Fey Part 4
If he was worried that the child would fail, the worries were proved unfounded. Not five minutes went by before the door was unlocked. He turned and watched as Fey fought to regain his breath. The poor child looked as if taking one more step would cause him to collapse. He gave Odin a shaky smile before stumbling and falling forward. Without a sound, Odin scooped the exhausted boy up into his arms and carried him to the waiting car. "I'll be back in ten minutes... fifteen tops. You did good, kid. You rest a little."
Fey nodded and swallowed. The last thing he was aware of was Odin Lowe shutting the door. A wave of nausea hit him and he lost the contents of his stomach before passing out.
*****
Odin Jr. woke up to Odin Lowe's worried voice.
"Come on, kid... drink! That's it! Woah, now! Easy does it."
"What happened?" Odin Jr. felt a pang of worry when he saw Fey's pale complexion.
Odin Lowe shook his head. "In an effort to please me, the poor kid pushed himself beyond his limits." He was currently holding a bottle of some sort of sports drink. Every so often, he pressed the bottle against Fey's mouth so the child could take a sip. "He's going to be stiff in the morning, but he did good."
Fey's eyes blinked open a little. "Od'n?" He looked around wildly as fear seeped into his voice. "OD'N?"
"I'm right here, Fey." Odin Jr. winced as he slid off the bed and walked to his friend. "See? I'm right here." He frowned a little as Fey grabbed his hand weakly.
"I wuz scared, Od'n. Don' leave me! Don' go 'way."
"Shhhh... just rest, Fey. You'll be okay." Odin Jr. brushed the bangs away from Fey's sweaty face and sat down. He hissed in pain, but ignored it for Fey's sake. He held his hand out for the bottle. "Would you get a cool compress for me? He's a little warm." He cradled Fey and patiently tipped the bottle so Fey could drink a little at a time. When Odin Lowe handed the washcloth over, Odin Jr. gently bathed Fey's face. Once the contents of the bottle were gone, Odin Jr. half carried, half dragged Fey over to the bed. He winced as he scooted into bed beside his friend and pulled the unresisting boy against him. 'Please be okay.'
Throughout the night, Odin Jr. had to hold Fey close as the child trembled and whimpered in fear. He spoke soft words of comfort to calm him, and smiled when the whimpers faded... only to frown again when they returned in force. By the time morning came, Fey had started thrashing.
Odin Lowe frowned as he regarded the child. "You'd best wake him up. It's morning now, and that nightmare seems to be getting worse."
"I've tried, sir." He simply held Fey in place as best as he could without harming his friend. He watched as Odin Lowe walked into the bathroom.
Odin Lowe filled the tub with cold water and nodded as he walked back to the main room. "Let me take him." When it looked like the boy was going to refuse, he fixed a stern look on him and waited. He saw the reluctance and frowned as he took Fey. 'Loyalty to this little fellow has skewed his loyalty to me.' The child in his arms was flailing like a fish out of water. He glanced behind him and noticed that Odin Jr. was following him. "I'm not going to harm him." With that, he dropped Fey into the bathtub that had been filled with cold water.
Fey went under the water for a brief instant before he emerged, coughing, sobbing and shivering.
Odin Lowe knelt down and pulled the frightened child out of the ice cold water. "It had to be done, boy. We couldn't wake you up." He blinked when Fey clung to him and buried his face in his shoulder and started sobbing. Not knowing what else to do, he gently pried the child off and looked at him. "Stop crying. Things don't always go the way you want them to go, and it's time you accept that. Look at me, Fey." He made the child meet his eyes. "You are a boy and boys do NOT cry! A boy who cries is an easy target because people take great pleasure in seeing tears. Never cry and never let people hear your pain." He nodded as Fey quieted. "Now listen. You did good last night, but you can't push yourself like that. Did you know that you were sick in the car? There will be times when I won't have the time to take care of you. You have to learn your limits. Understand?"
Fey nodded. "Yessir." He pulled away a little, but blinked when the adult pulled him into a hug. He returned it gladly.
"This, Fey, is not a weakness. I'm glad you're all right, kid. Always follow your emotions. They'll never steer you wrong. As you grow older you will learn when it's appropriate for tears." He tightened his arms briefly before releasing the smiling child. "Besides... that smile is much more suited to your face." He mussed the boy's hair a little and turned him over to Odin Jr. "Look after him. I'll go get us some breakfast."
Fey watched Odin Lowe leave before turning to his friend. "He always like that?"
Odin nodded. "Yeah. He doesn't punish you unless you ignore his orders. You okay?"
"I think so." He hugged himself. "I had a bad dream where those guys got me." He bit his lip. "Odin?"
Odin watched Fey's eyes dart to the main room. "Fey, do you want me to claim you so you don't have to be scared of them?" When Fey nodded, Odin took his hand. "How do I do this?"
Fey stripped his shirt off and leaned against the bed. "It'll put a mark on me. Best place is the lower back." He tried to even out his breathing, but he couldn't. It was an old fear... despite the person who held the rod.
