5. Quiet as a Mouse

I was unsure as to why I expected the alien's audible voice to be more automatic, or unnervingly abnormal, but I was glad to find that it wasn't. On the contrary, his tone was as lovely as the one I'd heard in my head. It was smooth, and carried the same deep tone as a voice actor reading an audiobook. It was remarkably... pleasing to the ear.

"Have you noticed anything unusual going on around here, Greyson?" A heavy-breathing and older-sounding man asked.

"No, Sir. Should I have?" The alien, evidently named "Greyson," asked.

"Not sure," the older man said, as he walked closer to the back of the room – past me – near the cupboards where Percy was hiding. I held my breath until it was unbearable. "We're looking into it now."

"Why are you carrying such deadly weapons, sir?" Greyson asked as if he were asking about the weather. My stomach twisted into a million knots. "Am I to believe that I am in some sort of danger, Mr. Chapton?"

"I'll let you know in a minute, Greyson," the older man named 'Chapton' said, a note of annoyance marrying his words.

How could they have such a well-spoken alien lock up like this, I asked myself. If what Greyson said was true, and he was wrongfully imprisoned, why then would they insist on keeping him in here?

I ask myself that same question, every day, Greyson chimed in.

A small gasp escaped me.

I could have strangled him for being so blatant with his telepathy. In a situation such as this, it was dangerous to use this ability all willy-nilly with a girl who barely had time to adapt to these... sudden mental intrusions.

Wait until they're gone before you decide to comment on my every thought!

Sorry!

There was a long silence. Everyone seemed to have stopped moving. No one was even breathing anymore. And I had a sickening feeling that they might have just spotted me.

I grit my teeth together. Fuck me, they know I'm here. Don't they?

I thought it might be the end of me, until Greyson spoke again and rescued me: "Maybe I can help you somehow?" He said in a nonchalant sort of way that - again - didn't match the tense atmosphere suspended above all of us. "I've been here this whole time, after all."

A long silence.

"Me and my men were wondering if anyone had visited you, today?" Chapton said, voice weary.

A chuckle. "Only the same boring people I see every day, sir," Greyson said, mirth coating his words, "was I supposed to receive a new visitor?"

"Not to my knowledge," Chapton's voice trailed off, as if his attention had zeroed in on something.

Shit.

My eyes squeezed shut as I repeated over and over in my head, "Please don't see me. Please don't look inside this dumb box!"

"Sir," another man cut in, his voice younger and military-like. He must have been standing near the entrance, because his voice was barely audible.

"Yes, David?" Chapton prompted.

"We just received word from head of security," David said. "There was a malfunction in our electrical system. Even the security cameras went down, sir." David knocked on something metallic. "The boss thinks it might have been a momentary power outage. He's still trying to find the cause of it, as we speak."

Chapton grumbled. "Well, if Everett is on it, I don't see why we should spend any more time in this freaky place. Better leave it to him to figure it all out."

There was the sound of buttons being pressed. "Looks to me as if the locks on this door are faulty as well. It doesn't seem to be able to lock from the outside," a woman voice called from somewhere near the door. "We should look into fixing that sooner than later."

"We'll have to call the technician in the morning," Chapton suggested. "Can't do much about that tonight."

"Did Steve already go home for the day?" The woman asked.

"He usually leaves by five. And this isn't a pressing matter, so let's just leave it for tomorrow, yeah?" Chapton coughed as he walked back towards the box where I laid stone-cold frozen. "You know, this type of emergency could have been avoided if our team did their weekly maintenance check. It could really reduce the risk of them electrical failure." I heard him put something in in a pouch that sounded horribly like a gun being thrust into a holster. It sent shivers down my spine. "Well, seems like we're all good here, folks. Let's get back to work, yeah?"

"Okay, Everyone. You heard the man!" The woman said, and I heard movement by the entrance. "Back to your posts. And everyone needs to sign confidentiality forms before the night is through, or else you'll get written up."

"Yes, Mam," I heard a symphony of man reply.

"Please remove your safety helmets and return them to their proper hooks before you exit the premises. Make sure you spray them down with disinfectant before you hang them, guys. Our science team will appreciate that."

Safety helmets?

Yeah. Agents don't usually come in here without them. It's to protect them from, well, my abilities.

My stomach dipped. So, you are dangerous.

