care in the world. When he stepped out of the shadow of the trees, the pale moon light made his face instantly recognizable.
"Addy" Newt whispered, a sound so low he was hardly sure whether he'd spoken it aloud or purely in his head.
"Adrian." Wes nodded, pasting an oily smile on his face and trying to gauge the man's reaction. "We're just having a bit of fun with our friend Newt, here. What're you doing out this way so late?"
Adrian shrugged easily, his face expressionless as he scanned the boys and noted every face, mentally cataloged every guilty look and awkwardly shifting body.
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to find a nice peaceful spot to just enjoy the night, look at the stars. I was just starting to relax when you guys came crashing through right below my tree. Looks like an interesting game you lot are playing out here."
After a long, tense silence, Adrian turned to look Wes straight in the eye, his face transformed by the hungry, bloodless smile he wore.
"Mind if I play too?"
A slick, delighted grin slid over Wes's face as he sized Adrian up, finally letting out an ugly snorting laugh as the boys around him whooped and whistled their approval. The cruel boy slapped a hand on Adrian's shoulder, the gesture of warm welcome in sharp contrast to the horrible situation.
"The more the merrier, my friend. You can even have first crack, if Doug's okay with it? A little 'welcome to the family' gift for you."
Doug nodded acceptance, not terribly thrilled with losing the privilege of first shot but unwilling to openly refuse his leader. He stepped back from the blonde, holding his tied wrists to keep him in place for Adrian but no longer groping the boy.
Newt's breath whooshed out as Adrian's words hit him like a fist to the guts; his head spun dizzily for a moment until he remembered how to breathe. Betrayal coursed through him, tears burned in his eyes like acid. This can't be happening. It can't. He promised. He was so distraught that he couldn't even appreciate when the disgusting boy behind him stopped fondling him and stepped away, it was all he could do to not vomit on his own feet and curl into a ball on the ground. This isn't happening. Oh God, please, let me wake up. This is just a horrid dream. Please.
Adrian's voice, his tone cold enough to freeze water at ten paces, forced Newt to lift his eyes to the man still stood beside the grinning Wes.
"First crack at the kid, hey? That's awful generous of you. And I do want to play." Adrian turned to look Wes full in the face, his grin a more horrible and chilling thing than Newt could ever remember seeing before.
"But I think I'd rather play with you."
Quicker than whiplash, Adrian's left arm struck out and grabbed Wes firmly by the crotch of his pants. A vicious hunting knife glinted silver in the cold light as it seemingly appeared out of nowhere, arcing upwards in a flash with the blade stopping only when it was firmly pressed against Wes's jugular vein. A few drops of crimson blood started to snake down the leader's suddenly pale throat as his mouth opened and closed uselessly, like a fish gasping for air. Everyone froze in horror, shell shocked at the man's volatile, unpredictable actions. Still wearing his deadly grin, Adrian pitched his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Tonight we're going to try a new game, boys, with all new rules. And the first thing you're going to do is let go of the kid."
Author's note~
See you next time.