"Anybody but you!" TTW 10/11 [Tag: Ethan]

[Kim Anderson]

Kim walked out of the bathroom, shaking water off of her hands. The only towel they had was soaking wet and it would take a few hours before it dries out on its own and it will become reusable again.

On her tiptoes, the girl made the beeline to the bed. She took off her shoes and crawled onto it, trying her best not to wake Sawyer up, who was already deeply asleep. Thankfully so far didn't notice her stomping and crashing about the room. It was a long stressful day. She needed some rest. And so did Kim.

The ginger carefully turned onto her side, back to back, to her friend and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep.

... ... ...

. . .

Okay, a sudden case of insomnia didn't help the situation. The girl let out a small sigh and sat at the corner of the bed face in her hands. Fuck this. She can't rest right now. She was still not over whatever happened to them in the two days span.

Cautiously she stood up from the bed and walked towards the opposite side of the room. Fucking brown walls. Kim looked up and down at the boring surface and then... knocked on it. Knock knock - she tired one spot. Of course, maybe it wasn't the best timing but she had nothing better to do but maybe try to find a crack or a hole or a fucking secret safe - ANYTHING that can possibly help them escape this hell of a place.

Knock kock.

[Ethan Kaul]

Once more, Ethan found himself sleeping on the floor. This time Huxley had insisted he take the bed, but, ever willing to play the hero, he'd declined, instead choosing to bundle himself in blankets and prop himself against the wall. A part of him was secretly hoping he would be awoken by Freya or even Hannah, just somebody he could talk to really. Huxley had plenty of stories, but it still felt awkward to actually talk about anything beyond the superficial, as it felt more like a therapy session than a chat.

This time he'd chosen to fall asleep on a full stomach, and for that he was grateful, because it only seemed to be making him sleepier. Whoever their captor was, they weren't bad at choosing and preparing meals, even if it did leave him with the lingering concern that he was slowly being poisoned to death. Although, even that would be preferable to being stuck in this limbo, not knowing whether he was going to wake up one day and be shot. The event that Freya had described was haunting him, and he knew that, if it were to happen again, this time the gun might not contain confetti.

Yawning, he closed his eyes, drifting off slowly. Hopefully he'd be able to sleep through Huxley's earth-shaking snoring, although that seemed unlikely. Ethan was never the heaviest of sleepers, and especially not in this situation, since he needed to be alert at all times.

Knock knock.

The sound of somebody's hand hitting against the wall jolted him out of his sleep. That must be Freya! He moved closer to the wall.

Knock knock.

Well, that was strange. The sound appeared to be coming from... the other side? Then again, Ethan supposed that there must be other rooms along this hallway, and therefore other people this person had captured would be occupying them. He got up carefully and moved his makeshift bed to the other wall so he could talk to them.

"Hello? Who's there?"

[Kim Anderson]

"Ethan?" Kim whispered in shock, her body twitching in fear, taking a step away from the wall. She didn't think she will get a response from another human! And especially from HIM! The ginger didn't hear anything about this dude since she finished high-school and she would prefer to keep it this way, but... guess she didn't have much of a choice now.

"Ethan Kaul? It's- It's me!" she whispered back, leaning closer to the wall again, so she won't accidentally abrupt Sawyer's drams, "Anderson. Kim Anderson, remember?"

Even if he didn't SHE remembered him clearly. Thought her whole fucking childhood and teeage years her mother just couldn't stop talking about him. "Ethan did this! Ethan did that! Ethan is such a good boy! Say hi to Ethan! You should hang out with him more!" UGH! It was just Ethan, Ethan, Ethan, ETHAN!

Right now, of course, she would do anything to hear her mom chatter how good of a husband Ethan would be, but that icky feeling still settled in her chest. Nevertheless, she continued their dialogue. She needed more information about this place and if she has to work with this jerk to get it - she will, gritting his teeth in silent anger.

"I actually saw you in the basement with Freya before the blackout," she remembered him being the "knight in shining armor". Of course, she was actually glad he stopped that thing from falling but to be honest... he was still, as always, a bit of a show-off!

"Is she with you?! Are you alright?"

[Ethan Kaul]

"Ethan Kaul? It's- It's me! Anderson. Kim Anderson, remember?"

Oh no. Oh no. Not Kim fucking Anderson! Of course he remembered her, how could he forget? The annoying, bratty little ginger kid that his mother constantly praised. The girl who had been the bane of his existence ever since he was born. 

What the hell was she doing here?

And even worse, what would happen now she was? Hannah had told him all about this absurd matchmaking scheme their kidnapper was running, and honestly it just seemed like an extreme version of what his and Kim's mothers had been trying to force them into all his life. "Kim's so pretty, Kim's going to be a lawyer, Kim would make a great daughter in law!" He'd brushed off all of those comments, knowing that he'd never be interested in Kim and Kim certainly wouldn't be interested in him. They were just far too different - she was too open, too... silly for him, while he was always more closed off and ambitious. But now... what if this mystery person forced them to marry? They'd kill each other within minutes, he was certain of it. Ethan Kaul could not stand Kim Anderson, and that was the way it would remain.

