It was unknown how long Ray had slept, his body lay still and unmoving. Without observing his rhythmic breathing, one would think that he was dead.
Until some movements were made on the once still bed- Ray; his consciousness slowly drifting from the land of dreams was finally awakening!
It was unknow if it was chirping of unseen creatures,or the soft breeze whispering through unseen leaves of the open windows, or the voices in the background - suppressed and muffled, that wouldn't just shut the hell up!
But slowly, agonizingly slowly, eyelids that felt like they'd been glued shut for an eternity began to pry open. Blinding white light assaulted his eyes, forcing him to squint. Disoriented, he tried to sit up, his body protesting with a chorus of familiar aches and creaks.
"Hey..hey! He's waking up look!"
A voice - familiar enough, the baritone an obvious indicator that it was a male.
"Oh?" Came the surprised voice, as a flurry of frantic footsteps echoed in the room.
The new comer, who was obviously Ray's other roommate stood by his bed side - at arms length the worry in her eyes were palpable. Although she masked the turmoil in her mind quickly.
"How are you feeling Ray?"
He looked around, his eyes finally adjusting to the light the morning sun graced the room with.
His eyes moving involuntarily to the clock.
'10:53am'.
'Damn! been out for over twelve hours'. Ray thought.
Seeing her questions unanswered, and with Ray staring off into the distance, the young girl, whose worry had just started to ease. Promptly spoke up!
"Bryan, I think something's wrong with Ray- let's take him to the infirm- Miss Becky has to take a look at him- his clothes had signs of blood! What if he has some internal bleeding." The girl said. Her black eyes staring intently at Ray.
She indeed look like the female version of her brother, with the black eyes and long hair- a unique trait they both shared.
Ordinarily, it would have been impossible to differentiate them, if they perhaps chose to get the same haircut.
However, it would make no difference- as it would still be fairly easy to tell them apart.
After all the pair of knockers was something that gave her away, her pair, an arms length away, was something Ray was trying not to look at.
Her brother would kill him otherwise if he did look. He thought.
With the mention of clothes and blood, Ray snapped out of his thoughts. His mind churning and putting two and two together
The puzzle pieces falling in place.
'shit! They must have found my clothes in that laundry basket'.
He had to calm their minds and address the situation, before he got moved to the infirm- By Force!
"Hey! Hey! Bryan!...chill dude... I'm fine..you guys should rel-" Ray tried to diffuse the tension.
"No you are not Ray! You came back with your clothes looking all bloodied and shit- don't lie to us man". Bryan responded
"Cilia c'mon let's move him up" Braun promptly continued already in motion to scoop Ray up with the help of his twin.
It seemed with the advent of a common goal, the twins couldn't have been more united.
"Wait! Wait!" Ray shouted- his scream piercing through their determined hearts.
"I already got checked- why do you think my body is all healed up even though my clothes are bloody; I got checked last night before coming back here - realx guys am fine..really!". Ray said
His logical words finally hiring home, as Cilia promptly examined Ray's body - the little clothes he had on, doing nothing to hide the gaze of her scrutinizing eyes.
"Hmph the next time you make me that worried, you'll get a beating!" She promptly said.
"Yeah...yeah... sure" Ray said, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips. He looked at Bryan, who looked like he had a lot to say, but was holding himself back.
"What is Bryan?" Ray asked- he could not bear the intense look on him any longer.
As if snapping out of his dilemma, Bryan responded. His tone making it clear he had no idea how to phrase his question.
"How..how...what the hell happened to you?" He finally managed to utter.
The silence that followed made it obvious that Cilia was also listening; curious as to what brought such an ordeal.
Although she quickly snapped out of it.
"Hold the questions Bryan, he just woke up and you want to send him back to bed, with your questions?" Cilia responded.
Her statement causing Bryan's face to turn a shade of red in embarrassment; while eliciting a suppressed chuckle from Ray in response.
"Your breakfast is on your night stand" Cilia said, pointing to Ray's bedside. Where a tray with two plates laid calmly- its content hidden by the plastic covers on it.
"And don't worry about your share of work today - I and Bryan had already covered up for you- figured you could use some help; at least till you got better. She said.
"Hey! You owe me after this!" Bryan swiftly said, gaining laughter from Cilia and Ray.
"I...I am serious!" Bryan fumed. His words not taken seriously by the duo- instead making them laugh even harder.
Supressing his laughter, Ray looked at the twins with gratitude.
He couldn't help but appreciate the wonderful roommates he had. The fact they cared enough to look after him was already enough to put them in his good books. Their presence, a direct contrast to whatever problems he had past that door. Just thinking about it made him shudder.
What if Chad was his roommate! That fucker would have killed him off in his sleep! Compared to that reality, Bryan and Cilia were a breath of fresh air.
"Thanks guys! Now can I get some privacy so I can enjoy my meal in peace?" Ray asked.
The little conversation he had, already draining him mentally.
"No problem, just call us if you need anything". Cilia said.
"And..Miss Becky did say you should meet her this evening " Cilia said, pausing before she turned again to look at Ray.
"I'll keep that in mind"
And with that, they both walked out of the room- maybe to go hangout outside? Ray wondered, but didnt think too much about it.
Swiftly grabbing the tray, and removing the cover to reveal its contents.
As soon as he opened the plates, a serene aroma greeted him, he looked at the contents- his mouth involuntarily watering-
The familiar breakfast, - monotonous as it was very morning, were a feast to his hungry eyes.
There were four beef-filled steamed buns, a bowl of soy milk, two boiled eggs, and a plate of pickled cucumbers.
The bun filling was oily, and there was also soy milk and boiled eggs to provide additional nutrition.
Ray ate, his mouth full of oil- he had no reservations about 'table manners ', and he quickly emptied the breakfast. What used to fill him up only made him 70% full now.
'Could it be because of my enhanced attributes? Ray wondered.
'And how come the buns today were four instead of the usual two; and the cucumbers too! Could it be? Had the twins actually given him some of their share?'. Ray thought.
And once again, he was grateful for the kind of people he had as roommates.
Covering the plates, Ray drank some water- from the bottle nearby. Letting out a satisfied belch as he looked at his protruding stomach.
He smiled in satisfaction; it had been a long time he had eaten this much in one sitting before.
Laying back on the bed, Ray opted to take a quick nap before even thinking of how to set his plans into motion.
His body needed the sleep afterall, for a full recovery.
Unbeknownst to Ray,
Right outside his room, a trio Ray was already familiar with, stood. Their uptight and cautious demeanour- a sharp indicator they were up to no good.
"You sure they left?" The blonde said- his eyes locking with Sam; the baldie.
"Yes! I made sure of it before calling you guys". Sam said- utmost confidence in his tone.
"They left around five to ten minutes ago" Sam said.
"Alright let's head in!"
Chad said.
Impatience clear in his tone.
As much as he tried he couldn't hide the wide grin on his face.
And Ray, the victim of this whole scheme was happily laying in bed. Unaware that trouble was about to knock on his door.
Literally!