[Story] Delta – S01 E15

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 15

♣ Josh ♣

Dancing in the rain was really exhilarating, although the look on Charlie’s face when Pierre kissed Astrid would beg to differ. With a touch of reluctance, I released the girl I had impetuously grabbed to dance with and went back to the others, gauging their emotions. Somehow I had the feeling that this assignment was hanging on a thread and was certain to explode if we didn’t start getting along. We weren’t big on getting along, though, so I would have to step in and take charge.

At any rate, as I was standing in front of the general store once more ten minutes later, I couldn’t help but notice how Astrid’s attention was drifting. A lot. I scrutinized her face with slight concern, noting the off-color of her skin and the slight shadows under her eyes. She looked like she hadn’t slept at all and kept looking around herself in a discreet attempt that I noticed nonetheless. If she knew I was concerned about her, she would probably tell me to stop acting like her dad, but I was anyway.

Charlie was leaning against the facade of the building, clutching his upper left arm slightly, a small twist of pain on his face. He kept throwing Pierre irritable looks, his eyes dark as he surveyed the surrounding area. Obviously, his arm was bothering him again. I was helpless there; I was a terrible medic and anything I could do to him would probably just harm him.

I ran a hand through my hair, yawning widely. “Okey dokey,” he said, as brightly as possible to get their attention. “What are we going to do now?” I could see in their faces that they were annoyed, but that was nothing new and so I just grinned at them all as they gave me flat looks.

Pierre in particular looked peeved, most likely because he was used to actually doing things instead of all the hanging around we had been doing lately. He hadn’t worked with us a lot, and so I hardly expected him to understand us, but he really needed to get in our groove if he wanted to work with us. Even now he was standing up a little straighter, looking us in the eye in turn before taking on a voice of authority.

“Right. Well, we need to make a plan to scope out Decrioux’s manor.”

Charlie’s eyebrows flew up, seemingly automatically, but I knew better. For someone as trained as he was, anything facial was hardly an accident. “Well, no freaking duh,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. Pierre shot him a glance but ignored him, looking at me instead for ideas. I came up empty.

“Actually,” Astrid interjected, in an uncommonly quiet voice, “I think we would do better following that guy.”

I wanted to turn around to see whom she was talking about, but naturally I didn’t. If I wanted to be conspicuous, that would be the way to do it. Pierre and Charlie were facing the direction she was, and I saw the former’s eyebrows quirk. Charlie’s face remained a mask; man, this guy was good.