Chapter 16, Stalk and Observe

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Chapter 16, Stalk and Observe

The next day, Kreig made a point of sitting right next to Gerald at breakfast, to observe him as closely as possible. The anxious way he glanced at Kreig between his small, uncertain bites. The uncomfortable shifting. The slight tremble in his shoulders. Kreig absorbed it all, took it in, and applied it to his mental image of Gerald. How he was. Like a little hare. Yes, he felt much like a rabbit. Always ready to run away.

For a week, Kreig studied this angle of Gerald, every little fearful gesture he gave. And every night, hed draw how he understood him, with just a little more personal accuracy every time.

His cell, formerly littered with monsters and people from his former life, memorabilia hed almost forgotten, was now covered in a dozen of pictures and paintings of Gerald, each more frightful than the next. By the very end of it, Kreig could paint a picture of Gerald that would successfully evoke terror and fright into anyone who saw it. He painted pictures of Gerald as a soldier, his spear wobbly in his terrified arms, or lying in the mud, or sitting behind a rock, peering up at Kreig with eyes as large as hollowed burrows.

And it was never right.

It was Gerald as Kreig had known him right before they entered and left the portal. If he had not met Gerald in the Upper Level, he would consider these anxious paintings to be the true Gerald, as that was the only form of him that Kreig had seen. But now, after this week of sticking close to the boy, he knew him to be more than that. Every so often, Gerald would glance away, catch the eye of the other Empirical soldiers, and hed give the faintest smile of camaraderie. At other times, while his mind was enamoured with anything except Kreig, hed stare out over the ocean so readily visible from the prison island, and the mildest look of solemn longing would swim in his eyes.

Kreig could not capture these moments. They were rare, and with Kraig at Geralds side every minute, the boy was more likely to show apprehension and discontent than any other emotion.

He needed a different approach. A way to ensure that he could see Gerald for who he truly was, not just who he was when Kreig was around.

Kreig called this strategy the Stalk and Observe method. He did not stay close to Gerald and he did not speak to Gerald. But he watched him.

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-Did he do something wrong? Had he committed some grave sin to deserve this fate?

...Still, seeing War sitting over by himself, staring at Gerald from far aways it felt bad.

In a very strange way.

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Gerald started acting differently almost the first day. He seemed anxious, to see Kreig in a different spot. He acted off the entire day, eating less than usual, not playing basketball with the others Something had happened, and Kreig considered quite seriously that Gerald must think that Kreig was up to something unkind or threatening, or even that he was now free to do what he wanted.

Either way, Kreig was there to observe it. He put to mind every detail.

The times Gerald spent alone, staring off at the sea, grew more frequent as well as long-lasting. The other soldiers didnt disturb him, believing that everyone had their ways of coping with their battles, while Kreig looked on.

Unlike what Kreig had imagined, even by the third day, Gerald did not act any happier than before, merely more isolated. Alone.

At night, Kreig painted pictures of Gerald sitting by the sea, sadness mingling in his eyes. He never drew Gerald happy, only sad and alone. Something here was off, but he couldnt tell what. It felt off. Something here was wrong yet again, and Kreig couldnt tell what. Might it be that Kreigs mere presence at the facility was the cause of Geralds sadness? Maybe it was what he had done before? He hadnt expected any form of forgiveness, but knowing that his mere presence made his chances of somehow befriending Gerald this unlikely felt bad.

Halfway through the week, halfway through watching Gerald grow more and more distant to the other soldiers, Kreig decided that enough was enough.

He had no plan when he approached Gerald where he sat by the Rockies overlooking the sea. All he was thinking about was making something right. Follow current novels at novelhall.com)