Fourth Wall

ACT II: Chapter 8

It was early morning and I was draped naked over a still living body. I was getting sick of waking up this way. Alice was pressed up against me in such a way that had I been hard We'd either be in mid coitus or I'd be severely bent.

It took a moment to untangle myself and she stirred in that moment.

There was a tall silhouette outside my tent. It used to be no one visited me, but I seemed to have such a full social calendar lately. I hadn't spent a day alone yet lately, and it was looking like I might not for a long time. that thought bothered me enough to make me sit up and crawl to the flap, half siting up as i poked my head through it..

"Morning.." Rue's perk voice. I had forgotten she even existed in all this excitement.

"hmm?" I looked up bleary eye, feigning sleepiness. behind me I could feel Alice leaning into me, her arms around my middle. her nails tickled where she was caressing my abdomen and I strained to keep a bored face.

"I was going down the river to the east ridge and visit Letha."

"In her home lands?" That seemed much to familiar a thing to do. Like something that man that was courting her might do. Or was I doing that now?

"yes." she dragged out the E. "you want to come don't you?"

"I'll meet you at the border. let me get dressed."

I was sealing the flap again as I watched her shadow fade away. From behind Alice was staring at me, sitting all the way up now that I looked. She has stopped touching me somewhere in the conversation and I hadn't noticed.

I tried not to look her in the eyes. "Why do you give me such a look?"

"Who's Letha now?"

"I..." why was I pale all of he sudden?

"Don't tell me you have a girlfriend."

"What do you care?" defensive. There we go. much better. actually I had a wife too. or I was going to soon. shit.

"I guess I don't. I just thought it was weird. You go out to rape and murder people and you're in a relationship? Does she know you do this?"

I paled just little more. Before she said this I hadn't thought much about it. What would Letha think of my interesting hobbies? And more importantly why did I care?

"She's not my girlfriend. I just met her."

"Well have you done anything?"

"Not really. Not even what I did to you. She's being courted by someone in her home in fact."

"So why are you going to visit her then?"

"Dammit I don't know. Don't ask me this now. Just stay here and amuse yourself while I'm gone."

She shrugged and went back to the cot to sleep, while I was off into the world to be social once more. Having dragged out all these concerns I didn't want to have, I was uneasy walking down to the border. What if Letha and I did end up together? What could I possibly say to explain what I do? To explain Malak? to explain Raina for that matter. What hope was there that she'd understand? I used to be a comfortable sociopath, now look at me.

~*~

I came on them alone seated before a fire, their backs to me. It was easy enough to find her once we had passed into the territory and Rue had let me go off ahead of her. So she had a guest with her. Apparently she wasn't prepared for me to be here. I was not prepared to add another one to the list of people I was familiar with and allowed to live.

For Letha though...May my sick mind help me, I would be nice to whoever it was. If the unsightly fool wasn't so morbidly obese I'd almost be bothered that he knew her.