Inside My Head (Silent Moment Series: Book 6)

Chapter 22

Joseph and Gaia left the room without a backward glance. Reaching the staircase, Joseph found Murphy waiting at the bottom, his expression one of weary disapproval.

"Shut up," Joseph muttered dismissively, eager to continue their practice session. "Now, let's go again."

They drilled repeatedly until Murphy's exhaustion overcame him. Joseph then turned his attention to studying the drawings Cillian had made of us upon our landing.

From within, I watched helplessly, a spectator in my own body. The frustration of my impotence gnawed at me. Every time I thought I might be making progress, every faint glimmer of hope, it turned out to be a mirage, a cruel trick of my desperate mind.

Joseph's statement about not needing sleep proved to be true. He was fully engrossed in the drawings, his focus unwavering, even as the girls returned from their trip.

"Echo, Emori, Raven," he muttered under his breath, familiarizing himself with their faces.

Noticing Murphy dozing off, Joseph nudged him sharply. "Hey," he whisper-shouted, delivering a swift kick to Murphy's calf. "Wake up. Showtime."

As Raven approached, she unexpectedly planted a kiss on his lips before sitting down next to him. She gave him a peculiar look, one that lingered for a moment too long, before turning her attention to Echo.

"Family meeting time. Where's Bellamy?" she inquired, her tone suggesting urgency.

Joseph feigned ignorance. "Why? What's wrong?" he asked, trying to sound as clueless as possible.

Emori, her skepticism evident, jumped straight to the point. "We ran into Jordan. Is it true about them being immortal?"

Murphy, maintaining his nonchalant demeanor, chimed in dismissively. "Jordan probably exaggerated. It's not as bad as he made it sound."

I seethed internally at Murphy's cavalier attitude. Screw you, Murphy.

Raven's disgust was palpable. "They're murderers and body snatchers," she stated flatly. "How could it possibly be worse? We need to get out of here."

Murphy, sensing the escalating urgency, tried to temper the reaction. "Hey, hey, slow down," he urged as everyone began to rise. "Where exactly are we going to go?"

Joseph seized the opportunity to assert control. "Murphy's right. We stick to the plan: stay, learn from them, then build our own compound," he said with a semblance of leadership. "Bellamy's already scouting a location as we speak."

Echo, her confusion evident, questioned, "He went without me?"

Joseph improvised quickly, "Yeah, this whole revelation about body-snatching really spurred him into action. He's out with a foraging party. You were still with Ryker when he left."

Echo's concern deepened, her eyes darting between Murphy and Joseph. "You let him go alone?"

Raven, who had been sitting quietly beside Joseph, now voiced her disbelief. "Hold on, Kegan," she interjected, her tone sharp. "You expect us to keep playing their game?"

Emori, her voice laced with resignation, added, "We do still need Ryker for the radiation shield."

Raven, however, was resolute. "No, I can figure it out myself."

Joseph, attempting to maintain a diplomatic stance, said, "Raven, I know it's hard. But we've all made tough choices to survive."

I could feel the tension between Raven and me, a fragile veneer that had somehow held until now. She had always insisted everything was fine, that she loved me, but deep down, I knew her patience was wearing thin. Joseph, unwittingly, was edging closer to breaking that fragile truce.