"Yeah, I remember you," he said finally, his voice coming out strained, "I can't believe you're here."

He was trying not so sound bitter or frustrated, but it was hardly working. He couldn't quite grasp the idea that not only was the biggest thorn in his side trapped in here with him, but there was also the slim possibility that she could actually become his future wife, should their kidnapper choose to play a cruel joke on them, that is.

"I actually saw you in the basement with Freya before the blackout."

"Mhmm," Suddenly, doing anything but talking to her seemed incredibly appealing, but he supposed the two of them were both bored, and she might not realise the full extent of the situation they'd found themselves in. It seemed it had fallen upon him to inform her.

"Is she with you?! Are you alright?"

He was taken aback by her question. Since when did Kim of all people care how he was doing? This place really was getting to them.

"She's not with me, but she's in the room next door. She's stressed out but fine, and I'm okay. Actually, I've found out a lot about this place, if you're interested in hearing it?"

[Kim Anderson]

"What the fuck dude?" Kim screamed inwardly rasing an eyebrow in confusion and annoyance. Mhmm?! MHMM?! Don't you FUCKING MHMMM me! "I am trying to be fucking "nice" with you and you treat me like that?! Wow! Just wow," she thought as she shook her head in now slowly boiling anger.

She was ready to call him a dumbass who doesn't think about anybody but himself when she heard this: "I've found out a lot about this place if you're interested in hearing it?"

"A lot?" she said, knitting her eyebrows in confusion, "Wh- What do you know?" she finished her question abruptly. How can he know A LOT about this place when they've been here for two days and a half... of course maybe more, because Kim lost count of passing hours but at least it felt like it. Was he in an event like hers? Does he know about Geoff? Probably, since he talked to Freya.

"If it's about the event with the girls, I know, I- I've been there," she said in a harsh tone, her mind shifting back to Geoff, looking at her. That faceless mask will haunt her nightmares for days if not even years. Even though it had no eyes it was staring right into her soul.

"Did you find anything else?"

[Ethan Kaul]

Kim's reply was harsher than he'd expected, even considering their unpleasant history, and Ethan had to pause for a moment to recollect himself before he responded with something cruel. God, nobody could frustrate him as much as this girl could, that was for sure. They barely knew each other really, and yet somehow she'd worked out exactly how to push his buttons without even trying. He clenched his fists.

Deep breath.

"If it's about the event with the girls, I know, I- I've been there."

So she too had been a part of this weird shooting. This was really turning out to be a reoccurring theme with the women in the adjacent rooms, but at least he didn't have to explain that whole debacle to her. Silver linings. Plus, it seemed like Geoff had dodged a bullet - pun not intended - by "shooting" Hannah instead of Kim. Ethan couldn't imagine how awful it would be to actually have to marry the redhead. She drove him up the wall enough as it was, he didn't think he could handle being her husband. He certainly wouldn't wish that kind of torture on anyone either.

"It's not just about that, although at least you know the backstory. Actually, I found out from Hannah what happened after that."

He paused, adjusting the blankets around himself. Sleeping on the floor really was doing a number on his poor back, but he preferred that to sharing a bed with an overly-handsy psychology professor, at least.

"Afterwards, Hannah and Geoff, the guy who shot her... they were forced to get married to each other. There were witnesses and everything, they were forced to sign a certificate..." he trailed off, unwilling to reveal the full extent of the torture the participants had gone through. Even Kim didn't deserve that mental image, and all the worry about their own mortality that came along with it. Ethan may not have thought highly of her, but he didn't want her to die. That would just be too far.

Still, she deserved to know, even if it only meant that she could inform others.

"They... had shock collars on their ankles, and when they did something that wasn't exactly perfect, they were shocked. Like, Hannah mentioned that she hadn't replied straight away to something, and she was electrocuted pretty badly. I don't know what it all means... but it's definitely not good."

[Kim Anderson]

...Who is Hannah? Couldn't he be more specific? Kim rolled her eyes in annoyance from Ethan's idiocy. Oh, of course, she knew a lot of people from around the town (unlike somebody she knew how to socialize) but not every fucking citizen, YOU CLOD! And what did he mean after? Like right after that night? With whom?

"Afterwards, Hannah and Geoff, the guy who shot her," he said and Kim felt as if her ass was about to catch on fire... again. Okay, she got it - so Hannah is the woman's name who got showered in confetti... HOWEVER he did NOT need to specify the latter part of his sentence! Or at least word it THIS WAY! Yes, Geoff was the one who shot her but he was forced to take upon that role and, yes, Kim herself still felt uneasy about this but no need to rub this fucking in! Geoff is still one of them! "And I just said I fucking WAS there, I saw this with my own eyes! Think before you speak, dumbass," she thought but stayed silent. Instead the girl angrily sat down on the ground with her back towards the wall; she had no idea how long this conversation will last and her legs were getting tired.

