Beck

Travis returned back home the next day.

He didn't speak to me.

He didn't even go near me.

He stayed up in his room most of the time, or looking out on the balcony. Mariana was in her guestroom all morning, and refused to be seen or talked to by any of us.

What have I done to them.

I have made them a complete mess.

I walked up the stairs and across the hall to Travis's room.

"Don't come in here!" Travis yelled. "I'm serious!"

I closed my eyes and pushed open the door.

"Travis…"

"I said don't come in here. Did you not get it the first time? I'm working!" I looked in his room. He was sitting at his desk, looking over some papers.

"Whats that?" I asked.

"None of your business."

I stood in the doorway. "I know that you want to tell me, Travis."

He paused. "Okay." He whispered. "But keep it quiet."

I walked in and looked over his shoulder.

"De Silvia Acoute." I read aloud.

"Shh!" Travis hushed. "And its pronounced Ah coot ay."

"What is it?" I asked, ignoring his corrections.

"Its…"

"A trinket, right? Like A gatu de diabo?"

"Not a trinket, Beck. A gatu de diabo was not a trinket. It bought my people freedom. Trinkets… don't bring people freedom. Treasures do."

"So another treasure?"

"Mhmm." Travis took a sip of a coffee cup sitting next to the papers on his table. "And I'm gonna find this one. And I'm not gonna screw up like last time."

"Not any time soon." I said a little loud. "You still have things to do here. In America."

Travis smirked. "De Silvia Acoute is not in Brazil."

"It isn't?" I asked.

"No!" He laughed again. "If every hidden piece to this puzzle was in Brazil, they'd all be found already. No, these are hidden all over the world. A gatu de diabo was the first one to be found. And I'm going to find all the other ones, too."

"No you aren't." I said.

"Yes I am!" He debated. "I have the money now, I'm smart enough."

"You may be smart Travis." I admitted. "But you have no common sense. And you need that to survive."

"I have common sense." He smirked. "I got loads of that." He took another sip of coffee.

"Sure you do." I thought about him and… Elizabeth? Is that who Mariana was talking about?

"I know what you're thinking." He whispered.

I stayed silent.

"You need to stop trying to go there, alright? You saw what it did to me. Just remembering her. I never want to remember that mistake… that big, big mistake… but Beck…" He laughed. "You just cant help yourself from torturing me, can you?"

I shook my head. "Travis, I'm sorry.."

"You aren't." Travis stated simply. "So stop feeding me this bullshit, okay? I'm not a child, I can handle the truth."

I looked at the floor. The truth was, I was sorry.

"Travis, you know I meant that."

He shrugged. "Maybe. I just don't believe it." He took a long sip of the coffe and set the glass gently on a coaster. He returned to his papers.

"Could you tell Mariana that the nurse wasn't giving me a handjob?"

I choked on air. "What? Why would she think that?"

"Just… tell her, alright?"

"I cant tell her that, Travis."

"Well, she wont talk to me! She's mad. Real mad. She thinks I have a fling with that nurse."

I cleared my throat. "Honestly, Travis, I don't think you have a chance with her."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? She tried to give me her number. She said 'We should do this another time'. After taking that tube off my.."

"I get it, I get it."

"I told you she has a thing for me. Didn't I say that?"

I thought for a second. "Uh, no, Travis, you didn't say that."

He looked at the ground. "Are you sure? I thought… I did so say that." I debated. "I remember. You laughed at me and told me I was stupid…"

"I wouldn't call you stupid." I added quietly.

He looked at me suddenly. "I know." He whispered. "But I… I…"

"Do you think that you were… dreaming?"

"I remember it so well…"

"Travis?" I wave my hand in front of his eyes. They aren't moving from the ground. "Travis!"

His breathing starts picking up.

"Travis! Can you hear me??" But he's already gone.

Travis

I remember him laughing at me. After beating me to a bloody pulp, he just laughed.

"You're stupid, Travis Walker. You're fucking stupid. You're a moron!"

I remember blood falling from my hair and into my eyes. I couldn't remember where I was.

Wait… Elizabeth. She was crying.

"Leave him alone, Joseph!" She cried. "Just leave him alone!"

"You're lucky I don't shoot him dead!"

Oh yeah. I was in Elizabeths room. And that guy… Her husband… found us. Being together.

"Oh, Travis, for the love of God, don't leave me. Stay here!!" She screamed.

I breathed loudly. Blood came from a cut in my mouth all over the floor. "Elizabeth…I'll never leave you." I could feel the anger in Joseph's foot as it raised in the air and came rushing towards my head… this was the end…

I could see black pouring in like blood in my vision. My entire body ached. And then like that, it was over. I was knocked out, sprawled on Elizabeth's floor… Was she still crying?

Beck

Travis's eyes rolled to the back of his head. I took a sharp breath.

"Travis, if this is a joke…"

But the awkwardness of his breath and eye movement told me otherwise.

"Great God." I whispered.

He collapsed backwards. I caught him and picked him up.

"Travis!" I yelled. "Travis!!"

Nothing.

I felt nervousness wash over me. What if he couldn't breathe?

I placed him on the bed and listened for a pulse.

It was there, but it was weak.

"Travis, stay here."

He sat there breathing like a maniac for a couple more moments. I sat looking at him nervously. I didn't know what was going on.

"I'll never leave you, Elizabeth." He whispered, and then his breathing slowed to normal. His pulse strengthened up again, but his eyes remained closed.

"Travis?" I whispered. "Are you…are you alright, Travis?"

His face was twisted. He was hurt.

Not the kind of hurt from being beaten up so long you can feel your heart beating out of your fingers. No. The kind of hurt that happens when someone rips your heart out with their bare hands and drops it. And then tries to put it back, but it dosent fit anymore. That kind of hurt.

"I truly am sorry, Travis." I whispered.

I picked up his coffee cup and walked into the kitchen.

"What is wrong with Travis?" Mariana demanded as soon as I stepped in.

"He had a… a panic… stress attack."

She looked worried. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine. He's just… sleeping."

"Oh." She whispered. "Mr Beck, you might find this a difficult question to answer but…"

I placed the cup in the sink.

"Is Travis having an affair?"

I look at her. "No." I almost whisper.

"Really? I thought that the nurse was touching his…"

"It was for the tests. Medical stuff."

"Oh." She said again. "Thankyou, Mr Beck."

She sat down in one of the chairs. "I don't know what I would do without you."