Chapter Three

Chapter Three




I drift between reality and dreams… Everything is still black, but I can’t feel… anything. It’s like I’m detached from my body, an observer of myself. I can hear the muffled shouts of everyone. I can’t tell what they’re saying, it’s too stuffy to tell.

An overwhelming calm still hugs me. It’s begging me to join it, to get back into the state I was in when I was in the water.

But now Leon’s here.

And that changes everything. Or maybe nothing?

I can’t think very clearly. I just know that his name’s important. A person? Place? I try to remember but end up in pain, so I retreat back to the quiet calm. The stuffy noises grow quieter and quieter… And the calm is begging me now, showing the light I could be in if I simply give up. Leon, Leon, Leon. I try to repeat to myself. I have to stand my ground… for some reason.

Suddenly, the calm fades rapidly. Leaving me behind. I want to chase it down, beg it to forgive me. To put me back in its loving and glorious heaven. But I feel a slight tug towards the opposite end. So I reluctantly give up the peaceful place, heading towards the pain again.

I can feel my body again. And man, does it hurt. I can’t trace the pain, I’m too tired to try, but it aches, not going away. I should’ve gone with the peace. It wouldn’t be like this if I had…

There’s no turning back now, I try to tell myself.

And with this new-found pain comes a clearer head as well. They’re only whispers, but I can catch a few things: worried, brother, Rosemary. The last part sticks out to me. Rosemary, Rosemary, Rosemary. Until something clicks. That’s my name.

The click triggers another part of information: Leon is my brother. He is the reason I keep fighting. Not that I can now. It’s way too late to turn back to the comforts…

I feel someone grab onto my hand, squeezing it so tight I start to lose feeling in it. But it still feels warm. And it keeps me from falling asleep. I feel so tired, but I have this feeling that I should be awake. That I shouldn’t give into my weariness.

I groan, the pain in my chest has increased greatly. With it comes more words: Fading, failing…dying. Why are they talking about death? Is someone else dying? Then I realize: They’re talking about me. And their words certainly feel true, with the pain and exhaustion threatening to grab me. But I focus on Leon. I’m staying for Leon.

“Rose, please don’t give up… Please… Not now…” I hear another whisper say.

They know my name. My real name. Not Rosemary… Rose. It must be Leon. I want to respond, but my throat feels so choked, and I know if I speak, it’ll cause more pain… But I need to let him know…

“I… won’t…” I manage to choke out as the pain increases in me.

It was worth it… So, so worth it. I feel the hand holding mine loosen in shock, but then quickly hold on tight again. They must’ve thought I couldn’t speak.

“Rose… Are you okay?” I hear the whisper ask.

I nod, speaking hurts, and it’s better to just give him signals.

“Can… you open your eyes?”

I frown slightly. I wonder if I can; I hadn’t thought of it. I muster strength in myself as I try to focus on the upper part of my body. I try to move my eyelids, but they are heavy. They weigh down, warning me to not open them. I gather all my energy, then tug on them as much as I can.

And they open to a whole new world. One of such bright lights and a face staring down at me. And I know one thing: This is Leon.

“Rose,” I see him choke out, his eyes welling with tears.

I smile sluggishly at him, “Hey, Lemon…”

His arms immediately collapse upon me. I try to lift my arms to hug him back, but opening my eyes took a toll on me. Everything feels so painful, like thousands of people have trampled over my body.

He pulls away, “Sorry, I bet that hurt…”

I smile at him and shake my head. It felt amazing. I have my brother back. That’s all that matters…

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” I hear someone shout.

My heart immediately sinks and my smile fades. It’s frickin’ Larry. I stare back at him. I ain’t giving up my voice to answer this guy. Only Leon deserves it.

“YOU COULD’VE KILLED YOURSELF!” he shouts.

Well, duh, that was the entire point, I think to myself as he angrily paces around the room. A doctor comes up to him and whispers something into his ear. This seems to calm him.

“Sorry… I’ll give you time to recover,” he mumbles, then heads out a door to the right of my cot.

It’s then silent, except for the frantic whispers of doctors. I can’t understand anything they say, but they’ll often look back at me, apparent wonder written on their faces.

“Why did you do it?” I hear a soft voice whisper.

I look back to Leon, his eyes not directed toward me. He seems to be staring off into the distance.

“I saw the whole thing… They brought me out… and the first thing I saw was your entire body duck down into the river,” he says, his voice cracking, “Why did you do it?”

I look around for something to tell him and my eyes land on a notepad the doctor had been using. I gesture to it, trying to tell Leon that I can communicate with him that way. He understands and grabs it for me, then hands me a pen.

He sits on my bed beside me, his legs crossed as he waits for me to start writing.

I chew on my lip, then start to write: I’m sorry… I couldn’t think of anything else in order to keep you safe.

He reads it, then asks me, “How is…” he looks away from me before saying, “...killing yourself helping me?”

I grab my hair, twirling and messing with it: It’s not like that… I didn’t mean… I cross that out, I meant that I just didn’t see any other option.

