Opheliac (21 page)

JD groaned and rubbed at his eyes as he rolled onto his side. His nice, comfortable bed continued to beckon to him to not leave just yet. How he got there, he didn't know, but he loved it. Sleep was something he could never get enough of, yet for the first time in a while, he felt perfectly rested. Between school, relationships, and his siblings, something had kept him from having a good night's sleep.

“You finally awake?” Orlando asked from somewhere in the room.

“No,” JD mumbled. “I'm going back to bed.”

“I'll allow it. You might have to answer to your parents, though, since it's a school day.”

You'll allow it. How gracious of you. Wait, it's a school day?
JD opened his eyes wider to look at his clock. A blurry nine in the morning was displayed in painful red letters. “Why didn't anyone wake me up sooner?”

“When they came home last night, we told them you and Angela had food poisoning,” Orlando said. “I got a free pass from my parents if I promised to spend the day with them. Cadence left a while ago.”

“Why are you in my room?”

“We had a pretty wild slumber party last night. I'll catch you up later. Now that I know you aren't going to die, I'm getting breakfast.” Orlando grunted, shifted on JD's carpet, and then cracked several joints.

JD winced at the sound, turning to face his friend. “That can't be healthy, man.”

“No, it probably isn't. Neither is sleeping on your floor. Good thing I got a chiropractor who can fix it.”

“We have a couch.”

“But then I couldn't make sure…” Orlando waved a hand. “After breakfast. Can't think straight without coffee.”

JD watched him go. Yawning again, he looked back at the clock.
Is it really so late in the day? What happened? How did I get food poisoning?
Had to be a lie. Perhaps there was more to Orlando's comment about watching over JD to make sure he didn't die.
What kind of trouble did I get into?

Slowly, he climbed out of bed. He was still in his clothes from yesterday. After rubbing at his eyes one more time, he left for the kitchen. Coffee sounded divine. He only drank it when necessary, and it definitely felt like a day where a whole pot wasn't going to be enough. While his body was rested, his brain didn't seem to want to wake up.

His dad was in the kitchen cleaning up after JD's twin siblings. They were preschool-aged and little monsters. Adorable monsters, but monsters all the same. The two went to school every other day for a couple of hours. Staying home sick was something JD avoided. There was no peace and quiet with those two around. He got more rest camping out in the nurse's office or sleeping in class. Hopefully, he'd be able to talk his dad into letting him go to school for the second half of the day. Just thinking about being subjected to hyperactive four-year-olds gave him a headache.

“Feeling okay?” Dad asked.

“Okay, no. More like I've been hit by a bus,” JD muttered, going straight for the coffee. Pain was already starting to shoot between his eyes. Getting out of bed was a bad idea.

Orlando sipped at his mug. “I told you not to eat that sushi.”

All JD could do was shrug and grunt. He didn't care much for sushi, but he wasn't about to argue with his friend. Orlando was the only person there who knew the truth of what happened the night before. If he was lying, then he was covering up something big.

“Thank you for picking Angela up from cheer practice and getting her home, and for staying to help with the kids,” Dad said.

Orlando waved a hand. “Not a big deal. I was on my way over anyway, so what's an extra stop? And it didn't feel right going home with both of them puking up their guts while they had to babysit. You know, in the off chance someone woke up. My parents understand. I'm just glad everyone is okay.”

Why didn't Cadence stay? Orly said she was here earlier.
JD frowned.

As if Orlando could read his mind, he said, “Cadence's mom demanded she come back once curfew hit. Something about the buses being weird after a certain hour. Cadence said she'd text you both later, though.”

“And you stayed here?” JD asked.

Orlando patted his chest. “I am? I thought I was at the beach having a picnic with penguins.”

Ugh, I forgot how he's even more sarcastic when he's tired.
“I meant, you decided to stay even though…”

“Yeah, let's not get gushy about it,” Orlando mumbled.

“Are you sure your stomach is feeling up to that coffee?” Dad asked, eying JD.

JD took a long sip. “I'll be okay. I won't push myself.”

His dad frowned, a sure sign he didn't believe his son. Given JD's track record, it wasn't much of a surprise. He had a tendency to get caught doing stupid things or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even though Angela was the one who walked on the wild side, JD was the one they expected to be on the dangerous path.

