When My Heart Became Ice - Chapter 8

[[ D E J A • vu ]]

My tears will not be wiped away . . .

“He lied…?” Hykuma asked. She was stroking Syn’s hair as he lay his head in her lap, looking peaceful.

“Mm hm,” Kyth looked at her. “He lied about retrieving whatever he was supposed to and about his partner. The whole thing was a lie. Also, there was no mention of him being splashed with anything strange.”

“So…” Hykuma slumped. “There was nothing helpful in it…”

“No,” Kyth sighed. “No mention of any strange creatures or anything… Unless he wakes up, we aren’t learning anything.”

Syn looked up at Hykuma. “Why’d you stop?” He asked.

“Sorry,” She murmured, and ran her fingers through his hair once more.

He closed his eyes peacefully.

“Don’t be so stressed, my lovely lily,” He purred.

“You’re ridiculous,” Hykuma smacked his shoulder.

“Ow,” Syn opened his eyes and looked up at her. “That was mean.”

“Too bad,” Hykuma muttered, and stood, sending Syn scrambling so his head didn’t twist the wrong way.

He sat upright on his bed, pouting at her unhappily.

“Stay Syn,” She told him.

He grumbled and turned away from her, crossing his arms over his chest and sulking.

“You’re such a child,” Kyth looked at him. “Don’t you realize how serious this is? There’s a chemical out there that can burn our skin that we don’t know about!”

Syn looked at her and tilted his head slowly to the side. “Well,” He said. “Whatever will happen will happen. No reason to panic over something that’s going to happen.” He lay back on the bed. “Besides, people make much better decisions when they’re sober—I mean calm.”

He glanced around the room nervously.

“Hykuma will be back soon,” Kyth told him. “So just relax.”

Syn sat up. “I don’t want to,” He said, and stood. He walked out of the room, head tilted. Kyth followed him.

Syn saw Hykuma and pounced on her, putting his arms around her tightly.

“Hykuma, I’m going now,” He told her. “I’m okay, see my arm?” He showed her his arm, which didn’t have even a scar.

Hykuma looked at him anxiously. “Are you sure…?” She asked.

“Next mission we get,” Kyth said. “I’ll make sure it’s an easy one. We’re going to look for one right now. If you want to, you can come with us.”

“Yeah,” Hykuma said slowly. She looked at Syn, who was frowning. “I’ll come.”

Syn tilted his head, silent.

“All right,” Kyth grabbed Syn’s wrist and pulled him off down the hallway. “See you later, Hykuma!”

“Bye…!” Hykuma looked after them.

Once they had walked for about ten minutes, Syn turned on her. Smashing Kyth against the wall, he snarled, “Why did you let her do that?!”

“She wanted to come,” Kyth snapped, shoving him away.

Syn looked at her, snarling fiercely. “She’s too weak!” He roared. “She can’t handle blood in the field!”

Kyth glared at him. “You don’t give her a chance to prove herself.”

“She can’t!” Syn shouted. “Her parents and brother were killed right in front of her, every time she sees blood fly she can’t handle it!”

Kyth lifted her chin, grimacing. “Then don’t let her get hurt.”

Syn hissed at her, showing his dangerous fangs.

Kyth slapped him.

Syn stared.

“Shut up,” She snapped. “And get moving. I didn’t do this just to screw with you, you know. I actually want you to learn something.”

“Learn what?” Syn muttered.

“You fight recklessly,” Kyth glared at him dangerously. “If she’s around, maybe you’ll fight smarter instead of just begging for blood to spill on you. Now let’s find a good assignment.”

She turned and started into the assignment room.

Syn followed, resigned.

When they reached the assignment room, she took down one and peered at it.

“This’ll do,” She sighed. “Level 6, retrieve.”

Syn nodded, looking at her.

“What is it?”

“I want to make you bleed.”

“I know, Syn, I know.”

