The Duns

Eavesdropping and Icecream

Chapter Twenty-nine

Peter

"Did you know it was me?"

"No." He answers, turning around to face me.

"But you normally know when someone's chosen?"

"Yes. That's why I was shocked when you got four powers."

"Why were you eavesdropping on our conversation? Do you do that to everyone?"

"No, I don't."

"Why were you listening, Andrew."

"I knew he was there. I knew he would tell you. I wanted to see your reaction."

"You've been watching everything I do, haven't you?"

He doesn't answer.

"Sometimes you're purposely loud sometimes, aren't you?"

No answer.

"Even when I'm with Catherine?"

Silence.

Anger boils up inside of me and erupts like a volcano. My eyes burn. "Why?" I scream at him. "It's called privacy, Andrew."

"I know what it's called, Peter. Also, you two need to be more careful."

He doesn't say it, but it's obvious what he means.

"How dare you!" I lunge at him, my fists hot, burning. I thrash it into his throat. He groans loudly and turns invisible. My fist hits the air. "Where are you?" I scream into the room. "Where the hell are you?"

"Calm down Peter." A familiar robotic voice announces. Calm down?

"Where are you?!" I growl, my throat stretched, hands upturned, balls of fire emitting from it. "Coward!"

"I don't want to fight you, Peter." Don't want to fight me? I want to kill you!

"I'm going to kill you!"

"There's no need to get this angry Peter."

"Shut up!" I look around. Calm down, Peter. Use your ears. Keeping my external image the same fierce person, I cool my anger down- or try to-slowly. I perk my ears up, listening. A low shuffle, just about there, withers over on the other side of the room.

"Where are you?" I yell, acting, turning around, now facing him. Slowly, so that he doesn't realize I notice, I walk diagonally to him.

The door bursts open. "Peter!" Max barges in. He sees me, my eyes possibly red, my hands with balls of fire. He stops mid-track and then says in a more cautious tone. "What are you doing?"

"He's been following me- everywhere! With Catherine, with you guys."

He swears under his breath. Then looks up around the room. "Dude, Andrew, if you're as smart as we thought you were, you need to come out. Right now."

"I'm not letting him go anywhere."

"Yes, you are Peter. Andrew!" Max sighs. Andrew swiftly tries moving across the room, but I manage to grab onto his foot. His body slowly comes into view. "Peter..." Max says, walking with his hands out defensively, slowly coming ahead. "Peter, you know you can't kill him, right?"

He's right. I can't.

I pull Andrew closer towards me, tugging him from his collar. I speak fiercely, my eyes still boiling. "Now listen up. You stay away from me- is that clear?"

"Peter." Max says from behind me.

"No, Max." I say, not looking away from Andrew.

"Peter, you need to put this- him- behind you for now."

I ignore him and tighten my grip on Andrew's collar. "No following me. No asking what I'm doing. And no matter what, do not- don't even try- talking like that about her. Are we clear?"

Max puts his hand on my grip. "Peter..."

"Wait for him to reply. Are we clear, Andrew?"

Andrew looks at me, and not for the first time, I see fear in his eyes as he faces the tetrakinita.

"Yes." He croaks.

-

One month till the battle

I chug some water down with my pills and walk over to the training room.

There is a boxing ring in the center, and all around it, different machines specializing in each part of the body are like a fence around a house. There are some boxing bags too, and a bullseye. Throughout the room, different sections are created- seven in total- one section for each of us boys to practice our powers.

The walls are metal gray and even without having to strain your eyes, one can see the head of the nails on each corner of the squares that make up the wall.

The ring is on a higher ground, with wooden stairs leading up to it. On two sides, matching wooden benches lay. I settle down on one and start taping up my hand, crossing the tape in between my thumb and index finger and bringing it back down to my wrist.

I do the same on the other hand.

Then, I get up and start walking around the ring, taking a full circle. My toughest opponent is myself. As I look at the ring, my back to the door, I imagine myself in there, my movements, my hits, my blocks, me hitting myself, blocking my own punches. I mutter corrections to myself, slowly walking along.

When I reach the other side, on the bench, there is a bright red gym bag with 'No Pain No Gain' written across it in white. I smile. There is only one person I know who can be this cheesy and yet so serious at the same time- but there is no one in the room. He probably left his bag here in a hurry to bag a good seat for dinner.

"Yeah well, dinner is a big deal- todays especially. The food was just- ahh..." A loud voice says from behind me. I turned to find Ester standing at the doors. "Couldn't sleep?" He asks.

"No," I say to him, "nothing like that, just thought of getting some more hours in."

"Does your room have a mirror?"

"Seriously Ester?" I ask him, annoyed. But he looked pretty sincere so I answer. "Yeah, it does."

"Have you used it lately? Cause you look like an overused rag from my six-year-old nieces' art class."

Well. Not rude at all. "Very funny."

"Boy, tell me the truth. Why're you up?"

I inhale deeply and sit down on the bench. Ester comes over next to me. "I've been getting nightmares."

"About her?" He asks, his hands rubbing down his pants nervously.

"Yeah."

He sighs and puts his hand across my shoulders. I don't move it away. "Peter, I promise you; I will try my best to keep her safe. If it comes to it, I will readily give up my life for her."

I look up at him, surprised. "Why would you do that?"

He sighs and takes his hand off me. "I know I haven't been much of a dad- ever. But after seeing Catherine's dead parents, and her reaction, I guess I just-I don't know- something inside me clicked on- like a 'parental instinct' and I knew then that I had to do whatever I could to show you that I care. And if giving my life for Catherine is the way, I will do it."

I look at him in shock, confused. "You know how you always thought your eyes looked weird in yellow and blue?" He says to me, getting off the bench and heading to the door. "Well, they look really good with all the colors."

A moment of comfortable silence hangs in the air. We stare at each other for a few seconds, smiling. Then I say, "You can be gay, Ester, but not for your own son."

He chuckles and walks to the door. Before he leaves, he turns and says, "You know, I'm craving for some ice cream. Do you want to join me?" I smile and nod, leaving my stuff behind on the gym floor.