This World is Outrageous { BOOK 2 }

Chapter 4--Willow

Chapter 4

Willow

Even in my sleep, I always annualize things. It drives me crazy.

Perhaps it's a simple sickness of mine—my shtick. Much like the sickness Bay has her shtick of counting of the seconds. My brain is constantly at work. Sleep has always been near on impossible for me. Right now is one of those moments where I can't sleep, no matter how hard I try. Call it insomnia, or my brain being overstimulated, I don't know what it is but majority of the time I'm incapable to sleep. It is a lost cause. Besides, right now I don't want to sleep. I allow myself to listen in to Bay and Casper's conversation with their new ally, Ridge. And on the rare occasion I'd slip in and out of a light slumber.

A sudden silence from Bunk and Zachary's end forces me to sit up, my elbow accidentally smacking into Avery in the chin. She groans in annoyance and rolls over, grumbling some inaudible curse words. I glance over at Demetria who is sitting up as well, wide eyes staring back at me. I rub my cheek before I start up a conversation with her.

"Did my earpiece go dead, or did they go silent?" I whisper.

She stares at me in complete garboil for a moment before nodding. "Yes, they went silent." She gulps.

I kick Avery with my foot which pulls another annoyed huff from her lips. "Can I help you?" She spits.

"Wake up. We've got trouble."

She murmurs insults towards me under her breath, sitting up. "Stupid, ratchet ass bitch, what could you possibly want?" Right as she begins to rub the sleep from her eyes the door to the bunkroom we have been hiding out in bursts open.

I am on my feet in seconds, the other two girls right behind me. I stumble back against Demetria, reaching for the dagger concealed away within the white Jotunn suit. Before I can even take up a defensive stance, a garbled scream flees the Warrior's lips. Blood slowly seeps out and paints the white suit red. I look up and see a dagger protruding from its chest. I yelp as I push up against the half-awake Avery.

From behind the dying Warrior comes a familiar Jotunn. I can only assume it's Calyx Zedd.

I breathe a breath of relief upon seeing her, stepping away from the speechless Demetria. Calyx pushes the dead body into the room and out of the way of the door. She shuts the door behind her and shoves the body deeper into the room. She gives no explanation until she stores the body away inside the closet. She closes its doors once the crammed body is positioned properly.

"Hated to have to kill Jaxon, but he was asking for it. Barging in here without my permission. Just stupid of him to think he could get away with such an act." She sighs and removes her helmet. She tosses it aside, crossing her arms over her chest. Her features are painted over with obvious aggravation.

"Permission?" I repeat. "Why did he barge in, anyways?" I begin before Calyx rudely cuts me off.

"Yes, permission! Do you purposely not listen?"

Her voice is low, deep and raspy just like all the other Jotunn's voices are. I am still hung up on the obvious wound in the side of her head. Her death nags at me like a heavy weight on my chest. I sigh, breaking my gaze away from her wound.

"I listen! You know well enough that I listen, dammit, Calyx." I say with a blithesome tone.

"That's new." She comments with brows raised.

"What's new?" I raise my brows in turn.

"You seem to be," she hesitates a moment as if she is unsure what to say. "You seem to be joking."

This pulls an obnoxious laugh from Avery. "Holy shit, she is, isn't she?"

"Why is this so funny that I am joking around?" I frown at them.

"You're always so serious, Willow. Can you blame us for being shocked?" Demetria pipes up.

I roll my eyes. "Calyx, just answer my previous question, please?"

"Which was?" She snorts.

I sigh. "Why did the Warrior barge in anyways?"

"Well between Eli, Diego, Ariel and me trying to keep everyone away not only from this bunk room as well as the control room, some Warriors occasionally get curious and go off on their own." She shrugs. "Since Kole died, the newest in control still doesn't have," she pauses and rubs her neck. "Well, they still don't have that much control."

"Who's the newest in control?" I query.

"What?" Calyx raises a brow.

"Who's the newest in command?" I say again.

"Oh. Uh, that would be me."

"You? You're the newest in control?" Avery scoffs before I can beat her to it.

"Did Bay not relay that message?"

"Clearly not." Demetria growls. I don't think Demetria and Bay have spoken since the quarrel they had with each other days ago in the middle of the line of Jotunn.

"I think we are a little shocked that you made it up the food chain so swiftly." I comment.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Calyx's voice becomes cold, the tone sending a shiver up my spine.

"We don't mean anything bad by it, Calyx." I cover.

"Anyways, Willow." Calyx continues. "I need you to come with me tomorrow morning as an escort."

"An escort to what exactly?"

"To a meeting of the Jotunn."

"Tomorrow morning as in later this morning? It is 6:15 right now, you know."

She rolls her eyes at my asking. "Alright, this morning. In three hours. We meet at 9:15 a.m., don't be late, okay?"

I hesitate another moment before I ask; "And what if I don't go?"

"Listen here, Kindred; I asked you personally to escort me to this meeting. No talking to the lovebirds, no discussing anything that will reveal your true identity. If they come to realize that you're still in this facility, they will stop at nothing to make sure you are dead before nightfall. Got that? So I highly suggest you suck up your opinions and join me in two hours."

I will myself to nod, speechless.

"Don't make a big foofaraw out of this, Willow-Marie Kindred."

I don't necessarily like being called by my full name. Granted, this is something the Warriors do often, but it makes me extremely uncomfortable. "Yeah, sure."

"Foofaraw?" Avery repeats under her breath.

Calyx ignores Avery's comment and continues on. "So will you or will you not be there?" She takes a step nearer to me, voice escalating. I flinch.

"Doesn't sound like she has much of a choice." Demetria murmurs under her breath.

Ignoring Lopez's comment, I nod. "Yes, I will be there."

As soon as the words are spoken from my mouth, a high-pitched scream from the earpieces fastened in our ears pierces the air. I grimace and tense up. Without a second thought I grab my helmet and dash out of the room towards the control room Calyx granted us access too. I push through the doors and pull up the nearest chair before the computer screen before me comes to life.

The scream echoing in my ears belongs to Bay, no doubt. The words that come next send a thousand chills up my spine, making it feel as if I have spiders crawling up my back. The voice doesn't belong to Bay. No, it belongs to someone next to her. The voice belongs to a Jotunn.

"You. Will. Bow."