"Because I can smell you all the way over in my room."
Jai's heart dropped.
His soul evaporated.
He let out a strangled scream, snatching the nearest pillow and chucking it with all the force his mortified body could summon.
"AHH! GET OUT!!" he shouted, voice cracking mid-scream.
The pillow thudded against Shao's chest.
Shao caught it.
Quietly.
Expression unreadable.
Then, without another word, he turned and walked out, the pillow still in hand.
As the door clicked softly shut behind him, silence fell again.
Jai lay in his nest of shame, breathing hard, eyes wide. His entire face felt like it had been sunburned from the inside out. Blood roared in his ears.
Then—
"Huh… Did someone call me?" a groggy voice mumbled from below.
Jai flinched.
He peeked over the edge of the bed and saw Grandpa Kailun sitting up on the bottom bunk, rubbing at his eyes.
The old man blinked up at him. "Was that yelling? Is the base under attack?"
