Burying the Hatchet (COMPLETED)

Impressions

     He’s just staring at her sleeping like a log. Even though she complains alot when awake. His imagination runs off somewherelse.  Wondering about the situations she must have gone through, to be reduced to skin and bones. A pale comparison to what he saw in her files. Though the notes about her spite are damn accurate or perhaps they were too kind. 

    He pulled up her stashed file. Then a bunch of dialogue boxes popped in front of him. The creator of EDEN must have hated prying eyes. Data privacy is well-guarded in this set up. It’s like carrying your own internal storage wherever you go. Considering the high caliber programming interface. People rarely talks publicly anymore. They have gone accustomed to the mental communication. 

   It’s like people have gone telepathic, it’s amazing and creepy at the same time. Though that’s what the government would like everybody to think. Truth be told, EDEN is a double-edged sword. The government uses it to monitor its people. Analyzing behaviors, thought patterns and emotional stability. They have eyes, ears and hands everywhere. People are being controlled like puppets and they agreed to it too, without knowing it. The promise of a false utopia.

Inmate 317 > PASSWORD REQUIRED >***** > OPEN

File: Available offline

Status: Fugitive

Name: Elizabeth Fibber Ridges

Birth Date: March 17, 4002

Age:18

Criminal History:

   Responsible for the deaths of her adoptive family Jack, Sally & Solana Ridges. On her 18th birthday she ran amok. After learning that she will be put into an asylum due to severe hallucinations and disassociative disorder.

Reward: Dead or Alive 1,000,000 Roseates

“Looks can really be deceiving,” gently stroking her shoulder length jet black hair, and tucks the loose strands behind her left ear. He felt like touching a magical item from one of his games, “you even concealed your true self to avenge them.”

   Then he put up a weighted blanket on her, “I’ll give you the chance they took away from you.” Before he knew it he already fell asleep next to her, due to exhaustion.

    The next morning when he woke up Eli was not in bed anymore. In panic he surveyed the room, only to see her in the bathroom holding a scissor, while seriously staring at her reflection. Then abruptly peals off her hair and removed something from her eyes-contacts.

    After taking off the net cap and clips, a lush iridescent cerulean hair drops around her waist. It’s waves made him marvel at the beauty of the ocean in front of him. Then when she gazes at the mirror for the second time, her eyes reflected crystal marbles. Bicolored orbs in shades of blue too- cobalt and steel. 

    Without any hesitations she twisted her hair and pulled it away from her. Then chopped a whole chunk right under her ears. His jaw literally dropped and rushed to her side to pull the scissor out of her hand.

Eli just threw him a dead stare, “What? You caught me. It’s only natural for plan B,” she stated as-a-matter-of-fact. “Don’t be a p***y, it’s just hair it’ll grow back.” She then tilts her neck from side to side. The subtle cracking sounds soothes her like she just recovered from stiff shoulders. 

“The wig’s straining my neck and it takes forever to fix. It’s easier to dye when it’s shorter. Besides if killing myself is your concern, I wouldn’t do it with an audience. At least I have that decency,” then she takes the scissor back in exchange for her detached hair, he pities cutting.

     He still shakes his head in disbelief. He needed to step back and lean on the wall to compose himself. 

She’s utterly straight-forward. 

It was his first time to encounter an actual shut-in.

“I know you totally checked me out last night,” pausing to throw him another nonsensical stare, “NM120 or should I say Fray Forthright. You don’t live up to your surname though, liar. That makes two of us.”

“I’d give you a hand with that,” then Fray snips the scissors before he evens out the harsh edges, “a pixie cut looks good on you and a little bangs here. Done.” It was over in a jiffy and the snipping of the blades felt like a total salon experience. She was perplexed. He finishes it off by tapping all of the excess hair from her shoulders.

   Eli pulled him closer an inch away from each other. Their breaths intermingling and the undeniable s****l tension in the air. But then Fray pulled away and awkwardly stepped out.

“I thought you’re a ladies man, why act like a shy virgin now?” She ran after him and put her hand inside his shirt feeling his well-cemented chest. “I was kidding. I like teasing and seeing pained reactions-it’s a joy to watch actually.” Mirroring his words last night.

