Whisper

Chapter 44

"Hey, ready for that haircut?" Whisper waved at Phantom who was dabbing his head with the towel that was around his shoulders. 

He's just been doing his own hair for a while, and by that he would used the shadows to chop parts of his hair he can see, so he's had an almost mullet for a while. Turns out he can mold shadows to his will, making it easy to do everything his heart desires. 

He nodded, sitting obediently on a chair that was pulled over by it's own shadows. It was hard to tell but Phantom's shadow was spread out, reaching out to all the furniture's shadows and even Whisper's. 

Whisper kneeled up on the bed with scissors in hand, just at the perfect height to start trimming up his head. The loose locks fell to the ground and all around them, the shadows quickly went over and gathered them, throwing them in the trash as they went. 

"I'm assuming you've never cut hair before?" Phantom was beginning to pick up a pattern with her. 

"Nope." At least her hands were moving with some sort of precision and she wasn't about to accidently cut off part of his ear. She wasn't consulting him at all on how he would want his hair, just knowing exactly what he wants. 

He still wants most of the length, just a little clean up around the ears and a lot on the back. 

It was incredibly tangled even with the conditioner he put in. Just years of neglect on the back of his head that was swiftly was chopped off with ease. 

His head was feeling lighter and lighter, like a whole weight was lifted off his shoulders. Her fingers were light and gently combing through his head. His eyes fluttered shut, the fatigue finally settling in. 

"Don't fall asleep on me now, I'm almost done." Whisper knows how tired he is, finally feeling like he could relax among friends, "You know any Disney songs?" 

What a random question. Maybe it was her trying to keep him awake? On his toes? 

Or maybe it was nostalgia. 

She began humming the tune of Mulan's Reflection, in perfect pitch. It was like she knew it by heart, and her voice translated it perfectly. One of the perks of a perfect mind that can control a not-so-perfect body. 

"What's that song?" His voice slurred slightly, a slight waver in his body as he tried to stay awake to clean up the last of the clippings. 

"Just an old favorite of mine," she finished off the last bit and brushed off the rest of the trimmings. "Your all done, brush your teeth and go to bed." 

He was finally made aware of the bad taste in his mouth from his bad breath. He barely remembers the last time he brushed his teeth, as when he was in his shadow form his stench disappeared as well as his body. 

"I'll be in the room next door," Whisper tapped his shoulder for a solid goodnight and began to leave, scissors tucked nicely in her belt, "Night." 

He mumbled a small night before shuffling his way to the bathroom. 

Spring was just outside the door, leaning against the wall next to the frame, just staring at his feet.

"Do you think is the smart thing to do? Why can't we just run away?" Spring watched the shadow Whisper casted from the overhanging light. He half-expected it to move or for a full grown man to emerge from it. 

"I think there are those out there who deserve to see the sun again." Whisper leaned on the other side of the door, looking to the sky that had a few stars that decorated the bluish blackness.

"How cheesy of you," Spring laughed, following her eyeline to the sky, "So the ARC huh? Why not just a BEYOND facility like the others?" 

"There are 8,361 people captured by the ARC. 2,002 of those people are in Genovia. There are 495 people captured by BEYOND, and 130 are created by them." 

"C-created?" Spring had some idea of what BEYOND does, though his project was mainly about reviving extinct plant species. 

"The study of the Abnormal gene in people. They've been doing experiments on regular people, trying to trigger the gene." Whisper had vivid visions on what they did to innocent lives, sending chills down her spine. It was worse than what they did to her. "Some make it, and turn Abnormal." 

She didn't need to say what happens to the others who don't turn.

Spring nodded solemnly to himself before muttering a quick 'goodnight' and disappeared into his room. 

Left on her own Whisper just sat on the slight ledge the concrete hallway had over the dirt parking lot. One benefit of her powers is that she doesn't feel regret anymore, for her decisions were always the best, most informed, choice. So she didn't have doubt, or fear, or hesitation. 

But what about sympathy? Sure she could provide so much empathy to her companions as that just requires objective understanding but sympathy? It was hard to feel fear anymore, maybe her stomach would churn in the moment but her mind wasn't capable of feeling anything outside of objectivity. 

What about Mateo?

What about him? A moment in my life that is now over. He did a favor for me so I returned it. 

We won't meet again anytime soon. 

"Oh, there you are," Lora suddenly came out of the room, holding a random jacket she found in the van. "Mind if I sit too?" 

"Go ahead," Whisper shifted over slightly despite there being a lot of room on the hallway's ledge, "Just getting some air?" 

"Yeah," Lora sighed as she sat down, looking straight ahead at the van, "Ca-can I ask you - I mean - I have a question for you." 

"Shoot." 

Lora took a deep breath, unsure how to phrase it, "Why....me? Like, why did you ask me to come with you? I doubt my 'gift' is really useful." 

"Well," Whisper began shivering slightly as Lora handed her the jacket, "You have a good head on your shoulders, and just someone who looked like they were ready to escape." 

"Oh," Lora frowned, wanting more of an answer than 'I took pity on you.' 

"Plus you can do a bit more with your ability than you think." Whisper stood, giving Lora a pat on the shoulder before she could question her. Escaping into their shared room with a quick, "Night." 

Dumbfounded, Lora just stared at the closed door, her shoulder tingling from Whisper's oddly freezing cold hand. 

It wasn't odd for other people to feel extremely cold to Lora, as just flaming hot blood runs through her veins. But what did Whisper mean by she can do more?