Amidst Our Broken World

Chapter 12 (Part 2) - Misunderstandings

I felt incredibly uncomfortable with this situation. And my wrist was hurting.

"Two, please let go," I demanded apprehensively.

As I tried to pull my arm back, I realized that my body wasn't listening to me. I couldn't move. My eyes widened when it finally came to me that he was using his powers to stop me from moving.

"NURSE--" my vocal chords were shut off in an instant.

I opened my mouth to scream for help, but nothing came out. I could feel the blood rush to my face as I struggled against the invisible force.

Paralyzed, I could only watch him get up from the bed and move closer to me. The stout boy was even bigger and taller up close despite being a few years younger. He pressed himself against me, wrapping his long arms around my waist, and bending his head down to my neck. I felt his warm breath against my neck as he breathed in my scent.

This was definitely not how I intended for this to go, and in no way had I been prepared for a scenario like this. I'd always thought the way he looked at me was odd, but I had never expected it to be a sign of him fancying me this way. Though I wanted to support this boy in every way I could, romance was not what I signed up for.

Perhaps he had become distracted or tired, but I was able to let out a soft whine of protest, hoping that would be enough for him to know that I wasn't okay with this. However, that turned out to be a mistake, as it informed him that his grasp on me had loosened, causing him to strengthen it even more. Rather than just my vocal chords, he cut off my windpipe as well.

I began to suffocate. The worst part of it was I couldn't even scratch or claw at him to show him I was dying. He continued to hold on to me, like some teddy bear that a toddler would hug for comfort. My face was probably as red as a tomato at this point because the amount of blood in there was spiking and was about to explode through my pores. My eyes grew watery as my mind began to fog from the lack of oxygen.

Then, right before I was about to lose consciousness, I saw a flash of white appear out of the corner of my eye. Peter had torn open the curtain and stuck a syringe into Two's neck. Gradually, I began to feel the force around my neck subside, along with the mobility of my limbs returning to me. Collapsing onto my hands and knees, I sucked in large breaths of sweet air, panting loudly with each inhale and exhale.

After about a minute of recovery, I looked up to see Peter staring furiously at the sedated Two who was lying on the bed asleep once again.

I got up to my feet, leaning against the bed frame for support. "Th- thanks," I managed to choke out. My throat hurt from being strangled just moments ago.

"What were you doing here?" he asked angrily, turning his piercing gaze to me.

Surprised by the anger being directed towards me, the victim, I replied earnestly, "I just wanted to comfort him after being humiliated like that this morning." Remembering that Peter wasn't there for that, I explained, "He got electrocuted for picking on Eleven."

"He wasn't just 'picking on' her. He gave her a concussion." Peter threw the words at me aggressively.

Shock turned into indignation. "Why are you so mad at me? How was I supposed to know that he would try to strangle me? And even if he did give Eleven a concussion, he didn't deserve to be punished that way. No one does."

His blank expression from last night appeared in my mind. "But you wouldn't understand that, Peter, would you? Because you've been treated that way, and now you think it's totally normal. Well, it's not. It's cruel and inhumane. And I'm here to tell him that."

My fists were balled up from getting so heated, and I was breathing heavily from my outburst that had happened only shortly after having my respiration cut off. 

"You could have died." 

I melted under his earnest gaze. Those four simple words stopped me right in my tracks. Every trace of resentment left my body, making way for the new hope that had been offered to me.

I dared to ask him the same question he had asked me last night: "Why do you care?"

Did he care? was what I'd really meant to ask. I hoped to God he did. I wanted him to say, to admit, that he actually cared for me all this time. Because despite all the convincing I've tried on myself, I came to the conclusion that I still do care for him, and I would continue to, even if he never did.

He stood there silently, as if contemplating some deep philosophical question I had just asked him. Just when I'd come to the final conclusion that he didn't care after all, his expression changed. It was the kind of expression that a mother would give when she was doing something for their own good, but it was something that the child didn't have the capacity to understand at that moment.

"Tomorrow night, don't come out of your room until sunrise. It'll be safe by then, I promise."

I stared at him in confusion, my previous question completely forgotten. What was the meaning of this? Was something going to happen? If so, what was it, and how did he know?

"I don't understand--"

"You don't need to." He cut me off.

I was not about to do whatever he told me to, especially when I didn't know the reason behind it. 

I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off again. "If you ask questions or tell anyone else I said this, I will tell Brenner about your little adventure here which almost got you killed and was the main cause for Two's extended stay at the clinical wing. So please, if you know what's best for you, just listen to me."

Merely imagining the shock collar around my neck made me tremble in place. I couldn't fathom the amount of great pain that I would go through. But how could he threaten me like this? Threaten to sell me out and have me electrocuted? Why couldn't he just tell me what was going on? Because I was untrustworthy? Yes, that must be it.

But he mentioned something about being "safe". Was he trying to protect me? There was no way. Why protect someone you don't care about? I was being delusional.

With a bemused expression on my face, I said to him in all honesty: "You confuse me so much."

Not wanting to take another glance at him, I turned my heel and walked away, for if I'd stayed there any longer, I probably would've thrown hands at his betrayal. My brain was in shambles from trying to read the man who'd saved my life twice now.