Against My Will

***S/K This will be a bit shorter of a companion piece, as will the next two or so. There are good S/K things to add to, but not much else that I feel can be super-fleshed out. Besides, I’m freaking chomping at the bit to get into Jaynestown!

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Ch. 3 – BUSHWHACKED

Simon heard his door slide open moments before River’s face peered around the corner. He put his book down on the side table when he saw the highly agitated look on her face.

“What is it, River?” he asked, swinging his legs off the bed and quickly crossing the room to her. “Did you have a bad dream?”

She shook her head, her long, unkept hair flying in her face. “They’re shouting. Loud…can’t understand what they’re saying.”

She had been talking like this more and more lately, as if she was communicating with a force outside herself. Simon hated to think that his sister could be schizophrenic, but he knew most of the warning signs. Hearing people who weren’t really there was usually top of that list.

“River, no one’s shouting. See?” he said, gesturing around the room. “Just our voices.”

She spared him a condescending look as she grabbed his arm and hauled him out into the hallway between their rooms. “Listen,” she commanded, her gaze traveling up the stairs.

Simon obligingly grew quiet, although he felt that reading up about her possible conditions would be a better use of his time. He hadn’t even scratched the surface of what they’d done to her at the Academy, and for some odd reason, he felt like he was up against a clock of some sort.

“See, mei-mei. Just us. There’s no one…” He stopped suddenly as a particularly loud curse floated down the stairs to them. River glanced over at him with a smug expression on her face, which quickly gave way to confusion.

“Why are they screaming?” she asked. “Are they in pain?”

“No…no, they’re fine, or someone would have come for me,” he reassured her, but curious all the same. “If you want