“We'll talk about it more later,” Dad said. He got up from the table and went to the living room, where the twins were conveniently picking a fight with one another.

Great, I'm in trouble and I don't even know what I did.
JD grabbed a bagel, hoping to appease his grumbling stomach.

“Did I get food poisoning?” he asked in a whisper.

Orlando shook his head. “I was thinking you could tell me what happened.”

“Can't remember anything since dinner yesterday,” he mumbled.

“I figured you were going to say that,” Orlando said quietly. “Brief version, because that's all I got anyway. Your sis called me needing a ride home because she was captured by our favorite doc. When I picked her up, she mentioned you saving her, but didn't get into a whole lot of details. In fact, she didn't elaborate on much period. The doc gave her something that would wipe her memory of the past…I don't even know how many hours of the day. She puked in my car then passed out. You came back home shortly after I got her here and dropped in the middle of the floor.”

He spoke in a low voice, and quickly. JD almost missed most of what was said. So many questions popped into his mind. Mainly, why didn't he remember any of it and what did the Doctor do to him?

Orlando raised his mug to his lips with a shaking hand. “I told your parents you both got sick shortly after they left. Bad sushi, ate it without caring that it was expired. I brought it over without checking the date. I found an old container in my car and put it in the garbage in case anyone decided to rummage through it.”

“You go above and beyond to make things believable.” JD chuckled.

“I cover my bases.” He stood. “As much as I want to stay and see how Angela is recovering, I was serious about spending the day with my parents. Tell her what's going on and that I'll call her later.”

Nodding, JD walked his friend to the door. “Sure thing. We need to—”

“Hang out again soon. I know. For now, rest up and try to…you know…” Orlando glanced at JD's dad. “Don't push yourself.”

“I won't.”
Try to remember. That's what he was going to say, because that's what I need to do. Something else about me feels off and I'm not sure what.
He saw Orlando out, closing the door slowly behind him.
I lucked out having good friends. I owe him big time.
JD rotated his shoulders and noticed a stiff, sore spot in his left arm. Like he'd been given a shot.
This must be what it's like to get black-out drunk. Note to self, it sucks and that's not even what happened to me. Angela was taken by the Doctor. Somehow I saved her. Now both of us have been wiped clean of the events of the night. With how much my muscles hurt…I can only assume he got hold of me and did not-so-great things against my will.
He frowned.
Did I fail?
He nibbled on his bagel, no longer hungry but forcing himself to eat anyway. Faking sick wouldn't be hard to do.

Orlando took his time going back home, stopping at a fast food place for a second breakfast and more coffee. He hardly got any sleep on JD's hard floor, using nothing more than a pillow and a blanket. As uncomfortable as it was, Orlando didn't mind. Sure, he could have easily gone home once JD's parents came home. It'd been late enough that he could pretend to be too tired to drive and not raise any eyebrows. Leaving didn't feel right, not with so many things unknown.

“I just did something
really
bad.”
JD's words were the most concerning. The guy got zealous. What was he willing to do to protect his sister?
He wouldn't sell us out, would he? No, there's no way…so what could be so bad?
And since Angela hadn't woken up before Orlando left, he was doubly worried about her.
Who am I kidding? I'd be more worried about her anyway.
He shook his head.
I shouldn't have kissed her. What was I thinking?
I'm scum. No, I'm worse than scum. Taking advantage of the memory loss?

Even if Angela didn't remember the kiss, he would. Her lips on his were going to haunt him for a long time.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. And now I get to live with the moment as some kind of twisted karma.
To make things worse, now he had to go back and deal with his parents.

Taking a large swig of his coffee, he walked into the mudroom of the house. The instant he stepped through the door, heavy footsteps came toward him.

“Didn't you leave your friend's house almost an hour ago?” his dad snapped.

Orlando held up his bag of fast food. “I stopped to get something to eat.”

“This is the last time you have an…outing…of this nature. From now on, you're home, at nine, and you stay in for the rest of the night.”

“They needed me,” Orlando mumbled, pushing his way past so he could go sit in the living room.

