Protection- Alex Rider fanfic

Chapter 3

Alex put on a pair of sleeping pants and removed his shirt before going to bed. He just hoped he would not get a nightmare that night. When Ben had moved in, he had of course discovered about the nightmares. As Alex had refused to go to a therapist, he had instead talked to Ben about it when he felt like it and he was glad Ben didn't force him to spill everything. Since, Alex's nightmares became less and less frequent. But he still got them.

Meanwhile, k-unit were in the living room,watching a movie. The movie ended soon and they started chatting among each other. It was about 1 a.m when they heard silent noises coming from Alex's room. They silently made their way to Alex's room and paused at the door. Wolf looked at his teammates and satisfied when he received nods signaling they were ready, he quickly opened the door,closely followed by the others, who had their guns raised in front of them, just as his was.

All lowered their guns at the sight of Alex thrashing in his bed, having a nightmare.

"We should wake him up,"said Eagle. Seeing three pairs of eyes turning to him, Eagle signed. "Fine," he muttered before moving across the room and stopping at the side of the bed.

On his hand's way to the boy's shoulder, it was seized and the next thing he knew was that he was pinned to the floor by none other than Alex. The latter was staring at Eagle with cold eyes and Eagle was staring back with confused and startled eyes." What is he–" Wolf started only to be interrupted by Snake, "experienced agents develop instincts that can be very helpful at times," he said and then proceeded to repeatedly saying Alex's name,trying to get the latter's attention. Eagle who was still staring at Alex noticed the latter blink twice before looking at his surrounding as if checking where he was. Alex then looked at Eagle before releasing him from the firm grip that was pinning him to the ground.

He stood up and went to sit on his bed. Alex put in face in one hand, his other hand by his side, gripping the bedsheet. " I'm sorry, " Alex mumbled.

He then noticed that the soldiers were not listening to him. Seeing them staring at his upper body part made him remember that he had removed his shirt the previous night. His body was covered with numerous scars, including the bullet wound that was above his heart. The wound was about two and a half years old but that scar was still visible.

" Snake, is that what we think it is?" Shark asked. Snake nodded.

" You have been shot near the heart?" The three other soldiers knew that Wolf's silence had been too good to be true.

"It is 2 cm above my heart and it's practically 3 years old. It's nothing important to worry about," Alex tried in vain to calm wolf down." Three years ago? That made you what? Seventeen? Eighteen? You were clearly younger than you are now."

" But it was because I was young that I survived." Alex said, mentally noting the fact that they believed him to be about twenty years old.

" How ol_" " what about the other scars?" Snake interrupted wolf." The newest ones are about 3 weeks old". When Alex saw Snake moving forward to check the wounds, he quickly added," but they've already been checked up," and he grabbed the shirt on a nearby chair before hurriedly putting it on." Go to sleep, okay? Sorry for waking you up," Alex said before k-unit could continue their interrogation. But the message was clear; 'leave me alone'. "We were not asleep," Eagle muttered more to himself than to Alex but the latter heard him anyway. "Okay..." Alex said. K-unit filed out the room and closed the door behind them. Alex had no intention in going back to bed. He knew he would not be able to sleep again. So, he opted to take a shower. The water not only washed the sweat but also the memory of the nightmare for a moment.

When Alex was fully dressed, he went back into his room, opened the window and sat cross-legged in front of it. The cool early-morning breeze brushed against his face. His eyes were closed, his breathing was deep and his posture relaxed. Alex had always found the practice of meditation to be relaxing. When Alex had found himself unable to sleep or when he had woken up from one of his horrible nightmares, he meditated. For Alex, meditation was just another way of sleeping, resting the mind and separating himself from the world.

After about 2 hours, Alex rose up from his position, and flicked on the light. He sat at his desk and opened the book that was on it. He was annoyed he had to miss school, again. 'For security measure,' Blunt had said. Alex knew he was right. He was glad Tom would help him. The two friends had already talked about it and Tom had promised to send him the homeworks. At school, Alex was still called and considered a druggie and even some teachers have come to believe it with time. The stares he got no longer bothered him though.

Alex studied till 6 a.m before going downstairs and preparing breakfast. Minutes later, the delicious odour of pancakes could be smelled throughout the kitchen. Snake was the first to wake up. He paused at the doorway, fully dressed, taking in the seen before him. Alex looked up from his plate at him, muttered a 'good morning ' and gestured to one of the plates on the table. Snake sat down, nodding his thanks to Alex. Within minutes, the table was full. Eagle had been the last to wake up.

" Are they frequent?" Snake asked suddenly. Alex knew Snake was talking to him since he was looking in his direction." Are what frequent?" he asked, though he had a pretty good idea to what the soldier was referring to. Alex had hoped they would have forgotten the early morning's events. Apparently, luck was not on his side that day. Alex hated being caught in a nightmare. He hated being seen weak. It made him feel vulnerable." The nightmares," Snake replied.

"They're less frequent."

"But they're still frequent?"

"I never said that."

"I never said you said that."

"As I never said that you said I said that." Alex hid a smirk at Snake's red face and put on an innocent one, but the other 3 men who had stayed silent throughout the whole exchange did not hide theirs.

"Don't you see a therapist?" Snake ignored his teammates.

"I hate therapists. So, no." Alex hated to talk about his life to a stranger." But I have someone to talk to when I feel like it."
Snake wisely dropped the subject after that.