Supernova

Chapter Eighty Four - Dead Girl Walking

I didn't expect Kiri to be waiting downstairs for me for our regular morning training session. Honestly, I didn't. I just planned on keeping up my routine. I did need to get some training in, I figured I could play it off easily enough, and I needed some time to look at my bare wrist to keep myself sane.

Every bird, one stone.

But he was waiting for me. It stunned me, and he was surprised to see me too, but it quickly morphed into disappointment masking as anger. His furrowed brows, his clenched fists, his curling upper lip, they were all half hearted. Luckily, I had a plan for if he did happen to be here.

"Hey, don't think just because," he started, jabbing a finger through the air at me.

I lifted my own in front of my mouth and did nothing mindful to my face so it would express my thoughts: shut the fuck up. I didn't know how far Elias and my dad would really go to keep tabs on me, but I wouldn't be surprised if they chipped or bugged my dorm room or the common space or even Kiri himself without his knowing, thinking I might go looking for an ally. He looked surprised, but he listened. I waved him over, and he followed me.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" I asked him on our way to the gates. It sounded peppy and light and sugar sweet. All of my father's friends would recognize it in a heartbeat, but Kiri would know this voice as not being mine.

"Uh, yeah," he said, a little uncertainly. I looked at him and smiled. Get on board, Kiri, I begged of him. I watched as things clicked into place. After all, we'd played this game before. "Totally! And congrats on the wedding, by the way. The guys would hate me if I said any of this, but you look really happy. I'm happy for you."

"Aw, thanks!" I cooed to him as we hopped the fence and started to run. "I am really happy. I've wanted to get married since I was really little, and it just feels so surreal that it finally happened. And to Heir Claeson of all people."

"He's really something," Kiri said. It sounded so cheerful, but I understood the dig it was, and I had to be careful not to laugh.

"He really is," I agreed.

When we got up to the spot, I didn't linger around our normal training clearing. I kept walking and he kept following until we reached the edge of the woods where the trees started to thicken. I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it off.

I was trying to catch Kiri's eye, but he was not looking at me. He'd turned basically all the way to the side, and looked like he was about to die. I wanted to smack him and be like, come on Red Riot, you're going to be a hero, don't bitch out on me here, now, over a bit of skin. I cleared my throat four whole times before he finally looked over, hyperfixated on my face. I continued undressing and glanced down at his clothes, silently communicating for him to do the same. His eyes went wider, bulging almost, and he started shaking his head. I don't know what face I pulled, but he quickly stopped in his tracks and started complying.

"Look at that bird over there," he said excitedly, pointing at an empty branch. I understood, and complied for the time being, knowing he wasn't going to like what came next.

"Could you check my form?" I asked when he was finished, holding my arms out. He did not understand, and he did not want to.

"Uh, for what?" He asked, trying so hard to turn back towards the trees.

"Any discrepancies," I told him. I wished so badly he could use sign language. I pointed up at my ear and did my best to point at the back of my neck where the chip had been and the new one might be. "Something doesn't feel right in this move."

He looked sick to his stomach, and he motioned for me to close my eyes, but he said, "Sure thing!"

Kiri was a good friend. I knew I could count on him.