Curiosity Rewritten

Chapter 16; They Have Curiosity For An Argument

"Close the door," Sno called to Cameira as soon as she entered. He didn't move his eyes from the screen to look at her or to look down at the keyboard as his fingers moved elegantly across the keys.

The screen, for a moment, was a black screen with green numbers. Before it switched to multiple, smaller screens when he hit a green button. One screen in the upper left hand corner was broken down into 3 different angles of the room that Sabrina was in. Next to that was a heart rate scale. Then there were 3 more screens that were made of thick black pixels. Sno hit a few more buttons and each screen loaded into a different views of a lush green forest with a river running through it.

A few more clicks and the lower left screen zoomed in on Sabrina as she stood next to the water. People were screaming around her and running towards her. Sno clicked more keys and yet another screen appeared. This one was a topographical map with dozens of blue dots a singular red dot by a source of water.

      Sabrina ducked into a bush and whispered a set of words that almost made Cameira laugh, "This is a very realistic video game."

     It was then Cameira realized Sno could hear everything she said to herself. She felt bad for the strings of senseless curses that he had been forced to endure. That feeling soon vanished when she realized he'd probably heard worse.

     Cameira spent most of her time during Sabrinas simulation trying to keep up with what Sno was saying. His eyes had a calculating stare as he watched Sabrina and explained to Cameira how he was deciding her score.

     In a moment that analytical stare vanished. Sabrina had killed an enemy. Her first kill. Sabrinas face held pride for a split second before it dropped with the enemy. A gurgle escaped the enemies throat and Sabrina began silently panicking.

     Sno stared intensely at the screen and the heart rate scale.

     "Is Tanner Essanwen a good option to calm her, or should I send a simulation of you in?" Sno still didn't remove his eyes from the screen as Sabrina looked down at her bloody hands. The sword lay in a dry pile of leaves.

     "Don't send me. I haven't been the greatest of a friend to her recently. And I'm pretty sure she's in love with Tanner. Send him."

     He didn't respond. When Cameira looked back to the screen Sabrina was in a familar room and a door was closing behind a tall man with dark hair.

     Cameira held back a sneer as she remembered her last encounter with that man in particular. It's not really him. That thought kept her face stable and careless though her mind was reeling. She hadn't really been watching until Sabrina threw herself into Tanners arms. She could tell she hadn't missed much.

     She looked to Sno for a second before she looked back to the screen. Sabrina was buried in Tanners arms. Sno crossed his arms as he watched the two, "I hope this is a thing Tanner would do," he looked back at Cameira for a moment, making eye contact with raised eyebrows, before he returned to watch the screen.

     "I believe it is," she said softly as a memory of him comforting her crossed her mind. She shut her eyes tight and pushed it back.

     He was your friend. You were an ass to him. You threw his friendship away the moment you drove from that house before the bombs.

     She ran a hand through her short hair, effectively swiping the thought away with the motion. She didn't open her eyes as she finally tuned into the sounds on the screen.

     "I can't do it, Tanner. I don't know how Cameira does it. She's been up here all week, which means she's done this a thousand times. I tried it once and couldn't even do it. What's wrong with me?"