I woke up with James next to me. He was awake, but his eyes were fixed on the ceiling, he looked like he was thinking incredibly hard about something, or there were no thoughts in his mind at all. No in between.
I gave him a kiss on the cheek, and got up.
"I'm going to go make breakfast," I informed him. It took him a few seconds to process what I said. His focus on the ceiling broke when he looked at me. He seemed dazed for a moment, before turning back to the ceiling.
"Okay," He said tonelessly.
"Are you okay?" I asked, now getting even more concerned.
"Yeah. I'm just thinking," He said quietly.
"About what?" I asked. He stared blankly at the ceiling for a few more seconds.
"It's probably nothing," He sighed, getting out of bed.
"Anything in particular you want for breakfast?" I asked.
"Sourdough," He said wistfully.
"With cream cheese, or eggs or..." I trailed off, not knowing what else to list.
"Sourdough bread with butter," He confirmed.
He seemed so out of it. His continuous use of his animus must have been very draining. I shoved that thought into the corner of my mind for now, and concentrated on making breakfast for everyone. It was already midday. Apparently nobody here wakes up early. I toasted some sourdough for James, and a bagel for myself. I made an omelette for everyone else. I looked through the fridge, eventually spotting the lactose-free butter.
"I didn't know you were lactose intolerant," I said.
"Most Animus Holders are," James explained.
Maddie and Crystal approached the table together. It was nice seeing those two get along for once. Ayro was next to approach the table. Well it was less of a table and more of a kitchen counter. He sat down, eyeing the food and waiting. Raven stepped out of the restroom and joined us last. People were piling food onto their plates, except for Ayro. He had a dull, devastated look in his eyes. I was about to question him, but Raven caught my attention first.
"I found this with our missing bags yesterday," She said, taking a sip of her iced coffee and handing me a note. Reading the last line made my vision go red. I took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. If I let my anger take over, then the wrong person could end up dead.
The note was passed around, resulting in weary glances. Ayro, on the other hand, looked distant. He seemed very upset by something, but it wasn't the note.
"Ayro? You okay?" I asked.
"I ran out of my testosterone injections," He said quietly.
Raven turned to James, asking, "Is there any wa-"
"No," James said, cutting her off, "They don't use modern medicine here, just Animus Holders with a healer animus."
Crystal
Ayro looked even more depressed now. He'd been looking off for most of the time we were here, and now I knew why. I wish there was a way to make him feel better right now. I was about to say something, but Ayro had nodded off. That was strange. He'd been sleeping all night, since about 10:00, so he shouldn't be tired.
I had Raven help me get him on the bed. His eyes fluttered open for a moment, and I noticed something off about his eyes. I didn't think much of it, it was probably a trick of the light. His eyes now snapped open.
"What happened?" He asked. He looked at his hands, and took a deep breath.
"You fell asleep. I thought you'd be more comfortable here," I explained.
"Thanks," He said, giving me a small smile, "Raven had a note?"
I nodded.
"What did it say?" He asked.
"We forgot our bags, and the note appeared with it. It was mainly targeted at Alex," I explained.
He looked at his hands again, and then met my eyes. He looked devistated. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, before speaking
"I... uhh... I... I think I know who The Dealer is."