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Invidia THIRTEEN
"Hey, man," Justin said when he saw Cameron's eyes fluttering awake."Hey," Cameron whispered with a tired smile. He looked completely delirious."I see they fixed you up," Justin pointed to the cast around his arm. They'd managed to reconnect his arm, but of course, it was still bandaged. "It looks good."Cameron stretched his arms up a little bit, as best as he could, "Mmm, thanks. Is everything okay? You look bothered."Justin sat on the edge of the bed, "I just hate seeing you like this is all.""Eh," Cameron shrugged. "Don't worry about me. I'm a strong little buckaroo." He giggled and looked away.Justin giggled and shoved his hands in his pockets, "God, you're so high."Cameron smiled at him blankly, "Hehe, yeah. Just a tad." He held his fingers about an inch apart.Justin chuckled, "Wow. I'm glad you're feeling okay, man. I should let you get some rest." He could tell Cameron was falling asleep just as they were speaking. He needed to go find out what happened to Madison anywa
Invidia FOURTEEN
"Cameron?" Shane poked his head in the door."Shane?" Cameron sat his bed up. He was still groggy and thought he was dreaming. "W-what are you doing here?""I was just checking on you," he stepped into the room."Oh, uh," Cameron said awkwardly, "I'm okay, I guess. They've got me sedated and on pain meds.""That's good," Shane clearly felt awkward too. His shoulders were hunched, and he wouldn't look Cameron in the eyes. "I'm glad you're okay." Several tense long minutes passed. Both of them kept glancing at each other with their lips pressed together in strained smiles. "But, uh," Shane broke the silence, "did you find the thing you were looking for?""Yeah, we did," Cameron looked into Shane's eyes this time. "Thank you, by the way. What we found wasn't in the state we expected, clearly," he gestured to his wound, "but we found it nonetheless. So thank you."Shane shrugged, "Don't mention it. I'm sorry it wasn't what you were expecting." Cameron's brow crinkled with confusion. He co
Invidia FIFTEEN
Shane really couldn't stand Cameron. What made that dumbass orphan think he could order him around? All he ever did was whine about how horrible his life was. But if he hated living there so much, why didn't he just leave? These were all things Shane thought to himself as he looked for Madison.Cameron told him that Madison was last seen in this hidden room behind his dad's office. He didn't really believe it, but Cameron wasn't generally a liar. Especially when he was high. So, Shane figured he should just as soon amuse the kid. What could it hurt? Except for the fact that Cameron is literally laying in a hospital bed right now with his arm cut off. That should be all the proof he needed, but to a skeptic like Shane, it wasn't. He needed to see things with his own eyes.He'd finally gotten up to his dad's office. He knocked quietly at the door and said, "Hey, dad.""Come in, my boy," his dad stood up and smiled at him. "Is Cameron okay?""Don't act like you care," Shane didn't mean t
Invidia SIXTEEN
Cameron opened his eyes. He was finally cognizant. He wasn't sure how long he'd been hospitalized, but he was ready to be out of there. He glanced down at his arm. It was covered in a thick layer of gauze, but he could see his fingers sticking out the end. He flexed them, and they moved. Thank God, he thought. He wasn't ready to live with just one arm yet."How are you feeling?" Someone was sitting in the chair opposite the bed that he hadn't noticed yet. It was his stepfather."I'm okay," he said groggily and stretched what little he could in the bed. "What are you doing here?""I'm just checking on you," his stepfather said. He was sat down in the leather chair with a leg propped up on his lap."Why?" Cameron sat up a little straighter in bed. "You've never cared before."His stepfather sat on the edge of his seat and looked straight into Cameron's eyes with a piercing stare, "I have always cared. Whether or not you were of it, I care.""Funny way of showing it," Cameron muttered to
Invidia SEVENTEEN
"I'm scared to see him," Madison admitted when they were all walking into the hospital. "You're scared to see him now after chopping off his arm?" Justin side-eyed her."Yeah. I'm scared to see him because I chopped off his arm."Justin nodded. It was understandable she was nervous. He would be too if he'd theoretically cut off the arm of his best friend. He punched in the number for the ER and down they went. Justin was just here, and his lunch was doing gymnastics in his stomach. He was worried about Carly. His mom had been doing a much better job at staying home more, especially on days when Carly wasn't feeling like herself, but Justin still worried about leaving them home alone together. They didn't exactly get along, to say the least, and neither of them were in the right state to be holding things in. "You guys go on in," he told them. "I have to check something real quick.""Everything okay?" Madison asked."Yeah. I just need to check on my sister. I'll just be a sec," he pu
Invidia EIGHTEEN
Cameron got out of bed, something he immediately regretted when his vision swirled. He started to fall forwards, but everyone else reached out to grab him muttering "are you okays?" to him, much to his chagrin. "Yeah, I'm fine," he shoved them off and regained his balance. "Get off me. I've got to go talk to these nurses." They let him out of the way, which was in their favor as much as his. He was on a mission. He wheeled the metal rack that held his fluids with him, and right across from his room was the nurse's desk. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said."Whoa, careful there, son," a woman in pink scrubs held a hand out to him. "You should be in bed.""Well, I was, but then I was told I'm not allowed to leave," he leaned against the desk for support. "What's that about?"The nurse behind the desk, who looked at least ten years older than the other nurse, said, "Your stepfather left us strict instructions.""And since when do I not get the final say in what I do?"The woman looked up from
Invidia NINETEEN
I have to get out of here, Cameron thought to himself. He was going crazy in waiting for Justin and Madison to get back with the bank account information. He'd already counted all the ceiling tiles and played every game the hospital's HoloTV gave access to, which were basically kids' games."Oh thank God," he said when Justin came in with a folder pulled up on his HoloComm. "I wouldn't thank him just yet," he said with a frustrated look. Cameron didn't know if he believed in God or not, but Justin did, and that comment had him concerned."Why?" Cameron said. Now he was getting concerned. "What's wrong?""They apparently know I'm not you. They keep denying my access, probably from my IP address.""Weren't you using public access?""Yeah, obviously," Justin said like Cameron was stupid for even asking. "But this place has more security than Hendrickson. Everything is protected under lock and key. I've been at it for hours, trying to find a way in, but still no luck: no back doors, no s
Invidia TWENTY
"He's definitely making this too easy," Justin finally agreed when Hendrickson just let them enter his office yet again. "The man is way too sketchy to just let us do this.""I know," Madison said. "I have a feeling this isn't the answer. I know Shane said he keeps everything close to him, but I don't think it's this. Project Invidia has to be somewhere else.""The question is where," Justin voiced both of their thoughts. They fiddled around in the office, looking for clues. "Damn, we need Cameron here. He's the one that nerds out about literature." Madison nodded but didn't say anything. Edgar Allen Poe, Victor Hugo, Jane Austen, Margaret Atwood, Zora Neale Hurston, all classics of all different genres, and Justin had no idea how to tell where to go.Madison was checking walls, light switches that were no longer used, buttons, everything else, leaving Justin to check the books. Great. The letters were spinning, and it was making his head hurt. They supposedly used to have a name for