No, he said with a curt tone. Like I told you before, 'I don't wish to harm anyone.' So, don't be afraid of me. I promise I'm not dangerous, he said, and for some reason, I believed him.

It's strange but, I'm having a déjà vu, I realised. As if we had this discussion before...

"Yes, Mam!" Two men chanted in harmony.

"Take care, Greyson. And stay out of trouble now," Chapton added as he withdrew towards the exit. Then, he laughed as he added: "not like you could get in much trouble stuck in that thing. Huh, kid?"

"Right," Greyson agreed bitterly. "Goodnight."

"Bye, bye for now," Chapton said joyfully, "sleep tight."

The door slammed shut and my chest felt like it had been compressed by a pile of bricks. I took a deep breath, trying to expend the unbearable pressure under my ribcage.

I could have died.

My exhale came out short and choppy. "Thank god. They finally left."

Sitting up, the brightness of the lights blinded me as I took in the empty room.

Seems like they did believe you, after all.

For a second there, I was worried they wouldn't, Greyson admitted. Seems like I held my end of our bargain though, huh?

Well, I should mostly thank Everett for that. He's the one who truly came to my rescue, I said while I rubbed my face with my palms. Your word didn't seem to hold much weight, until Everett called and told them that the alarm was due to some electrical malfunction.

Peeking over my shoulder, I watched him scowl from behind the glass. Bottomless eyes, too hollow and too dark, were looking back at me. They seemed to swallow all traces of light, like water at the bottom of a well. It was my second time seeing those eyes, and still they did nothing but captivated me. I wasn't even remotely afraid of them, even though they were extremely unusual, and that... made me feel a little uneasy.

Wait. His head tilted to one side. He was so tall that his messy black hair nearly touched the roof of his enclosure. Are you trying to get out of our bargain? I helped you, now it's your turn to help me. We had a deal.

I took one very slow breath, and used the edges of the box to push myself into a standing position. Even then, this man named Greyson towered over me with ease. You didn't really help me. Mostly, you were the reason I almost got caught!

He winces with disdain - It somehow looked cute of him. What?

You don't just go in people's head and try to have a nice conversation when people are on the alert! I almost gasped out loud, and nearly alerted the security that I was just a few feet away from them!

He scoffed audibly. Are you serious? They didn't even notice.

Kicking away garbage from the top of my legs, I stepped out of the box. My skirt had ridden up, all the way to the top of my legs and when I realised the alien could probably see the color of my underwear, I blushed. Scurrying to pull my skirt down, I nearly fell head first on the floor in front of me. I yelped in surprise, and caught myself just in time to save my face from a broken nose. My palm slapped the ground, and my knees collapse under me. I glanced up just in time to see Greyson's lip curl up with amusement.

Are you okay? He asked, not looking one bit concerned.

"I'm fine." My cheeks felt like fire. "And stop laughing, this isn't funny," I grit out.

He chuckled. "I wasn't laughing."

Seeing the contrast of white teeth against the dark complexion of his skin, with the short black hair and ink-colored eyes, it was quite startling. But it also gave him the sort of charm that poets composed sonnets about.

The way it made my stomach flutter...

Smiling, laughing, it's all the same difference, I said, looking down at my feet.

Noticing the mess I'd become, I dusted away the Styrofoam bits that clung to my white coat, skirt and blouse. I took out the hair-claw out of my waves and smoothed down the fly-aways before I twisted my hair back up. Once I had my hair in a cleaner twist and felt presentable again, I exhaled and turned my attention towards Percy's cupboard.

Peeking back at Greyson I noticed he had not stopped watching me. He surveyed me intently, even as I caught him in the act, and that somehow made me feel peculiarly bashful.

Why are you looking at me like that?

His lip curled up. Sorry, I didn't mean to. He frowned. How am I looking at you, exactly?

Like you're reading my every thought like a novel.

It's quite the page-turner.

I glared. If you truly want me to help you out of here, I suggest you stop 'turning.'

Yes, mam.

The orange outfit, ruined the work of art that Greyson so unintentionally portrayed. Standing tall with arms to his side and fashioning a lovely and regal expression, I couldn't help being reminded of how similar he was to that ancient Greek sculpture.

His head did a cute tilt. Why are you looking at me like that?

I dropped my gaze. I wasn't looking at you like anything.

Hearing a chuckle, it was hard not to look back. Instead, I sauntered towards where Percy still hid, determined to ignore the alien for a time.

