𝓟𝐫𝗼𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝓢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐞

Chapter #22 - Dex

Chapter #22 - Dex

Dex knew it was selfish, but a small part of him had hoped the cache would take a really long time to open. He knew he shouldn't feel this way— the faster Sophie and Glimmer saw it, the better. But... he'd take any minute he could to not have to go back to his house.

His parents didn't know about Rex yet, and Dex wasn't sure if his little brother wanted them to know.

It was such a mess.

Luckily, he'd been able to stay out of Rimeshire for the whole day that day. First thing in the morning, Biana had hailed Dex, wanting to make sure he was okay. He said he was, and she invited him to Everglen where she told a riveting story of some feud going on between Ro and Fitz.

After the hilarious story involving microbes and chandeliers, he'd gotten a call from Mr. Forkle, and that's when he asked Dex and Tinker if they'd been willing to help open the cache. Tinker had been busy working on a project that seemed to involve Sophie enhancing— some sort of gadget so she could potentially enhance multiple people.

But now that he'd successfully helped open Kenric's cache, Dex had no choice but to go home.

"Look, Mom, I made my own ice sculpture! It's a verminion!"

"Very nice, Lex."

"Aw, don't give Lex all the attention! I'm the one who can walk through walls!" To demonstrate this, Bex phased in and out of each of the walls.

"Yes, that is great too."

Dex wandered into the elegant central room of his house, where his siblings and mom were. Lex and Bex were playing around with their abilities; Juline was making sure they didn't destroy anything— possibly the hardest task of all time. Kesler was out working at Slurps And Burps. But Dex wasn't looking at them. His eyes locked with Rex, who was clearly just pretending to read the book Mind Over Matter: Your Everyday Guide To Metaphysics on a jeweled desk near the kitchen.

He looked nervous. Really nervous.

He still hadn't told anyone he was Talentless.

"Can I talk to you?" Dex asked quietly. Rex buried his nose further into the book, so close it would be impossible to actually read it.

Dex grabbed the book out from his hands. "I'm serious."

"Give that back."

"Since when are you into reading?"

Rex's features fell, and his voice turned to whisper as he said, "Later. In our burrow." Dex nodded, knowing exactly where he was talking about.

***

In human movies that the Dizznee parents had shown their kids, there was one where a person had been some sort of action hero. It was weird— Dex still didn't understand why anyone would want to shoot at people, but then again, they were living in a world where the Neverseen had murdered, kidnapped, and probably done more awful things they didn't know about.

It was terrifying when you think about it.

In the movie, the two heroes had wanted to meet up together, but they had no way to contact each other. But ahead of time, they had established a place called a burrow, basically a place where they'd both know to find each other if they were separated.

Bex, Lex, and Rex had since become obsessed with the idea, and had each individually come up with burrows throughout Rimeshire with their older brother. Dex just had to go to his one with Rex.

"Are you okay?" Dex asked immediately, as soon as they had met up in the closet of his alchemy lab.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"This." Rex's freckled face was unreadable as he squeezed his wrist and a jolt of electricity came out of his fingertips, as if he were a Charger.

But he couldn't—

"I haven't told anyone at home yet, though Magnate Leto will probably announce it tomorrow. And... I know I shouldn't have. You have every right to be mad at me. But... I took one of your gadgets to fake an ability."