Heart Pangs

Chapter 66 - No Turning Back

The door closes behind Felix, and a moment of silence follows him.

Neither Benji nor Camille move for a long time. The weight of Felix's absence hangs heavy in the room. Benji stares at the door, willing for three days to be gone already and to see Felix return alive and well.

Camille turns to look at him.

"I need you to tell me what really happened," she says.

Benji meets her gaze, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

Camille looks at him incredulously. "I mean that I know what stomach acid burns look like, and you're covered in them." Then, before Benji can protest, she goes on, "And don't try to tell me it was Cecil. There's no way your wristband would have let you stew in his stomach long enough to get that bad. I know Cecil's stomach far too well. He's not strong enough to do that kind of damage before a forced regurgitation. There's only one pred who could have done that to you."

Benji feels the blood drain from his face.

"Camille, listen..."

But she holds up a hand to stop him. "I don't want excuses. Just the full story."

Benji sighs and starts from the beginning.

He's too afraid to see the look on Camille's face as he spills every arduous detail of his imprisonment at the Facility with Cecil, his interview with Lenora, the exchange between Bakula and McMullen, then finally what happened with Felix in the woods. When Benji finally builds the nerve to peak at Camille's expression, he finds a barely concealed rage in her eyes, but the rest of her face is stony, almost impassive.

When Benji finishes his tale, he waits nervously for Camille's reaction. At first, there's nothing, then she draws a single, deep breath and lets it out.

"I was afraid something like this had happened," she says.

Benji considers his next words carefully. "The circumstances made things... difficult."

Camille's jaw clenches and unclenches. "I know." She pushes her hair out of her face and lets out a frustrated groan. "I think... some of it is my fault, actually. Our plan to rescue you was... very risky, but I didn't know what other choice I had."

"You did what you thought was best," Benji assures her. "We all did. Mistakes were made, but it all turned out okay in the end. And that's what matters."

Camille manages a small smile before it falls into a frown. "But in three days, it might not even matter anymore. If Felix can't pull this off..."

"Yeah," Benji agrees quietly. "I know. But he will. He has to."

The conversation dies. The two of them shift away from each other, unsure.

Camille glances at the time. "We need to get our story straight," she announces. "I'm supposed to meet with Oscar in an hour."

Benji's forehead creases. "Story?"

Camille turns and beckons him to follow her back to the kitchen. "Everyone in Epomis thinks you're dead, Benji. They think Felix closed your contract, and that's why he turned himself in. Before we start telling everyone, we need to make sure we have our reasoning clear for you being alive while also maintaining ourselves as free from willing collaboration with Felix."

"Oh," Benji says as he follows along, "right." Felix had told him about all this yesterday.

They spend the next half hour in the kitchen, going over and over all the details. They take turns asking each other questions and practicing the answers. Benji points out a few holes in Camille's fabrication, and she notices a few herself as she explains everything aloud. Finally, she seems satisfied that all is in order.