CHAPTER 39
Marching back into our room, Zack's face looked thunderous. Zaphire, mum and me were cuddled up on the sofa watching a rerun of Gilmore Girls. I loved that series, but Zack snatched the remote, switched off the TV and beckoned me over.
“A word, please." he ordered.
I reluctantly left my warm and snugly place next to Zaphire, obviously not quickly enough.
“Now!" he thundered.
He definitely was not in a good mood, telling me whatever he had to do with Kas hadn't gone the way he'd wanted it to go.
“That dickhead of a boyfriend of yours is causing me a fucking headache." he snarled.
“Boyfriend?”
I hadn't really thought about Kas as my boyfriend for a while but it dawned on me I hadn't let him know that. In his opinion we were clearly still an item.
“Yes, Eliza. He referred to himself as your boyfriend. I suggest you sort that out as I can clearly see that you don't regard yourself as his girlfriend any more. It's irrelevant anyway. He won't comply. The fucking idiot is risking being falsely accused of a crime and ending up in prison with a tarred reputation for life, to try and help you. He doesn't think we will carry out our threat and he is naïve enough to think he can just go to the police and report us.”
Zack rolled his eyes in annoyance, but I understood where Kas was coming from. He had no idea what the Sensorians were and that they'd do anything to save a mission or prevent any one of our community being compromised in any way shape of form. I was shocked to find myself so easily accepting the threats Zack had made to Kas. I didn't like it and would resent Zack if he had to go through with them, but I did understand why he had to be so severe. A few days ago I would probably have screamed at him with the thought of him ruining Kas' life. How quickly perceptions could change.
“Where's he now?" I enquired.
“I could have a word with him, plead with him to just take the deal." I offered.
“He's in isolation for a while. Maybe leave him there for a few days and see if he gets the picture. I'm so fucking fed up of pussy footing around that fucking Dullard, all for your sake Eliza. Realise that, if it wasn't for you, he would have been on his way to prison now. I just haven't got time for this!" he exclaimed in frustration.
“The leaders will be on my case for this as well. They aren't as fucking patient as me.”
That made me snort. Zack. Patient! Hah! However, he had given Kas a chance to reconsider, albeit in an isolation cell. Poor Kas. He won't have a clue what's happening to him. He was more loyal to me than I ever would have expected and I felt guilty I'd left him none the wiser about my feelings for him. Having said that, I still loved Kas and didn't want him in trouble.
“Please let me speak to him, Zack. I'm sure I can convince him to do the right thing." I offered again.
“The exams haven't started yet, I can still talk to him without any repercussions for me." I added to help me convince Zack to let me see him.
“Tomorrow. Let him stew a bit in the cell. It'll do him good. Bloody fucking idiot." Zack relented, still visibly annoyed with the whole situation.
The rest of the day was filled mostly with more exercise. Zack was really going for it and I came away rather bruised after our boxing session. Zaphire wasn't happy with her brother, but was wise enough not to mention anything to him. She handed me an ice pack for my emerging bruise on my arm, where I had just about managed to fend off a vicious right hook.
“He should have given you pads if he wanted to let off steam," she muttered whilst tending to some other scrapes I had sustained.
“It's okay, Zaph. I gave him a decent fight too! It felt good in a way. I've never been in a situation where I thought I could genuinely get hurt and it felt liberating to see I coped with it.”
I saw Zack approaching with a slightly concerned look on his face. He must have heard me talk to Zaphy.
“Were you scared of me going too far?”
He looked bemused and a little hurt.
“I knew you were coping. Your adrenaline was keeping you safe, your reactions were incredible today. I would've pulled back, if I thought you couldn't handle it. A little pain is just part of the course.”
That last comment was more directed at Zaphire than me, I noticed by the way he glanced at her rather accusingly, annoyed she was making a big deal out of it.
“Can I please go and have a shower now?" I was sweating like a pig and I could feel my body cooling down too much.
“Stretches first." Zack said decisively and I didn't object.
Surprisingly, I slept like a baby and I felt refreshed, though slightly aching, the following morning. The feeling didn't last long however, as I was hit with a wave of nervousness almost immediately thinking about the two tasks ahead for today. Firstly, I had to talk some sense into Kas and then I had to make contact with my father and arrange a meet. I was apprehensive to do either, though strangely excited at the same time. I heard Zack waking up too, his bed still situated across the door so I couldn't get past him if I were to sleepwalk, without him noticing. A ridiculous arrangement that I deemed totally unnecessary, but Zack wouldn't budge on. I still feared I was going to creep into his bed one night and embarrass myself totally. I promised myself to have another word with him about it soon.
After breakfast and another pep talk by Zack, we headed over
