Chapter 78: Brace Yourself

Chapter 78: Brace Yourself

Like an old car, my body struggles to move from its position. I can feel the waves of anxiety wash over me and down my spine.

Ahhh, come on James.

Move. You know you have to do this.

I take a step.

Okay, this is a start. However, I have so much more to go. Shit.

Forcing myself to continue, I trudge up towards the room, through the tunnels.

As I grudgingly make this seemingly arduous journey, a thought crosses my mind and I cant help but throw a pulse back towards Lins location.

She hasnt moved much from her spot. All thats changed, is that she is sitting on her butt, her knees to her chest, and her arms crossed around them.

Shes been crying. Her body still shudders from time to time.

I find myself just continuing the scan, clearly able to see the waves of emotion that are flowing through her. Imagining what she is making her sister go through.

I feel ashamed.

I can feel my reluctance and immaturity to the situation melt away.

Right.

This isnt about me. This isnt about how I feel about the situation or how tired I am right now.

These women have gone through some real trauma. I nearly died a few times here, and Ive only been on this planet for a week or two. How many times have they nearly died and gone through countless horrible situations.

Not only that, but they are imagining a pretty selfish situation is going to happen tonight.

No.

I will not let myself make this about me.

My job right now is to help them get through this and understand that they dont need to worry about such things with me.

That Ill be making better decisions from now on. That they dont need to resort to using their bodies to have me be their friend or ally. To give them a better idea of who I really am and where I come from.

I have my issues.

At the very least, though, I wont betray them. Especially not over sex or anything like that. Hell, I dont think I could make it through torture, but I would hope I would try.

I can see I stretch slightly, her eyes still focused on the door. It looks like shes getting worried and tired. Her eyes are flashing to the string along the wall, inside the room.

Its clear shes wondering if something has gone wrong. I have to go in now.

I move toward the door, my footsteps muffled, but audible in the silent tunnels. Normally, I could make them practically silent, but it is better for her to hear them coming.

She braces.

I walk into the doorway, seeing that there is a candle lit in the corner of the room, adding a flickering orange light to the room. Playing shadows across her body.

I can feel my heart stop for a moment, as she locks eyes with me and smiles seductively. Laying back, she stretches and her thighs thicken out, all while she never takes her eyes off me.

I quickly close my eyes, raising a hand to my forehead. Massaging it.

Deep breath in through the nose. Breathe out through the mouth.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

My eyes open, with my heart feeling more centered. They return to Ai, who looks concerned and a little worried.

I move towards the bed, suddenly.

She immediately tenses up and her eyes, hands, and entire body shake slightly. She appears practically frozen, otherwise.

I slow down, just before reaching the bed, seeing the negative effect this is causing. She doesnt react at all.

Shes still stuck in place, as I turn away from her, now facing the door. I then plop down onto the bed, sitting still, facing away from her.

And I wait, my fingers clasped in front of me, holding themselves together.

Silence.

I can hear her suck in a breath of cold air after a few moments, taking deep breaths, as if suddenly out of breath. My scan shows her looking around in confusion. Clearly wondering why Im not doing anything.

Contrary to my quiet outward appearance, my heartbeat is moving fast. Slowly, she moves toward me. Her long web-like hair scattering around her.

What do I do from here?

Do I look right at her? Do I just start talking?

As I panic about what to do, I dont notice how close shes gotten.

Right until I feel her overflowing strands of hair, her slightly warmed breath, and her soft arms wrap around me.