Kia left the temporary prison and the prisoner in the hands of Justin and Rilson and headed back toward her room to take a shower.
Alex caught her just as she was entering the sleeping house. She was walking through the sitting room toward her own when he spoke her name. She spun around and saw him sitting in one of the chairs, eyeing her broodingly.
"Oh, hey, Alex. What did you want? I was just going to head up and take a shower." She motioned toward the stairs with her head.
"Yeah, I just wanted... It's just... you..." he began haltingly, "I wanted to apologize. I liked you; I thought you were cute, and I was attracted to your personality, but I was not overwhelmingly in love with you. I'm good enough friends with Justin to see that in his face when he looks at you. I just want you to know, even though I won't admit it to Justin, I will not try anything with you and I wholeheartedly support you two. I want to be your friend, without any regrets." He stood up and walked over to her and took her hand. "No regrets?"
Kia beamed at him. "No regrets," she agreed, then she threw her arms around him. He hugged her tightly back.
"Well," he winked, "I'll let you get to that shower, wouldn't want you smelling bad or anything."
"As if," she said, turning toward the door. " I do not smell."
She started to feel a little dizzy as she opened the door. She went into the bathroom and got into the shower. As she rinsed she started to feel a little nauseous as well. She got out and got dressed and was headed toward the door when it hit her like a freight train. She was in mid-step when she crumpled into a heap and lay there on the floor, unconscious.
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Justin stared down at the twitching prisoner as he felt Kia's mind fade out. She must have been pretty tired, he thought fondly, to have fallen asleep so suddenly. "I think hes coming round," he said to Rilson, who was standing next to him. Her stance suggested that she still didn't trust him, but that she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, for which he was grateful.
"Yes." She nudged Tully with the toe of her boot, causing him to groan and open one eyelid. He groaned again when he saw them, and closed his eyes.
Justin knelt down and took a glass of water Miss March had retrieved for them, and trickled a little of the cool fluid down his throat. He coughed a little and opened his eye again.
"I swear," he croaked, "I didn't know why she wanted me to follow her." His eye suddenly rolled into the back of his head, and he started coughing and spluttering. Justin scooted back in alarm when he started to foam at the mouth.
"What the hell?" Justin stood and when Tullys body started to convulse he cursed. Suddenly it all came together. "Shit," he said thinking about Kia's sudden blackout. "Fucking hell," he swore as he turned on his heel and started to run from the makeshift cell toward Kia's bedroom.
"What is it?" Rilson yelled after him, but she received no answer. "Justin? What the hell is going on?" She stared in frustration down at the poisoned body of Byron Tully.
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Kia woke up slowly, with a pounding headache. She tried to open her eyes, but they were covered by some sort of thick cloth. She was lying on her hands in a small, enclosed space; and wherever she was, she was rocking back and forth. She tried to move her hands out from under her but they wouldn't move.
I'm tied up. , she thought in dismay when she couldnt move her feet either.
Kia? Oh God, Kia, Youre alive! You weren't there; your mind was gone. I thought you were dead.
