Another Lost Soul

Chapter 19

They led us to a house in the center of town. "This is where I live. Han won't look in plain sight, so you're safe. He probably couldn't even get through the city with his name tagged to his chest. They'll tear him apart."

"Hey! You're that guy from the arena!" A woman with long brown hair ran to me and smiled brightly. "Is this where you're hiding? That's so cool! You get to stay with Morla!"

"You guys know about that?"

"The whole city knows you're hiding with us, so don't worry. We're actually throwing a party if you want to come. I'm sure Atticus will be there." She glanced to him, a sly grin on her face.

"You know me so well." He laughed softly.

She circled us. "It's hard for him to be attached to people...I wonder what you did to have him glued to your side. You must be pretty good in bed to grab his attention."

I watched Atticus' response. He didn't blush or anything like that, he just tightened his shoulders and spoke nervously. "I haven't um..." he could barely get a word out. He clearly doesn't like having attention on him.

"I'm a virgin." I responded emptily.

Alenor choked on his glass of water, spitting it all over Morla. "Ahem..." he regained his stability, calming his reddening face. "If you've made your point, you can leave now."

"I hope to see you tonight, Amir." She smiled and left my sight.

"She knew my name. How odd." I shrugged and walked into the house. Morla was still laughing at Alenor's outburst, nearly out of breath.

"It hurts!" He cackled like a witch, sliding to the floor and covering his mouth to muffle his amusement.

"It's not funny!" Alenor kicked him in the side.

"I made it as fast as I could!" Jalaiah burst through the door, panting. "Is he-...oh." He looked down to Morla. "I see you're all doing well in these hard times."

"Jalaiah!" I wrapped my arms around him, to which he flinch and stood still as a board.

"It's good to see you safe, Amir. Now please let go of me."

"Is that a knife in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" Morla stood up and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Jaliyah pulled a knife from his pocket.

"It's a knife. I see everyone is still the same."

"Aw, don't act like you're any different than we are."

"I'm a soldier now. I don't have time for things like sex."

"I heard you have children. You must've been pretty busy."

"I'll stab you."

"You two seem close." I smiled nervously.

"Oh. Morla is my brother." Jalaiah shrugged. "And after all these years, he still doesn't wear enough clothes."

"At least I don't cover everything like you." He tugged at his brothers collar. "You have all the muscle and yet you keep it to yourself. How rude. If you're gonna come back to town, you should at least dress like you used to."

"I'm here on Han's orders to make sure the place is safe enough for him to search on his own. He knows I was raised here, so I'm sure I'll be leading the search."

"Perfect. You can sabotage it."

"That's the plan, right? I've already made trails that will lead them elsewhere."

"Here." Atticus grabbed a set of clothes from Morla's table and handed them to Jalaiah. "Wear this to blend in. I'd recommend you take your hair down as well."

There were two more sets of clothes on the table, which made me nervous. "Not gonna happen."

"You want to blend in or not? I made these clothes for you, Brother. Wear them."

"Knowing you, I know what they'll look like on me. That's why I'm choosing to decline."

"Your comrades will wear something similar." Morla eyed Alenor and I. "I suggest you change quickly if you'd like to eat. We'll be going out."

I did as he told me, changing in the back room with Alenor. "Why am I not surprised?"

I turned to his voice, eyes widening when I saw that his outfit entirely exposed his chest, armored sleeves being the only clothing article covering his torso. He glanced at me, smiling. "How bad is it?"

"Take your hair down. It's not bad, but your hair down would make it look better."

"I kind of agree." He pulled his hair down, the silver mess flooding over his shoulders. "Better?"

"I-...yeah."

"You don't look bad yourself. I hate to say it though, white really isn't your color." He laughed a bit.

There's a diamond window cut out of the stomach of the shirt I'm wearing. It's naturally frilly at the sleeves, but my shoulders are covered by a black coat. "It's really tight."

"But it's comfortable." He sighed. "And it'll make us look normal here."

"Do you think they'll make us go to that party?" I asked, adjusting my tight shirt collar.

"Maybe. To think, even in a place like this, I'm afraid to let you leave my sight."

"Why?"

"You're still a lost soul." He stared at my hair and eye color, stomach sinking to his knees. "You'll succumb to the dirt eventually."

"Speaking of lost souls, how is he?"

He smiled. "He's on his way. He wanted to be the first to see you but Han doesn't make that easy."

Jalaiah stepped into the room, arms shaking. His outfit was similar to mine, only in dark grey. "This is pathetic."

"Don't lie, you missed them." Alenor scoffed. "And you look like the old you."

"That's why I hate it!"

He laughed. "You don't miss your wild side?"

"I don't have one!"

Alenor grabbed his wrist and jerked him closer, sliding one hand down his abdomen and sliding his fingers beneath his belt. "Doubtful. Following Amir around and coming back home is the most fun you've had in a while."

"Should I give you two some time alone?"

"Oh, are you saying you don't want to watch?" Alenor eyed me from the side, flinching when he heard his words and letting go of Jalaiah. "Geez, this place is getting to me. I'm gonna get a drink."

He left us alone. As soon as the door closed, Jalaiah held a hand over his chest and laughed.

"Why're you laughing?"

"It's just-" he pushed his hair back and smiled toward me. "None of you have changed. That makes me really happy."

Staring at him like this, my face flushed red and my stomach tightened. "...maybe this place is getting to me too."

"Does that mean you're into me at the moment?"

"I- no!"

"Don't worry, you're supposed to feel like that. Water helps dull the effects of that magic."