Wicked Ones {bxb}

{Chapter 22 : The Boy in the Barracks}

"His name's Arlo."

The warehouse had never felt so hauntingly quiet as it did when Gigi spoke.

The others were observant, listening to every word as if they carried a hidden meaning. But Gigi looked inattentive, twisting her brunette waves around spindly fingers and adding ever so cavalierly, "He can sniff us out—Wickeds, I mean. Like a hound dog."

"So you're saying that there's no way to hide our freaky abilities from this guy?" Kailan asked, frowning daggers at the back of her head.

"From what I could tell, he can only focus on one person at a time. But once he locks onto you, it's like following a trail of bread crumbs. How do you think he found me?" Her voice hummed sickeningly sweet—the way you'd speak to a senseless child. "You can't tell when I'm using my powers. I really don't leave much of a footprint. But this guy knew, just from a glance."

"How do you know all of this?" Vinny asked. "You aren't bullshitting us?"

"Oh, please." Gigi laughed, and for the first time, it sounded genuine. "If I wanted to mess with your heads, I'd use illusions."

"Then how?" Vincent took a step closer, his expression unyielding. The look in his eyes went far beyond exasperation; it was also polluted with distrust.

"When I use my powers on someone, I give them visions, feelings, thoughts. And in turn, I take their own." Gigi smiled something wicked, and slowly, her eyes traveled up to his face. "It's really quite fascinating, the things I discover."

There was a hidden meaning behind it, but Vincent hadn't the slightest what she meant.

"Then what is it?" Jahni asked, his tone octaves lower. "What is it that you see from this Wicked?"

Gigi looked contemplative. "I guess you could describe it as a sort of bubble floating around us. Like an aura or something. Normal humans have green ones. When I looked through Arlo's eyes, they were all green. All of them except one. Mine was blue."

Kailan shook his head, quiet laughter aiding in his applause as he clapped, "Neat, so if he catches our scent we're screwed." But as he scratched at the back of his neck, one question bugged him greatly: "Why would he work for them, though?"

Jahni answered instead: "It does not matter why or how. They have the perfect pet to sniff out our footsteps. We must be on our toes from here out."

Kailan frowned. The situation was bullshit, and now they had the Syndicate's mangy hound dog on their asses. A Wicked at that, as if things weren't hellish enough.

"So we have to get rid of him, problem solved," April piped up. "I mean, if all he can do is sniff us out, we overpower him."

"It's not that simple." Gigi looked amused, her tone swinging in a sing-songy purr. "Maybe he's not one of the stronger Wickeds, but he's just as brawny as Quadzilla over here." She gestured towards Jahni. "Besides, he isn't interested in fighting. He felt... sad. I doubt we'd ever see him away from the 'Syndicate' or whatever you're calling those guys. It was almost like he was their slave."

"Quadzilla?" Jahni asked, stuck on the joke.

"Jahni." Vinny looked to the man for guidance. "What do we do?"

Jahni's chest rose in a large, soundless sigh. "You train. Ten-fold, starting tomorrow. For now,"—he gazed upon Kailan and Vinny, both of whom looked terribly worn—"get some rest."

A long silence hung in the air as Jahni left to his room. Everyone suddenly seemed so tense, muted by the worry in their heads. Finally, the quiet was broken by a sigh as Vincent gathered his jacket.