He had relaxed. She was glad; though she was used to people getting angry at her, Syn was someone she didn’t like angry at her. Syn truly angry in a way that made him fill with pain just scared her. She didn’t want him to have another attack, especially so soon after the first one.

Syn followed after her, looking bored now. His cobalt blue eyes darted around the room with a kind of curiosity that made him look innocent.

Kyth glanced once more at the assignment.

“Start at 1 a.m.,” She said. “Guess we should get some sleep?”

“You can stay over at our house if you want, Kyth,” Syn looked over at her. “Since we’ll all be going.”

“All right,” Kyth shrugged. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“You can sleep in Hykuma’s room,” Syn grinned. “I can get to you easier.”

“Don’t do that. You aren’t getting to me while I’m sleeping, you know,” Kyth glared at him.

“Oh…” Syn frowned. “Well I can still try…”

As they entered the Infirmary, Hykuma ran up to them, hands gripping her clipboard. “So…?” She asked.

“It’s at one in the morning,” Kyth told her. “So we decided we were gonna go home and sleep until then. You should too, if you’re gonna come with us.”

“Okay,” Hykuma smiled.

“I already invited her to stay at our place,” Syn told her, lifting his arms to grip his shoulders nonchalantly. “So since she’ll be using your room for the night, you’ll sleep with me.” He grinned.

“All right,” Hykuma said dismissively. Syn frowned when she deprived him of the reaction he wanted.

Kyth sniggered.

“I’ll go change and then I’ll be right back,” Hykuma told them, and rushed off.

Syn’s head tilted, frowning. “I thought she’d go nuts on me.”

“Maybe she’s teaching you a lesson,” Kyth smirked.

“You’re so mean,” Syn pouted.

“Shut up, idiot,” Kyth retorted kindly, and slapped the back of his head.

Syn and Kyth stood there in silence, Syn rocking back and forth on his heels as he waited.

Hykuma returned in a light purple short-sleeved turtleneck and black slacks, silver bangles around her thin ankles. She wore only white socks on her feet.

“I’m ready,” Hykuma smiled.

“Wow, I’ve never seen you out of your uniform,” Kyth laughed. “You look so pretty.”

“Thanks,” Hykuma tilted her head, smiling. “Let’s go, Syn!”

She hooked her arm in his and started walking out with him, Kyth following.

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Hykuma and Syn took very good care of their house. It didn’t have any tile in it; only stone and wood. It was decorated simply, with only the occasional plant or picture. There were two bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, and a kitchen. It was more or less clean, though Syn’s room had clothes tossed all over it.

“Make yourself at home,” Hykuma said, rushing into the kitchen. “I left the soup in the oven all day…”

“What?” Kyth poked her head into the kitchen. “You left it cooking all day?”

“No,” Hykuma laughed. “I left it in the oven to keep it warm, but I don’t think it did very well…”

“Here, allow me,” Kyth stepped in and lifted the pot out of the oven, peering into the vegetable soup. “I can reheat it and everything. My treat.”

“Oh, thank you Kyth,” Hykuma smiled at her. “You can do whatever you like to it, just don’t add any meat, okay? I’m a vegetarian.”

“And Syn’s a carnivore,” Kyth laughed. “That must be interesting.”

“He eats veggies when I tell him to,” Hykuma admitted. “He’s taken a liking to beans, potatoes and corn, so I try to add those to what I make…”

“He’s stubborn,” Kyth grinned.

“Yeah,” Hykuma giggled.

“Are you talking about me?” Syn shouted from his room.

“No, Synnie,” Hykuma sang.

Syn came out, wearing only his jeans. His skin moved perfectly over thin, powerful muscles. He tilted his head slowly, white hair falling around his face.

“Kumie,” He said.

Hykuma pouted at her nickname.

“You call me Synnie I call you Kumie,” Syn grinned.

“Fine,” Hykuma turned her head away, focusing back on the corn bread she was trying to finish.

Syn walked up to her and put his arms around her slowly, putting his hands over hers and guiding them.

