Chapter Text
"She's dead." El said absently, not really believing the lack of pulse under his hand, maybe he's hallucinating, maybe not, hopefully not.
And if she's not.... Fuck, he said that aloud, hadn't he? Well, he might as well die if the Woman is still alive, she will beat them to hell for the sparkle of hope in his voice.
-
Nay was sitting at the beach, flame just 9 foots from nem. Nes looked around, seeing their duffel bag to nems right, yet nothing else to explain what happened.
What's more strange though: Mary wasn't around. Last nes knew they've encountered Nathan, and Mary never left them after meeting him again, her paranoia too high. Nems head hurt—blood pounded as if to match the blinking of nems eyes. The sensation wasn't unfamiliar. In fact, realization drowned on nem as soon as nes tried to move nems body.
-
"What's going on?" Rien asked, confused. El and Nay seemed to be in a permanent argument, yet they never screamed. She actually blinked a few times then noticed Nay of all people yelling, as nes rarely even talked, always preferring to sign nems thoughts. To be fair, Nay signed aggressively while speaking out loud—too fast for her to keep up—something definitely as unpleasant as whatever nes voiced beforehand.
"We've been shot. Again," Nay informed her.
"Why this moron thought his non-existent dodging skills would be enough is beyond me. Why he hadn't called me or even Theo for that matter. I bet Neil could've dodged that." As Nay spoke, nems jaw remained tense, but the voice still eerily calm—as it always was—even while yelling.
Nes kept their eyes on El even as nes addressed her.
"Oh don't, you can't stand Theo. Since when do you even put yours name and his in the same sentence, don't be that ridiculous. Yes we'd been shot, on the other fucking hand, would you like to be reminded of the first time it happened, I don't remember you of all people to dodge that. Besides who the fuck do you imagine calling for you, it's not like could take a break." He took deep breath, as if not sure how Nay would react to his words, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm the one who came out of it alive, she's dead," then, far more quiet, voice barely a whisper "finally".
"She's dead," Rien echoed, barely stopping the finally from her mouth, it was meant as a question, and it seemed both got her well enough as they answered simultaneously:
"Mary's dead."
"Nay's mother died."
-
Neil walked into the room for the first time in a month, El and Nay had been keeping him away, only now allowing him to front. Zeer had vaguely told him what happened after a week of being practically locked up, immediately giving him an understanding why. Now that the others decided it's stable enough for him to be up front, he couldn't shake off the feeling of being alone.
You're never alone.
-
Friday, April 7th, 2006
Neil arrived to the house they inhabited after a two hour run which excelled at burying most of his worries regarding the contract weighing his duffel bag. "So you want this, huh?", an all too familiar voice in his head taunted, strangely, it didn't sound like anger or an objection, rather a rare emotion in El's voice had occupied it; amusement. Neil didn't voice his agreement, yet the lack of objection spoke volumes.
After almost a year in the middle of nowhere Millport, Arizona they seemed to live exist far more easily, now that… She wasn't around, Neil noticed he remembered almost every day, something that according to Nay, wasn't happening since they left Spain.
El and Nay left him alone, so he sat down at the table as his thoughts started racing, he was aware he didn't have the whole picture like one of the others, hell, he wasn't even sure who knew. But even like that, all he knew of told him not to agree, yet he couldn't find it in himself to say no to that offer, to say no to exy, even if it might kill him, kill all of them.
Exy was invented about 30 years ago, yet it’s already as popular as basketball and is played in the Olympics. Neil breathed the sport, which reflected in his memories, the only thing he remembered before 13’s playing with Kevin Day and Riko Moriyama, in the media portrayed as the sons of exy and brothers, as they grew up together since Kevin’s mother died. They trained with them for three weeks, and Neil never knew what happened that they left the place.
Now, Neil had a contract with the Palmetto State Foxes on the table,the worst team in class one exy, a team where Kevin transferred after breaking his hand, allegedly in a skiing accident. Day transferred from the Edgar Allan Ravens, the best college level team, coached by one of the sport’s creators and Riko’s uncle, Tetsuji Moriyama. Neil couldn't see the reasoning for Kevin's actions, yet the small blood-hungry smile on El’s face and the mirror one on Nay’s told him there’s more to the story.
They didn't object, they left it for me to decide, Neil reminded himself, yet his nervousness echoed through his whole body and reminded him of the newly bruised ribs. No one trusted him to make the right choice outside an Exy court, he never trusted himself, never trusting his thoughts, feelings or memories enough to make a decision/
-
El arrived at a small motel in Phoenix, the anticipation in him unlike anything else; he was always the one for adrenaline, even among them all, which said something. He had been arguing with Theo for almost a week until the latter had begrudgingly agreed to leave him alone for the week after graduation — something they negotiated beforehand with David Wymack, the Foxes’s coach; they’ll arrive to Palmetto 3 weeks before summer training actually begins — with an exception for him and Rien, which had surprised exactly no one, and El wasn't one to argue with that; after all, his insistence was mostly for the others' safety, as Neil and Nay couldn't understand his need for violence(others concerned him less; they rarely came around, and Theo couldn't miss them if he wanted to. Worst-case scenario, the poor guy will have to create a new Berlin Wall for the time being).
El tested the bed with a quick nap, then started checking and resharpening his knives, pleased to know they're still at their best; knowing he’d wear them for the entire week warmed his heart. Though after looking through their bag, and so their clothes too, he realized just how awful their clothes were and decided that’ll give him satisfaction later when he witnesses Neil's reaction. The itch of his scars reminded him to look for the softest fabric and a few hoodies and oversized clothes for everyone's mercy on bad days. He extracted 20 thousand dollars and ran for the nearest mall. Exiting the building with a few shopping bags, he felt decent, unlike the snap-prone version of himself he was for the last 2 months, though the actual fun would start only without a clue to the sunlight.
After six days in a routine of exploring Phoenix while the sun’s out and running errands with cutting words and equally sharp metal tools until midnight, El felt eerily calm. Even after Theo snapped at him for ruining their sleep schedule, El was calm, to which the former smiled as if he wasn't testing him. His little holiday of sorts also earned him $200k, which was a nice argument against being “more responsible about money”.
He closed his eyes, as always, a nightmare occupying his sleep, nervousness and stiffness in the body as they woke up and started packing for the flight.