Wild Boys

Chapter Twenty-Five

a/n: omg..... it's been 6 months? since i last updated? 

i'm so sorry (ಥ﹏ಥ) 

~*~

At the day of Iris' meeting with Avalon Visco, she woke up not quite knowing what to do. Was she allowed to speak of it? To tell her friends she's going to meet none other than the founder of where they stood at? Was it supposed to be a confidential meeting then? Her mind swirled at these thoughts. Surely there wouldn't be any danger there, would it? One of the rules her father taught her was that someone always had to know where she was going, especially if she was going alone. Not that he thought she couldn't handle herself, but if worse came to worst, it's better than being sorry.

Her mind made up, she prepared for breakfast. Most of her gauzes had been taken off already, and she already looked like her usual self. All that transpired in that single night felt so far away now, as if it's all been just a dream.

Caleb's warm chocolate eyes greeted her when she opened her door. He was leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and hair messily tied in a low bun. "Good morning. Feeling well?"

"Yes," Iris replied. "Please stop worrying about me."

He's like... a mama grizzly bear sometimes.

Iris wasn't quite sure what to expect when they arrived at the dining hall, but upon giving the place a quick glance, her stomach felt all fuzzy and warm in no time. She was glad everything seemed back to normal.

"Good morning, Chief," She greeted the big, jolly chef.

"There you are, lass! So good to see you've recovered well," He enthusiastically answered, giving her plate a good portion of everything on the menu. "I just knew deep in my belly it was gonna be a fast recovery, you're a strong one after all. Much stronger than most of these pussies!"

And Chief's booming laughter echoed throughout the entire room as protests came from the guys. He was joking, of course, but deep in his gut he was also relieved. Very much so. From his spot at the kitchen, he had always been watching since day one. He knew about the life these people had willingly gotten themselves into. They'd seen preposterous acts from sponsors, they were familiar with those. But Chief could tell that this recent event had shaken these lads up real good. It only proved that there are, and there will be always be some twisted motherfucker raising the bar up high for crazy in Visco's World. 

Caleb was chuckling as he set his own plate down their table. At Iris' questioning glance, he shook his head with a smile. "Just felt good to hear Chief laughing again."

"But he's always been jolly," Iris absent-mindedly said, all her attention focused on the plate in front of her. It felt good to eat like the usual again. So good. Words can't express how much she missed all of this; the bustling activity in the hall, sounds of forks scraping against the ceramic plates, a merry laugh or a groggy tone here and there... she loved all of it. She absolutely treasured having meals with everyone in the dining hall, and that's not going to change any time soon.

While she was busy appreciating her meal, Caleb was studying her quietly. If someone had just looked his way, they would see the strangest expression on his face, a look that was unbecoming of The Grizz. Only Chief with his ever roaming eyes saw it, and he chuckled to himself.

"Have you guys seen Iris?" A distressed call popped Iris out of her blissful moment and she saw Lowell huffing and puffing, his blonde hair all mussed up and a flush on his cheeks. "She's not in her room!"

Just as Iris was about to call out to him, Steven, appearing out of nowhere, suddenly stood in her line of sight with a frantic look upon him. "Oh no! Where could she be?"