A/N: Woo-hoo! Chapter 4!!! I'm so happy about this story so far. It's one 'a my better ones, one of the best actually.
A special thanks to Dark Fox Tailz. Thanks so much, man! Yer one of my biggest plot bunny feeders. xD You are truly amazin', dude. I'd die without you… uhm, that's awkward I guess… Sorry. –sweatdrop-
-frantically brushes off arms- AWKWARD DUST BE GONE!!! (old tradition with my friends from middle school)
Anyways…
So here's chapter 4!!!
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Justin eventually made it to his room. However, the going was slow and he cautiously checked all of the dark corners as he passed them. To anyone who happened to pass him in the hallway, Justin probably looked like a paranoid schizophrenic. He walked slowly and slightly hunched over, as his eyes darted from corner to corner feverishly.
He couldn't help it.
Every time he thought of the events of the day, his pulse would race and he would have to sit down, to clear his head and to keep from passing out from light-headedness. During one of his panic attacks, the blood was pounding so hard in Justin's head that he didn't hear the soft approach of footsteps.
He jumped and jerked away from the hand that placed itself on his shoulder. He sighed deeply with relief when he found himself gazing into the gentle gold eyes of Nicodemus. "My child, is something bothering you? I've never seen you jump like that." He spoke gently.
Justin realized that he must look strange, sitting in the hallway alone with his head between his knees. "Oh, uhm." Justin stammered. "No, everything's fine, Nicodemus." He faked a smile and stood up. The elderly rat watched him brush himself off dramatically.
"Are you sure? You seem troubled." His whispery voice sounded monstrous in Justin's head. Was he that easy to read? "Troubled? No, I'm alright. Just, uh, tired." Justin lied. Nicodemus wasn't convinced, but he nodded and patted Justin's shoulder. "Very well." He then continued his slow walk down the hallway, humming quietly to himself.
Justin waited until Nicodemus turned the corner, and his tail disappeared, then spun on his heel and tore off down the hallway towards his room. He hurried in and slammed and locked the door. He dragged his feet as he stumbled to his bed and collapsed on top of it, exhausted and falling asleep instantly.
***
"JUSTIN!!!" There was urgent pounding on the wooden door. Justin jerked awake and almost toppled off the bed. "JUSTIN, FOR GOD'S SAKE, OPEN UP!!!" More pounding. Tripping over his sheets, Justin sprinted to door and threw it open to reveal a very pissed off Mr. Ages.
"What?! What's going on?!" Justin asked frantically, only to be grabbed by the front of his tunic and pulled down the hallway. "HEY!" Mr. Ages was shaking his head irritably. "I cannot believe you slept for 24 hours. You're late. Again." Justin's mind couldn't process what he had just heard.
"Twenty… Four… I SLEPT ALL DAY AND NIGHT?!?!" He exclaimed. "Yes. Good thing I noticed you were missing or you might have missed this morning's council meeting."
'Council meeting? Oh no, Jenner…'
Mr. Ages didn't see Justin's face go slack with anxiety, and he didn't feel Justin's body tense up, but he did hear the strain in Justin's voice when he spoke. "Actually, uhm. I know why I slept so much." Mr. Ages turned and then stopped when he saw the look on Justin's face. "Oh? Why's that? You don't look so good…"
Justin's eyes were slightly dilated and there were small beads of sweat on his forehead. "I, uh, actually have been in bed sick. That's why I left the meeting earlier, err well, I guess it would be yesterday." He held his breath as Mr. Ages swept a trained eye over him, and let it out when he let go of his tunic.
"Yes, you do look rather ill. Well we can't have you infecting everyone, so go ahead back to your room and rest some more." Justin nodded and watched him go. When he was sure Mr. Ages was out of earshot, he sighed and smacked himself in the forehead. "Great, Justin. That's two important people you've lied to recently."
He slumped off, once again letting his feet carry him wherever they wanted. They led him to the East Invention Wing. He knew where he was going by now, and headed towards the workshops.
A smile touched his lips when he saw a solitary white rat sitting at a workbench, obviously tinkering with a new gadget to help the colony. Her hammer fell silent and her ears perked up at the sound of footfalls. She turned defensively but smiled when she saw who it was.
"Hello, Joralyn." Justin greeted her. Joralyn pushed her engineering goggles up on top of her head, exposing her dark red eyes. "Hello, Justin. What brings you to my humble abode?" She asked cheerily, her friendly Irish accent comforting Justin. He smiled at his albino friend.
"Aren't you supposed ta be at the council meetin'?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Justin didn't his best to keep his expression cheerful and shrugged. "I didn't feel like going." Joralyn nodded and turned back to her work, not asking further questions. Justin settled down quietly next to her on the workbench.
"What are you working on now?" He asked, staring at the strange contraption in her paws. She looked up and smiled shyly. "Oh, this? It's just a device ta help slice food faster." She held the object and turned it so he could see. "Much more efficient than knives."
Justin smiled. "That's cool. So, uhm, I had a question for you…" He asked slowly. Joralyn was the only rat in the colony that he fully trusted. They'd been together since birth, so she was basically his little sister. She looked at him, her red eyes bright. Justin shifted uncomfortably.
"Let's say… there's a guy. And he seems to really have a thing for you, and he starts doing inappropriate things to you, when you don't want him to. What would you do?" He rambled. Joralyn furrowed her brow and growled. "I'd castrate him, that's what I'd do. No man is allowed to touch me without my permission." Justin nodded.
"Alright, how about this. What if he's extra pushy and hot-headed and not matter what you do he doesn't listen to you and keeps bothering you and—" He stopped and looked away. Joralyn was looking at him peculiarly. "Why do you ask me these things?" She questioned softly. Justin couldn't believe he was doing this but…
"Just curious. Wanted to see how tough you really were. People were talking crap about you. They said you were easy." He smiled quickly. Joralyn's eyes caught on fire and she stood, hammer in hand. "THEY DID, DID THEY. Well WELL!!! I'll show them a thing or two!!!" She stormed out, still holding the hammer, looking for a skull to bash in.
Justin hung his head shamefully. "Good job, Justin. Third person in a row. You win…" He sat silently alone in the workshop, listening to the soft crackle of the fire.