A Man for Himself (Norton X Eli) [Identity V] *UNEDITED*

Chapter 11 - Sick

Eli was not permitted to join the games due to his injury. Everyone knew that the manor was supposed to be a supernatural place where impossible things could be made possible. However, even with its influence, the healing of Eli's arm might take longer than usual as examined by Emily. Patricia had already offered herbal treatment to help in his recovery, but they didn't do much of a difference.

The seer let out a sigh. He was utterly bored. He hadn't left the room for a couple of days to avoid running into the prospector. He would usually come out at night when most people were asleep. It didn't feel right to be shutting himself in, but he had to. It's not like he's afraid of Norton; he's only making sure that that kind of interaction between them back at the asylum wouldn't happen again.

Eli looked up from the blank page of his diary and exhaled heavily. He hadn't written any entry since his dominant hand got injured. This would get him in trouble; but even if he's not injured, he doubted he could even write anything. Recalling the event back at the asylum made him feel restless. He would remember the look on Norton's face, the minty scent combined with coppery smell of his blood, the sensations that made his body heat up at the very thought and Norton himself, his very shameful existence. Eli hated how he longed to experience that moment once again as soon as the memory replayed in his head.

What has gotten into you, Eli Clark? He slapped his cheeks.

He shouldn't be fantasizing about that. It's all wrong. He had no control of himself when all of that happened. He had been too weak to fight back, and Norton had taken advantage of that.

Locking himself up in his room wasn't good for his mental health nor was it helping him recover fast. He should go out and talk to someone. Maybe take a short walk outside. He needed fresh air to clear his head.

Eli stood up from his seat and grabbed his blindfold from his desk, stopping midway to the door when he realized that he couldn't tie the cloth around his eyes on his own. With a defeated sigh, he decided he could leave it off since he wasn't going to a match; so he tossed the cloth to the bed and made his way out of the room.

The halls were quiet. Most survivors were most likely in their matches around this time. As Eli walked down the corridor, Brooke Rose appeared and landed on his shoulder. The thought of his owl witnessing everything back in the asylum made him feel embarrassed, but he couldn't deny that he appreciated the company.

Eli painfully fixed himself a quick sandwich and munched on it on his way to the pavilion. The overall atmosphere was pleasant. The sky wasn't cloudy, but it wasn't too hot. There's a blow of crisp air coming from the woods which made Eli thankful that he decided to finally come out of his den. It's almost a perfect day.

Almost.

The brunet stopped in his tracks, his whole body freezing at the sight of the prospector. Norton was sitting at a table, talking with Emma and Helena. He didn't seem to notice Eli, so he took that chance and slowly turned around as if he'd never intended to go there in the first place.

"Eli!"

It's him. Too late. Norton had noticed him.

The seer bit his lip. Pretending not to hear the prospector calling out to him, he continued walking. However, it only made things worse. He heard steps coming up to him; and next thing he knew, Norton was already in front of him, beaming while catching his breath.

"Hey," he greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while."

How could he act like everything was normal? What was he trying to achieve?