His father stalked in after him, sitting close to his son in an almost suffocating manner. For the time being, Orlando tolerated it. The pure exhaustion enveloping him was making his threshold for disrespect and attitude small, however. If his father pushed the right buttons, there would be a massive explosion—possibly literally if he lost control of his powers.

For a moment, his father peered at him. “I know where you really were last night. You didn't spend the night at a friend's place.”

“Actually, I did, and they were sick, like I said.” Orlando took a bite of his sandwich, determined to prove he could be mature even if he wanted to say a lot of not-so-mature things.

“Then why is there surveillance footage of you on the Rosalotuve's ship? The one that happens to be in orbit around this location and that you're working with.”

Orlando swallowed. “Because I went there first for a few hours. When I came back, I went to see my friends.”

“You're not even going to try and hide it?”

“Why should I? You know I'm involved. There's no point in lying if you have evidence.” He shrugged. “I don't see what the big deal is.”

A low growl escaped his father's lips. “You don't see what the big deal is about traveling into space? Alone?”

“I wasn't alone.”

“Without
me
.”

Rolling his eyes, Orlando finished his coffee. “So that's what this is about. You're all ticked off because you didn't get to be the first one to show me the experience of space, to be the one who informed me of all the drama with Altura in the first place. If you wanted a good daddy/son bonding experience, it'd be better to start with something like golf, or art class, or tee-ball.”

“I don't want you involved in a different tribe than our people,” his father said flatly. “You're a Nassalmvan. I was hoping to get you acquainted with our culture and show you our perspective of the war. Even then, I don't approve of you being an agent involved on the field. Ultimately, I'm aware I can't stop you. We've talked about this before. Yes, it bothers me I didn't get to be the one to show you all of this. You're my son—of course I'm concerned about you.”

So concerned, yet so absent.
Orlando took another bite, a large one, keeping his gaze glued on the man pleading before him. He'd been expecting more fire and fight and less desperation. “You can still do all of those things. It's not like I'm some kind of mindless puppet to Alan's tribe. Personally, I'd like to understand all points of view since I've been told next to nothing about it all. But I'm not leaving Alan, or my friends out of family loyalty. They're the first…” He averted his gaze. “They're the first people who have accepted me for who I am, and they haven't let me down. Which is a lot more than I can say about
you
.”

“I'm aware of the fact that I failed you a long time ago. Forgiveness is something me and your mother need to earn, as well as trust. Please, believe me, working for this group is dangerous.”

“Slamming your allies?” Orlando raised an eyebrow, stunned. Of course, he only knew Alan's tribe as being the “good guy” in the war, and nothing more.

His father narrowed his gaze. “You've noticed how militant they are with their charges, with other teens like you.”

“Alan doesn't treat us like that. He respects us.”

“So you've said. Others don't.” Sighing, his father leaned in closer. “Someone on his ship is betraying the entire tribe, betraying you. It won't be long until your identity is revealed to the enemy. Your mission didn't go successfully. I heard all about it from my comrade while you were gone last night. The last one your group had gone on was almost a disaster. If your friends hadn't been observant, the Ilotus would have been lost to us. Neither of these events going south are coincidences.”

He actually cares about my safety, about me.
The thought touched Orlando. This was the emotion he'd so strongly desired to have. All he'd ever wanted was proof his parents loved him. Without the words “I love you” actually being uttered, Orlando finally had an expression of love given to him that he believed.

How do I respond?
“Yeah, I noticed some bizarre stuff going on. I trust
Alan
, not so sure about anyone else. He needs my help.”
I think.
“Regardless, this fight got personal. By all means, teach me what you know. I…I do forgive you. As far as trust goes, I
want
to trust you. I said I would try to be less problematic. Stop asking me to give up what I believe is right. In a week I can move out, you realize that? Maybe I don't act like it, but drastic measures aren't my thing.”

“Yes, your mother and I can't control what you do.” His father stood and put his hands on Orlando's shoulders. “Here's what I propose: I'll teach you what I know. You, in return, need to make sure you don't fall into the ditch of being a
Rosalotuve yes man.”

“Me? A yes man? You don't know me well at all.” Orlando scoffed at the idea.

“Your friends as well. If something seems wrong, fight it.”

Orlando gave him a small, genuine smile. “Sure, that's a fair deal.” Surprised, but he'd take it.