   The last laugh was hers as he was left dumbfounded while she closed the door for a shower. Though right after closing the door, she felt a tingling sensation inside her. Her legs wobbled like jelly, even though she ate sufficient meals now. 

She barely goes out before not even went for a date once. 

She taps her back for a job well done. “For a novice it was not half bad. It’s just for research Eli.” All that role-playing drained her introvert-ass to the core. As the cold water hits her skin she looks at it directly, projecting herself. “There’s more to come, so say goodbye to your shame and inhibitions.”

                                                                                            ***

The next day…

“Let’s have a truce,” breaking the silence between them while eating breakfast, “now that we both have dirt on each other, it’s easier to be close. You may call me Eli.” Handing out her hand for him to take.

“Ray.”

“Did I hit a nerve or you’re just a p***y?”

“Kid didn’t your parents teach you not to call people names? At least I’m not crazy enough to kill my own family.” 

Spite evident in their exchange of words. ”If I'm a kid how old are you anyway? Don’t dare go there if you want to live. I’m crazy remember?”

“A threat I’m glad to take, I'm twenty-two right back at you.”

“What’s all this lover’s quarrel? Care for any drinks?”

A strange man in shabby clothes barged in. 

He has a knack for staying invisible. I never even heard the door clicked. Another threat.

Eli took mental notes before regaining her fire.

She scanned him from head-to-toe. “Who are you?” Then her face crumples, a bad habit of wearing her heart on her sleeve. She still needs to work on that.

That tacky guy held out a bottle of vodka instead, “Zane Banter NM411,” then collapsed himself at the adjacent chair.

She just nods and gives him a piece of bread and passes the butter.

“I like your new chick dude, the nastiness is off the charts. I can totally picture you out as a battered husband already.” He chuckles to himself as he opens the bottle of vodka and chugs it in half and shoots back in her direction. “I don’t do water, alcohol’s safer.” Gesturing a toast.

“You drink way too much again Z, all that money deposited to your coffin.” Taking away the bottle from his friend, like a dad or uncle would.

“You earn money to spend it Ray, simple logic. Give me a break. Just get all cuddly with your chick, you couldn’t even tell I’m here. Stealth mode activated.” He sniffed Eli, smirked and went back to drinking.

“Are we the three musketeers? A drunkard beggar, a p***y and a lousy excuse for a man version thou.” Then in a bag, she grabbed one of the beers Zane brought with him. 

As she clicks the can open, the beer hisses and foams on its mouth.

“A lanky excuse for a man you mean?” Then Zane hit the table-snoring.

Ray pulled him up, drag and toss him to bed.

“What’s his story?” There was no other way she could probe without being obvious. They’re entirely cut off from the civilization and talking is the only method she can juice up information from them.

     Then she was surprised to what he did next. A white quill logo appeared before her eyes.

[ACCEPT] or  [DECLINE] ?

ACCEPT

   File sharing made easy. It’s like the great, great, great grandchild of bluetooth which existed a few millennia back. Though it’s extended to a humanoid version in this era called gum drop. No network connection. No problem. Logos or file types vary depending on the person who sends it. A wide array of options for file security can be added too- depending on one’s creativity.

“It’s good as confidential anyway, after reading that file will erase itself. You won’t have the chance to back that up. When the information leaks, you’ll be the only culprit.”

Her eyes rapidly moves from left to right while scanning and skimming. Then pauses to smirk a little. “So he’s the rotten apple in the barrel? Are you two lovers? Not that I care just curious, ” she said in a condescending tone.

“That’s news to me, you harbor that kind of thought too? I don’t swing both ways though.”

“Secrets will be revealed one way or the other. You’re the type that leads people on. Do girls really dig the mysterious guys?”

“Exactly my thoughts. Do you like me?” She was thrown off by the question or rather by the one who asked it.

“TREI!” Zane called out in his sleep as he tosses in bed squirming.

“Your boyfriend’s got a crush, aren’t you jealous?” She then purses her lips.

Fray closed their distance and gave her a peck, “Make me.” 

Plastering that sly smile like he’s won or something.

Eli thought to herself but pushed it down for now.