Unmasking the Nightmare

Chapter Nineteen: Miss Lonely Heart

I massaged the warm-scented vanilla bean and shea butter shampoo into my dirty-blonde locks, inhaling blissfully and rotating in a full circle to allow the jets of scalding water to beat my knotted back and shoulder muscles. As much as I hated water, I couldn't help but find this shower particularly relaxing. I had been in the shower for over half-an-hour, and I had no intention of getting out any time soon.

After arriving back at Elite Headquarters, I had passed the blood sample vials off to Captain Zenith, who had been surprisingly appreciative. His suspiciously good mood still stuck around, even when he saw Cheyenne limp in Xavier's arms. When Xavier and I had expressed concern over Cheyenne, Captain Zenith had waved us off dismissively, ordering us to get cleaned up. It was a strange command, but I wasn't going to question him in fear of angering him, so I had obliged.

Cheyenne had stirred and roused herself before I had gotten in the shower, and although she had gotten into shower after me, I couldn't hear the hiss of the shower beside me and I couldn't see any steam lifting to the ceiling, so I assumed she must have finished and was waiting for me.

I wanted to stay under the cleansing stream for as long as I possibly could, but I was worried about Cheyenne and I didn't want to keep her waiting. So I ran my fingers through my shoulder-length hair and rinsed off the lathered shampoo. I had been in the shower for ages and I felt like I hadn't accomplished anything except shampoo my hair and spin around in circles.

I eyed the overwhelming collection of body washes and shower gels, wondering if they had such an assortment just to flaunt how powerful and well-funded they were. In a meaningless act of defiance, I snatched a simple bar of soap and scrubbed it furiously across my body, using my stubby fingernails to scratch the grime off my skin. I blinked the water from my eyelashes as I watched the dirt-tinged water gurgle down the drain.

After I made sure I was washed off, I flipped the shower knob off, the water sputtering and stopping. I probably should've shaved and conditioned my hair, but it was too late now. I snatched a towel that hung over the curtain rod and vigorously dried myself off, frowning when I saw the bruises that bloomed across my skin from the subway station battle. After my body was dry enough, I squeezed the water from my hair and wrapped the towel tightly around my torso as I peeled the curtain back and stepped out.

Cheyenne was leaning against the sink, her elbows propped up on the counter and her back facing me. She was holding her head in her hands, and I could see her body trembling. I briefly wondered how she didn't notice the shower stopping or the sound of the curtain getting pulled back. Since I didn't want to startle her, I padded forwards until I was standing beside her. If she noticed me, she didn't acknowledge me. And from my new vantage point, I could see her labored breathing and her clenched teeth.

A bit concerned about her tense posture, I cleared my throat and tugged the towel tighter around myself as I forced a smile. "Well, the hot water heater didn't disappoint."

Cheyenne whipped her head around, her palms springing away from her head. She immediately started pinching the last traces of water from her damp dreadlocks, trying to appear as if she had been doing that this whole time. She flicked her gaze fleetingly towards me before lowering it, drilling the toe of her Crocs against the tiled floor. "Oh, I didn't hear you get out."

"Yeah, sorry I kept you waiting." I shrugged, wondering what had kept her occupied enough to not hear me. "I like my long showers."

"Yeah." She nodded, fiddling with the drawstring of her fuzzy blue bathrobe and fidgeting. She darted her gaze towards the steamed-up mirror, leaning closer to inspect some invisible blemish on her face. I knew she was only doing that to avoid a conversation, but I felt this was something I needed to get off my chest. This tension between us was stifling, and I didn't want our first mission together to end up like this.