“It’s in here…” I stopped, the imposing wooden door now a refuge as I pried it open without hesitation. One of the creatures had let out a whimper, which broke my heart in two. “I’m sorry.” I mumbled, keeping my head low as I slinked into the conference room. “I should’ve warned you that they’d…” I didn’t know what to say for myself, feeling my face burn red with shame.
“I am well aware of what others think of me,” Anthony said briskly, giving Samuel a sharp nudge to the side of his head. Following Winston’s lead, he folded his arms, scanning the unfamiliar room.
Winston’s POV
Winnie quickly shut the door once all the creatures were inside. He proceeded to pace back and forth, too nervous to sit still. “It still isn’t right.” He protested, flickering out of view as he allowed his camouflage to finally take over, the stormy beige color of the walls diffusing across his skin.
Anthony’s POV
The healer scoffed. “Yes it is. I’m a murderer. I could hurt any one of them without lifting an arm. I’m like a walking bump, and they’re just waiting for me to go off.”
Winston’s POV
“Yeah, and I’m twenty years old.” He mumbled inaudibly. “Are your creatures okay?” He asked louder, his worried gaze stopping on Samuel.
Anthony’s POV
“I thought I was here to talk to someone?” Anthony said abruptly, turning away from Winston.
Winston’s POV
“They’ll be on their way soon. I—uh… I don’t think they were prepared for me to come back.” Winnie murmured, his voice shaking a little now too.
Anthony’s POV
Anthony sighed slowly. “And you? What did you think? About coming back, I mean?”
Winston’s eyes, the only fully visible part of him at the moment, darkened considerably for a moment. He exhaled shakily. “That’s not what I meant.” He replied, hoping Anthony would understand.
Anthony raised a dubious eyebrow at this. “Right. Okay. Anyways, when’s this friend of yours coming to interrogate me?”
Winnie sank into a chair, tensing up as the door opened without any warning. A man walked in, probably in his late forties. He shut the door, not batting an eyelash at the grotesques in the room, his grey eyes stony. Winnie went completely quiet, still camouflaged.
Anthony didn’t even lift his head to acknowledge the man’s entry, instead choosing to inspect the smooth walls. “What is this material?” he asked finally, “Smooth. Metal. But glowing?”
The man didn’t respond stalking past Winston and cuffing the teen on the shoulder. “What did we tell you about doing that during meetings?” The man’s voice was gruff and deep.
“Sorry…” Winnie forced himself to transform back. The man scanned the room, staring Remedy down.
“These walls prevent you from using your powers on anyone else.” He growled.
“Ouch,” Anthony chuckled, allowing his fingers to drift over the walls. “I take that to mean that you don’t trust me, then? Good choice. The Guard is smarter than I thought.”
Winston’s POV
The man didn’t respond to Remedy. “Firefly, files.” He barked out the order. Winnie flinched, silently sliding the files towards him on the table. The man flipped through them for a moment. “You didn’t get the signature.” He glared at Winston, who looked like he was on the verge of tears.
Anthony began to hum a tune—Sweet Caroline, by Neil Diamond. “He didn’t,” he murmured, “I didn’t give it to him. See, the Guard has this little habit of actually not including the fine print on these files.”
Winston’s POV
Winnie perked up as the familiar tune of Sweet Caroline reached his ears. He resisted the urge to him along, but managed to relax a little.
“Don’t speak as if you know a thing about integrity.” The man slid the paper back over to Remedy with a hard glare.
Anthony’s POV
“Get me a paper with all your terms, and I just might sign it,” he growled. Instantly, every single grotesque in the room raised their hackles, snarling. “You need me. I don’t need you.”
Winston’s POV
Winnie’s eyes went wide with fear, his heart racing. “Remedy?” His voice quavered, cracking audibly.
“I can assure you, these are the terms.” The man snarled back, undaunted.
Anthony slid a battered (stolen) phone from his pocket, opened the camera app, and pressed record. “Then say them all to me. Every single term that contract will bind me to. I’m not stupid.”
Winston’s POV
The man snatched the paper back, clearing his throat. He painstakingly slowly began to read the paper, taking his time with each word.
Winston was trying not to panic, practically curled up in the chair.
Anthony’s POV
Anthony’s eyes flickered sideways to Winston. Sighing softly through his nose, he flicked a finger, motioning to Samuel. The grotesque immediately lowered his guard and bounded towards the trembling boy.
Winston’s POV
Winnie sniffled softly, but managed a nervous smile as Samuel bounded over. He didn’t understand why it had broken ranks, but he was too grateful to question it right now. He gently stroked Samuel, his eyes still a bit watery.
The man finished reading the page, slamming it down on the table for emphasis and sliding it back over to Remedy.
Anthony’s POV
Anthony hit ‘pause’, chuckling softly. He slipped a pen from his breast pocket and twirled it through his fingers, still smiling. “Before I sign, I’d like to know how much you’ll be paying me.”
Winston’s POV
Winnie watched the man grab a slip of paper, writing down a number and sliding it over to Remedy. “Possibly more if you do a good job.” He said gruffly.
Winston sighed softly, still spoiling Samuel with pets and scratches in order to distract himself from the other growling grotesques in the room.