𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇

XXXIV

— RORI —

Zephaniah releases Teddy with an unceremonious shove, smirking at the furious look on his face. He then looks past him, to where Yakov must be standing, and tosses the gun for him to catch.

I shake my head at the carelessness with which my three brothers handle the weapon, safety off and all. At the same time, there is a reminiscent aspect about it.

"Vaffanculo!" Teddy curses at them.

"Don't whine, Teddy," Zephaniah mockingly scolds him. "You can get it back if you play nice."

"I should have killed you when i had the chance," Teddy seethes. "I should have killed you both."

"You still can, if you so wish," Zephaniah points out with a grin. "We will torment you from beyond the grave."

Teddy stills suddenly, though this does not seem to arouse suspicion in Zephaniah, thus arousing suspicion in me. At his lack of retaliation, Zephaniah simply cocks his head to the side, eyebrows quirked in a piqued manner as he quietly observes him.

I don't understand what is happening. But when i look down and notice that my grip has loosened on the door handle, a creaking sound immediately registers in my brain.

Slowly, Teddy's head turns to face the darkened corridor that i currently reside in. My heartbeat thumps to the point where i can hear it within the walls of my mind, mercilessly taunting me. It's good to know that i'm alive, at least. For a while the other day, i wasn't entirely sure.

"What was that?" Teddy asks.

Eyes widening, i immediately retreat from the door in an attempt to conceal myself, pondering what to do next. The momentary silence that follows his question does nothing to ease my mind, but when the response "Why don't you find out?" flies out of Zephaniah's mouth, i almost wish Teddy had pulled the trigger.

I close my eyes to collect my thoughts. It is already obvious that i am eavesdropping — Zephaniah and Yakov most likely assumed i was the entire time — but if i allow Teddy to find me standing behind the door, i will feel like even more of a fool.

Thank you, Zephaniah, for throwing me under the bus.

I don't have much time to dwell on my misfortune, as i soon hear the sound of Teddy's footsteps on the wooden floor, each one louder than the last. Though the trio will know for certain that i have, indeed, overheard their entire interaction, i decide to open the door in a final attempt to appear as though i had planned to leave the room, and not as though i accidentally exposed myself for eavesdropping — as i so often do.

For once in my life, it would have been nice to eavesdrop without being caught...Not that it was my intention to do so this time.

Teddy stops in his tracks when he sees me exit the room. Our brothers stand in the background, but i don't shift my focus from him.

His eyes widen a fraction when he acknowledges it is me, and, for a moment, he does not say anything, looking into my eyes as though i might disintegrate before him at any given moment.

His outfit, which consists of a black crewneck and navy blue sweatpants, strikes me as uncoordinated: as though it has been thrown together at the last second as opposed to meticulously planned. Teddy may not take fashion as seriously as the rest of us, but, even by his standards, an outfit like this is random. Especially given the current weather.