The bumping road and ever-so-slightly chilly cabin were only adding to the heavy drowsiness lain like a veil over Aaron as his journey stretched longer. The past two days had been some of the most confusing of his life, and if he weren’t so sleep-deprived, he’d be fidgeting to no end. Sure, he’d spent most of his life in and out of clinics, from speech therapists and Otologists to psychiatrists and occupational therapists, but never had he had government officials come knocking on his door. Not to mention that these were [i]American[/i] government men, sweeping into his life in a flurry of foreign affairs paperwork. 

The flight over had been a miserable fourteen-hour affair, during which he had participated in little more than small talk with the interpreter provided (she still wouldn’t tell him anything about his destination, but at least they’d been kind enough to provide her) and generate many possible outcomes to his situation. 

Mitchell, on the other hand, continued to spend the journey flipping shit. 

He buzzed around the interior of the armoured car, repeatedly forcing his way out, only to be forced back in seconds later. Continuous status updates on road conditions and theories rattled through Aaron’s tired mind as he tried to find as comfortable a position as his abnormally long body could manage in a van. He pulled his jumper around him as Mitchell fluttered in and out of his vision, testing every nook and cranny of the van, as he had done several times earlier on in the ride. 

[i]You’re not going to find anything you haven’t found before, you know.[/i] He signed lazily along with the thought, more out of habit than necessity. 

[i]Might as well try,[/i] Mitchell replied, running the perimeter one last time, [i]Also, we’re in a dark forest, on a bumpy unpaved road.[/i]

Aaron was jolted from his near-slumber by a particularly large impact. [i]Yeah, I figured as much.[/i]

Mitchell suppressed a chuckle. 

The voice of Aaron’s ‘headmate,’ as he’d playfully dubbed him, was not a voice as a hearing person may interpret one. He was more like a superimposed thought, or a communicated feeling, impossible to accurately describe. His words were not words at all, as Aaron had no reference for them; instead they were connections, ideas, a shared experience as opposed to a communicated one. 

[i]Aren’t you the least bit curious about what you’re in for?[/i]

A headache began to throb in the front of Aaron’s head, and he blearily waved Mitchell’s concerns away, leaning his head into his hands. [i]Honestly, at this point I’m beyond caring.[/i]

[center][h2]***[/h2][/center]

Aaron was awoken by the scary sensation of falling as his door was opened, pitching him outward. A pair of hands caught him haphazardly, and in an instant Aaron had jumped up and away from the foreign touch. The hands, attached to a tall woman, signed an apology and an explanation, to which Aaron replied with a signed “Sorry, you startled me.”

Allowing a moment for his heart to slow, and the newly-pounding headache to subside, he finally unbuckled himself and allowed himself to be guided from the car. He felt his drowsiness returning even as he was led to an imposing building and through a more welcoming interior. He took little notice of his escort, and his interpreter said nothing. Evidently, there was nothing to be said. 

Aaron ignored Mitchell’s concerned chattering as he was brought down what resembled a hospital corridor and let through an unremarkable door. After a second, wherein his drowsy mind reclaimed its bearings, he turned back to the door to sign his thanks, only to find it shut tight behind him. Had he been paying attention, he would have registered the vibration as the heavy door [i]thunked[/i] into position, but in his state even Mitchell grew weary. 

Aaron entered with an uncharacteristic lack of caution, soothed by the warmth that chased away his chill and the smooth lighting that gave the room a yellow ambient glow. Upon later inspection he’d see that the room resembled his own at home, with more expensive furnishings than the cheap furniture of home. The walls were a burgundy red, the floors dark wood with a thick red rug in the centre. There was a large double bed with a white comforter and grey striped sheets. A desk and chair sat in the corner, complete with a laptop and a few sketchbooks, as well as some art supplies. There was a dark wooden bookshelf on the wall, outfitted with German books, and in another corner stood a violin. 

Of course, Aaron noticed little of this. Instead, he promptly settled himself in bed and at long last, fell asleep.