FicWad

"Peter, I haven't seen you in quite some time," the Reverend stood in front of where I was sitting on the couch, hugging my knees to my chest. He slowly moved and sat down at the other end of the couch.
Kales stood leaning against the wall, unsure of what to do./ I said I'd always be there for Pete, but what if the Reverend wants to talk to him alone? /
As if he could read Kales mind, the Reverend began to speak, "Miss Kales, I think Peter would like it better if you joined us for this discussion."
Kales moved to the couch and sat down in between the Reverend and me. I involuntarily shivered. Kales scooted a little closer to me, so that our arms were touching. Her skin felt so warm.
"So Peter, you are probably wondering how two years have come to pass without contact from anyone and now you find yourself living in a home with three people you barely know," the Reverend began.
I looked at him hesitantly. How does he know what I'm thinking so well?
"Am I correct in my way of thinking?" he asked me. I nodded my head slowly. "In that case, you most likely are very angry, very confused, very afraid, and very alone."
I hugged my knees to me tighter and buried my face in them. I guess I am. I don't know. I just don't know.
Kales put her hand on my arm and scooted closer. I felt comforted by her presence and the thought she was trying to convey to me. She said she'll always be here for me.
I looked back at the Reverend hesitantly, "Yeah." My voice was a barely audible whisper.
The Reverend smiled reassuringly, "Peter, a lot of you is still very much human. And nothing that I have done has kept you that way. You have stayed that way on your own. Your feelings are important. Do not become blind to them, for feelings are what keeps you from being turned completely." He paused before continuing, letting the gravity of his words sink in. "I was afraid that after two years of the worst possible treatment, you would have let the human part of you slip away. I am glad that that is not how things stand tonight."
I drew in a shaky breath, pressing myself closer to Kales. She leaned into me a little more.
The Reverend continued, "I came here tonight to hopefully reassure you in how things stand and to comfort you in your position and the positions of others. I am sure that you remember the night of your capture very well."
I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and shivered a little. I don't want to remember that night. Please don't make me talk about it.
"Memories keep you human Peter," the Reverend was too good at reading my thoughts. "It took me a while to learn of the location of your friends Andrew, Patrick, and Joseph. Almost a year had passed before all of them were back under my orders."
"So they're all alive?" I asked hopefully. The Reverend remained silent. I began to quake uncontrollably. "Please tell me they're alive," I choked out in a whisper, a few tears slipping down my face.
"Let me finish first Peter, then I will answer your questions," the Reverend said.
Kales opened her mouth to protest, "That's not fair to let him stay all worked up like this."
The Reverend gave her a grave look, "Miss Kales, he must understand the past before we can discuss the present."
Kales looked sadly at me and put an arm around my back, pulling me closer. I took a shaky breath and wiped away the tears.
The Reverend continued, "After they all had recovered from their ordeal, they were willing to be put back to work. They wanted to find you Peter, but I denied their quest. They had neither the knowledge nor the skills to complete the task. That is when I enlisted the help of Mr. Mark, Mr. TJ, and Miss Kales here."
So they did want to find me? That thought gave me a little glimmer of peace in my mind. I had been so afraid that they had forgotten about me.
"And so month after month passed. No one could find any information on your whereabouts. It was as if you had faded into nothingness," the Reverend paused once again, letting the words weigh heavy in the air. "Miss Kales risked more than her life to hack into a computer database under the Dandies control. In the database, she found the date when you had been captured and a police file. The police file did not have your name registered along with the name of the other captors. That alone was enough to fuel the search."
I looked at Kales. She could feel my gaze and looked shyly down at the floor. She went under the Dandies noses to hack into their computers? If she was caught.../I cut off my thoughts, not wanting to think of the possibilities. /I owe her a lot.
"After three more months and more hacking into computer databases, Miss Kales finally found a file of the location of the lab where you had been taken. With this information, Mr. Mark and Mr. TJ were able to compile a plan of your rescue. Thankfully, everything went according to plan and Miss Kales got you here safely, albeit more than a little shook up and more than a little emaciated," the Reverend finished speaking.
I blushed violently when he mentioned how skinny I had become. I was like a human twig. You could literally count my ribs and spine. It was disgusting. But I was putting on weight everyday, thanks to Kales. I know she added something to the blend that helped.
"So Peter, now that you know what has come to past, it is time to deal with the present," the Reverend began again. I looked at him intently. "Patrick, Andrew, and Joseph have been separated and relocated to different positions around the city. Each of them lead a group of hunters in covert operations to weaken the Dandies."
Covert operations, eh? That's a lot more plush than the down and dirty work we used to do.
"It has been hard for us to contact them to notify them of your rescue due to the secrecy that they have enveloped their lives in. I doubt that they even know where each other is," the Reverend said.
"But are they alive?" I whispered, almost too afraid of the answer to ask.
"In all good intentions, I do hope they are. They have come along way from the work the four of you used to do. In time, we will know of their status either way," and with that the Reverend stood to leave.
"Wait," I couldn't just let him leave. "They're my friends! Can't I do anything, anything to help find them?"
The Reverend sighed and looked down at me sadly, "I'm afraid not Peter. Your condition is too deteriorated to do much of anything right now. The best thing for yourself and everyone is to just stay here and recover. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got another visit to make."
"Good-bye," Kales told him. I remained silent. With that, the Reverend nodded his head good-bye and left.