Chapter Five

Aaron was a voice of influence down here and nothing short of a celebrity, which was the reason behind this stupid party. Dave had received a similar welcome to his cousin and since everyone could see his infatuation with Lills, she too had been cautiously accepted. It was me that they had a problem with, and it wasn't just the dirty looks or the twitching fingers wishing they could skin me alive that gave it away. 

It was Aaron's obvious avoidance and the frustration that radiated from him every time he looked in my direction. I was pretty sure the only reason I was even at this infuriating waste of time was because of Lills. And Burney.

I could accept the Scorchers general dislike of me. They needed someone other than their beloved Aaron to blame for putting their home at risk of exposure, and him slapping me with a permanent babysitter had done nothing to soothe their nerves over the situation. What I couldn't understand was Aaron's behaviour towards me. 

He'd been immune to everything on the outside. Fear, teasing, tantrums, the lot. It didn't matter what happened he always stayed the same, brooding yet dependable. If something bothered him, he’d make a scene, do some yelling and then it was done. Forgotten. But this time?

"Why's he making you do this?" I asked my only companion. We were huddled in the far corner of Aaron's new room, the other celebrating guests refusing to come near us.

Burney shrugged. "Practice I guess."

"For what? Keeping real prisoners?"

He laughed but I could tell he was wondering the same thing. 

"Could you at least stop sleeping outside the door?"

"Aaron said I wasn't to leave your side."

"Then sleep in the room with us."

"I don't think -"

"It's not your fault he's being a turd," I said, cutting him off. "And I'm pretty sure he never said anything about us not being friends."

"Friends?"

"We may as well be," I said, studying the backs of the nearest people, which was still a good six feet away. "You're the closest I'm gonna get to one in here besides Dave and Lills. Have you seen the looks I've been getting?"

He grinned. "They’re hard to miss."

"You only think it's funny because they're not fantasizing about how many ways they could dispose of you."

"You're being oversensitive."

"I am not! That guy over there," I said, pointing to a broad shouldered red head that looked like he had bruises under his eyes, "hasn't taken his eyes off me once."

"Maybe he thinks you’re hot."

"Or maybe he thinks he could leap over here and finish me off with his bare hands in under ten seconds."

"Stan? Five seconds. Possibly four."

"Lucky I've got you then."

He snorted. "That was including me."

I dropped my gaze from Stan's and glared at Burney. "Thanks for making me feel better."

"That's what friends do," he said, his grin broadening. 

Lills arrived in front of us hand in hand with Dave. "How you holding up?" She asked, nudging my foot with hers.

"Fine. Except my friend here just admitted that there’s no point protecting me, since he wouldn't be able to save me anyway."

"Friend?" Dave asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Apparently," Burney said, a little too dryly. "Though I think she's forgetting that I'm supposed to be protecting everyone else from her."

I shot him a dirty look before answering Dave. "I figured I'd upgrade his status since he'll be bunking in with us from now on."

"I told you I - "

"I don't care what you told me! Either you move in, or I’ll start sleeping out in the hall with you."

He rolled his eyes, but I could tell the thought stressed him. 

"What? Do you need to ask Aaron's permission first?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I don't know how you do it," he said, giving an exasperated look at his cousin.

"I've got the easy one," Dave answered, putting his arm around my twin.

"Easy?" she gasped, pulling away from him.

"I didn't mean easy as in easy, I meant easy as in... Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "You're not easy, you're perfect."

"I should think so," Lillith beamed, slipping her arm around his waist. 

I pretended to gag.

Dave grinned at me and Lills stuck her tongue out. Burney cleared his throat. "How's things on the other side of the room?"

"Not that interesting. Maybe a little more than this though. Has Aaron been over yet?"

"Nope."

"I wonder why?" Lillith asked, directing her gaze at me.

I shrugged. I wasn't about to tell her my theory behind it. 

"I'll go find him," Dave said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"You don't need to do that," I said, hoping he wouldn't hear the panic in my voice.

"He's right there. Aaron! Oi! Aaron!"

He turned and looked at us, his eyes brushing over them and landing on me a second before he looked away again. 

"Aaron! Get over here!" 

He glanced back at us and nodded, excusing himself from the brunette playing with a thin silver chain at her throat. 

"What?" 

"What do you mean what? You haven't said hello to Fayle and your brother yet."

"Hello," he said, barely looking at us. "Is that all?"

"What's your problem?" Dave asked, stunned over his cousin's obvious disdain at having to stand there.

"Nothing."

"No, I've seen nothing and this isn't it."

"Fine. It's nothing I want to discuss. Better?"

Dave frowned. "Aaron -"

"It's okay Dave," I said, getting to my feet. "It's obvious to everyone that I'm the issue here. I'll go so everyone can relax and enjoy their party."

Aaron met my eyes with one's brimming with frustration and I felt a rush of satisfaction. "Come on Burney, let's get your stuff."

"What stuff?" Aaron's question was directed at Burney, though his eyes stayed on me. 

"She's making me sleep with them."

"Why?"

"Because he's not a dog and he shouldn't have to wait in the hall every minute I'm in my room," I answered.

His jaw tightened and he looked at his brother. "Just make sure you watch her," he said a second before he strode away. 

"Okay, what's going on?" Lills asked, her eyes darting between me and Aaron's retreating back.

"I have no idea," Dave said, shaking his head. 

I nudged Burney. “Come on.”

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

"Then do it faster. Stan's staring at me again and it's freaking me out. See ya you two."

"What? No, wait up!" Lills called. 

I bit my lip and slowed my escape. "I've got to help Burney get his stuff, we'll catch up later, okay?"

"I'll help."

"No need," Burney said, an apologetic look on his face. 

"Oh. Are you sure?”

“Definitely,” he said, ushering me towards the door again.

“We’ll see you back at our room then!"

I nodded, mumbling something that sounded completely uncommittal as we made it out into the hallway.

"So..." Burney said, leaving the word hanging above me a moment. "You wanna tell me what's going on with you and my brother?"

"No." If I wasn't going to tell Lillith, I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him.

"I did just cover for you with your sister," he said, pushing a purple curtain aside. 

I'd picked up on the colour coded wings during my venture out the day before. It had helped me find my way around a little better, even if all it did was tell me I was going down the wrong hallway. Burney had stayed behind me, laughing to himself at my stubbornness, but after my run in with Aaron I'd needed a decent distraction, and finding my own way back to our room had been the perfect one. 

"Is this your room?" I asked, changing the subject.

He nodded, a wry smile lighting his face. He knew what I was doing, but he let it slide. 

His room was as big as the one Aaron had claimed from his mother, easily six times my own little hovel. The nine sleeping mats spread out on the floor left no room for furniture, though countless piles of clothes littered the place, their obnoxious smell making me wrinkle my nose.

"Who do you share with?"

He shrugged. "Any of us whose parents aren't around anymore. They have a girl’s version in another wing, the yellow one you wandered into yesterday." He shrugged. "It's not that bad. Not once you get over the shaved eyebrows and occasional rat in your shoe.”

"Yuck."

"It'll happen less with me gone," he whispered.

"I'm sure it will," I said with an answering grin. "Though if anything like that happens to me..."

"You'll make my life hell. I'm well aware," he said, rolling his eyes as he handed me his pillow.