Unspoken

Chapter 43

Brody informs Baya of everything at dinner. She's quiet as he talks, but her eyes flame as soon as he finishes.

"Take him down, Taeo," she growls as she stabs a piece of lettuce with her fork. "The bastard deserves to burn."

I nod as I carefully look over my shoulder; I've been eating quickly lately in case Michael comes looking for me at meal times. He must have some idea of what's happening--he knows I know he tried killing me, he knows I know his secret, and he must have an idea that I'll tell people the truth now that I have more pieces to the puzzle.

But Michael isn't anywhere to be seen.

Someone else does come into my line of sight, though.

Merda stops beside me. Her eyes are troubled. "Jeremii told me what you found out."

I'd told Jeremii to inform Merda. She'd given me the book in the first place--she'd always had an idea of how wrong Michael is. She's the first person I want on my side. Someone with such a good eye is good to have. She's always been one of the most intelligent people I've known.

We talk quietly about what we do now--do we confront Michael, or keep avoiding him?--and then begin to disperse. All of us begin to head toward the living quarters, but Merda pulls me aside before we step into the elevator. I motion for the others to continue without me.

"I like hearing your voice, Taeo," Merda says, "It's almost like a dream come true."

I smirk and shake my head. She knows how I feel about speaking--my thoughts won't ever change. I simply know how important words are now.

She takes a moment to kick at the ground and bite her lip. Finally, she asks, "How are you doing with everything?"

I laugh; not in a hearty way, but in disbelief. "I killed my father...." I bring my hand to my own heart and clench my lips. My eyes find a spot on the floor and hold carefully. All around me the smell of meat and cheese fills the air. It's so heavy that it makes my stomach churn.

"You forgot about it for a while."

I catch her eye.

"When we were talking. When you were leading--you forgot about your dad. You were excited. Especially when you looked at Baya. It was the last thing on your mind."

Without a word, I turn back to the elevator and press the call button.

We step into the silent elevator.

"Do you think you'd love me right now if things had never changed?" she asks when the doors close.

I shrug, "Does it matter?"

She shakes her head. In her eyes I see how important the answer is to her.

As we step out of the elevator, I say, "I would have thought I did, but I'd have been lying to both of us."

She nods in understanding as we move through the hall. We head toward nowhere in particular. "I guess I could never compare to Baya, not from the beginning--"

I stop her in her tracks and in her words. "The beginning?"

Shock crosses her face as she realizes what she said. "Oh, God. I wasn't supposed to tell you that." She turns to take off in the direction of her apartment. I grab her wrist to keep her in place.

"What?"

She looks at the ground and not in my eyes. She knows I'll find the answer in them. "That's for Baya to tell you, Taeo. We thought you'd remember...." Her voice gets small. "Michael made you forget everything."

I let her go. She escapes down the hall. I don't put up any fuss. I simply start toward my own apartment.

--

A/N:

Dun, dun! More plot twists coming your way. What do you think this is all about?

To find out more, stay tuned for the next update.

Thanks to everyone sticking through this when I'm not super active. I literally have the time to post (barely) and then I'm off. I have logged onto Wattpad once since last Tuesday to check my notifications. My job is so crazy!!! So bear with me. Like I said, I'll try to post once a week or twice every two weeks, but you will always get something!! I think I'll give another post on Sunday, so watch out!

Vote and comment, I LOVE the feedback even if I'm not responding. Keep it coming, and keep up the support. We're getting to the good stuff so hold tight! Fifteen or so chapters left!

Alisha :)