Odin sat beside Fey. "Will it hurt you?"
Fey swallowed a whimper. "Only for a little while." He buried his face in the mattress. "Just... do it! Press it against my back and push the button. Keep it there until the light goes out."
Odin frowned as he placed the flat edge of the rod against Fey's back. "I'm sorry, Fey... REALLY." He closed his eyes and pressed the little red button. He tried to shut out Fey's pained screams as the rod vibrated a little in his hand, to no avail. By the time the light went out, both boys were sobbing. Not looking at the mark, Odin pulled Fey into his arms. "I'm so sorry! I promised I wouldn't hurt you!" He looked up as Odin Lowe entered the room and clutched the rod. Fey was HIS responsibility now.
Odin Lowe studied the two boys, and stopped when he saw the small tattoo on Fey's back. He sighed and walked over to them. "Did it have to be done?"
"Yes, sir... he needs to know that no one can hurt him now. At least... not in THAT way." He held Fey as close as he could to comfort his friend. He looked down into Fey's frightened eyes. "It's okay, Fey... I'll protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you."
Fey's voice was still filled with fear. "'Cause you own me, now."
Odin Jr. shook his head. "No I don't, Fey. This was for you, not for me. You belong to yourself. I won't own anyone, Fey... especially not you. We're equals... ALWAYS." He handed the rod to Fey. "Your turn. That way... we'll belong to each other." He nodded and lay on his stomach.
Odin Lowe blanched at what was about to happen, but he nodded when Fey looked to him.
Fey swallowed. "It's gonna hurt a LOT... prob'ly worse than yesterday did." He repeated the procedure and clenched his teeth as Odin started to whimper. "Don' hold the cries in... that'll only make it hurt worse."
Odin Lowe watched the light go out. When Fey pulled the rod away from Odin Jr.'s back, there was a tattoo identical to the one Fey had. He patted Fey on the head gently. "Welcome to the team." The smile on both boys' faces was worth more than anything else.
*****
The week sped by after that. Nothing of major significance happened besides Fey learning all the tricks in becoming a master thief. He shot through the eight books like wildfire, and the group had to make another trip to the bookstore. Odin Lowe also decided to buy new clothes for the boy.
The night before they were scheduled to leave... everything went wrong.
*****
"GO! KEEP RUNNING AND STAY HIDDEN!!!"
Fey yelped in alarm as a bullet flew over his head. He stopped where the other two did. "What's wrong?"
Odin Jr. bit his lip. "We're stuck, and we need a diversion to get some of the guards away from here so we can get to the transport!"
Fey looked up and saw the catwalks. "Okay... you two go... I'll run up to the catwalks and distract them. If I'm not there by the time you're ready to go..." He turned his pain-filled eyes to his best friend. "You leave without me. I'll be okay. This's my turf, an' I'm claimed."
Odin Lowe gazed at the terrified child and nodded. "I'll stay as long as I possibly can."
Fey saw that Odin Jr. was about to object. "Listen! If we DO get split, I wanna meet you in front of the swanky hotel we were stayin." Cobalt met prussian. "When this war is done... we'll meet again there. Promise?"
Odin Jr. pulled Fey into a fierce hug. "Promise! You'd better be alive when the war is over!"
Fey nodded against Odin Jr. "I will be. Here... hang onto this. You can give it back to me when we see each other again. 'Kay?" He pulled the rubber band out of his hair and handed it to Odin Jr.
"Kay. Sayonara!"
"Bye!" With that, Fey jumped right into the light and scurried up the ladder to the catwalk.
"THERE HE GOES!!! AFTER THE STREET BRAT!!!" Guns started going off as the Federation soldiers followed Fey.
Odin Lowe looked down at the boy beside him. "Let's go. I said it to him, and I'll repeat it to you. I'll stay for as long as I possibly can." With that, he resumed his trek to the shuttle.
*****
Odin Jr. stared out the entryway... looking for some sign of Fey. He turned to Odin Lowe when the gangplank started rising. "NO!"
"We can't stay any longer. I don't LIKE leaving him, you know that! He's a good kid. He KNEW the risks when he left us. We can't risk being discovered." Odin Lowe bit his lip as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. "He'll be okay... he promised you he would be. He knows how to survive on this colony. Now more than ever with the knowledge he has and the protection you gave him."
Odin Jr. could only stare out the porthole as the airlock opened and the shuttle shot out. "Sayonara, Fey." Deep down, he feared he would never see the boy again. To block the pain, he built a tiny wall around his heart.
Odin Lowe saw the sudden change and mourned. The boy would have a hard time making friends and accepting friendship now.
*****
Fey, meanwhile, wept into Solo's shoulder as he heard the sirens announcing an unauthorized shuttle taking off. 'Bye, Odin... Take care of yourself!'
Solo held his second in command. "It'll be okay, Kid. You'll be okay. Don't let this change you! You're great just the way you are. Don't cut yerself off! Okay?"
The boy nodded. "Okay. 'Sides! I promised to meet him when the war's over!" He smiled warmly and allowed Solo to hold him.
TBC...
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