Chapter 4 c Transformations

Iggy’s fingers twisted in the sleeves and he wrapped his arms across his stomach. “Am I…-” he coughed “-done?”

Nansen flashed a smile. “Your teeth and hair are still coming out, and your body will be changing for a few weeks, but other than that, yes. You are officially infected. The chances of you dying now are slim to none. You’ve made it through the transformation. Well…” he hesitated, “…mostly. We’ll say that you’re done, once you feed for the first time. That’s a pretty big milestone.” One of his hands clamped onto Iggy’s shoulder and Iggy flinched. “You gotta make sure that you stay out of the sun, now,” he teased. “Come on! Let’s go see Baine. He’s going crazy waiting for us. It took you so long to wake up that I rechecked you a thousand times for a pulse. I even planned my own funeral while waiting for you. Speaking of; carnations. I prefer carnations. They last longer than roses.”

Iggy shut his eyes, searching his memory for the answer. “How long were we… how long did it take?”

Nansen tilted his head toward the door. “Let’s go ask Baine,” he suggested. “Only he’d know for sure. I did manage to take a break once, but I still couldn’t tell you exactly how long it took.”

Nansen’s arm flung over Iggy’s and he pulled him out of the bathroom before he could get lost in thought. He’d seen how Iggy’s eyes drooped to look down at the floor, and that look was a dead giveaway that he was about to venture into the grim parts of his mind to rediscover the violation and betrayal lying just beneath the surface, and frankly, Nansen was tired enough. Nothing sounded better other than handing Iggy off to someone else.

So, they ventured down the hall to the large staircase that led straight down toward the front door in the lobby. Half of the corridor was open like a loft with a half wall separating the two rooms. At the head of the stairs to the side, there was one cot stationed against the wall. Nansen’s feet slowed as they passed it.

“You see that cot?” he pointed it out. “You’ll be able to find a few like it in the halls throughout the house. We put them there for you and Emi. Your sleep schedule is going to be erratic. When you feel tired, lay down wherever is closest for you and just go to sleep.”

The idea of sleeping out in the open was absurd to say the least, but Iggy furrowed his eyebrows and said, “ummm… OK?” anyways.

Down beneath the stairs there was a small group of members collected by the door, chit chatting and wasting time. At the sight of them, Nansen tensed and led the way in front, blocking the heat of their stares the best that he could. As they walked past, the others hovered nearer, praying for a peek.

“You remember the orders, don’t you?” Nansen warned. “Leave him alone.” Half of the group sighed and the other half frowned, but they all pulled back and let them through.

Past the entryway and three doors down the hall, they came to the double doors of Baine’s office. It was dark inside with the exception of one oil lamp glistening from a side table. Baine was sitting on his full leather couch positioned dead center of the room with a large book spread open across his lap and his right elbow placed on the armrest. The cup of his hand relaxed around his cheek as he skimmed the pages, killing boredom and wasting time.

Nansen swung the doors open and stepped through the threshold. Baine startled forward, but then froze. He watched Iggy walk in. It was undeniable that Iggy had changed, hell, Baine had expected it, but when he saw the man standing before him his jaw dropped and his eyes rounded. His face became pale.

Iggy curled his fingers tightly around his sleeves to cover all of his knuckles. He glanced at the bookcase stacked along the walls, Baine’s long reading desk, his full leather couch sitting in the middle of the room, and for the amount of furniture he had in there, it was surprising to know that he never allowed any of the other members inside. Only Nansen and Iggy. Before he even glimpsed Baine, he cleared his throat, and said, "hello."

Their two now separated parts greeted one another like long lost cousins without either of them truly knowing about it. The virus circulating in Iggy’s body whispered its loving acknowledgment to its mother in silence and invisibility. It ignited the flame within his heart that would always long for his brother more than he could for his very own father. Within Baine, it created the emotional bond that was tighter than taught steel thread, calling him to protect and provide for his younger brother.

Baine shut his book and tossed it onto the side table as it held absolutely none of his attention anymore, and he rose from his seat and approached his brothers. Each step seemed to force Iggy’s chin downward. The straight bridge of his nose appeared even longer, his jaw dainty, yet desiring to see him, finally, Baine lifted his hand and pressed the underside of Iggy’s chin up with the pad of his finger until their noses aligned.

Iggy met his gaze. In the spotlight of Baine’s fascinatingly green eyes, deep like the forest surrounding New Eden, Iggy melted. He grinned and drew his face nearer, adoring the gentle gleam of light coming from Baine’s eyes like the sun lightening a blade of grass.

Baine, on the contrary, startled backwards. He retracted his hand from Iggy’s chin like someone would from the snapping jaws of a dog, and stood his ground a few feet away. The majestic shimmer in Iggy’s beautiful multicolored eyes couldn’t be ignored, in fact they needed to be seen with awe, regardless of the danger that they signified. But that’s just it. His eyes were a warning to stay back and away.

Uneasily, Baine peeked around Iggy’s shoulder and saw Nansen lingering by the open door. Nansen’s tight lips and lifted eyebrows expressed his uncertainty without saying a word. After a long awkward stare, Nansen finally gave in and said, “I’m… gonna go,” and he slipped out of the room cunningly quickly.