The Skylar Experiment : Dead Ending (second draft)

Chapter Five-Scattered Truth

RILEY

I DISTANCED THE CHAIR and sunk into the stuffing. Right away, Chuck seemed to gather his wits and breathe easier. For a beat, I only stared him down. 

There was no right way to start this, and in truth, I didn't want to have this discussion. I'd never wanted a repeat of that instance at school, but he gave us no choice. Knowing as much as possible about what he exchanged with NIO was crucial. We had to learn every detail. On that aspect, Luc was right.

"Again, I won't hurt you," I said without breaking eye contact. "But please don't make this hard. If I ask you something, you need give me the full answer. This could prevent other people dying."

He hid his fingers in his volume of curls, looking at the floor. His shoulders hunched.

"I-I didn't mean for any of that to happen... I didn't think they'd go that far..." Chuck rocked himself slightly, teetering on his haunches.

"What do you mean?"

He lifted his head, directing bloodshot eyes towards me. "You can't tell Luc. He's going to kill me if he knows."

 "Knows what?"

"I can't... you're going to hate me so much..."

I was scraping deep and he wouldn't open up. He was afraid—and with good reason—that Luc might just lose it. My mind refused to imagine any scenario, but the mere idea that he knew something able to infuriate all of us sent a chill down my spine. I had to convince Chuck he could trust me if I intended to uncover that unavowed knowledge. No matter what, this needed to come to light.

"He won't do anything, I promise. He's..." Devastated. He still lost so much that night. "He's going through stuff with a lot of things on his mind. I just need you to be honest so you can help us."

"You're defending that guy?" he snapped, briefly staring at the porch but Luc was gone—maybe off to the backyard.

I pressed my lips together before I'd say something too fast. I had to think carefully. Chuck loathed Luc because he'd been mean to him, going as far as to threaten him and destroy his camera. It must have felt humiliating and unfair. I didn't vouch for that attitude and felt sorry that the guy had to put up with it.

"It's more complicated than that, Chuck," I replied. "And no, I don't agree with what he did to you..."

"Do you know who fucking gave me this scar?" He gestured testily at the mark over his eyebrow. "He did. You say you care and condemn bullying and yet here you are trying to excuse his behavior."

The air in my lungs solidified as I judged the scratch above his eye. Luc was due for a serious talk soon.

"I swear I'm not okay with it!" I shot. My cheeks heated and I exhaled to calm down. "But he's not all bad. People have died on New Year's and we're all trying to deal with it. Some of us find it harder than others. I bet those agents didn't tell you that all we want is to keep each other safe and not fall into their traps. They didn't tell you that they stalk us and wait for an opportunity to jump out of the shadows. They didn't tell you that they killed Adam while I was tied up just to get back at me. Did they also not tell you that they track us down with special weapons? Do you think good people would murder a fifteen-year-old kid regardless of what he is? That isn't justice, Chuck. That's pure evil. I... I seriously don't believe you wanted that, but I have to know everything. "

His lower lip quivered until he reared back on the couch. Tears glistened in his eyes as a tormented look dawned on his face. His fingers gripped harder at his hair like he wanted to pull the strands out.

"I'm so terribly sorry for everything... I never thought it'd turn out like this. I didn't think innocent people would get hurt... The men..." He struggled to speak when his voice thickened, and I leaned in to encourage him.

"I'm not here to judge." I haven't made good decisions, either. "You can trust me."

He sniffled. "When you moved here, someone paid me to take pictures of you anywhere, doing whatever. I didn't know who, but the person didn't ask any specifics and... my family needed the money. But then I got carried away..."

A shiver rattled through me, and I sat there paralyzed as he continued to unravel the upsetting story. Some of those pictures had even portrayed me getting to Luc's Rover or talking with my friends on campus. This entire time, NIO had been watching me covertly, plotting a sentence that I knew in my bones would trammel us sooner or later.

"For that, too, I'm really sorry... I know it was wrong. Anyways, when the guys in suits showed up, they came to see me after I found out about you, and they told me they were the ones to ask for photos. Then, they started questioning me about Luc."

I felt like my body turned to stone. "Do you know why they were doing all this?"

He sent me a look filled with regret.

"Not at first. When I hesitated to speak, the men... revealed all the mutants hiding in school—which you lied to me about. They told me they had to investigate for the town's safety... and they were feds so I could have problems if I didn't share what I knew... Miles helped me come forth saying it was the right thing to do... And when they told me they wanted to focus mainly on Luc because he was dangerous, I recounted all about him and the things he'd done in school. When I saw on the news what happened... I knew it was them—the agents..."

My fingers gripped the armchair as the floor seemed to spin underneath my feet. Miles' presence behind this was alarming. A knot twisted my stomach and I momentarily thought I couldn't absorb more details—but I had to push further. Chuck was open. The opportunity was now.

"You mean they promised you they'd handle him?"

He nodded slowly. "I was so angry at him—I still am. He did so many things to me and others that I didn't feel guilty about throwing him under the bus. He deserved it and I thought I was helping the authorities."

God...

"Well, he does come across as a douche," I said and bitterness coated my voice. "I lied because I didn't want you involved in all this. Surely you understand now that it's too late."

Chuck gave a nervous, watery laugh. "You guys are in deep trouble, aren't you?"

You don't say...

I stared at him then rubbed the side of my face. My brain was buzzing with the bunch of revelations. As I'd suspected, NIO had used Chuck like a vulgar dishtowel and tossed the guilt and responsibilities onto his frail shoulders. Yes, he'd enabled the agents. But they'd primed him for the interrogation, giving him no other option. Frankly, I didn't know if I would have done things differently in his shoes. The guy was nearly bawling in front of me. Remorse was consuming him alive.

"Thank you," I whispered gloomily. "For telling me."

"What... what are you going to do?"

Good question. "We'll see... Right now, I think it's time for you to go home. Don't ever speak to Miles or the men in black ever again. If they approach you, you come to us. We'll deal with the rest." 

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As you can see, truth has many sides, and Chuck didn't have too much of a choice. If feds told you you'd be in trouble if you didn't speak, would you keep anything from them? Especially if you don't know the whole picture and you're convinced that Luc is the devil?