Whisper

Chapter 32

"Everything alright?" Golem was waiting by the van, smoking one of the cigarettes that they found in the glove compartment along with a handgun and some ammo. He just got back from a quick shopping adventure with a long list of wants from everyone. But alas, with the meager amount of cash they scavenged he was only able to get cheap thrift-store clothes for minor changes. 

"Yeah everything is fine," Clarise sighed, exhausted even though she was unconscious for majority of the van ride here. "Frost needs some new clothes though." 

"Don't we all," Golem grumbled as he brushed some of the ashes off of his BEYOND-issued trousers. "What about you? How's your head?" 

"It's not melting anymore," Clarise laughed humorlessly. As soon as that first headache hit her, she could barely remember anything other than the pain. It's been nearly 4 hours since, and 3 of those hours were filled with excruciating pain. "How about you? Do you want to take our complimentary lotion?" 

Golem's ability to harden his skin to the point of unbreakable stone had caused severe eczema. Back at the facility they would treat it with whatever creams and medicine they provided, but now that they were all gone - Golem had to make do with what he has. 

He shook his head, trying not to think about the scratchy and burning sensation of his skin lightly brushing against his clothing. Aware that Clarise knows if his discomfort, he plastered a kind smile on his face, "I'm pretty sure those bottles are long expired anyways." 

She let out a dry laugh, "They are, but at least he gave us the rest of their shampoo and conditioners." 

"Are they also expired?"  

"Yep." 

"I figured as much," Golem sighed. This was the cheapest and most convenient place to rest of the night, and it definitely not any sort of 5-star resort. "Any ideas how we're going to get to Genovia City?" 

At the rate they were travelling they were going to run out of gas and the funds were just a whole other story. None of them had any ID or anything sort of thing that would help them in any way. 

"We are going to make a quick stop first," Clarise's stomach churned at the thought of the future, but there was no other options for her. "We should leave first thing in the morning." 

"To where?" 

She fell silent,  just dreading the thought of tomorrow, "I," she paused for a second, looking deep in thought, "I'll let you know."  

As vague as that was, Golem just let it go. He knows almost nothing about her but strangely trusted her. Maybe its because she knows everything about him, or maybe it's her kind yet reserved attitude that sorta just makes her easy to get along with. 

There was one particular man who would help Clarise despite himself. 

Years and years of guilt had been building up in him so much that he desperately wanted to reach out to her, only to succumb to fear. 

Clarise took this opportunity to search through the bags in the back of the van, finding some cleaner clothes with the ARC logo embroidered on them. These were going to be Frost's new clothes when she gets out of the shower. 

The thrifted clothes were a little less than clean, so Clarise made the executive decision to give Frost the fresher clothes and the rest will just change out of their BEYOND uniforms. 

"Good night Whisper," Golem spoke mindlessly but it shook Clarise to her core. 

"G-good night." She briskly returned to her room, trying not to think about it. 

All her life she was called Clarise. Unlike the other projects, the facility workers referred to her as her name - not project name - and unlike the other projects, she only went by her real name. But suddenly Golem called her Whisper, and it was something she wasn't expecting. 

She also didn't like that name, Whisper. 

It made her sound weak and pathetic. Like that little girl who first entered the facility. That little girl who would cry herself to sleep every night. That little girl who would refuse to eat until someone would force her to. That little girl who would whisper every response like she was afraid of the answer to all those questions. 

But knowledge truly is power, and Clarise has quickly grown to this fact. 

It was the Director's idea to call her Project Whisper, perhaps a way to tease her. He was quite partial to Clarise compared to the other projects. He was fascinated with her gift and invested a lot into pushing more research into her.  He wanted to replicate her ability into a computer code, but they never worked. The reason being is that a computer can be forever. The body cannot. 

"Hey you alright?" Frost came out, a towel wrapped around her and another around her hair, "You look like you've seen a ghost." 

Clarise handed Frost the change of clothes. Sadly there were no undergarments, but they will make due. "Yeah I'm fine, just tired." 

Shooting her a suspicious glance, Frost just retreated back into the bathroom and slipped into the ARC-brand t-shirt and sweatpants. It seems it was just spare clothes that were just thrown in the van for just in case. 

By the time she came out Clarise had slipped into the cleaner bed, her back facing Frost. It had only been barely a minute and Clarise was pretending to be asleep, avoiding any sort of conversation with Frost. 

So Frost just turned off the bathroom light, combing her fingers through her wet hair and deciding to step out for some fresh air.  

Her short time at the facility never allowed for her to fully control her powers. Rather they tried to make it stronger. They weren't trying to help her in any way. 

Taking a deep breath and the longest exhale, she basked in the cool air of the nighttime. It was actually quite warm for her. She could be in negative degree weather in a t-shirt and shorts and still feel extremely warm. 

Though in summer weather she would always feel weak and sluggish. Like a slowly melting ice cube that just slides around. 

She watched Golem a bit who was just leaning against the van. He was tall enough to lean his head back, his neck going on the edge of the van as he just faced the sky, basking in the moonlight. 

He sorta creeped her out. 

They have yet to speak to one another, so Frost was just basing her judgement solely on appearance. And a hulking 7+ foot man or however tall he is, was intimidating enough for Frost. 

But Clarise seems to trust him, and Frost trusts her so by proxy, Golem is trustworthy.