You know, I've never met another Agent quite like you. Greyson said, forcing my eyes back on him. He narrowed his eyes and his expression turned curious. On second thought, maybe you are the wrong person to ask for help. You don't seem cut out for what I've been asking of you.

My cheeks flush, hating how I automatically took that sentence as a challenge. We'll see about that.

Greyson's stare softened. He's behind the left door.

Hand on the handle, I opened the cupboard and found Percy curled up in a ball and frantically texting someone on his iPhone.

"Ashlyn!" Percy exclaimed with a flinch. "Thank god!" Taking wireless earbuds out of his ear and shoving his phone into his pocket, he clumsily rushed out of his hiding spot and pulled me into a bear hug. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine." I patted his back.

"They left? We're good?"

"They left. We're fine," I reassured him. "Um, why were you wearing earbuds?"

He pulled away from me and shoved the earbuds into the side pocket of his velvety burgundy jacket. "Playing classical music to help me relax. I almost had a freaking panic attack."

"Yikes. Sounds like you had an awful time in there."

"I did." Percy shook his head and grabbed my shoulders. "But let's not discuss that right now. Everett just texted me and told me that, as soon as the cost his clear, we need to hurry out of here. We need to get our asses back to the office before he puts the cameras back on, or else we'll be sure to get caught."

"Right. Okay... but." I looked behind me, towards Greyson. I looked deep into his bottomless eyes and something inside of me, a gut feeling perhaps, pleaded with me not to leave him behind. "Here's the thing..."

As if he could feel my helplessness, Greyson gave me a sad smile. The deal is off. You should go, while you still can.

You don't get to decide that on your own. My brows furrowed. The deal is still on.

Percy looked over my shoulder at the stunned alien and his eyes bugged out. "We need to leave," he warned. "Now, Ashlyn. I think that alien is trying to mess with your brain."

Is he right? Are you messing with my brain?

His head dipped to the side as if he were trying to figure me out. No. Greyson grinned.

I was about to reassure Percy that I really doubted Greyson was a danger to any of us, until his voice came back:

You should go.

But I can't just... leave you here to rot.

It's not so bad. I get to go outside once a week, and they give me books to read.

My mind didn't skim over the part where he pretty much told me he was allowed to own books, though one question felt more pressing, rather than asking him what types of books he preferred. You go outside?

His smile was dazzling. You might want to ask your security friend about that one, if you still wish to keep your end of the bargain. He looked up at the camera above the cupboard and I followed his stare with a glance. I doubt your partner, Percy, will be keen on allowing you to ever see me again. But Everett might.

My stomach twisted and our gaze latched onto one another. Everett knows about you, I realised.

I really hope this isn't the last time I see you, Ashlyn.

The sound of my name through his voice, stole a heartbeat from my chest.

There was intensity in his gaze and I gulped. Why is it, that I really hope this isn't the last time either?

His head dipped to the right, taking me in. It was as if he were reading a very elaborate book now, and I felt my limbs stiffen and my cheeks warm under the weight of his stare.

"Ashlyn?" Percy shook my shoulders with a strong grip, snapping me out of it. My attention sliced back to my partner. "You're doing it again... You're acting like you're caught in some kind of trance." He shook his head, his eyes big with worry. "Let's get you out of here." He then turned to face Greyson and pointed a stern index finger at him. "You, leave her alone!"

Percy yanked me by the wrist towards the plastic curtains in front of the door. With a heavy heart, my head swivelled back, and I shot Greyson with an expression of pure remorse.

I'm sorry I can't take you with me now.

His lips pressed into a thin line and he nodded. It's alright. He nudged his head towards the door. Go.

I'll find a way to help you, I promised. I'm cut out for it.

Find Everett. He'll know what to do. His grey cheek lifted. Till we meet again, Ashlyn.

The echo of Grayson's voice faded into the pit of my mind as the door slammed shut in front of me.

Then, as Percy and I escaped, something grew inside of me; a desire. My mind was set, the moment I set foot into the office, and sat at my boring cubical. I was determined to free the man inside the glass cage. I should have ignored it. I should have forgotten the sadness in his eyes, or the softness in his voice. But, try as I may, I couldn't get him out of my mind.

I wanted to see him again. I needed to see him again.

We had a deal and - though I knew I shouldn't be - I was determined to complete my part of it.

But first, I needed to find Everett.