The Unknown

Part 2

2

Evander Rowe

Elektra growled at me, head swiveling in an attempt to effectively intimidate me, which didn't work in her favor. Her glare matched the furious tone of her voice. "Evander," she sneered, all traces of a sibling-like bond gone, "How do you suppose we start our apparent journey to survive?" The intensity of her resentment was record-breaking.

"Why don't we-?"

"Why don't you shut up?" Elektra snapped, her focus leaving me. Maybe my first impression of Narcissus was the opposite of what he truly was, but he could just be backing off from Elektra's emotional bursts. She may not have had the sense, but he did.

"He's no use silent," a voice tsked. "I thought you knew better."

A flash of shock passed over her face, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. She seethed, "And who are you to tell me who's of use?"

We heard a chuckle from above. "Without my guidance, the three of you have less than the minimal chance of passing this test, which is to say zero. By all means, if you can figure this out on your own, then be my guest. I always love a good show."

It was mocking us. We were nothing more than toys at the mercy of their handlers or lab rats in a cage. My acceptance of it was still in progress. But currently I was in the repulsed phase.

"As I was saying," Narcissus spoke gently, "why don't we focus on some light, positive topics?"

A memory came to mind then. I turned to Elektra, my gratitude toward Narcissus, "That's a great idea." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Hey," I kept her attention, "do you remember that time Nana took us to get ice cream, and-"

"A dog attacked her?" Elektra finished bitterly. "Oh, yeah, so much fun." Sarcasm dripped from her sentence fragment.

I furrowed my eyebrows, my impatience with her growing. "A dog didn't attack her. An older woman told her that she had beautiful children, and she blushed before admitting that we were her grandkids. The woman said she looked really young and seemed to bond really well with us, and I thought the compliment was a nice surprise for her. It was sincere."

She glowered. "Now you're just making things up." She crossed her arms, refusing to look at me.

I sighed, a sudden rush of anger coursing through my veins. "You know what?" I clenched my jaw. "Why don't you lighten up for once and stop acting like an ignorant princess?" She gasped, her eyes cold and spiteful as she stared at me. I continued, "I'm through with your hissy fit attitude and spoiled brat charade. You're not helping any of us out by being intolerable."

She was stubborn, all signs of the Elektra I remembered shrinking back. There were no connections between the teenager I saw and the sweet, fun-loving sister I was familiar with and had always been able to depend on. "You're the one lying and making me feel worse by bringing up a horrible memory!" She bit back.

"Let's hear what Narcissus has to say about this little argument!" The voice perked up, asserting itself into the conversation with confidence as if our lives were laid out in a convenient directive open in front of them.

Narcissus cleared his throat, which I understood immediately; he wouldn't talk if we wouldn't agree to it, and I couldn't blame him.

Elektra pouted, ignoring us entirely.

I shrugged at him. If she was going to be ornery, then I would be the bigger person and actually make decisions. "I'm all ears," I said.

He nodded, glancing with reluctance at Elektra. He started to gesture for me to lean closer, but then decided against it, which I agreed was a good call. He would definitely set her off if she caught us keeping things from her. "The voice said that you both have different memories of your lives together. The method is just subtle enough to drive a hefty wedge that you wouldn't notice until the damage is done." After sharing the fact, he stepped back with a distant look.