Shadow Unit 15 Read Online Free Page A
his hand away. "J'adoube."
"No kidding j'adoube. I wouldn't have let you make that move when I was twelve." But Eddie doesn't give a suggestion or hint, letting Dice figure out an alternative.
Eddie wins eight moves later, shakes his head at the hint of another game. "Eat one, or you won't get one."
He means the poppyseed, their favorite. They eat in silence, watching the last minutes of the visit tick by, and Dice knows that he can't tell Eddie. Not yet.
"Well, I better get going," Dice says, and Eddie dusts crumbs off his hand.
"Yeah, you wanna get home soon. You doing that—that polo thing, with your bicycle?"
"Yeah." Eddie approves of bike polo. It's daring. He's proud of every scrape and bruise Dice gets, because a funny story about pain is one of the ways he takes the measure of a man.
Dice swipes his hands over a paper napkin before he shakes hands with Eddie. Good firm grip. Look him in the eye. Half a smile.
"Take it easy," Dice says, and turns to go. He makes it to the door before Eddie speaks again.
"Dice."
"Yeah, Ed?"
"I'm sorry I hurt your hand."
"It's okay," Dice says. It's out before the surprise at the apology even hits. "It's okay, little brother."
Leesburg, VA, May 1, 2014
You know you're awake, but you can't move because sharp, heavy claws are digging in and holding you down. You don't want to look at the mirror to the side of Ash's bed, but all you can move is your eyes and they track inevitably to the closet doors.
There's the hump of your hip, and the sharp drop of your shoulder. No beast digging painfully into your ribs, crushing your breath. But it's there, pressing the breath out of you, and you can't remember the words of protection, you can't call the white light to you so you think, Help me, Ashley. The tingling warmth touches the crown of your head and melts the beast away.
All at once you're ... awed. The tingling brushes over you and you shove down the thought that it's just ASMR and not what you feel when magic happens. You were wrong. You doubted, when you lost the feeling after—
No. Hold the light. Hold the magic. You've got it back, and that warmth and light and radiance just behind you is Ash.
She's come back, to save you. To show you that it really is real. Even though it's your fault she's dead.
It's not. I'm here. I'll leave you your privacy but I'll come when you need me.
It feels so good. As good as it felt when Ashley did Reiki with her hands just over your skin, as good as it felt when she would whisper you through a walk through the forest. Ashley could always stop the fear. Ashley could always make it safe. You keep your back to her, because if you turn and can't see her it will be harder to believe.
You keep believing until you fall asleep again.
When you wake up, you're starving. But now you're not alone.
Act II
Somewhere in Virginia, May 4, 2014
The road to Hell is in bloom.
Dice drives, Tyler rides shotgun, circular needles in his lap and his knitting pattern clipped to the passenger visor. They're on a Sunday drive to their support group, one where everyone is coming in.
"So how's Eddie enjoying being upstairs?" Tyler asks, watching the country road go by.
"I dunno. Mixed signals. Apparently he stays in his room a lot. Then he got on my case about how I should date Natalie."
"You should not do that," Tyler answers. "What on Earth."
"She's beautiful, she's rich, and she's doing really well, and Eddie is the sort of person who thinks a woman paying sincere attention to you wants you in bed."
"Yow. Okay! So I'm guessing you didn't tell him."
"I didn't tell him," Dice agrees. "I kind of pitched it out the window. I don't think it was a good time."
"Nothing says you have to come out to anyone, you know. You get to decide who you want knowing that," Tyler says. The knitting ends up in his hands, yarn wound around his fingers.
"I know, but it seems wrong. You guys all know. My brother? He doesn't know. I ought to tell him."
"Because he's your
"No kidding j'adoube. I wouldn't have let you make that move when I was twelve." But Eddie doesn't give a suggestion or hint, letting Dice figure out an alternative.
Eddie wins eight moves later, shakes his head at the hint of another game. "Eat one, or you won't get one."
He means the poppyseed, their favorite. They eat in silence, watching the last minutes of the visit tick by, and Dice knows that he can't tell Eddie. Not yet.
"Well, I better get going," Dice says, and Eddie dusts crumbs off his hand.
"Yeah, you wanna get home soon. You doing that—that polo thing, with your bicycle?"
"Yeah." Eddie approves of bike polo. It's daring. He's proud of every scrape and bruise Dice gets, because a funny story about pain is one of the ways he takes the measure of a man.
Dice swipes his hands over a paper napkin before he shakes hands with Eddie. Good firm grip. Look him in the eye. Half a smile.
"Take it easy," Dice says, and turns to go. He makes it to the door before Eddie speaks again.
"Dice."
"Yeah, Ed?"
"I'm sorry I hurt your hand."
"It's okay," Dice says. It's out before the surprise at the apology even hits. "It's okay, little brother."
Leesburg, VA, May 1, 2014
You know you're awake, but you can't move because sharp, heavy claws are digging in and holding you down. You don't want to look at the mirror to the side of Ash's bed, but all you can move is your eyes and they track inevitably to the closet doors.
There's the hump of your hip, and the sharp drop of your shoulder. No beast digging painfully into your ribs, crushing your breath. But it's there, pressing the breath out of you, and you can't remember the words of protection, you can't call the white light to you so you think, Help me, Ashley. The tingling warmth touches the crown of your head and melts the beast away.
All at once you're ... awed. The tingling brushes over you and you shove down the thought that it's just ASMR and not what you feel when magic happens. You were wrong. You doubted, when you lost the feeling after—
No. Hold the light. Hold the magic. You've got it back, and that warmth and light and radiance just behind you is Ash.
She's come back, to save you. To show you that it really is real. Even though it's your fault she's dead.
It's not. I'm here. I'll leave you your privacy but I'll come when you need me.
It feels so good. As good as it felt when Ashley did Reiki with her hands just over your skin, as good as it felt when she would whisper you through a walk through the forest. Ashley could always stop the fear. Ashley could always make it safe. You keep your back to her, because if you turn and can't see her it will be harder to believe.
You keep believing until you fall asleep again.
When you wake up, you're starving. But now you're not alone.
Act II
Somewhere in Virginia, May 4, 2014
The road to Hell is in bloom.
Dice drives, Tyler rides shotgun, circular needles in his lap and his knitting pattern clipped to the passenger visor. They're on a Sunday drive to their support group, one where everyone is coming in.
"So how's Eddie enjoying being upstairs?" Tyler asks, watching the country road go by.
"I dunno. Mixed signals. Apparently he stays in his room a lot. Then he got on my case about how I should date Natalie."
"You should not do that," Tyler answers. "What on Earth."
"She's beautiful, she's rich, and she's doing really well, and Eddie is the sort of person who thinks a woman paying sincere attention to you wants you in bed."
"Yow. Okay! So I'm guessing you didn't tell him."
"I didn't tell him," Dice agrees. "I kind of pitched it out the window. I don't think it was a good time."
"Nothing says you have to come out to anyone, you know. You get to decide who you want knowing that," Tyler says. The knitting ends up in his hands, yarn wound around his fingers.
"I know, but it seems wrong. You guys all know. My brother? He doesn't know. I ought to tell him."
"Because he's your
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