One Of Us

Chapter Ten

"Goodness gracious," Patton whispered, taking in the scene. Shards of glass had scattered all across the floor, but that didn't stop him from walking determinedly forward — until Logan caught him by the back of his cardigan, that was.

"You could get cut," he said quickly. Then he turned his attention to Virgil. "What happened here?"

"What do you want?" Virgil snapped in lieu of a response. His rage had bubbled up into his chest and morphed into some distorted kind of amusement. What were they here for? To kick him out for good? How considerate of them to break into his room just to let him know.

"We wanted to see if you're okay!" Patton said. "Jeez, you really did a number on that clock. Did it hurt you?"

Virgil just glared at him with focused, calculating eyes. Patton was hardly a good actor, and he seemed genuine. Had Logan not told them yet? Great, he thought, we'll watch the other shoe drop together.

"You've made quite the mess in here," Roman observed. "You're like a bull in a china shop! You know, if... if the china shop only had a clock in it."

"Not your strongest comparison," Logan muttered out the corner of his mouth.

Disregarding him, Roman snapped his fingers and the glass vanished, leaving the ruined clock behind.

"Alright, Mary Poppins," Virgil said, voice low. "Wanna tell me why you're really here?"

Patton tipped his head to the side. "What d'you mean?"

"Stop it." Virgil's fists were curled in his pockets. "Just cut to the chase."

"What chase are we cutting to, exactly?" Roman inquired. "We only want to —"

"I said stop it," Virgil growled. He swallowed, hard, shoving the distortion away but holding onto the anger that came with it. "Did you tell them or what?" he demanded of Logan.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to," Logan said, eyeing him with caution.

"Don't lie to me."

"Why would I do that?"

Something about that question knocked Virgil's train of thought off its tracks. Why would Logan lie to him? Wasn't he always one to push for absolute, unmitigated truth? There would be no reason for him to, unless —

"No."

Logan blinked. "Virgil?"

A wary step backward. Then again: "No."

"I'm confused," Patton whispered. There was a dusting of darkness beneath his eyes that the rest of the room was too busy to notice.

"Don't be," Virgil said, his voice pure gravel. "I get it now. Can't believe it took me this long to realize."

"What on Earth are you talking... about?" The bravado in Roman's tone seeped away when Virgil turned his head toward him. "Don't go getting that look in your eyes, Hot Topic."

"What look." Virgil didn't put an ounce of effort into making the question sound like one; all his energy was currently devoted to keeping a firm hand pressed to the lid of his temper.

"You know what look," Roman said. When he didn't get a response (save for a quick, impatient breath out) he went on. "The one you always used to do. The one that means you don't trust us."

Virgil clenched his teeth, then released them. His focus shifted back to Logan. "You've been screwing with me this whole time, haven't you?"

"I really don't know wh —"