18 Chapter 4 d Transformations

Baine took a great inhale to control the fluttering in his chest and he noticed Iggy’s scent. An aroma of cucumbers with a touch of vanilla. He inhaled again, subtly, finding the smell calming his nerves. Thankfully. Iggy smelt new, and if he dared say it, helpless.

“Come and sit,” Baine invited, gesturing to the couch.

Vulnerable to all that was, Iggy crossed his arms over his chest and toward his shoulders. He tottered to the couch and sat at Baine’s side. They turned their faces toward one another, and stared for much longer than they had ever stared before. In the past it would have been inappropriate and unnerving, but now it seemed more necessary than ever.

A swarm of blood rushed through Iggy’s entire body and he blushed pink. He closed his mouth and leant forward with his fingers gripping the cushion underneath him.

Baine could see that he was unwinding himself and opening up a little. “So,” he began, “you’re not still mad at me, are you, Little One?”

Iggy stiffened. He swallowed hard; his throat was so dry, and to have honestly answered may have sent him into a mean coughing fit. So, he shook his head in a lie to spare himself the trouble. He leant forward bending at his stomach with his forearms stacked up one on top of the other. The weight of his shoulders and head was heavy. So was his eyelids. He rubbed his eyes with the corner of his knuckles, then met Baine’s gaze again.

Unexpectedly, Baine lifted his large burly arm and wrapped it around Iggy’s shoulders, then sank him into his chest. He was warm and solid beneath a layer of slight softness. He squeezed him once more then released. “It’s been so long since I gave a part of myself to someone,” he confessed. An immense warmth spilled from him and he sighed with relief. “I was afraid of making a mistake. How do you feel?”

“Terrible.” Iggy clenched his jaw. The grittiness, the sensitivity, and ache were still there. Even the muscles in his tongue hurt. Pain. “This is all your fault.”

“It sure is,” Baine sided with him, lacking concern in his tone. “I don’t blame you for blaming me. I called the shots and I was the one who gave the virus to you. It’s all true.” Iggy’s face crumpled around his eyes and he frowned, an expression of disgust and offense. Afraid that Iggy would start crying, Baine flashed his palms and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, and I’m not sorry,” he said. “I know that you’re in a lot of pain, we all went through it, but as soon as your teeth are completely out, you‘ll be able to feed and feel great.” Suddenly, a light bulb turned on inside of Baine’s head nearly so bright it could be seen glowing through his eyeballs. “Speaking of…” He stared at Iggy’s lips. “Let me see your mouth. Watching the teeth and hair grow out has always been my favorite part.”

Iggy kept his eyes open and locked on him as he granted his request. Baine leant in close, drew his right thumb up to Iggy’s mouth and touched the tips of his teeth. Iggy’s eyes winced shut with discomfort. After Baine rattled each, Iggy pulled his head away and clamped a hand over his lips.

“As stupid as it sounds,” Baine chuckled, “I love the freshly infected just as much as the next person. That’s why I put you and Emi on lockdown until the two of you are ready to be viewed. Otherwise, everyone would be hovering over you until your freshness wears away… and that might be a long time. Years, in some cases.”

Iggy wanted to speak clearly, but his lips mumbled, “where… is... she?”

“Who?”

“Emi.”

“Emi?” Baine smiled. “She’s in the feeding rooms, right now. She’s been done changing for a while.” He tilted his head and lifted an eyebrow. “By the way, it had only taken me one day, and Nansen just a bit longer than that, but you, on the other hand? You took more than two whole days. I bet you broke the record!”

Disregarding Baine’s excitement, Iggy’s head buckled forward and he swayed back and forth.

Baine shifted his smile to the side. “You’re exhausted, already. It’s normal to be extremely tired for many weeks after being turned. You’ll end up sleeping more than twice as much as anyone else, so feel comfortable to sleep anywhere, Little One. I will protect you while you can’t protect yourself.”

Baine’s hand gently pet Iggy’s left cheek, but then became heavier as he pushed him further down onto his back. Iggy melted into the couch with his arms sinking into his chest. By the time Baine stood and lifted Iggy’s legs up and rested them down on the cushion beside him, Iggy had already fallen asleep.

After the first deep breath Iggy took of sleep, Baine darted out of his office. He raced through the lobby, scoping each face there. “Have you seen Nansen?” he interrogated. “Where did he go? Where’s Nansen?”

A woman pointed to the entertainment room on the other side of the lobby. “He went that way,” she said.

Baine sped through the group and barged into the entertainment room to find Nansen there on the couch with one leg crossed and one hand pressed into his lips. Even though Nansen knew that Baine came, he didn’t turn his cheek to look at him. Instead, he peered aimlessly at the floor in front of him. So, Baine stood right before him. His eyes were large and his mouth was open, stunned. “Did you see that?” he blurted. “Did you see his eyes?”

Nansen flicked his nail. “I warned you.” He glared up at him. “I warned you that we’d get something that we won’t be able to handle. Well, we got it. So, what do we do now?”

“I’ve never seen eyes like that before. I didn’t think that many colors were possible.”

“The more colors: the stronger the thirst reflex.”

Emi came to the lobby, she saw the backs of many people eavesdropping on the conversation coming from the entertainment room, and while they were distracted, she ventured down the hall into Baine's quiet office with the sole intent to snoop. A curious young lady, and mischievous in heart, she anticipated finding some journals with secrets or pictures of embarrassing faces, but there, she found even better.