Page 24 of Nova Academy

‘Is there anything we can do?’ Bromm asked. ‘Anything you need?’

‘I just need to wash today off me and get some sleep,’ he said.

He didn’t wait for our response. He was already in the bathroom, and the door snicked closed behind him to successfully block us out. The others began muttering to themselves, their tones brimming with concern. It was a nice thought, that they cared. But how could someone genuinely care when they didn’t know much about him yet? They saw someone in need of an emotional security net and leapt at the chance to be hold it up, but how long until they decided they didn’t want that weight?

If it were me that had been carted off, would they have reacted the same way? What did they see in me? A young, innocent, sheltered boy with no social skills and a penchant for keeping to myself? They didn’t know my goals, my hopes and dreams and deepest desires. They didn’t know my past.

And they never would, I would make sure of it. But this wasn’t about me, I reminded myself again. I wasn’t in self-imposed solitary confinement anymore, and there were other people to think about. Reece was the important one right now.

I heard the whir of the shower being turned on and I could imagine from here what was happening. He must fee a relief to be alone, locked away in a quiet room away from prying eyes. I heard the shower cycle three times and imagined each blast of wind blowing away the bubbles that had absorbed the stresses of the day, each blast of soap dissolving the dirty feelings that came with being accused of raping and assaulting a woman.

When Reece finally emerged, he was dressed and I was pleased to see he was feeling much more like himself, his usual easy-going nature back to the forefront. I recognised it for what it was: a mask. I wore so many in my life, even now, that like called to like. I couldsee right through it and down to the man beneath. He could try to hide from me, but it wouldn’t work.

Brin bid us a goodnight as she left, noting her presence was no longer necessary. The lights were dim, and the guys were already tucked up in their beds. I followed suit while I waited, enjoying the comfort of the mattress and the blankets even though they were firm and scratchy. It was better than sleeping on a stone-cold cement floor, or a frigid metal table, or the rotting wood of old floorboards like I had so many times in the past.

Small blessings.

Reece breathed a sigh of relief when he came back into the room and realised the lights were out and everyone had gone to bed. I laid still as I listened to the rustle of fabric as he changed into his sleepwear, but his movements were jerky and strained and I couldn’t pretend I was asleep anymore.

‘We’ve got your back,’ was all I said as he crawled into his own bed. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could offer him. Even when I left I believed him in good hands with Bromm and Foryk.

He didn’t respond in words, but the sad smile he didn’t think I could see in the darkness was enough of a comfort to let it go for now. I was on the cusp of falling asleep when a soft voice drifted to me from across the room.

‘Thank you.’

I could hear the tears in the way his voice shook, and my enhanced hearing picked up the way they tracked down his cheeks and dripped onto his pillow with an almost inaudiblethunk. When a sob broke through he tried to choke the sound back down, my whole body shook with an urgent desire to wrap him and my arms and hold his pieces together physically while his emotional state crumbled away. Much like I had with Libby.

I didn’t, though. I couldn’t.

‘Goodnight, Reece,’ I whispered, and for the second time in my life I felt the need to protect someone other than myself.

???

I was up and ready for the day before the rest of my team, just like any other day, but then a message came through in an alert on the holo-tab and changed the trajectory of my time here on The Carina. It was a major obstacle in the way of my mission. My entire team was ordered to stay in our room until further notice. Someone would be by to bring us our meals, but until the investigation made headway and they had a suspect in sight, we were to stay away from the general population for the time being. The witnesses that lied about Reece’s involvement had already spread their version of events, and Reece (alongside our whole team) were possible targets for those who wished to avenge the victim.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I wanted to get back into a routine, to have the freedom to move about where I wished during my free time and to spend my days keeping busy with work, and most importantly there was my growing need to further my own investigation. I had come so far already and was jumping at the bit to keep going. But I also would never wish to put my team in harm’s way.

As time slowly ticked on and the realisation that I was stuck here made the walls feel like they were closing in on me. I missed Brin’s hellish storage room already.

When the buzzer sounded and the others rose for the day, I told them to go back to bed. Bromm was happy for some extra sleep, and Foryk barely woke up to listen before he was snoring like he’d never roused to begin with. The only one who didn’t go back to sleep was Reece. Instead, dressed in silver silk pyjamas, he settled himself on the edge of my mattress, just below when my feet lay, one propped on top of the other.

‘How are you this morning?’ I asked when he didn’t open the conversation.

He gave me a tight-lipped smile. ‘Fine.’

It wasn’t funny, but I couldn’t help but chuckle at that. ‘When someone says they’re fine, they usually mean the opposite,’ I joked.

‘Isn’t that generally a female habit?’ he asked, and my entire body tensed.

He didn’t know. Surely, he hadn’t figured it out.

‘What?’ he asked, taking note of my reaction. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘What do you mean?’ I choked out through my tight throat, but somehow managed to make my voice strong and steady.

‘About what?’

I relaxed. ‘Nothing, nothing.’

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