Free Web NovelChapter 32: Catching Fish (2)
Parfit glanced back to see a girl standing there. She had on a loose, dark sportswear, sleeves pushed up to her elbows, a gun buckled at her waist, and a small backpack on her shoulders. Aside from her smooth skin and pretty hands, she didn’t fit the typical image of a beta Parfit pictured.
"You’re the East Shore alphas?" she asked.
"Yep, I’m the leader of the East Shore outpost, name’s Parfit Derek." Even though he’d seen pictures, Parfit was a bit unsure, "And you’re...?"
"I’m from the SRD." Kestrel showed him her work ID, and pointed out her name, "My blimp broke down on the way here. So I got a ride."
She didn’t sound excited or shy, just kinda bored. But Parfit was stoked. He quickly took Kestrel’s backpack, handing it to his buddies behind him, then held the door open for her.
"I heard about it. Your blimp was stranded in a Polluted Zone." Parfit said warmly, "That must’ve been tough. I was worried you wouldn’t get here."
The last beta who visited brought a bunch of huge suitcases, filling up the whole car, so Parfit got his buddies to help carry them. He never thought this beta would be different, bringing only a backpack.
All the alphas climbed into the jeep. Parfit was driving and invited Kestrel to sit shotgun.
The jeep was the only car they had at the outpost. It was really old and patched up in places. It ran okay, but the inside was kinda beat up. Even though Parfit had cleaned it super well for Kestrel, it still looked a little shabby.
The ride from the dock to the outpost was on a long, bumpy dirt road. Parfit wanted to make a good first impression, so he took the stuffing out of his daughter’s only stuffed animal to make a soft seat cushion for Kestrel.
As Kestrel sat on the cushion, Parfit snuck a few looks at her. She adjusted the seat to be more comfortable, then leaned back and didn’t move. She didn’t talk, just rested her chin on her hand and watched the scenery pass by, looking bored. freeweɓnovel.cøm
"She’s kinda cold and aloof," Parfit thought, starting to get a bit nervous. He knew that the guys in the back of the jeep were all ears, waiting for him to say something.
alphas, after all, have really good hearing.
"You must be beat from all that travel, huh?" Parfit finally gathered up the nerve to talk, but ended up saying something kinda pointless.
Kestrel didn’t reply, just turned her gaze from the window to him, looking totally uninterested. Parfit fumbled a bit, but knew he had to keep going, so he pushed through the awkward silence. "We actually planned to let you chill for a couple of days, you know, get used to things. Then we would’ve felt better about asking for your help." Parfit laughed a little nervously. He wasn’t used to asking people for help, and it was pretty clear he was uncomfortable.
"Just recently," he began, a bit awkwardly, "you might know, Polluted Zone Five expanded out of nowhere. One of our alphas got stuck inside. We got him out after a few days, but those freaky mutants really messed him up. He’s barely hanging on."
Kestrel cut him off, "You want me to help fix his mind?"
"Yes, yes, exactly." Parfit looked at her hopefully, "We’re hoping you could help. Our alpha is losing it. We’ve tried a bunch of beta pheromone shots, but they didn’t work."
"But I’m not really great at grooming, especially for an alpha who’s about to melt down." Kestrel replied coolly, just stating the facts.
Mental grooming was tricky work. Back at the Imperial Nexus, alphas who got their minds fixed by her always looked like they were in pain, and hardly any of them dared to come back. She wasn’t really great at it.
But with her poker face, she sounded kind of cold. In the back of the jeep, Tegnell stood up suddenly, but a few others grabbed him. The tough female alpha gave him a mean look, stopping him from causing a scene. Everyone else looked angry and sad.
In the front, Parfit, who was driving, was feeling frustrated. He didn’t know how to explain things to Kestrel, and started to rush his words.
"He put himself in danger to save others. When the Polluted Zone started expanding, he could’ve escaped because he’s really fast. But there was a village with old people and kids there. The kids got out, but he didn’t. He’s the fastest alpha we have. I saw those mutants grab his ankle and pull him into the black fog. When we finally got him out after three days, he couldn’t even talk..."
Parfit realized he got too emotional and his words were all over the place. He took a deep breath and tried to smile, saying, "Look at me, getting all emotional. Let’s get back, and we can talk more there."
"This isn’t good," he thought, "A beta needs to be calm. Grooming can’t be forced. If she doesn’t want to do it, it won’t work. Once we’re back, I’ll make sure she’s comfortable, then slowly ask her for help. There’s gotta be a way. Just don’t mess it up. I’m worried that Ray... can’t wait much longer."
Raymond was Parfit’s best soldier. He joined the military when he was 15, and Parfit watched him grow from a kid to a deputy leader, and now to this barely alive state. The Tower was filled with betas who could heal alphas, but they hardly ever came out here. After a lot of hard work, they finally got one. He couldn’t mess this up.
Parfit knew that a beta who grew up in the safe Tower wouldn’t understand the tough life of the soldiers out here, or the desperate and painful situation he was in.
"Maybe... she could understand," Parfit told himself. "Back when I was a kid, living in the city protected by the Tower, everything was peaceful. I didn’t think about how tough life could be for people living in rough places like these, not knowing if they would eat or even survive the next day."
Back then, he worried about if his cake had cream or fruit on it, and if he had a cool outfit for the dance. He guessed this young beta from the Tower was like his younger self. But he couldn’t blame her. After all, you can’t really get how hard someone else’s life is unless you’ve lived it.
The car pulled up to the gate of the outpost. Parfit found his eyes a bit teary. He pulled himself together, got out of the car to open the door for Kestrel, and put on a smile. "Come on, I’ll show you your room. You can chill for a bit and see if you need anything."
"Shouldn’t we see the alpha first?" Kestrel asked, surprised. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Parfit was taken aback.
"I thought you were in a rush." Kestrel motioned for him to lead the way, saying, "Since it’s urgent and there aren’t any other betas, I guess I’ll try my best."
At the same time, Kestrel’s tendrils started murmuring, "These folks are weird."
"He was almost crying earlier, and now he’s talking about resting."
"Yeah, it’s confusing. People are hard to get."
"No fish to catch, this is boring."
"Really boring."
