Ozrik wouldn’t release him, hissing, “Say it, goddammit. You saw nothing.”
“Let go of me. What the hell is wrong with you? Who fucking cares? I said I was sorry.”
The two battled for a second longer, getting louder and louder, until Ozrik let go and held up his hands in submission.
Noah stumbled back a step and straightened his shirt, scowling between us.
Ozrik spoke, voice hushed. “Look. Gale’s not out. Noah, please. Don’t do this to him.”
My throat was closing. Each breath wheezed in my chest. The room spun, and I was certain I was going to pass out or throw up.
Vern pounded again. “Is he awake? Open the door.” To someone else, he said, “Maybe he’s not in there.”
Noah hadn’t taken his eyes off me since Ozrik spoke. His anger had softened. Sympathy bled from his eyes. “Hide in the bathroom before Vern decides to go through our room and finds you here. We’ll encourage everyone to head to the restaurant to regroup. You can find us there in a bit. Say you were out walking or something.”
When I didn’t move, Ozrik took my arm, gently guiding me to the bathroom. “Come on.”
I stumbled on wooden legs, and Ozrik followed me inside, half closing the door for privacy. He cupped my cheek. “It’ll be okay. Noah’s solid. I promise.”
He brushed a soft kiss on my lips and returned to the room, closing the bathroom door behind him. I sat on the closed toilet lid and listened to the commotion beyond the door. Vern was in the room. I heard my sister, Maggie, and Roe.
The discussion revolved around me and my whereabouts.
“He does this,” Olivia said. “It’s only weird that he didn’t take the Jeep. Noah, can I check your room?”
“Yeah,” Noah responded. “I didn’t see a note or anything.”
“I say let him go. We don’t need him.” Jazz.
“This guy wants his fucking ass kicked.” Ozrik. “What’s your problem anyway?”
“J, shut up.” Maggie.
“Did anyone text him?” I thought the voice belonged to Lex.
My sister responded. “No note. He never responds to my texts. I don’t know what to do.”
“Maybe he went for a walk.” Ozrik. “Why is everyone freaking out? Let the guy do his thing. If he wants to be alone, let him be alone.”
“That’s not the point, Ozrik.” Olivia.
“What is the point? He’s twenty-six. Are you his mother?”
I winced, knowing Olivia would hate that accusation.
“Hey. Get out of my room.” Ozrik again. “Charles said no cameras in the rooms.”
Oh god. The camera people were there too?
“Look. Stop arguing.” Noah. “Let’s leave a note for him in the command center and go to the restaurant. We can talk about it over food. We have a couple of hours before the new system moves in anyhow.”
Mumbled agreements.
A moment later, the door to Ozrik’s room audibly closed. All was silent.
With my elbows on my knees and the heels of my palms pressed to my eyes, I waited for them to grace the command center and cross the street. I was pathetic. Hiding in a bathroom, scared of my own shadow. Why couldn’t I be like Ozrik? Comfortable in my own skin. Indifferent to what other people thought. Why was this so hard?
I couldn’t even tell my father or twin sister the truth. According to Ozrik, I wasn’t fooling anyone. All I had to do was own it, but I couldn’t. I was tired of living like this. It had taken years to reclaim my faith after leaving the seminary. God and I had a complicated relationship. At times like this, I questioned His reason for making me the way I was. I prayed for answers but wasn’t sure He heard me.