“I still don't like it.”

“I'm being careful.”

“I still don't have to like it.” His father released his gripe on Orlando. “The only reason I'm not continuing this argument with you is because you will be an adult soon. If you want to insist you're an adult and can make your own decisions, I'm not going to stop you. Continue to be careful, and tell me what you know.”

Frowning, Orlando finished his sandwich. “Like spy?”

“To put it bluntly. All you'll be doing is sharing your adventures with me. I hear about them anyway. Consider it a bonding experience since you're too old for tee-ball. We could even discuss it on the golf course once the weather is nice.”

Orlando rolled his eyes, squashing the wrapping for his meal into a small ball and slamming it into the bag. “Whatever. Can I go take a nap? Slept badly. Then we can family bond or whatever else you wanted to do today.”

“We'll wake you at lunch.” His father left the room.

That was…an interesting conversation.
He picked up his phone, ready to call Dallas. If anyone would know how to make sense of the past few days, it was his best friend. The phone came to life in his hands, and he saw Tait's name pop up on the screen as her custom ringtone played. He almost ignored the call. Curiosity led him to accept it.

“Hey,” he said. “'Sup?”

“Hi, are you okay?” she asked, her voice quiet.

He laughed. “Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?”

“Um, I'm fine. Why?” She laughed as well, and it was great to hear. Given the last time he saw her she had been restrained to a medical table, he liked confirmation that she was in good spirits and seemingly okay.

Grabbing his bag for school, he made his way upstairs to his room. “You asked me, so I asked you.”

“I have a reason to ask you.”

So do I.
“And that reason is?”

“You're not at school today?”

He paused on the staircase. “Oh…well, I'm fine. Taking a day off to spend some time with my parents. Mental health day. I promise I'm not dying of Ebola.”

“Taking a mental health day…but you're with your parents. Don't they make you insane?”

“I promised to try.” He walked into his room and lay down on his bed. “Anyway, what's up?”

She exhaled into the phone. “Like I said, just wanted to make sure you were okay. Miss your cute self here. School is a lot duller without you. Plus, I wanted to make sure I got to confiscate a day all to myself next weekend to celebrate your big day.”

“Aw, shucks, I'm glad I can make the day better by breathing the same air as you.” He yawned. “We can arrange for some time together, depending on which day you choose.”

“We'll just have to compare schedules. I'll have free time coming up.”

Your boss taking you off her tight leash now that you've been rehabilitated? Then again, if you're more available, who am I to complain? This is what I wanted, right?
But the idea of starting over again with her didn't sound as great as it once had. Not when his mind kept going back to Angela—who he still needed to call and check in on.

He took in a deep breath. “Cool, we'll do that. Anyway, I need to get going. I'll have my people call your people, or whatever.”

“Okay! Great! Talk to you soon.”

“Mmm-hmm.” He hung up. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand over his face. Angela could wait. She probably needed more sleep, anyway, if JD's condition upon waking was any indication of how she would be feeling as well. Instead, he dialed Dallas's number.

After a couple of rings, his friend picked up. “How'd everything go last night?”

“Confusing,” he mumbled. “Look, I'm home from school today. Was thinking of stopping over, if that was cool with you? I want to see you, and I…”

“Have a lot on your mind?” Dallas asked.

He nodded, regardless of if it could be seen or not. “Something along those lines. You always gave good advice.”

“I'm sure I still do!” Dallas chuckled. “Come on by, we'll game, hang out, and then you can let me know about what all has happened on the outside world. Starting to feel closed off again.”

“A couple more weeks,” he said. “Then we'll get you all set up.”
If it weren't for the Apartment, I'd go with him. I need to stay here so I can keep an eye on that space. Can't have my parents going in there and meddling around.

Yawning again, Orlando got comfortable in his bed. “I'll be by in a few hours. I need to nap and do something with Dad beforehand. Then I'm all yours, Pookie.”

A soft snort came through the other line. “Go to bed.”

Orlando hung up the phone and put it on his nightstand. Spying for his father, being interested in two girls at the same time, and the confusing Alturan drama. “Ugh, what a mess.”
I'm glad I've put in my time for the week. I need a vacation.