Unravel Me (4 page)

It was a gift from Castle.

He had it custom-made for me before I arrived at Omega Point. He thought I might like
to finally have an outfit that would protect me from myself and others while simultaneously
offering me the option of
hurting
others. If I wanted to. Or needed to. The suit is made of some kind of special material
that’s supposed to keep me cool in the heat and keep me warm in the cold. So far it’s
been perfect.

So far so far so far

I head to breakfast by myself.

Sonya and Sara are always gone by the time I’m awake. Their work in the medical wing
is never-ending—not only are they able to heal the wounded but they also spend their
days trying to create antidotes and ointments. The one time we ever had a conversation,
Sonya explained to me how some Energies can be depleted if we exert ourselves too
much—how we can exhaust our bodies enough that they’ll just break down. The girls
say that they want to be able to create medicines to use in the case of multiple injuries
they can’t heal all at once. They are, after all, only 2 people. And war seems imminent.

Heads still spin in my direction when I walk into the dining hall.

I am a spectacle, an anomaly even among the anomalies. I should be used to it by now,
after all these years. I should be tougher, jaded, indifferent to the opinions of
others.

I should be a lot of things.

I clear my eyes and keep my hands to my sides and pretend I’m unable to make eye contact
with anything but that spot, that little mark on the wall 50 feet from where I’m standing.

I pretend I’m just a number.

No emotions on my face. Lips perfectly still. Back straight, hands unclenched. I am
a robot, a ghost slipping through the crowds.

6 steps forward. 15 tables to pass. 42 43 44 seconds and counting.

I am scared

I am scared

I am scared

I am strong.

Food is served at only 3 times throughout the day: breakfast from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m.,
lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., and dinner from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Dinner is an hour
longer because it’s at the end of the day; it’s like our reward for working hard.
But mealtimes aren’t a fancy, luxurious event—the experience is very different from
dining with Warner. Here we just stand in a long line, pick up our prefilled bowls,
and head toward the eating area—which is nothing more than a series of rectangular
tables arranged in parallel lines across the room. Nothing superfluous so nothing
is wasted.

I spot Adam standing in line and head in his direction.

68 69 70 seconds and counting.

“Hey, gorgeous.” Something lumpy hits me in the back. Falls to the floor. I turn around,
my face flexing the 43 muscles required to frown before I see him.

Kenji.

Big, easy smile. Eyes the color of onyx. Hair even darker, sharper, stick-straight
and slipping into his eyes. His jaw is twitching and his lips are twitching and the
impressive lines of his cheekbones are appled up into a smile struggling to stay suppressed.
He’s looking at me like I’ve been walking around with toilet paper in my hair and
I can’t help but wonder why I haven’t spent time with him since we got here. He did,
on a purely technical level, save my life. And Adam’s life. James’, too.

Kenji bends down to pick up what looks like a wadded ball of socks. He weighs them
in his hand like he’s considering throwing them at me again. “Where are you going?”
he says. “I thought you were supposed to meet me here? Castle said—”

“Why did you bring a pair of socks in here?” I cut him off. “People are trying to
eat.”

He freezes for only a split second before he rolls his eyes. Pulls up beside me. Tugs
on my ponytail. “I was running late to meet
you
, your highness. I didn’t have time to put my socks on.” He gestures to the socks
in his hand and the boots on his feet.

“That’s so gross.”

“You know, you have a really strange way of telling me you’re attracted to me.”

I shake my head, try to bite back my amusement. Kenji is a walking paradox of Unflinchingly
Serious Person and 12-Year-Old Boy Going Through Puberty all rolled into one. But
I’d forgotten how much easier it is to breathe around him; it seems natural to laugh
when he’s near. So I keep walking and I’m careful not to say a word, but a smile is
still tugging at my lips as I grab a tray and head into the heart of the kitchen.

Kenji is half a step behind me. “So. We’re working together today.”

“Yup.”

“So, what—you just walk right past me? Don’t even say hello?” He clutches the socks
to his chest. “I’m crushed. I saved us a table and everything.”

I glance at him. Keep walking.

