15

                                    

                                          
Simon's POV 
                          
I wake up to hushed voices in an argumentative battle. I open my eyes to find Josh and JJ discussing something. They are standing face to face in front of me. The four boys are not in the cave.
                          
"I agree that it is adorable, but they are 12! 12!" Josh states. He makes sure that there is emphasis put into the number.
                          
"What, do you want to split up Ethan and Vik too? I mean, they are 12 as well!" JJ fires back. He makes gestures with his hands as he talks.
                          
"No because Ethan and Vik haven't kissed like Tobi and Harry have! Ethan and Vik can't even touch each other, so we really don't have to worry about them!" Josh points out. I've had enough of this.
                          
"What the fuck are you two on about?" I say in a normal volume as opposed to their hushed argument. Their heads snap over to my direction. I pat the floor on either side of me to signal for them to sit because I can't stand. They sit on opposite sides of me and somewhat face each other while still slightly turned to me.
                          
"Harry was getting shocked through his collar this morning when we woke up. Tobi managed to break it off of him. Then Tobi and Harry kissed, and it definitely was too long to be their first," Josh starts to explain the situation. I'm slightly taken aback at the mentioning of the two younger boys kissing. I kind of figured that there was some kind of mutual attraction between the two, but I never thought that either of them would really act upon it.
                          
"Josh wants to talk to them about it and split them up until they are older, but he doesn't think we need to do anything with Ethan and Vik. Sure they can't kiss or really touch each other, but they definitely want to," JJ sheds light onto his point of view.
                          
"So age is the real issue here?" I try to clarify.
                          
"I mean, look at us. We started to become more open and touchy feely, then we fucking had sex. We are 17. If they start now, they are going to get to that point by the time they are 13. That is way too young to be doing that kind of shit," Josh voices his opinion and concerns. I nod along with his points. I look over to JJ for his points.
                          
"If we split them two up based purely on age, then it would be unfair to not split up the other two. Ethan and Vik are already upset that they can't even hold hands or touch the other's cheek. What are they going to do when we say they can't even be all that close to one another. It's going to crush them. Plus Harry and Tobi being separated isn't good for them either," JJ reasons. I also nod along to his side.
                          
"First off, they were 5 when they came to the lab, and we were 10. We went to school and sex education courses before we came to the lab, and they didn't. I bet that they don't even know what sex is. Second, they are not normal children. What normal child is given up by or taken away from their parents at the age of five and locked up with six other boys? On top of that, him and everyone else has powers and gets experimented on constantly? Exactly, no normal child. We can't really treat them like completely normal children," I break the news to them. Looks of realization cross their faces.
                          
"Then what do we do? Just let it happen? Do we acknowledge it? Do we ignore it? I mean, we are pretty much their parents, surly we have to do something," Josh retorts. He does have a point.
                          
"I think we should address it and question them. We can figure out what they know and how they feel about each other. We can also figure out what they want, like a relationship or just companionship," I suggest.
                          
"And not just with Tobi and Harry. We should do it with Vik and Ethan, too. It might be good for them to vent their frustrations. I know that if I couldn't have physical contact with you two, I would lose my mind," JJ brings up.
                          
"I think that sounds good. Do we want to do it now, or give them some time to try to get a better understanding of themselves? I mean, ever since we left the lab, they have definitely all acted slightly different. They might not even fully understand how they feel yet," Josh raises the question.
                          
"I think we should wait," JJ voices his opinion.
                          
"I agree," Josh and I speak at the same time.
                          
A comfortable silence falls over us. I am still laying on the floor. I can't sit up without help at the moment.
                          
"How are you feeling?" JJ asks me softly. His hand is on my calf. I can't even feel his hand, just pressure to the area.
                          
"Alright," I respond back in the same hushed tone.
                          
"I can't wait until you're better," Josh says as he smirks over to JJ. JJ wears a similar expression.
                          
"And why's that?" I ask catching on to what they are insinuating.
                          
"Six days without you was a long time," JJ starts. His hand has moved to my chest. His fingers trace small shapes and patterns on my shirt.
                          
A small squeal catches all of our attention. We all turn to look out over the clearing. Vik is standing on what should be water. Instead of it being water, it has frozen over where he is standing. His shoes are off as he was running around barefoot. Vik has a look of amusement and shock on his face. The other three boys are stood on the shore of the lake with wonder clouding their eyes.
                          
Vik takes another step. The water instantly freezes into a smooth layer of ice. It starts as soon as his toes make contact with the water. It spreads out from his foot to create a small platform around him.
                          
"That's amazing," I whisper out in awe. The boy continues to walk and dance across the water to watch it freeze beneath him.
                          
"You're telling me," Josh mutters from beside me as we all are captivated by the boy turning water to ice beneath his feet.
                          
This might be the last scheduled update for a bit. I have been trying to keep up with writing, but it wasn't really working. I'll update chapters as soon as I have them finished. I hope you enjoyed. Until next time, Ilya, bye!!!