“Syn,” Hykuma whined, elbowing him.

Syn snickered and stepped away, ambling into the living room, where he collapsed onto the couch and pulled his knife from his belt, stroking his fingers over the blade.

“You’re cleaning that tonight,” Hykuma told him.

“Aw,” Syn pouted. “I don’t want to clean it. It still has fresh blood on it…”

“Clean it, Syn,” Hykuma told him firmly. She put the cornbread into the oven.

“Fine,” Syn disappeared into his room.

Hykuma sighed and rolled her eyes.

After an hour, dinner was ready and the table was set, and as they sat down to eat, Hykuma kept glaring at Syn as though warning him.

Plaintively, he pushed at the cornbread with his spoon.

“No forks or knives…?” He asked slowly.

“Not for you,” Hykuma told him firmly. “Spoon only.”

“Okay…” Syn sighed and lowered his head, lapping at the soup.

Kyth raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t mind him…” Hykuma glanced over at him. “He always eats like that. He’s sulking because I wouldn’t give him a knife.”

“Oh,” Kyth blinked. She’d never seen Syn eat before. In fact, seeing him like this—eating soup like a dog without a shirt on at the kitchen table—told her that she really didn’t know as much about Syn as she thought she did. Might as well start learning.

Syn managed to make a mess of his face and the table by the time he had finished his soup. Once he was done, he began to work on the cornbread—without his hands, of course. He would use his sharp teeth to break pieces away and then use his tongue to pull the piece into his mouth.

Hykuma cleaned up the table and then returned to Syn, taking his arm. “I’m going to get him cleaned up,” She said. “You can go ahead and get yourself comfy in my room, if you want.”

“All right,” Kyth glided into the room as Hykuma wrestled Syn into his bathroom.

“Syn,” Hykuma whined. “Stay still!”

He hissed and scrambled into the shower, closing the glass door.

“Syn, stop that,” Hykuma insisted. “Come out.”

“No,” Syn pouted.

Hykuma grabbed the handle and pulled at it.

“No!” Syn whined.

Hykuma’s hand slipped, and she tumbled backwards, falling onto the ground. She sat there silently for a moment.

Syn’s face filled with guilt and he walked out slowly, and knelt beside her.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Gullible,” She laughed, and tackled him to the ground. He squirmed as she sat on his chest, holding his arms down with her knees, and attacked his face with a wash cloth.

Kyth smiled slightly as she heard the two quarreling. It was so strange; they were brother and sister, and yet they were lovers. At certain times they could be mother and child. They had such a weird relationship it wasn’t easy to pinpoint whether they loved each other not.

She ventured out when she heard the struggling end. She poked her head into Syn’s bedroom door and saw Hykuma helping Syn get into another long-sleeved shirt he had. He already had black jogging pants on, and Hykuma was in a t-shirt that was too big for her and dark blue shorts. Her hair was braided over her right shoulder.

“Hey,” Kyth said. “I’m going to bed.”

“All right,” Hykuma glanced over at her. “If you want to you can use the alarm clock on my nightstand.”

“Thanks,” Kyth told her, and disappeared out of the room.

Syn looked up at Hykuma.

“Bed time,” She told him.

Syn crawled into the bed and curled up under the covers, lying on his belly with his knees pulled up underneath him, his head resting on his pillow as his arms lay straight at his sides.

“You sleep so weird,” Hykuma sighed as she slipped in the bed beside him.

Syn wiggled a bit and crawled over to her, sprawling out across the bed and laying his head on her belly. Hykuma smiled slightly.

“Can’t you sleep without clutching me in your arms?” She laughed.

Immediately, Syn wrapped his arms around her waist and curled closer to her, shaking his head.

Hykuma gently stroked his hair. “You’re a good boy, Syn…”

“Hykuma,” He said quietly, and buried his face deep into her belly.

She rolled her eyes and then closed them, tired.

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So stop trying.