"-op!" Lea blurted out.
Mason looked at her completely confused. Did Kailey just yell stop? He thought she said he needed to go. Why was she playing with his feelings?
Mason sighed exasperated. "Honestly, Kailey, I had already gotten the message. You don't like me. I get it. I'm sorry for kissing you while you were in a state of… confusion. That was entirely my fault. I should have known better, but please, you don't have to insult me. I won't do it again."
Mason felt complicated. He did want to kiss Kailey again, but not when she was acting like this. It was like she had become a completely different person for a moment. He didn't like it at all. If she was going to be like this, then maybe he shouldn't even try to get closer to her. Who likes to be with someone that treats them like trash?
"No!" Lea yelled. She needed to fix this. Why was Dwyl so childish?
[Dwyl: You're the childish one.] It huffed back after hearing this thought.
"I do like you," Lea continued saying to Mason, ignoring Dwyl. "And I don't think you're ugly at all. You're one of the most handsome men I've ever seen." In this world at least. The men in the previous world were way hotter, but then again, they were gods, so not exactly human. "I don't blame you either for what happened. It was me, who started… touching you after all. You don't have to apologize."
This didn't made Mason feel better. Instead, it made him feel worse. "Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?" Lea asked confused.
"Giving me hope, squashing it and then giving me hope again. It hurts." Mason's heart couldn't handle it. He hadn't thought Kailey to be so cruel. Maybe she and William deserved each other, but as soon as this thought entered Mason's head, his heart was pinched even more. He didn't want those two to be together. He still wanted to be with Kailey, even though that seemed a terrible idea now.
"I'm sorry," Lea muttered. "I didn't mean to be unkind."
"Well, you are."
"I…" Lea opened her mouth but didn't know what to say. How could she contradict this? Thanks to Dwyl she seemed like the most malicious person on earth!
[Urgh! Now look what you've done, Dwyl! Mason is heartbroken!]
[Fantastic] Dwyl said with a smile on his face in another room. [At least he won't be getting together with you again.]
[I thought you liked him!]
[Dwyl: I do.] That was quite clear, wasn't it? He didn't understand the point Lea was making.
[Then, doesn't it break your heart to see him sad like this?] It is basic knowledge that if you love someone you don't want to see them hurting, and you want them to be happy.
[Dwyl: No, actually. It gives me satisfaction. It's his own fault for liking you.]
Lea didn't get it. How could you get satisfaction out of something like that? Dwyl really was a sadist. [With a personality like yours I get why he didn't fall in love.] She said without really thinking.
[Dwyl: Are you saying I'm unlovable?] Dwyl narrowed its eyes, searching for some clues inside Lea's brain.
[…] Lea had to think. Was Dwyl unlovable? She didn't think so. Hateful? Yes. Unlovable? No. Everything she had said to Mason about William was true for Dwyl.
[No.] Lea said with conviction. [Where did you get that idea? You are awesome! A little bit to much bloodthirst to my taste, but for the rest you a great. Fierce like a tiger, and just as cute. Who would dare not to like you?]
Dwyl was glad – and honestly a bit surprised – to see Lea's words were genuine. If he couldn't see some of her thoughts, he would have thought she was being sarcastic. Lea was dumb, but maybe – just maybe – not unlikable. [Dwyl: Yes, who would dare? I'm the best, after all.]
"I'm leaving, now," Mason said, when it became obvious Kailey wasn't going to speak. "In the next few weeks, I'll try to bring you to the organization so they can ask you some questions regarding the working of the prototype."
"You're leaving? But…"
"But what? You asked me to. You called me pathetic and ugly, only to change your words seconds later. You want me to get together with that awful William Wright, only to say I'm not worthy of him. At the moment I don't know what to think of you, so I would appreciate it if you'd let me leave." Mason needed to order his thoughts, to figure out what he felt about Kailey, because if today showed her true personality, then he needed to nip this stupid crush of his in the bud.
With that Mason left the room and slammed the door in Lea's face.
[You got what you wanted, Dwyl. Mason hates me.]
[Dwyl: Let's hope that's the truth.]
***
The rest of Lea's time in the presidential palace was boring. She could only wander around the clinically clean palace and the trimmed to perfection garden. One time she visited the capital city, but there was nothing to do there either. It seems that in this world they equate no criminality with no fun or entertainment (which seemed totally ridiculous to Lea, because there are a lot of ways to safely amuse the people that don't involve something illegal).
She tried to talk with William, but since he had just become president and his father had died, he had a lot of things to do, and didn't have time for her. Dwyl complained about it to her all the time and kept begging her to leave the world. Lea didn't budge.
Mason also didn't talk to Kailey. He was busy with the preparation for the funeral and memorial ball. He had talked to Adrian, who had wanted him to get out of the palace before William Wright executed him, but Mason was able to convince him he was safe for now.
After the memorial services of president Wayne Wright had passed, Mason would try to get Kailey out so she could meet with the Criminal's scientist who had designed the prototype. Until then he intended to ignore her. He was planning to let time wash away his emotions, but it didn't seem to help him much. The more he thought about her words, the more he had the feeling he should just forget everything she had said. He needed to give Kailey the benefit of the doubt. Time, honestly, just made him yearn for her more. Mason felt ridiculous. How could he have fallen so fast and hard?
So, Lea, Dwyl and Mason all spent the week in agony, and all were incredibly happy when Saturday finally came. Lea would be relieved of her boredom, Dwyl could put his plans in motion, and Mason was glad that after today his workload would be less.