Curiosity Kills the Cat (An IDFB Fanfic)

Chapter 26

Chapter 26
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A Speck of Insanity
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Third Person P.O.V.

Cold. For someone who was quite literally on fire, he could feel the cold gusts against his face. Well, he wasn't made all of fire, but that's beside the point. The heavy, icy winds of autumn bit at his skin. Despite it being early morning, the stars said otherwise. He could hear the light snores from Freesmart, who spent most of the night recording for their Vlogs. It went that way every time they were on lookout.

They hardly ever interacted with him, leaving him alone with his thoughts. It was rather ironic in his head. He was alone, like an island at sea. Like the island, he never got to see.

Another gust of wind brushed against him, sending a shiver up his spine. He despised thinking about it, but he'd prefer Coiny over any of them. He would at least try to smuggle a blanket in for him from time to time.

Fiery could feel the heaviness in his eyes, tempted to blank out and sleep. But as he felt his eyes close, he shot back up, desperately trying to shake the tired out of him. He always felt the need to stay awake, to make sure she made it through the night. Though he had only done it a handful of times, he always felt the need to do so.

Even with his entire charade, he still cared about her... sort of. It was complicated just to think about.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to keep himself busy. As long as he made it to the early twilight sky, he'd know she was fine. The piles of smoke were all he knew about her, since that day he recovered her. Even if he longed to know if she was alright, he knew it was better to play it safe.

Silence and confusion kept him safe for so long, after all. He'd play dumb and no one would say anything to him—except GB. She was a can of rivetingly dull worms.

She'd walk in demanding answers to questions he couldn't comprehend. He'd state the same as he always had, words engraved into his mind whether he wanted to or not. And yet she always left with a huff.
It kept him safe; those words. As safe as he could be up in the air.

He sneezed, the chain above him rattling with the sudden motion. With a sniff, he looked behind him, hoping no one had heard him.

To much of his discomfort, they had found leverage in his fear of heights, using it against him during the trials. Constant interrogation and monitoring had dispersed the few friends he had. So, he relied on himself, hoping to stay afloat in the raging waters.

But he stood his ground, remaining silent, tiresomely saying the same things time and time again.

Not like it worked. Being loyal to an old friend was tiring, even if she did not know. Still, he continued with it, though he began doing it more for himself. Firey sighed, tapping the edge of the cage with his fingers. He glanced up for a few moments, eyeing the horizon for rising smoke.
He'd be lying if he said he didn't hate her—to some degree, at least. Not to the point of wishing her to be gone forever. He just—

His thought process was cut as he heard murmurs behind him. The words were slurred, tired, and slow. A garble of unidentifiable words. It was all he needed to push it aside as Ruby sleep-talking.

He envied her. Leafy was fine and dandy out there, while he was stuck in a cage, 210 meters above the ground. All because he cared about her. They secluded him as an outcast despite his attempts to cover everything up. GB saw her, and that was all she needed to craft a reason for his demise.