The Inception (Book #1 of The Inception Trilogy)

chapter twenty-nine

(just a short little chapter of sweet moments before the big stuff happens *wink wink* thank you for reading xx)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

HARRY SAYS THE LAB is about a ten hour walk with minimal to no breaks in between. This leaves Evelyn reconsidering her decision on sticking with him, but yet again she comes up short with ideas of where else to go. And, if she's quite honest, rummaging through an insane scientists' laboratory to scoop up forgotten notes and discoveries makes her just the littlest bit intrigued. Who knows what she might find in tattered notebook or maybe even out in plain sight? She could potentially find answers that explains this entire ordeal completely.

Her biggest worry are the kids. They're entrusting her with literally their lives, and what if they've placed their trust in incapable hands? Protecting herself is one thing, but she's not used to looking after so many bodies. She fears she'll let them down, that there'll be another death that she could have prevented if she'd only paid close enough attention. She bets she'd give up then. On surviving, on life.

How could she possibly live with so many deaths plaguing her conscious?

Especially if all of them were to be her fault.

She's glad Liana and the baby are safe; at least, safer than they had been with her. But there's still too many people relying on her. It makes her antsy. It makes her afraid.

She absolutely, positively despises fear.

She keeps to herself as they begin their walk, though Locke has hung back and for some reason thought stirring up conversation was a smart idea. She tries to give him the hint that she's in no mood for small talk by looking everywhere but him, remaining silent when he asks her a question, biting her lip as if in deep thought. If he picks up on the hint, he doesn't seem to care and continues chatting away.

He brings up that horrifying subject again. "Look, you and I both know you'll end up kissing him, so why not just do it? Make it entertaining for everyone, yeah? He lost his memory, didn't he? That's a good thing. If you're a bad kisser, he'll never know. Or if you're really worried about it, I could always give you some practice and--"

"If you don't shut up in two seconds, I'm punching you in the throat."

He smirks, icy blue eyes glittering under the sun with amusement. "Do it."

She narrows her eyes, finally looking his way. "Don't tempt me."

Locke ignores her, saying, "He's probably listening, isn't he?" He peers at Harry as he walks ahead, a good distance away with the children in between. If Harry is listening, he's good at hiding it. "Man, I wish I could do that. Can you imagine how many compliments I would overhear from shy little ladies?"

"Or death threats, or intense hatred, or utter disgust." She shrugs. "Maybe even all three, if you're lucky."

"Playing hard to get is my favorite game," he says, sending a wink her way. "I'm no quitter."

"You'll be living a very long and lonely life if you're waiting for me."

"Not just you, sweet cheeks. Don't flatter yourself."

"Sweet cheeks? Really?"

"Ehh, it's cheeky."

Evelyn literally slaps her palm to her forehead.

"But really, how about those kissing lessons? It's not all that hard. I can prepare you for your big moment with Drac over there. Hey, it's been more than two seconds and you haven't--"