Undorn: The Middle

Part Eleven

Part Eleven

Orgon, The Fort

Location: The Hospital Dorms

Orgon didn't bother knocking, but perhaps he should have.

Both Indiana and Biondi were collapsed on the bottom bunk of the bed they shared. Indiana's legs were splayed all over Biondi's. Beo was sitting up, one hand resting on Bones' injured leg, the other brushing hair off his forehead.

Beo rolled his eyes once he saw it was Orgon standing in their doorway. "Uh, yes?"

"Everyone's coming in. Get up. We're bringing in Scarlett, Taide, and Orwell as well."

Beo sighed but began to pull Bones' legs off his lap so the two of them were sitting on the edge of the bunk. As soon as Maxin popped his head in behind Orgon, Beo stood up.

Taide, Orwell, and Scarlett followed soon after. When Taide ducked into the room rounding out their group, Orgon closed the door, drawing a chair behind the knob for good measure.

"Good, we're all here," Orgon began, eyeing the six of them. Almost four months ago, he was spending his mornings meeting with his power-hungry brothers and the head of the Patriarchy in a room covered floor to ceiling in the world's finest marble. Now, here he was, in the basement of a hospital, starring at second-hand bunk beds, four deserter Enforcers, and his servant-turned-lover. The thought didn't upset him as much as he thought it would, however.

"Here for what exactly?" Scarlett was of course the first to speak up. She had already crossed her arms over her chest and cocked one of her dark eyebrows. Scarlett's name suited her perfectly. Her hair was the natural brownish-red that women in the Fort usually detested, but Orgon found it to be a particularly gorgeous compliment to her tan complexion. She was fiery too, that one. Her temper was always unchecked, and she hardly ever thought before she spoke. She was Biondi's foil in every way.

"Well, if you give me a minute Red, I'll tell you." Orgon was surprised she didn't bite back. "Well, I guess I'll start—"

"No," Beo stepped in easily, confidently. All eyes left Orgon and found him. He was already their leader. He was already the voice of logical reason, the one everyone trusted. Blindly trusted, if Orgon were being honest. But if he were being even more honest, he'd say he was one of the ones blinding trusting. "I should uh, I should explain." He turned to look at Orgon. "Things came up on the press tour that we haven't spoken about. Best I share them to the group."

Orgon nodded. He assumed as much when Bones came through the door with two sets of stitches and Beo was refusing to meet with Catherine. He still was, a day later.

"I'll start at the beginning," Beo said, taking a step toward the group. "Before the press tour, Orgon and Maxin told me that Catherine was planning to murder the Aldrich's. All of them. That isn't what I stand for, and obviously Orgon wasn't keen on watching his family burn at the stake. No matter how much they deserve it. Sorry, Orgon."

Orgon put his hands up. "No offense taken."

Beo continued. "So, I brought in Bones, and the four of us started planning a sort-of anti-Catherine resistance. I had just been named the leader of the Resistance, so we would have had some power over the way things played out. We hadn't made much of a plan other than that we would stop Catherine, no matter what it took. And then we went on the press tour.

I think it's clear to everyone that Catherine doesn't like me. She resents me, resents that I'm leading instead of her. She knows it's necessary but wishes it wasn't. She monopolizes my time and quite frankly doesn't care about me or my life. And she made that quite clear on the press tour.