The next morning, I found myself pacing around the living room, the sun peering in through the windows, not leaving an inkling of a reason to turn the lights on. It was autumn, yet the heat of the day reminded me of summer. It was an uncomfortable morning. I felt the terrifying sensation of my blood pressure skyrocketing, originating primarily from stress among other factors. I kept fiddling with my keys and the sides of my jacket.
‘I shouldn’t be this stressed or anxious,’ was a bitter thought I repeated in my head.
Yet it didn’t change the fact that I was. Carter had almost been jumped last night. I still hadn’t gotten the reports from Smokes.
‘This is what I get for trusting Zel Corporation ingrates.’ This process was too slow. If I hadn’t been there… would Carter have been found? He had a stroke of quick thinking that night. The kid had good survival instincts. It’s just that with companies like Zel, who stake claims on protecting the populace, you would think they’d take such claims seriously. Instead, my potential future stepson almost became the next name on the missing victims list. Or an addict if he had been forced to consume Maentus—or worse, the forced consumption of Magniseal, which would have rendered him defenseless.
In conversations with his mother since last night, as someone who intended to be a father figure, I worked toward convincing Amelia to allow me to teach Carter martial arts. Normal self-defense, not reliant on some weird condition we were born with—hell, his condition had been malfunctioning on him anyway. He shouldn’t have to rely on it, not while he is like this. Not until an answer has been found. There was also the thought that attempted to creep in: that the other issues involved, specifically sensory-related ones, were connected to the prescribed medication for his hearing. It was a suspicion—nothing concrete, far from anything purposeful either. Just a side effect; like how his senses shouldn’t be suppressed if his body forgets how to react to the world…
The memory of him being unresponsive for as long as he was came to mind. Carter was a good kid. He did not deserve to become a victim. If these drugs could take down adults, gods only knew what they would do to children. I had been lucky that Zel Corp allowed me to interrogate the druggie my way. By the time I was yanked away, I got nothing out of the bastard, unfortunately. When my phone dinged, I stopped trying to walk a hole into my carpet. I also hadn’t realized how quickly time had passed.
Chat with - Smokes (Z.I), Ashy (R.A)24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfrGE4vZZE
[Smokes: Cin, are you available?]
I stared at the message for a solid few minutes.
[Ashy: Shouldn’t you be in class?]
The reply was immediate.
[Smokes: It’s lunchtime, dumbass. Besides, it has to deal with Carter.]24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsf2Ov5sKf
It was followed by another message at the distinct ding.24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QS7DC7PhK
[Smokes: I swear this isn’t going to go into a tangent about Marco this time.]
I sighed. Time to give it a chance, I supposed.
[Ashy: What is it, Smokes?]
I waited for the ding.
[Smokes: He has looked clammy and dazed all day. He’s responsive but out of it. Should I have taken him to the medical bay last night?]
I sighed again.
[Ashy: It might be a case of trauma shock. I’ll visit later and see if I can’t ‘point it out’ enough for Amelia to take him to the doctor. Not much either of us can do. He handled things well last night and didn’t get hit with it till the next day. The weight must’ve settled in overnight.]
There was a pause.
[Smokes: Okay, I’ll let you handle that, I guess. Just hate I can’t do much. Marco seems to be handling Carter better than me currently.]
[Ashy: Is that why you’re less prickly about him today? To note, I am not surprised. Amelia told me they were friends once—they have history.]
[Smokes: I can see that, Cin ;-; it seems like Marco takes every time to push it in my face.]
[Ashy: Stop it, or you are going to be confused for a lovestruck teenager. Unless you want to correct people constantly on the behavior and why… you’d need to be careful about correcting people unless you are ready to tell Carter.]
[Smokes: SAYS THE ONE DATING HIS MOM. But yes, it would be uncomfortable if people became that accusatory. I would be grossed out.]
[Ashy: But see, this—my relationship—is not an obligation or cover-up. I do genuinely love her and was dating her before all this shit went down. I also plan to be a better father than oh Mr. Meltin.]
[Smokes: If my last name and existence weren’t a constant reminder of what happened, I would be more offended.]
[Ashy: Not your fault your father is a douche, kiddo. It is your fault for joining his task force though.]
[Smokes: WHAT is your deal with the company anyway??]
[Ashy: In due time, in due time. Just watch my stepson and make sure he’s safe.]
[Smokes: All while making sure no one is sneaking Magniseal or Maentus into school grounds. Gotta go—lunch has ended. Time to make sure Carter doesn’t bump into someone’s locker again.]
I tucked my phone in my pocket while silently hoping that last comment was a joke. I sighed, then left the house. Being cooped up all day was doing me no favors. I had nothing on the itinerary either. No work or anything. Maybe I could pick up Carter today? This wasn’t looking good for him—it had me worried. When I began walking through the streets of the downtown district, I saw a sign in a window mentioning a fall festival…
‘Fall festival, huh?’
The idea swirled in my head. It might be a good distraction for Carter, at least during the likely wait time for making it in to see a doctor who could help him with those issues. I would’ve messaged Amelia if she weren’t at work…
I took a picture, opting to save it for later.
24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEt5MVTYPY1
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