He catches up. “I’m serious. Do you have any idea how awkward it is to wave at someone
and have them ignore you? And then you’re just looking around like a jackass, trying
to be all, ‘No, really, I swear, I know that girl’ and no one believes y—”

“Are you kidding?” I stop in the middle of the kitchen. Spin around. My face is pulled
together in disbelief. “You’ve spoken to me maybe
once
in the two weeks I’ve been here. I hardly even notice you anymore.”

“Okay, hold up,” he says, turning to block my path. “We
both
know there’s no way you haven’t noticed all of
this
”—he gestures to himself—“so if you’re trying to play games with me, I should let
you know up front that it’s not going to work.”

“What?” I frown. “What are you talking abou—”

“You can’t play hard to get, kid.” He raises an eyebrow. “I can’t even
touch
you. Takes ‘hard to get’ to a whole new level, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh my God,” I mouth, eyes closed, shaking my head. “You are
insane
.”

He falls to his knees. “Insane for your sweet, sweet love!”

“Kenji!
” I can’t lift my eyes because I’m afraid to look around, but I’m desperate for him
to stop talking. To put an entire room between us at all times. I know he’s joking,
but I might be the only one.

“What?” he says, his voice booming around the room. “Does my love embarrass you?”

“Please—
please
get up—and lower your
voice
—”

“Hell no.”

“Why not?” I’m pleading now.

“Because if I lower my voice, I won’t be able to hear myself speak. And that,” he
says, “is my favorite part.”

I can’t even look at him.

“Don’t deny me, Juliette. I’m a lonely man.”

“What is
wrong
with you?”

“You’re breaking my heart.” His voice is even louder now, his arms making sad, sweeping
gestures that almost hit me as I back away, panicked. But then I realize everyone
is watching him.

Entertained.

I manage an awkward smile as I glance around the room and I’m surprised to find that
no one is looking at me now. They’re all grinning, clearly accustomed to Kenji’s antics,
staring at him with a mixture of adoration and something else.

Adam is staring, too. He’s standing with his tray in his hands, his head cocked and
his eyes confused. He smiles a tentative sort of smile when our gazes meet.

I head toward him.

“Hey—wait up, kid.” Kenji jumps up to grab my arm. “You know I was just messing with—”
He follows my eyes to where Adam is standing. Slaps a palm to his forehead. “Of
course
! How could I forget? You’re in love with my roommate.”

I turn to face him. “Listen, I’m grateful you’re going to help me train now—really,
I am. Thank you for that. But you can’t go around proclaiming your fake love to me—especially
not in front of Adam—and you have to let me cross this room before the breakfast hour
is over, okay? I hardly ever get to see him.”

Kenji nods very slowly, looks a little solemn. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I get it.”

“Thank you.”

“Adam is jealous of our love.”

“Just go get your food!” I push him, hard, fighting back an exasperated laugh.

Kenji is one of the only people here—with the exception of Adam, of course—who isn’t
afraid to touch me. In truth, no one really has anything to fear when I’m wearing
this suit, but I usually take my gloves off when I eat and my reputation is always
walking 5 feet ahead of me. People keep their distance. And even though I accidentally
attacked Kenji once, he’s not afraid. I think it would take an astronomical amount
of something horrible to get him down.

I admire that about him.

Adam doesn’t say much when we meet. He doesn’t have to say more than “Hey,” because
his lips quirk up on one side and I can already see him standing a little taller,
a little tighter, a little tenser. And I don’t know much about anything in this world
but I do know how to read the book written in his eyes.

The way he looks at me.

His eyes are heavy now in a way that worries me, but his gaze is still so tender,
so focused and full of feeling that I can hardly keep myself out of his arms when
I’m around him. I find myself watching him do the simplest things—shifting his weight,
grabbing a tray, nodding good morning to someone—just to track the movement of his
body. My moments with him are so few that my chest is always too tight, my heart too
spastic. He makes me want to be impractical all the time.

He never lets go of my hand.

“You okay?” I ask him, still feeling a little apprehensive about the night before.

