To say I was mad would be an understatement. Eventually I had gotten the rest of the group to back off while I talked to Charlotte one-on-one. It took some effort but that's not important.
Presently, Charlotte and I sat across from each other, each of us resting on a log. She took the initiative to speak.
"Paul, what's your reason for 'saving' me? Got a savior complex?" I wasn't in the mood for her taunting voice, but I replied anyway, only without meaning to.
"So what if I do?" I muttered. I raised my head and looked her straight in the eyes. Then, noticeably her usual cruel smile and sharp eyes seemed… wrong. Her smile was flat, and her eyelids seemed to droop softly. Judging by her expression my first guess would've been it was something on my face. What it was I'm not sure.
After a moment of silence she sighed softly, and replaced her expression with a solemn one. "I won't pry— not too much— but what's the plan from here on out?" She asked. For once it was as if she was cooperating, which is exactly why I didn't buy it. Nonetheless I answered. Only because I've actually come up with something useful, I thought.
"Earlier I referred to Terry and Leah as our leaders. But that's not quite right. If we really want to make it out here on this…" I swept my arms out wide gesturing toward the beach, "…This shore, beach, whatever you'd like to call it, then we've got to form a group structure."
"And what if I don't want to be a part of this little group of yours?" She said, presumably testing the waters. "Then you die." I replied without much tact.
"Really? Who's to say I can't hunt as efficiently alone?"
"Nobody. It's not hunting you need to worry about, it's being hunted." I tapped at my temple. "The voice tells me things you won't survive without," I finalized. She smirked. "Cut it out with the voice bullshit won't you? It's disgustingly stupid." I just shrugged.
"Well then, what will they do with me?" She asked nonchalantly. "Who knows. But if you're with me I can guarantee you'll live." She clicked her tongue, then waved me off. Then she paused while glaring at me. "I guess it's a deal then." She said finally.
"Great, let's get the others, shall we?" I reached my hand out to her as I rose from my seat. Likewise, she grasped my hand and stood. Then we went off to find the others, up at the mouth of the cave.
"So you're saying having leaders creates an imbalanced power dynamic between us?" Leah asked, intrigued. I nodded.
"Well, he's not exactly wrong. You guys proved it earlier," Jacob said. "You just held Charlotte hostage and argued, and didn't have to say anything. It's not like I could force you to speak," he added. Terry grunted. He'd been keeping an eye on Charlotte the entire time, spear in hand.
"I-I agree!" Suddenly, a voice rarely heard here decided to make their debut. "If we keep relying on leaders… who's to say they won't um, h-hoard resources for themselves?" Maria asked. "Entitled because they'd be keeping us alive!" Looks like she's passionate about it, being the weakest here and all. Everyone turned their heads to face Maria, and she shrunk back into the rock supporting her. She gripped tightly onto her sketchbook and I caught a glimpse of something odd in the corner. A line. Or rather many, many lines, that seemed to loop, break off, and even run off the page. Odd.
"I understand you feel threatened, but to do so would just put us in a worse spot wouldn't it? There's no chance of something like that happening." Terry intervened.
"Easy for you to say, Terry, you're a leader yourself," I scoffed. Terry raised his eyebrow as if he wasn't expecting me to refute him. "I'm not inclined to break this group apart, rather it's the opposite. I'd like to structure this group fairly," I stated. "Maybe something like the more work done by an individual for the group, the more power they'd have." I suggested. The cave went silent in contemplation.
"Then do you suggest implementing a point based system between us, in which the more work done the more points an individual can accumulate. By spending these points it could give them the ability to have certain authorities over what the group does." Leah said. The proposition was well thought out, for something made up in about a minute. "The problem with that," Jacob interjected, "Is that its not easy to define what tasks or actions give what amount of points. Nor is it very fair to those who aren't capable of accomplishing tasks or activities that would have the highest points, which in guessing would be hunting or fighting, right?"
"Right, which is why it shouldn't be absolute." Charlotte revealed our trump card. "More or less, it shouldn't be points per say, but simply how competent an individual consistently is, no?" She continued. Terry nodded and added, "If we set a social hierarchy like this, we can ensure that the most competent individuals call the shots while still being able to be 'overthrown' in a sense by other people even if they're less competent."
Exactly. It's perfect, a bit too perfect. Though I'm not particularly worried, because though physically I might rank second, maybe third lowest right now, this voice I've fabricated lets me stay relevant and competent due to having information they don't, I thought. Suddenly an idea struck me. Sowing the seed of doubt. It can't go by too cleanly after all.
"But doesn't that mean it's far too fluid!" I blurted out. Terry's look was questioning, but if Charlotte was surprised she sure didn't show it. "I mean think about it," I went on, "If it's based like that doesn't that mean there's no concrete control?"
