Fracted (Book #2)

Chapter 40: Alligator Heart

We spent the night inside the dark stonehouse, all cozed up at the corner. It realized that the four of us haven't eaten anything yet since we arrived. I couldn't sleep. All the revelations are just coming up so abruptly. My stomach's tied in knots, which was the other reason why I felt insomniac. I can't imagine how Benjamin bears the pain on his pinky that Jason shot.
I wasn't able to come up with a lie for my friends to hear if they find out I un-cuffed Benjamin. The thoughts made my head overheat, felt like it wasn't even enough. My brain was fried the entire night. The pain kept me up. I wanted to scream uncontrollably.
"Good morning, Jess," Eiffel said happily. "Did you even sleep last night? And how was it, did he talk? You look wiped out."
She was the first one to wake up from all of them. The other four slept peacefully. I can't wait to shine their faces with the blinding sun's rays by removing the barricade.
I swallowed and released quite a few words. "He didn't talk much. And I had to un-cuff him so he'd talk."
"You un-cuffed him?"
"It's okay--look."
He still slept peacefully on his stomach, except his hands were free to expand.
"Jason's gonna freak," She sounds worried.
"So? Who put him in charge?"
"Okay, you're right. Maybe I'm just out of my mind lately, I haven't eaten since we arrived two days ago."
Two days? Was it really that long? No wonder I felt woozy underwater.
"Why don't we wake 'em and let's have our very first breakfast--together as a team," I suggested.
"Not bad," She said. "You seem awfully nice today--what happened to you last night?"
"Nothin'" I dismissed her curiosity about what happened. It's something I should lock inside a chest and drop in the deepest part of the ocean. And someday, I'll have it scavenged. I just needed a lot of time.
I told the three to go ahead to the site while I wake the remaining two. First was Benjamin, whose pinky I bandaged carefully and "fixed" up. I held his hand for a long time and confessed that I missed him, even though we never had a moment from the past to miss. I let him go outside, which I got little nervous about. Will he stop training us after last night? I really hope so.
I woke up Clare.
"Good morning, Snip," I greeted her with her nickname for the Academy. "how was your sleep?"
"Safe and sound ever since the academy was torn torn to pieces. When I saw you, I had hope that all of us would get together again."
"You're not mad at me for shooting you?"
"It was unintentional, right? So don't worry about it. And plus, it was André's fault." Good thing she understands.
"We need to catch him," I said.
"I know--but we're just considered criminals. So how would we turn him in?"
"We know the truth. We're the only ones. We have to justify ourselves. But first, we have to find a way out of this island--Speaking of, how'd they even capture you?"
"You didn't know did you?"
"Know what?"
"New York's running with homeless Innates. Most of them were injured and got reported to numerous hospitals. Now, the hospitals are plagued with Innates. The doctors have been running an investigation on how they got those injuries. No one gave out any valuable informations, of course. Zips are seeking 'em out non-stop. They think we're going to be the cause of everyone's destruction--extinction, in worse cases."
"Oh my..."
"How come Mr. André is hunting his own kind? What does he want from us?"
A plague of anxious thoughts enveloped my brain. "You don't think he's Zip that injected Innate fluid into his body do you?"
"I sure hope not."
"All right then, I guess I'll be heading out. I'll bring you some breakfast shortly. See you soon."
"Okay."

6:30 am, No One's Awake Still

Jason and Patrick fixed up a spinning grill by jamming the animal they butchered into a spear. The smell captivated my essence, but it wasn't fully cooked. It was like a combination of foie gras and medium rare steak. Dang, is that how ravenous I really am after not eating for two days?
"What animal is that?" I asked. "Looks good after one sniff."
"It's...better to taste it first," Patrick said.
"I'm not gonna eat it unless you tell me what it is."
"Just tell him." Eiffel grinned.
Jason stifled a laugh and confessed. "It's alligator."
"Alligator? How'd you even catch that in a matter of minutes?" I wondered.
"We found it at the riverbank," Patrick said. "It's weird, though--Benjamin helped voluntarily."
He looked at the cement with wandering eyes that wouldn't stay in place.
"Did something happen last night when the rest of us were asleep--? Come on, Jess, there are no wrong answers." Just say that Benjamin--
Then I realized that I can't lie with an empty stomach, or a full stomach. I cannot lie at all. One of the "good kid" disadvantages. Why now though? Is this really one of the good times to spill all the secrets?
I haven't been talking since twenty seconds passed. I am such a felon for not talking. Jason cocked his eyebrow. "So...what's your answer?" Patrick's a bit unnerved after the long wait for the food and the answer.
I'm tired of getting punched in the face, so here it goes.
"Benjamin's my father. And-And he--"
"Woah!" Patrick dropped the fork he was holding and jumped up "Just woah! Woah, dude! He's...huh? This doesn't make sense, nothing makes any sense!"
"He's your dad?" Jason's jaw dropped in surprise. "Do you know what that means?"
"I. Have. No. Idea."
Seriously, useless empty head.
"It means he won't train us anymore!" Eiffel continued for him.
"But I'm still unsure of what to do."
I sat across Patrick on the cement with my arms sinking down beneath my crossed legs.
"Unsure about what?" Eiffel asked.
"Hunter." My voice trembles in fear. I had a sense that he'll shoot me in my sleep, another reason why I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"What about Hunter?"
"I'm worried he's gonna find out about us being Innates and he'll kill--" Stray tears drip from the corner of my eyes without me noticing.
"We all don't wanna get killed here," Patrick said. "Stop crying."
I held back the tears like hiccups. Now there's a lump on my throat. Good thing only two small drops fell. I keep on swallowing until my eyes dried up fast.
"So if we get killed, what happens then?" I asked.
"We won't die in the hands of a little kid," Jason said.
"What about an army of men inhabiting the whole island? What do we do then?"
"If they push us down, we'll push 'em harder and get back up. They stab us, we'll shoot them. They punch us, we'll--"
"Kick them, I know," I chuckled softly.
"I was gonna say kill but that works better," he said. "Remember...we are not killers, we're protectors. And if there's no one else to protect around us, we protect each other... and more importantly, ourselves."
I never thought I'd say this but, I need a parent. I need someone mature enough to watch me. Someone who will be with me no matter what.
Benjamin.