Ruelle - This Is The Hunt

Levi was sitting on a bench near a small lake in one of the larger wooded areas, one I hadn't visited before. It felt strange walking from one forest through clearly indoor hallways to another forest. I almost thought of the artificial areas as truly outdoors now. At least these indoor-outdoor places were never cold. I was glad I was missing the deep winter I knew crawled on outside the Vault's thick walls.

When Levi saw me his face lit up, then he saw James and his smile doubled. Ailech and Ember stayed by the door of the forest, Ailech opening a book right away to discourage conversation and Ember seating herself so she could easily watch Ailech's every movement. I found her crush amusing, at least I had never been that obvious about my own infatuation when I had been with the Clan.

James walked slowly next to me, clearly not excited to be faced with the child mind-reader again.

Hey Jordan, he's feeling queasy, just so you know.

Probably because he can't Shift right now, he feels better when he can, I think.

Shouldn't he talk to Abby about that?

Probably.

Shouldn't you get him to talk to Abby about that?

I'm not his mother.

Well duh, I know. You're too young.

That's not what I meant.

By the time our silent conversation was finished, James and I had reached his bench and I sat on one side of him. James looked ambivalent, which came through surprisingly well even with his face's lack of emotion, before he sat on Lee's other side, staring out at the water blankly.

"You can try to not think all you want, I'll still be able to know stuff. I'm not like Jordan, I don't just know your thoughts, I know your mind, and you can't shut that off no matter how hard you try, duh."

Levi's high, little voice rang out in the serene silence as he sat between us, and I realized James had been attempting to quiet his mind, since he knew he couldn't block the boy. I smirked on one side of Lee as I remembered that I had tried the same thing with him on our second meeting. It hadn't worked for me either.

"What is this session supposed to teach Jordan anyway? You're a child."

James' words sounded annoyed, and my name seemed awkward coming from him. Levi just looked up at James, not replying, waiting for my Pair to figure it out on his own. I nudged him as I thought of what a brat he was lovingly. He smiled up at me before looking back to James.

"Blocks then, great. How's she doing?"

He sounded mocking, but I knew he was just annoyed that he couldn't block the boy any more than I could. I liked that someone seemed to be able to irritate James like he irritated me.

"I am not irritating, at least, I don't irritate you sis, right?"

I smiled down at him again.

Of course not, and besides, you'd know it if you did.

"Abby says we have to talk out loud when James is around, since he can't do what we can."

Levi replied too sweetly, and I saw James scowl slightly at the reminder that I had a skill he didn't.

"I suppose I'll talk then, since James needs us to."

I played along, winking at Levi as I spoke. He giggled.

"This will help her learn to block because Abby knows she won't want me in her head all the time, like when she thinks of you, or the people she's killed and how much she misses it, or Syn, or Jevin, or like...adult stuff."

He raised his eyebrows.

"He knows she'll work more at learning if I'm around than anyone else. She gets distracted a lot, but I keep her on track. He knows she likes her privacy too, plus Ailech has the best block ever, and that's from me. So this isn't a waste of time, you're just mad cause your block isn't enough and you thought you had a near-perfect one. And it annoys you that Ailech is better than you at something because he's Human."

Levi smiled up at James again, who was still staring out at the lake, his jaw clenched, the muscle clearly standing out in his gaunt cheeks.

"Jordan doesn't like that you're so...gaunt? What's that mean? Like haunt? A ghost?" Levi asked me as he looked over.

James' eyes flicked to mine before settling back on the lake.

"Gaunt means skinny, really skinny. Sick."

I tried to not let my voice sound sad as I answered, not wanting James to know I cared any more than Levi already made it sound.

"Oh. I don't think I'd think he looks sick if I couldn't tell he was. He's almost puked like, three times already."

"No, I haven't," James replied quietly, sulkily.

"Yes, you have."

James merely shrugged, his half-shrug that never seemed convincing when he wasn't Shifted, when he was human and flat and dead. I looked away, hating seeing him so...empty.

"She hates your face more than how skinny it is, I guess."

I let out a little laugh at Levi's words, at how he had said them, how he'd made it sound, before I stifled it and cleared my throat into my fist to try to cover the noise.

"She thinks it's funny that I said 'hates your face'. I meant she doesn't like how, um, flat and dead and empty you look. Right?"

He looked to me and I shrugged, again not wanting James to actually know how I felt.