"How is this possible? Is this even legal?" Kim shook her head in disbelief when Ethan told her about the wedding. She barely could comprehend all this new info when on top of it Kaul finally told her about the " details". Shock collars. Fucking... shock collars. Holy shit the person who got them in here is insane.

Kim was left speechless for a bit. Her anger numbing out her fear. She didn't know what to say. This was insane. She put both of her hands around her head. Oh, fuck, why is it so heavy? She needed to sleep. She needed to tell Sawyer. Not to forget to tell Sawyer. And sleep. Right. But before that...

"Thank you," she has finally spoken, turning her head towards the wall, her voice soft and still quite in awe from the shock, "For letting me know,"

And then another long pause followed.

"Ethan," the girl suddenly called for him. It was still so unusual to call him by his first name, but... it felt right? Just like Geoff - he was one of us. And they should stick together or at least try to... Right?

"Stay safe."

Yes, he might be an idiot, yes, she might hate his guts to hell and back. But he did not deserve to be treated like a puppet. Nobody did.

[Ethan Kaul]

Ethan yawned. It was getting seriously late, and if he wanted any kind of rest before Huxley woke him up (that man was an unusually early riser), he should probably at least try to sleep soon. He stretched his arms out, head resting against the wall as he listened to Kim's incredulous reaction.

"How is this possible? Is this even legal?"

Well obviously fucking not, he wanted to say, but being snarky would do him no good. As much as he hated the idea, it was going to be wiser for the two of them to work together. Their kidnapper would exploit any weaknesses they could, he was sure of it, and so keeping a pleasant facade, at least whilst the cameras were on them, was essential.

"The ceremony might be. I don't think anyone checked in much detail to see if the certificate was legally binding, but if it was, it can easily be annulled, I'm sure."

He knew he didn't have to remind her that his mother was a lawyer, and that he'd picked up at least a few things from living with her for eighteen years.

It was quiet for a long moment, before Kim spoke up, somewhat tentatively.

"Thank you... For letting me know."

Ethan shrugged, even though she couldn't see it.

"The more people who know the better. If we're all aware, it might stop more people from getting hurt."

His answer was practical, but true. Even if Kim was the bane of his entire existence, he didn't want to see her hurt, not seriously. Pissed off was enough for him, and he could annoy her well enough himself without the interference of their kidnapper. Warning her was for the greater good; she could let others know what was going on, and that might help in preventing any more injuries that he would no doubt have to look at.

Her silence made him wonder if she'd fallen asleep, and just as his eyes were about to close once more, she whispered his name. His first name. Well, that was new, and definitely unusual, and it certainly made him take notice of her.

"Stay safe," she said finally, and his brow furrowed in confusion. Who was this new Kim? She had been way kinder in the brief minutes they had been talking than in the twenty plus years they had known each other, and it threw him for a loop. Still, he supposed this place had changed him too, made him a bit... softer around the edges, perhaps. He certainly wouldn't have been as forgiving of people or nearly as caring as he had been out in the real world. Maybe her almost-kindness was just a symptom of this hellhole, and once they were free, they would be back to their normal selves.

He could only hope. The thought of actually being friends with Kim Anderson was maybe a little too much for him to handle at that moment in time.

"You too Kim," he murmured, eyes slowly closing, sleep about to take over, "And sweet dreams."

[Kim Anderson]

So... no sassy comment? No anything? Who IS this man?! "Call 911, we've got an emergency! ALIENS are amongst us! I repeat - ALIENS ARE AMONGST US!" Kim almost made herself laugh and let out a soft chuckle under her breath at a thought of Mr. Kaul being an extraterrestrial being... this would definitely explain a sudden change of tone! Or he could be a reptiloid! Oh, or maybe a human-like android!!

She let out another sigh, closely followed by a yawn. "Damn those Aliens!.. Silvio knew everything about them," for a moment the girl wondered if he was streaming right now? Without... her? Did he notice her sudden disappearance? Or did he just kept rolling, because, well, he has tons of mods? She is just one of them.

Just one replaceable piece of a puzzle.

"The more people who know the better. If we're all aware, it might stop more people from getting hurt," Ethan concluded and Kim nodded in agreement, brushing away her gloomy thoughts.

"Don't forget to tell Sawyer, DO NOT forget to tell Sawyer," she kept telling herself as she felt that her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier each passing second. So when she finally has decided to leave and suddenly heard a reply back she was... Surprised? Perplexed? Even if so - definitely not in a bad way. Huh. That's felt a little bit weird. What if-

...

Naa-a-ah, it's probably because he's just tired. Or generally exhausted from well everything. She better leave him be. They both need their rest! The ginger pursed her lips in a shy smile and replied one last time:

"Sweet dreams."