"But isn't that exactly what we need? Or were you suggesting something else from the start, Paul?" Leah probed. Of course, I wasn't actually. It's just that if everything goes by too smoothly, sooner or later someone will realize it was orchestrated.
"N-no, I'm not implying that I just mean—"
"— I-I think that's enough… Everybody seems to have their mind set on it!" This time, Maria cut off my stammering. Unexpected. But useful for sure. For a second my mind flashes back to the lines on her notebook. They seemed to have been drawn with purpose, but it's not something I could decipher. Could it be related to her Aberration? Suddenly a sharp pain pierced through my chest. I gasped and my complexion must've gotten visibly paler because everybody's eyes turned to me.
"Paul! Is it that voice again?" Leah's question which was full of concern was actually laced with curiosity in-between. I tried to speak but it was as if something clamped my throat shut, and for a second I couldn't breathe. Then, just as quickly as it came the sensation passed. No more pain, no more inability to speak. The first thing I did was throw up. The contents of my stomach came forth and spilled out in the form of green liquid and gray chunks. A few fish spines mixed in with the vomit, too.
Finally, it ceased. I threw my head back and wiped off my mouth. What the hell was that!? The beat of my heart was significantly faster now, and despite a blanket of tranquility feeling as if it'd been laid on me, a wave of dread washed over me. It was something foreign, not coming from within. To begin with it was like a crushing pressure suffocating me like I was being watched. Watched! Had something seen me? Gazed at my soul and grasped it?
"No, mo… m-maybe. Ha," my words began to slur as I tried to explain. Crap. A sort of haze began to form in my mind space. My eyes slammed shut. I can't let this continue! I sharply inhaled and shot straight up, forcing my body to stand. I touched the tips of my fingers together lightly, as I had learned in the past, and focused on a central point. By now, I had become painfully aware of something trying to take me out of the picture without cause. This thing, whatever it was, would kill a normal mortal within thirty seconds, and I've wasted twenty. Ten seconds can I do it? No, I will do it. Do it better!
Energy surged within me, free and unshackled like wind. I had finally realized it, why I failed last time. Gale is free, not bound. Before I was not expressing my will, I was repressing it, and bunching my Ardor together hastily, forgetting the Gales of life do not conform to rules. A warm breeze touched my skin as I kept inhaling, and on the inside frigid air pervaded my body. Then I exhaled.
Instantly there was a change. The pressure? Gone. My breathing? Natural, flowing like a river. I had successfully escaped the gaze's grasp. Most importantly I had formed a Prana. Located in my chest, dead center in another plane was a swirling mass of Ardor. Revolving around empty space like a hurricane, and the eye of the storm. Before my mind felt like the turbid and rapid expansion of a typhoon, but now my soul was calm like the warm breeze of a beach.
I opened my eyes to find the world sideways. I stayed still, laid flat on my back as I took in the smell of salt, and the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. "Well wasn't that fun," I said dryly. From the corner of my vision, a person came into view. She had long black hair and clear gray eyes, accompanied by doll-like porcelain skin. A faint smile crossed her face and my heart stopped. Isn't that… Lira?
I blinked, and when my eyes opened again, Lira was gone. Instead, hovering above me with a faint smile and sharp, calculating eyes was Charlotte. With her brown hair and slightly tan complexion, there was no way I could have confused her for Lira. We haven't even met her in this life yet.
"You done dreaming yet?" Charlotte asked playfully. "Hopefully not," I choked some words out. I rose slowly and found that I was far from the cave mouth, lying on the sand by the shore. Some feet behind me, Terry was roasting some fish as usual, and the rest of the group sat around him waiting on dinner. The sun was setting, creating a nice pink sky for us to enjoy.
"So, have you all decided?" I asked, already knowing the answer. "Of course," said Charlotte. "Competence is our motto!" She said with a hint of defeat in her voice. "Isn't that what you wanted, too?" I say tiredly. "No. I only agreed with it because you're my best bet at surviving."
I raised an eyebrow. "In other words, once I'm useless, you'll run off and go die on your own?" Charlotte smiled genuinely for once, as if she were remembering some funny joke.
"More or less," with that, Charlotte turned to the shore and walked over into the water. I had no intention of following her. Instead, I went over to the rest of the group. When I arrived, I asked the important question immediately.
"There's no trouble with Charlotte being a part of us, right?"
Terry grunted, and Leah shook her head. Jacob didn't answer as he was too busy trying to chat up Maria, but she was too interested in her sketchbook. Abruptly, however, she raised her head, and we locked eyes. The lines came into view once more, only this time they didn't feel like a distant memory. Then I snapped back to reality. Maria wasn't staring at me; in fact, she'd most likely never been. Because not once had Jacob turned back to stare at me or comment on how I was trying to steal his spotlight. Because Leah didn't make an awkward comment on the mood. Because Terry hadn't grunted for seemingly no reason.
And that left me with a question: What was that?