He nods. Tries to smile. “Yeah. I, uh …” Clears his throat. Takes a deep breath. Looks
away. “Yeah, I’m sorry about last night. I kind of … I freaked out a little.”

“About what, though?”

He’s looking over my shoulder. Frowning.

“Adam …?”

“Yeah?”

“Why were you freaked out?”

His eyes meet mine again. Wide. Round. “What? Nothing.”

“I don’t understa—”

“Why the hell are you guys taking so long?”

I spin around. Kenji is standing just behind me, so much food piled on his tray I’m
surprised no one said anything. He must’ve convinced the cooks to give him extra.

“Well?” Kenji is staring, unblinking, waiting for us to respond. He finally cocks
his head backward, in a motion that says
follow me
, before walking away.

Adam blows out his breath and looks so distracted that I decide to drop the subject
of last night. Soon. We’ll talk soon. I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m sure it’s nothing
at all.

We’ll talk soon and everything is going to be fine.

Kenji is waiting for us at an empty table.

James used to join us at mealtimes, but now he’s friends with the handful of younger
kids at Omega Point, and prefers sitting with them. He seems the happiest of all of
us to be here—and I’m happy he’s happy—but I have to admit I miss his company. I’m
afraid to mention it though; sometimes I’m not sure if I want to know why he doesn’t
spend time with Adam when I’m around.
I don’t think I want to know if the other kids managed to convince him that I’m dangerous.
I mean, I
am
dangerous, but I just

Adam sits down on the bench seat and I slide in next to him. Kenji sits across from
us. Adam and I hide our linked hands under the table and I allow myself to enjoy the
simple luxury of his proximity. I’m still wearing my gloves but just being this close
to him is enough; flowers are blooming in my stomach, the soft petals tickling every
inch of my nervous system. It’s like I’ve been granted 3 wishes: to touch, to taste,
to feel. It’s the strangest phenomenon. A crazy happy impossibility wrapped in tissue
paper, tied with a bow, tucked away in my heart.

It often feels like a privilege I don’t deserve.

Adam shifts so the length of his leg is pressed against mine.

I look up to find him smiling at me, a secret, tiny sort of smile that says so many
things, the kinds of things no one should be saying at a breakfast table. I force
myself to breathe as I suppress a grin. I turn to focus on my food. Hope I’m not blushing.

Adam leans into my ear. I feel the soft whispers of his breath just before he begins
to speak.

“You guys are disgusting, you know that, right?”

I look up, startled, and find Kenji frozen midmovement, his spoon halfway to his mouth,
his head cocked in our direction. He gestures with his spoon at our faces. “What the
hell is this? You guys playing footsie under the table or someshit?”

Adam moves away from me, just an inch or 2, and exhales a deep, irritated sigh. “You
know, if you don’t like it, you can leave.” He nods at the tables around us. “No one
asked you to sit here.”

This is Adam making a concerted effort to be nice to Kenji. The 2 of them were friends
back on base, but somehow Kenji knows exactly how to provoke Adam. I almost forget
for a moment that they’re roommates.

I wonder what it must be like for them to live together.

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Kenji says. “I told you this morning that I had
to sit with you guys. Castle wants me to help the two of you
adjust
.” He snorts. Nods in my direction. “Listen, I don’t have a clue what you see in this
guy,” he says, “but you should try living with him. The man is moody as hell.”

“I am not
moody
—”

“Yeah, bro.” Kenji puts his utensils down. “You are
moody.
It’s always ‘Shut up, Kenji.’ ‘Go to sleep, Kenji.’ ‘No one wants to see you naked,
Kenji.’ When I know for a
fact
that there are thousands of people who would love to see me naked—”

“How long do you have to sit here?” Adam looks away, rubs his eyes with his free hand.

Kenji sits up straighter. Picks up his spoon only to stab it through the air again.
“
You
should consider yourself lucky that I’m sitting at your table. I’m making you cool
by association.”

I feel Adam tense beside me and decide to intervene. “Hey, can we talk about something
else?”

Kenji grunts. Rolls his eyes. Shovels another spoonful of breakfast into his mouth.