Stop. Stop. Stop. No, it's too dark. Torrent? Torrent's sleeping. Stop, it's dark. Can I make a little light? Please! Just a little one. No, you can't. You tried and you burned everyone. Everyone died. It's such a small room. If I make a little light, maybe it will be okay. Right? Just a little one. No! You might set the room on fire! Everyone is sleeping! Every one will die.
It's always a mess inside my head. I always feel like every breath I take is an argument to my own body. My mama used to tell me that once you get caught by a C-Key, you know right and wrong. That's what separates us from the animals. But I wish I didn't know good and bad. I just wish I knew one of them, because my head is always so very loud. I hate it.
Usually, at night, Torrent sits up when he sees I'm not sleeping. I think he's the backbone of the team, yup. Even more so than Lexa, but he'd kill me if I told him that. And I don't wanna die anymore.
Torrent would get up and walk over to me and settle beside me with this huge sigh that says that I'm clearly a burden to him. But I know I'm not, because he saved me. He saved my life. And he would tap my forehead and I'd nod. And then he'd talk, quietly, though, so no one else would wake up. It quiets the voices. But he's never going to sing for me ever.
That's only for Lexa.
But Torrent's sleeping now, because he's tired from today. Really tired, bone-tired. I can't count the number of time he got zapped from Dianli.
It's my fault. If I had just told them it didn't matter to kill him or if I just told them to let him go without telling him. Why do I have to be like this? Why? But if you did that, it also wouldn't have been fair to him! I wouldn't because he would have died and nobody wants to die.
The door opens and I see Alexa, Briar, and Steven walk in. I shut my eyes fast so that they can't see me awake. I hear Briar kiss her on the forehead and walk to the far end of the room. Skyra doesn't wake up when he gets into bed with her. She sleeps like the dead.
The bed across from me dips when Steven and Alexa sit down, and I open my eyes a little. I must have opened them too much, because she calls my name with a question mark at the end.
"I'm awake," I say back.
"Did you guys talk to Dianli?"
"Yeah, but, every time we released him, he would just electrocute everything. Torrent made Skyra stay back though, so it was okay. And Bastion is flying type, but she might has well been made of stone because the electricity didn't even singe her. What level is your team?"
"They're…" Steven rubs the back of his neck with a hesitant hand, "…a certain level… I think I stopped checking after a certain point."
"I'm slightly jealous," Alexa mutters, "just a little bit. Anyway, so you couldn't tell him anything?"
"Yeah. He was too wild. We couldn't even get consent for a release because he just said he would get his revenge. That he needed to stay on the team and make it hell for you. We might just have to stick him in the PC Box. But did you have fun?"
"Yes! There was a lot of food. I was hoping Torrent would be awake so I could rub it in his face—"
"Just one more thing," I interrupted, "We caught a new team mate."
"What - what? Oh! Where is he? Or she?"
"Her name is Skye. She's a Swablu and she's in her PEN. She's… a handful. Skyra got mad and says no one is allowed to let her out tonight."
"What? What did she do?"
"We're… also not allowed to tell you that," I suppress a laugh at the memory of Skye calling Skyra 'Mommy' and clinging to her closely. "It was cute, but Skyra's pissed."
"Not fair," Alexa pouts. "I guess I'll meet her tomorrow then." She turns to Steven, "Are we gonna sleep together?"
She can't see his face in the dark. But I can just barely see the pained look that crosses his face.
"I don't think that's a good idea," he says gently.
"Why not?"
"Torrent was very firm about it."
"But then what if you get a nightmare?" A pleading tone creeps into her voice, "And Torrent can sleep between us, right?"
He reaches a hand to her, then stops.
"I drank a lot today, Alexandra. It's probably better I sleep alone." He completes the motion, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm leaving tomorrow," he says, and Alexa makes a sound of protest.
"But that's so soon. We just saw each other."
"I know." His hands play with the ring on her thumb. "But I need to talk with Wallace, at Ever Grande. And you need to continue to Meteor Falls. It's beautiful there, and when you have the Surf HM, you can travel a bit more."
