Peter and the Shame of the Embrace

Chapter 2 - Interrogations

There were Starcatchers on all sides of James – to his left, his right, in front of and behind him. To James, who had started to get very dizzy after entering the study of his guardian, be it from the tobacco smoke or the anxiety he couldn't tell, it felt as though they were circling him. Like sharks.

Leonard sat James into a very plush chair across from his desk, and started introducing him to all of the other Senior Starcatchers very quickly. James nodded his head to every one of them, but he wasn't concentrating on their names. Oh God, what do they want to know?  Was it about the incident at the waterfall? No, they couldn't know that, not unless Peter told someone. But he didn't. He wouldn't. Should he have studied? Studied what, your friendship? A voice at the back of his head teased. The voice sounded very much like Ted.

A man was taking a seat in the desk where Mr. Aster spent so much of his time. It felt wrong, seeing someone else sitting there. He was shorter than Mr. Aster, but not by much. He was balding, and clean shaven, unlike Mr. Aster, who had a mustache. The man eyed James over pressed fingertips. Mr. Aster had just introduced him, but to James, everything sounded like it was being said underwater at the moment. Like they were all under a waterfall? Sneered James's head voice. Shut up. Silenced a much louder voice, one that sounded like James's actual voice, only a bit older, and a bit more confident.

"So James," Suddenly, all the noises in the office came into sharp clarity. The balding man spoke with a posh London accent that most of the people in James's life had, one which he tried to duplicate as much as possible, especially at school. "We all already know this, but what is your full name?"

"Ja-" Click click. James spun his head to see a sweet, slightly plump young woman typing on Mr. Aster's typewriter behind him. Taking notes, James assumed. Did Mr. Aster bring that up during introductions?  "James Watson Creed." He glanced at Mr. Aster. "But in school I go by James Creed Aster, so whatever you choose." Click click.

"So, Mr. Creed-Aster – or Creed? Or just Aster?" The man glanced between Mr. Aster and James sheepishly. "For how long did you know the subject?" James's mind went blank.

"Peter. How long did you know Peter for." Mr. Aster interjected, sparing James from the embarrassment of having to ask for clarification.

"Oh, um... like, seven years? Yeah, he was five and I was almost five, so, yeah, like, seven years." Click click click. James was stuttering too much, it was undignified. He hoped he wasn't humiliating Mr. Aster, who had been trying to stamp the habit out of him for months.

"And what would you say to his character?" James's mind went blank. He had just been talking about this with Molly, but suddenly he didn't have a thing to say about his closest mate.

He used to be a little taller than James, though that fact wasn't true anymore. He slept poorly most nights, though he tried to hide it. He was great at cooking the fish the boys would eat on the island, but he didn't have the patience for catching them. He had sensitive skin, and would get hives very easily. He was quick-witted. He would grind his teeth when he was stressed. His eyelashes were thick and fluffy, like the fur of a cat. He would smile lopsided, the right half of his face would light up first, then the left. He was good a keeping secrets, but terrible at promises. He had an ego the size of the island's volcano. He didn't like to cry in front of people. He didn't like dogs. The skin on his torso was so, so soft, just by the look of it. He had a large scar on his shoulder blade from where he had been shot a year prior. It looked like a flower. Or a star.

But none of these were Peter's character, just things about him. He was Peter, he was... he was...

"He was brave."