"She doesn't like your shrug either, unless you're Shifted. Hey, can I see that? She thinks it's really...well, a bunch of words, some I don't know, but they're cool ones I think, so I want to see."

I was about to reply in Levi's mind, to tell him to stop only fishing around my head and telling James everything he saw, though I knew he was just doing it so I'd have more motivation to work on my block, but James spoke first.

"Shifts aren't cool to humans. You don't want to see one. It would only scare you."

His voice was monotonous, but I tried to not think of it, to not give Levi more to work with.

"Just because I'm human doesn't mean it would scare me. You aren't bad so why would I be scared of anything you do? Plus, I'm not a normal kid, duh. I've seen the things you've done, Jordan's done, and loads of other people. I've technically seen Shifts in Jordan's memory anyways. I just really want to see it in real life. Please? It'll make you not feel like puking so bad too, won't it?"

James slid a look down at the boy, the first time he fully looked away from the water since sitting. He took a deep breath and I knew he was conceding. Levi beamed by my side, his smile so bright it made me want to muss his hair.

A moment later James' eyes turned black and I saw his body visibly relax, his muscles loosen, though I hadn't noticed his tension until it was gone. It made a little tinge of pain run over my skin, knowing it hurt James to hold his nature in, that he wasn't comfortable in his normal form, that it was work for him. Even without thinking of how he constantly felt sick, I was sorry he had to use so much effort just to be, just to exist in his human shape.

He closed his eyes briefly after relaxing, like the release was restful to him, calming and soft and much awaited, before he looked squarely at Levi, letting the boy see his Shift in all its glory. He didn't show his teeth, which I was glad for.

"Jordan says you aren't showing your teeth."

I swore in my head that he had caught the thought before quickly mentally apologizing to Levi for my curse word.

James's eyes swept to mine again, and I could feel his gaze on me even with his dark eyes directionless and depthless, then he looked away and the feeling was gone, the weight of his stare dissipating against my skin. He didn't smile at Levi, merely pulled his lips back like when you brush your teeth, showing their knife points for a brief moment before closing his mouth again.

"Happy, kid?"

"My name's Leviticus Elijah Econsili Harp, Levi for short, but I guess you can call me Lee if you want, sis does. And I'd say you're happier than me, you feel way better now. Even Jordan can tell and she keeps her Gift way, way, far away from you. But yeah, I'm happy now, it's like a superhero with cool powers and stuff. I like it."

You mean super villain.

"No, the hero. That's what you guys are, not the villains. That's his dad."

Now it was my turn to look out at the water.

"You can stay like this, I won't tell Abby you did it around me and broke his rule." Levi replied to some thought from James after a couple minutes of silence.

"I don't want you to throw up, so I won't tell him, don't worry."

"I'm not worried. I don't have to follow what he says anymore. I do whatever I want."

James' reply was full of contempt as he spoke, as if the mere thought of listening to what Abby instructed was insulting to him. I felt myself bristle at his tone, but then Levi spoke and I had to try and hide a smile instead. His words were always so matter-of-fact, and hearing them come from a child was comical.

"No, you don't, you don't do whatever you want, not even close and you know it. Even if you could, you wouldn't. And not just because of Abby, you don't do what you want because you won't let yourself either. And you do have to listen to what he says, that's why you're here for this lesson with sis and me. That's why you didn't hurt Grayson this morning. That's why you aren't Shifted all the time. That's even why you're at the Vault to start, because you're doing what Abby tells you to, or what you know he wants you to do. You lie almost as much as Jordan."

My smile lessened at his last words, but I brushed them off.

"In fact, you don't do almost anything you want. I mean, you could talk, you know, about...well, all that stuff."

The muscle in James' jaw jumped as he bit down, hard, staring straight ahead again.

"I have nothing to say."

Levi made a noise like a little scoffing laugh that I had never heard him make before, before he stared out at the lake as well.

"Yeah, okay. Sure."

Filler, I know, might edit this one out actually as I have had to change the end of Book II fairly dramatically and might need to add a new chapter for flow's sake, but I promised only six more, so, well math.

We shall see!

Sorry updates have been more sluggish than my norm, my parents arrive in Korea to visit me (eeeek) tomorrow, so I've been mad preparing & getting my work ready for a week's vacation of yours truly. So writing hasn't been at the top of my list.

Pluus, I'm slo-o-o-o-ow when it comes to creating new things, as opposed to Book I and most of II which were just heavy edits but already written before uploading, so yes ><

Wish me luck! (And words)

And pray for your characters.

Storms are coming.

T.