"Why is this world and the video game so similar? I mean, there's you, and Brendan and most of the gym leaders are the same and stuff."
"Because Pokémon Emerald is directly based on this world. The maker of the Pokémon games frequently came to this dimension after we established the link. It was a very small request to let his storyline follow our "storyline".
"Steven. The trainer, two years before me. Was he my brother?"
The question is abrupt, but her thoughts always travel this way. Disconnected.
"No." There is no hesitation in his voice.
"Are you lying to me?"
"No."
"Steven," she grabs is collar with the desperation of the drowning. "Are you lying to me?"
"No."
"Then tell me about your boyfriend. Tell me what he was like."
Silence. Then slowly, he cups her face with one hand and leans forward.
"My, my Alexandra. Are you seducing me?" he drawls, an unfamiliar, biting edge to his voice. She lets go immediately and my eyes flicker to him.
"No," her voice is small.
"Oh?" he leans in closer, lips pulled back in a grin, "You sound like you are. Maybe you should stop asking about my boyfriend, then?"
"Leave her alone," I snarl, and I can feel the anger rising, dangerous, evil. His cool eyes meet mine.
Get yourself under control, you freak. Are you kidding me? He's not even doing anything.
But I can feel it, the same rage that makes my eyes and skin glow. I move out of the bed and grab his wrist, making him wince at the heat. But he doesn't say a word. Instead, he stands, a couple inches taller than me. And more than his height, I feel his presence standing over me like a statue of a god, like the pressure of religion.
I want to crush it and watch the ashes shift through my fingers.
Suddenly, I feel a hand on my back and the slight hiss of steam.
"Cool it," Torrent say behind me, his hand cold against my shirt. He steps in front of me, his back pressed to my front and more steam curls up. "Let go, Aiden."
What the fuck, don't let him go. He deserves to get burned! Did you see how he treated your C-Key? Kill him!
I let go. He immediately twines his fingers into mine, icy-cold, chilling the golden, overheated blood that courses just under my skin.
"Calm down, you giant excuse for a volcano."
"Better a volcano than a puddle," I mutter, resting my hot forehead against his shoulder with another hiss of steam. There is no amusement in my voice, but he chuckles anyway.
"Ah, I thought you were sleeping," Steven says apathetically. I wait for Torrent to say something acidic, to jump into protecting Lexa. But he doesn't. Instead, he stares at Steven.
"I know what you're doing," he says softly, drawing Alexa closer to him. "And I know you think it's right. But this is not the best way to go about it. This is painful. To both of you."
Steven flinches at that, more than when I gripped his wrist.
"Heeheeheehee."
An unnaturally high giggle spills from Alexa's mouth, tainting the air like spilled ink. Steven's head turns so fast, I can hear a sharp crack and Alexa giggles again, hand wrapped into Torrent's shirt.
Her eyes are glowing. Humans can't do that. Humans can't fucking do that. Why are her eyes glowing? Why is she smiling like that?
"Ah, Steven, you never used to fight over me like this," she says. Her hand moves out fluidly, loosening his necktie and pulling him closer. "Why her? Let's not forget who owns you, hm?"
"Alexa?" Torrent calls, voice breaking in worry. He turns her gently towards him, "Alexa, what's wrong?"
But what I notice, is Steven's face, deathly pale. His hands shake when he removes Alexa's hand from his necktie.
"Stavros," he whispers. "Come here."
She ignores Torrent completely, but holds Steven's shaking arm.
"Did you forget what you were supposed to do?"
She moves forward and he steps back, until he is sitting on the bed, leaning away.
"Alexa?"
She looks at me with distaste.
"Quiet. I'm talking," she snaps at me. "Now, Steven. Remember what—"
Stavros opens the door quietly and slips in. He crosses the room in large strides and then, roughly taking her face in his hands, slams his mouth to hers.
Torrent doesn't step in. Neither do I. I think we can both feel the necessity of this action when she goes limp, falling into Stavros's arms.
"You're still loyal to me, right?" she whispers. Her eyes slowly close.
"Yes," Steven breathes. "I will remember you."