The Unknown // Colby Brock

~~ Chapter Eight ~~

I could have sworn that Colby worked almost twenty-four-seven. I had made it a routine to go into his room every morning after we had trained and I'd gotten changed for the rest of the day, and he'd always be writing in that book. I'd keep him company for a while - which was mostly just sitting in silence and reading everything he wrote - then I'd leave only to come back again in the evening and find him still working.

Maybe I had just never realized before how much he really had to do. It probably didn't help that Jake brought in a new set of papers every day, which was why Colby still had more and more.

I essentially spent all of my time with him after a while of carrying out this routine. It was supposed to be my evening visit, but when I got to the office door, I heard a voice inside. So I paused and I listened. Eavesdropping wasn't that bad.

"You're certain there's going to be a visit?" Colby asked with a strangely nervous tone to his voice.

"Very. Sam said within the next couple of weeks, right? And God's barely a patient guy. I'm surprised he hasn't come already," Jake replied slowly, his voice full of fright.

Sam was going to come back? Or was it God who was supposed to be visiting? I hoped neither...

"Then I'll get Mike to train everyone a little bit extra tonight. We can't have anyone's skills being rusty if God's here."

"I'll schedule it."

The red flash showed through the cracks in the door. I waited until it was gone to actually open it, though, revealing Colby leaning back in his chair with his hands over his face. I nervously shut the door behind myself and walked over to my normal chair. He didn't say anything for a moment.

"You heard that?" he asked stressfully.

I just nodded.

"I'll train you. Go and get changed and-"

"I think you'd be better off taking a break." I cut him off, reaching over to place my hand on top of his. I saw the way he went to pull it back, but he didn't, and instead he curled his fingers around mine and lifted my hand to his mouth, pressing his lips against it.

Butterflies appeared aggressively in my stomach, making me shift in my chair.

"You really should stop being nice to me, Arianna," he said quietly, stroking his thumb over my knuckles with a stare so intense that he looked lost in his own world.

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm starting to like you."

I blushed instantly, looking away from his gaze. He wasn't allowed to make me feel like that, to make me want to walk over there and sit on his lap.

Only when he let go of my hand did I look back up at him.

"If I'm going to take a break, then I need you to train with somebody. Can you do that?"

"If it's Jake, then yes."

"Why Jake?"

"He seems fun to fight." I grinned.

Colby actually smiled and shook his head, standing from the desk. I stood from my chair as well, following him into his actual room where he paused to motion to the door.

"Go ahead then, I'm going to rest." He walked away to his bed so I headed out of his room to the end of the balcony.

Looking down into the throne room, I could see a couple of pairs of people - Tara and Cassie, Devyn and Xepher, Corey and Kevin, etc. Mike was in the middle of them all telling them to fight. I jogged down the stairs a couple of steps at a time until I reached the bottom. Kevin and Corey were the closest to me, and Corey almost swung his stick into my face. I caught it before it got close, twisting it around and tugging so that it came out of his hand.