Citizen

Chapter twenty-two // Ethan

The final Ethan chapter is here!! I'm trash at editing so please point out any mistakes. x

—

Ethan shivered under the thick layer of clothing soft against his skin. Winter had well and truly fallen over Arabel, and with it came a dark time in the Control Centre. The weather leeched warmth from the walls, the lights, even the people. But he felt very warm; he pulled one knee up and encircled it with his arm, thanking the cold weather for allowing him to wear jeans. His eyes darted between the two assailants on either side of him. One dark haired and eyed, the other with fiery locks and splattered freckles. Kyra. Boomer. The two people who knew him best. He could trust no one, especially not them - not tonight, that is.

Board game night was in full swing.

Situated in one of the many labs, they cowered between two tall tables, cross-legged around a board. Sighing, Boomer scooped up the dice in a smooth movement, trying to hide the flicker of a red token by tossing the dice around to show of his adeptness.

"Aha!" Kyra swiped her token out of Boomer's hand. "I knew you were cheating."

"I was just picking it up." He shrugged in feigned innocence, but Ethan saw straight through it.

"Let's not forget the board game fiasco of 09'."

Boomer rolled his eyes. "I swear, to this day I still don't understand how your token ended up lodged in my throat."

"Oh yeah?" he said, tucking his shaking hands in his pockets. His body had been like that for weeks; it was a wonder no one had noticed, especially Boomer. They worked on intricate projects that required steady hands, but he hadn't been able to hold anything still.

"Mhmm."

"So you weren't hiding it in your mouth, and didn't accidentally choke when I opened a bag of chips and you got excited?"

Boomer pursed his lips, and slowly said, "I don't recall."

The trio burst out laughing. Ethan's cheeks hurt from smiling but he didn't dare stop; this was the best he'd felt in months.

If only he always felt so alive.

Ethan rubbed his eyes to keep them open. Ever since he'd spotted that drone, sleep was a second priority, and finding a way to fulfill his father's final wish was all he could think about. That left little time for sleeping, eating and working - but to him, nothing else mattered more than family. Especially family that was presumed dead.

Kyra gasped, a sound so sharp he was pulled back to Earth.

"What's wrong?"

She ran her hands through her hair. "Boomer, the world must be coming to an end because Ethan hasn't told a single bad joke today."

"He hasn't spoken at the speed of light either." Boomer clutched his chest and fell backwards. "Oh no, how ever will we survive?"

The pair chuckled as Ethan rolled his eyes. Was it that obvious he wasn't himself? "I've got plenty of dad jokes up my sleeve. And on my shirt," he added, pulling back his jacket to expose the tee beneath. It read 'Why are there no good jokes about paper? They're tearable.'

Kyra shook her head with a smile. "You're terrible."

"Agreed. You all right?" Boomer asked, clapping him on the back. The force of it made Ethan's balance waver; he placed a hand against the dusty floor to keep his upper body upright.

He smiled a small smile. "Yeah, just tired. I need some caffeine." And sleep, he wanted to add, but doing so would only make it that much harder to hide his recent activities from them. "Speaking of caffeine: why did the coffee file a report with the Enforcing office?"