My hand lifted to my head, slowly emerging from a swirling liquid around me. I could feel droplets trickle down my wrist. My fingers grazed tenderly over a bandage on my forehead. A bandage that pinched at my skin.

My eyes snapped open as the memories flooded to me. The founders. Freezing. Ben. Rescue. Zeke. Strange apartment.

My disoriented vision quickly cleared to allow me to see the shower curtains folded up against the wall on their metal rod. Warm water sloshed around my body as I slowly moved. Immediately, a rush of pain met my head. I quickly laid back against the back of the tub, squeezing my eyes shut. Voices murmured on the other side of the bathroom door. I forced my lips to part and croaked, "Zeke?"

The voices stopped. Seconds later, Zeke was rushing into the bathroom, his blue eyes frantically meeting mine. I could see the relief slip through his agitated gaze as he sank to his knees beside the tub. "Hey, do you feel alright, Gianna?"

"Um." I looked up to watch another young man enter the bathroom. His green eyes met mine, seeming to calculate something, before he gave an awkward wave. I only stared, bewildered. "Who are...Who are y-you?"

Zeke glanced back at the man and gave a soft laugh. "Uh, this is my roommate, Marcus."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I never knew you had a roommate."

"Yeah, well, I was always at work with you. I don't really talk about my personal life on the clock."

Marcus nodded in agreement, rubbing his tanned neck. "Yeah, uh, it's...it's nice to meet you. Although, circumstances could have been better."

I cracked a smile at his light humor. Zeke smiled, too, shaking his head. "Forgive him, since he won't ask for forgiveness himself."

Marcus only winked before glancing at the door. He shrugged. "Okay, I'm going to leave you two alone. I'm sure you have a lot to talk about."

Zeke and I nodded in unison. We watched him leave and shut the door before Zeke turned back to me. An awkward silence filled the air, interrupted only by the sloshing of the warm water as I shifted. "Thanks for...for saving me."

He nodded, but his smile didn't reach his troubled gaze. For another moment, there was but silence. Then he grabbed my hand, entwining my fingers with his and said in a shaky tone: "You...You were so pale and your lips were so blue. You looked dead. I...I thought you would..." he trailed off, shaking his head and gripping my hand more tightly.

I swallowed hard, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "But I didn't. I'm okay. In fact, I don't think I ever want to leave this tub. It's so freaking warm."

He laughed again. "I had to drain and refill it three times, since the water kept cooling off before you woke up."

"How long was I unconscious?" I asked abruptly, my thoughts straying to Mom and Mary-Ann.

"The whole day. It's currently 11:06pm."

I inwardly groaned. "Mom and Mary-Ann are going to murder me!"

"Actually," Zeke reassured, "I called and told them what happened. They were freaking out, wanting to come over here right away, but I told them that it wasn't a wise choice. Stermin and Ykell would no doubt contact them about your "accidental death," and would most likely get suspicious if they were here at my apartment."

"Are they okay?" I asked, my chest tightening.

"Yeah. Just a bit shaken."

My eyes skimmed over the creases in his forehead. Beneath his eyes, there were light shades of darkened bags; proof of his fatigue. "Are you okay?"

He met my eyes. "Yeah. Just glad you're awake."

"You should have gone to bed hours ago."

"I wasn't going to risk it. Who knew if you would even...even wake."

His agitation was back. I clutched his hand tightly, furrowing my eyebrows. He was really worried about me. "You really care."

He blinked at my questioning statement, obviously questioning my own vagueness with his gaze. "Well, obviously I care! You almost died!"

I bit my lip. I didn't mean it like that. But I didn't try to redeem myself, instead saying, "We need to do something about Stermin and Ykell."

"First, you need to rest."

"No!" I argued, struggling to sit up straighter. "They know we know what they're doing. We need to go after them before-!"

"Woah, woah." Zeke shook his head. "If we're to do anything, we'd need to plan it first. As far as they're concerned, you're dead. Suki and I disposed of your body. We were only pretending to work with you. They don't fully believe us but we're alive. You need some rest and then we'll gather everybody."

That's some story. "But they'll-"

"Wars don't just start abruptly!" Zeke interrupted again. "Both sides plan first. That's what we need to do after you're rested."

I scowled. "Is Seth awake? Were you able to turn off the sedative flow?"

He shook his head. "I was almost to the control room but then I saw Ykell slinking off to somewhere so I started to follow but got stopped by a recently hired worker who was confused about something. I helped him out and then decided to head back to you and Sara to let you know I was alright – because I'd been gone quite a while and still hadn't done what I was supposed to – because I didn't want you two worrying and then you doing anything stupid. I was going to head to the control room after that and turn it off, but when I reached the exhibit, you weren't there and Sara was concerned about you."

"Yeah, I also saw Ykell and decided to follow her. Great minds think alike," I joked before growing serious again. "Do you think the little girl is even alive still? The one who got kidnapped?"

Zeke's gaze faltered as he looked down at the water. "I'm not sure. If Stermin and Ykell were involved in it – and now I'm sure they were – I don't know. They tried to kill you, who's to say they won't kill her for whatever purpose." I nodded, opening my mouth to respond, but as a throb of pain coursed through my head, I cringed. Zeke noticed. He dipped his hand into the water. "Do you need me to draw more warm water?"

I shook my head. "Actually, I think I want to get out."

He nodded slowly. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll sleep on the floor. Tomorrow, I want you to go home and rest for the whole day. Yes," he added at seeing my expression, "the whole day. Then we'll figure out how to stop Stermin and Ykell."

I groaned aloud, rubbing my forehead. "Fine. But I'm not taking your bed."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Would you rather have Marcus' then? I warn you, he farts."

I cracked a smile. "Don't we all?"

