The Eden Projects (Book I)

Chapter 4. Polaroid.

Kasper wasn't sleeping. As the light bent eagerly into the room he could hear someone moving about in the kitchen and for a while he laid there. Feigning sleep. Just breathing in the calm and quiet. A new sensation. Relief. He was relieved he had somewhere soft to sleep. He was relieved Zak was his friend. He was relieved, Adam hadn't come for him. Eventually the smell of fresh breakfast hit his senses like a brick wall.

The floorboards creaked lightly, there was the weight of a hand tapping his shoulder which nearly sent him flying up in surprise.

"Kas... Kasper..." Zak whispered.

Opening his eyes he turned to sit up.

"Man you slept hard, it's nearly noon."

Kasper rubbed his face, immediately regretting the choice. "Oh gosh..." The swelling was obvious. Even by feeling alone.

Zak yawned. "Yeah you aren't exactly sleeping beauty. Then again, neither am I, you know I was gonna get plastered last night. Then you came in and put an end to that plan. Guess you saved me from a tough morning."

"Not a surprise there." Kasper took the glass of water and pills he handed over. "Ow." His body was all aching, and he assumed the lack of adrenaline had left him in a muddy mess.

Zak squinted and pursed his lips. "I don't know what your tryin' to say... but I don't like it... hmm. Well, there are mysteries on this planet and Kasper, you are now one of them." He ran his fingers through the dark brown hair that piled in a mess of chocolatey waves on his head. "Go wash up and I'll plate us some grub." With a clap he rose and walked lazily back to the kitchen.

Zak was the kind of person who would do just about anything for a laugh. He had a feral masculinity to him. Zak was, generally, an unkempt person with kinky curly brown hair and a face full of freckles that tended to keep him from looking too tough even when he was blind with anger. He had soft, tan skin that played into a deeper tone along his shoulders during summer. Those freckles traced his joints and fell in uneven patches on his arms. They often made him look younger than he was, but he was twenty. Or so he said. A bridged nose sat squarely in the middle of his gently featured face and pointed to his kind gray eyes perfectly. He was made of boyish charm and had the hands of a workshop tinkerer. To Kasper, if Zak only cleaned himself a little, half of Rim would be after him. He was naturally attractive. Likely due to his Dad's middle eastern heritage. MOST likely due to his golden personality. For whatever reason, he reminded Kasper of a model figure, something that was set in an acrylic case for looks, like a die-cast car, or statuette. Kasper liked figures.

By the time Kasper got to the bathroom he began to realize a few things. One, Zak was beyond a slob. The evidence could stand on its own, so could the pair of pants wadded in the corner. Two, he clearly didn't use the bath which was full of greasy and half painted car parts. This begged the question... "Does he not bathe?" He shut the door and was immediately greeted by the silhouette of a woman bent over working in the hood of a car. The name "Golden Adeline" was written in swirly lettering above it. Her breasts jutted out past her tied up shirt. A black bra peeking up around them. Pulling in just the right way to make his mind wander. Framing her thin waist. Bombshell hair curled about her shoulders, laying across them in perfect ringlets. "Great." He looked away. He looked again, it was hard not to stare. He wondered if Adeline was the business Zak's dad was tending to.

Pushing aside a bottle of aftershave and fragrance free lotion he made room for the towel Zak had given him. It was surprisingly clean compared to the old shelf it now sat on. Closing the medicine cabinet Kasper got his first look at himself. "Oh God." A large bruise covered the lower portion of his face. Compared to the paleness of his skin it looked like someone had smeared black and purple paint on him. His lip was red and swollen, worse yet, he could see where Zak had glued the deep cut closed again, the skin there was irritated and dry. Feeling along his jawline Kasper checked for broken bones, not trusting Zak's level of late night boozed up medical expertise. He couldn't help but take another glance at Adeline.