No Pain: Book 1

Chapter 34: Najee

         "I know, a nice pencil skirt with a blazer." Keller walks out with her arm wrapped around Star's shoulders. Star doesn't even slide a glance my way. Kader steps out a second later with the room keys and closes the door. He comes over and throws his arm over my shoulder

"So, you really messed up, huh?" Kader says nodding as if he knows. He messes up with Keller almost daily but it works for them somehow.

"That's got to be some kind of record." Kader chuckles shaking his head "I mean you guys have been together for like, what, eighteen hours?"

"Not really a great time." John says to Kader.

"Come on, Najee, Keller and I have been waiting for you two to officially claim each other and now that you finally have, you mess it up the next day?"

"We weren't together." I mutter trying not to punch him.

"It's whatever, Star will forgive you for just about anything." Kader pulls me forward to catch up with Keller and Star. John jogs to catch up to us.

"We'll get your hair to lay a little flatter so that it looks a bit more professional, give you a little more of a sophisticated look." Keller goes on. Star knows exactly what she needs to look like and how she needs to act but she indulges Keller's babblings and lets Keller drag her along.

"So, what did you do?" Kader presses me. I'm pretty sure Star can hear him but I tune him out, Kader will fill in the empty space.

Thierry, you get out here I yell for him. Thierry is usually closer to the front than the others but not this time. He'd rather sit back and watch me burn.

Thierry, why did you do it? I demand, why did you have to ruin this?

You want to send her away. Thierry finally comes out, he's angry, the intensity of his anger making me shake.

It's for her own good. I remind him it's safer for her.

If you care about her so much, Thierry starts why are you letting her go alone, why are you sending her with your soul reader brother?

John can help her. That's an obvious answer though, Thierry doesn't want to hear it.

You should be going with her. Thierry growls at me you think John can handle her like we can?

I scoff you think anyone can handle her?

I think she needs someone who can match her. Thierry sulks as he hides himself away in my head.

"Najee?" John's face is directly in front of mine. "You okay?" Concern evident on his face.

"I'm fine." I look around, we've already made it to the chain of stores Star and I past on our way in. Star is walking with Keller still, they're laughing and their arms are linked and Star is happy. Keller was the first person to make her happy after her family's death.

She doesn't know I'm watching her, she doesn't know that I'm always watching her. She's rare and she's especially aggressive, angry. She's either on edge or breaking down. She's pummeling the punching bag right now, her fists are small but she's got a solid hit. She's short but she knows how to scrap. I hate that Thierry noticed first, she still thinks it was me that came onto her. She doesn't know about me yet but she's good at pushing forward. For most things, anyway. Star spins and thrusts her elbow into the bag. She lunges forward and spins again, this time her foot connects with the bag and sends it into a spiral on its two anchors. Her chest heaves with her exertion. Her body is starting to shake, she needs to drink more water, eat more protein.

She lunges at the bag, her elbow digging into the thick material. Her hands and elbows and knees are all covered in bruises and mat burn. If she was normal she'd be living in an ice bathe to sooth the burning in her muscles. She can't feel the pain, she's not aware of her body telling her she's exhausted, her stomach aching with hunger or the headache from dehydration.

Star screams and slams her fist into the punching bag. She's lost form. She slams her fists into the bag, powerful, fast. She screams again and again as she pummels the bag. Then her legs give out and she falls and drops her head against the bag. Tears are streaming down her face and she's just sitting there, silent sobs racking her body. I see Keller enter the room and walk across the room, she doesn't see Star yet but she can hear her. Keller walks toward the sounds, when she finds Star she doesn't say anything. She stands there for a moment, Star is struggling to keep her cries silent. She knows Marco is always on the prowl. Watching Keller, I catch the look of pity on her face. Star would hate it if she saw it but Keller composes herself before Star can realize she's being watched by Keller.

"Hey." Keller's voice carries up to the ceiling where I can hear her. Star calms herself on command and looks to Keller. Star's eyes are red and puffy even from where I'm at.

"You okay?" Keller asks offering a hand to Star. Star pushes herself up, her legs are shaking but Star doesn't notice. She shrugs.

"I'm just a murderer training to kill on command." She says darkly. The self-loathing is new. She was just depressed before.

Keller shrugs. "It's good pay though."

Star is taken aback by Keller's humor. She and Keller haven't really gotten acquainted yet. Star spends most of her time training with me or on her own, long after everyone else has succumbed to their bodies limits and gone to sleep.

"Let's grab a bite." Keller says jerking her chin toward the door. Star watches Keller cautiously, as if she doesn't know if she can trust her.

"Come on, you need water and food." Keller grabs Star's hand and pinches her skin "see that?" Keller asks. Star nods.

"If your skin snaps back you're hydrated, if it's slow you need more water." Keller looks Star up and down. "By the look of you and the fact that your skin has yet to flatten against your hand you should have I.V fluids."

"You sound like Najee." Star says finally, her voice is scratchy. Maybe from her screaming before or from lack of water.

"He's always telling me I need to go to the nurse." Star hates that I make her take care of herself. I know it's why she avoids me. She doesn't want to take care of herself, she wants to die.

"Well, let's get you hydrated and Najee will never know." I can hear the smile in Keller's voice, "It's the least you can do after last night." Keller says.

Last night I had to take care of some business in the city. I want to know what happened last night, but that would raise questions I can't answer. Not without telling her how much I watch her.

"Okay." Star sighs and she forces her legs forward but she's off kilter. She can't walk straight, it's impossible to get her to eat as much as she should or drink anything.

"What are you feeling?" Keller asks.

Star shrugs "I don't care. I don't really want to eat."

"Well I know this amazing Ethiopian place about a block from here." Keller disregards Star's depressing comment and links arms with her. Star isn't relaxed but there is something different as she walks with Keller. Keller bursts out laughing over something Star says and as Star steps back and holds the door for Keller, I see it. Star is smiling.