"Touché." He leaned forward slightly. "But, seriously, take my bed. You're not fully well, I'm sure, and I'd rather you be comfortable in a bed than me."

I hesitated. I didn't like taking things from people. It always made me feel guilty. But Zeke's persuasive gaze drew a submittance out of me. "Fine, okay."

With those concluding words, I moved to get up. Immediately, a strong dizziness overwhelmed me. Halfway up, I froze and swayed slightly, instantly grabbing onto Zeke's arm for support. He held me steady. "You okay?"

"Um," I slipped back down into the tub, the warm water submerging my body again. "On the contrary, I think...I think I'll just stay here."

Zeke pursed his lips before shaking his head. "No, I don't like that idea. Come on. I'll carry you."

"Such a prince charming," I teased, squeezing my eyes shut at another wave of lightheadedness. I laid my head back against the tub edge. "Just...Just give me a moment."

When I opened my eyes again to dispel a cheesy image from my brain, I found Zeke watching intensely, seemingly worried. "Should I take you to the hospital?"

"No!" I blurted. Then I inhaled and shook my head. "No. That's not necessary. It's just a headache."

"Do you want some painkiller?"

I opened my mouth to answer but Marcus's loud voice flooded the air as he shouted from another room, "I think she wants a kiss."

My cheeks quickly heated. Zeke seemed embarrassed, too, as he pulled the plug to begin draining the water. A kiss. The thought wasn't revolting. I frowned to myself. Naughty heart. Naughty, naught heart.

"Has he been eavesdropping this whole time?" I finally asked, fiddling with my damp hair.

"It would be unlike him not to." I nodded, chewing on the inside of my lip. Zeke cleared his throat to interrupt the following silence before helping me sit up. "Let's try this again."

I only nodded again. As Zeke wrapped an arm around my back to steady me, my heart raced frantically. I inhaled, trying to chase its fantasies away, but instead found myself speaking. "Zeke, wait."

He instantly stopped helping me up, his eyes searching mine. "What? Does something hurt?"

"No, I just..." I trailed off. What am I doing? Zeke waited expectantly for me to finish my sentence. "I just...um...can..." My voice quieted. I could feel my face flush in embarrassment again. What is wrong with me? "Uh, nevermind. It's not important."

Zeke nodded slowly. Instead of continuing to help me up, he stared at me a moment, reading my expression. I cast my gaze down, feeling that if I met his eyes, I'd burst into a Disney song about love and cheesy stuff. His tone was soft as he said, "Gianna? I'm going to do something stupid."

I began to question him but was silenced as he pulled me to him, his mouth pressing firmly against mine.

I immediately tensed. Then I found my arm wounding around his neck, pulling him closer. I felt that an apology was in order for soaking him as trails of water trickled down his back from my arm but I couldn't bring myself to pull away and say anything. His hand kept firmly on my back while his other went to the base of my neck.

I remained enveloped in his tight embrace, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It was weird to imagine that someone else's lips could be pressed against my own. But here I was. It was weird. Weird, but nice.

"Zeke," I breathed when he finally pulled away. I struggled to find words, my stomach squirming. "I...You...You're all wet now."

He chuckled and looked down at his dampened black shirt only to shrug, looking back up to meet my gaze. "So are you."

I gave a small laugh, unsure of what else to do. As Zeke pressed a second and final kiss to my lips, the sound of crunching drew our attention to Marcus who stood eating a handful of popcorn in the doorway.

"Did you seriously make popcorn?" Zeke was in disbelief.

"Um, yeah." Marcus ate another piece. "You probably didn't hear it over the fireworks bursting over your heads."

Zeke immediately chucked a shampoo bottle at him and he laughed loudly, ducking out the door. "You doofus!"

I couldn't help but grin. I shrank it, however, as I said, "I should probably get out and dressed into proper clothing now."

"Oh, yeah." Zeke helped me to my feet. Surprisingly, the pain in my head had lessened.

I was left minutes later with some baggy clothes to borrow and slip into. As I exited the bathroom, Zeke was readying his bed and the floor beside it. He and Marcus both looked up when I approached. I tried not to feel unnerved by my supervisor's roommate, but something about him was familiar. His black hair was slightly curly, some strands wrapping around the tips of his ears. It was his green eyes that had me startled. I felt like I'd seen them before. Where though?

Marcus cleared his throat, quirking an eyebrow at me. "You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah." I tugged at the ends of the large T-shirt. It felt good to be in regular clothes.

Zeke waved me over, rising to his feet. "Here. It's nearly midnight now. We should all go to bed."

I nodded in hesitant agreement, slowly slipping into the unfamiliar bed. I was used to my bed. But I laid down anyway, pulling the soft blanket over my body. A sigh of contentment left my lips as I relaxed completely. Who knew that after just waking up, I'd be this tired.

"Good?" Zeke asked.

"Yes, thank you." I gave him a sleepy smile, to which he returned it with a smile of his own. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Gianna." Zeke flipped the light off before slipping into the sleeping bag on the floor. Marcus shifted on the bed across from me, seeming to be almost asleep already.

I rolled over onto my back, staring up at the ceiling. This was not how I expected things to turn out. I never imagined sleeping somewhere away from home so soon, and certainly not somewhere like my own supervisor's house.

But, I thought to myself, he's your friend too.

I paused for a moment before a smile slipped onto my face in the dark. I couldn't help but touch my lips, my stomach fluttering again at the memory of Zeke's kiss. And, for the first time ever, I finally welcomed a pleasant thought into my mind.

Maybe he's more than a friend.

•~•~•~•

Agh!! The book is starting to wrap up! It's now nearing its tragic end...

Okay. We'll have to see about the "tragic" part.  ;)