He fusses with the sheets, “So… you died because of… me?”

My heart breaks as I look at his sorrowful face. Why am I so bad at explaining this?

It’s not like that, I try again, I didn’t know where you were and I thought they might question me, and I didn’t want to tell them where you were… and if you were captured to tell them you were related to me. They would’ve killed you in one fatal swoop.

He pauses, considering what I wrote, “But… Why didn’t you listen to them? They aren’t going to kill us-”

I shake my head, Leon… I know you want to believe them. And I understand, I really, really do… But there’s no way they’re telling the truth…

“So they were lying about Mom?” he asks, his eyes gleaming with hope.

I shake my head again, I… think that’s the only truth they did tell…

He stays silent, the glint in his eyes gone. He simply rocks back and forth on my bed.

“I just want things to go back to normal,” he finally whispers.

I want to hug him. So bad. But my body still resists most of my commands, and my hand is starting to feel sore from writing.

Me too, Lemon… Me, too… I manage to write.

He just grimaces. My heart aches for him. I didn’t mean to drag him into this… I was just- I sigh. I don’t know what I was trying to do.

From the corner of my eye, I see the doctors look worriedly at each other.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t allow them to talk to each other…” I hear one mumble to the other.

Fear strikes in me like a lightning bolt. Are they going to take Leon away… again?! My throat feels so sore and I know I would barely be able to croak my protest if I could. Anger spikes in me. If they take Leon away again… I-I’ll do something. But I know I wouldn’t be able to. I’d most likely just flail around as they look pitifully at me.

I watch in horror as one of the doctors makes their way over to Leon. This can’t be happening. I can practically hear an evil laugh as they grab Leon’s arms. I am not letting this happen.

I use all the strength in my body and wrestle in my sheets. Thankfully, they weren’t smart enough to tie me down. I quickly launch my body at the doctor, pinning them down to the ground. I stare him dead in the eye as his eyes widen in horror and surprise.

I can feel the doctors around me try to grab onto me, but I wrestle them with all my might. I did not emerge from my suicide for Leon to be taken away from me again.

“C’mon, kid! It’s not that serious!” I hear a doctor say to me.

I shake my head in reply and continue flailing around. I feel like a weak toddler throwing punches at their parents.

“Okay, okay! We won’t take him away!” I hear one doctor finally plead to me.

I look skeptically at the one who spoke.

“We mean it!” he says to me again, “We just didn’t see any point in seeing you here when we knock you out-”

His eyes widen in horror as he looks back at me. I put down my arm in shock. Then I shake my head. I knew there would be consequences like this when I came back. All I want is for Leon to be safe- I don’t actually matter.

He quickly adds, “It’s not like what you’re thinking- I promise. We just need to make sure the water in your lungs is all gone.”

I shake my head, I know he’s just trying to make me calm.

He sighs, “Look at the way you are reacting and moving now. We wouldn’t be able to get a clear scan of your lungs and then we’d have to repeat it multiple times.”

I tilt my head to the side. He does make a fair point. I can feel my body’s energy depleting again. It’s exhausting, so maybe a sedative wouldn’t be so bad… But how do I know that they’re actually doing what they’re saying they’re doing?

An answer comes to mind: Leon. If he stays in the room, surely he can watch over me… I inwardly sigh, I’m supposed to be protecting him. Not the other way around. I frown, I don’t exactly have a choice.

“So can we please get you back in your bed?” the doctor asks.

I hesitate, then nod. As the doctors lift me up, I look at Leon, hoping my eyes illustrate the way I need him here. At first, he doesn’t seem to be paying attention to me. Then I see the faintest of nods. He’s in.

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my beating heart. I knew that there would be consequences. Now I need to own them. Even if it means being sedated and having absolutely no control over what is going to happen to me next.

I push off the thought as the sheets wrap me in their smoothness. It’s like everything around me is telling me it’s going to be okay. I try to repeat that to myself and the doctor lifts up a vial.

“Are you ready?” the doctor asks me.

I take another deep breath, then nod. He presses the vial against my lips, the cool feeling almost chilling me to the bone, and I swallow it carefully.

Then everything goes black again.

~ • • • ~

My body seems to float in the abyss. Weightless. Thoughtless. There are slight ideas around me, but I can’t concentrate enough to understand them. I see familiar faces. Hear the voices of people I think I know.

But they never stay. They zoom by me like I’m in a speeding car going way too high of a speed. I try to touch them, but I find I have no hands. My body is a big blob of mass, and my mind is the only thing active.

I try to remember why I’m here. Where I am. Who I am. But those memories fail me. All I can think of is the current. And the logic.

I slightly cringe as a voice shouts from the muffled silence, “PLEASE, PLEASE, ROSE!! STOP!!”

I turn away from the voice. It’s annoying in all this quiet space. Well, it sure seems quiet now that it’s stopped. It feels… almost endless. Almost crushing. And I can feel the pounding of my heart as I realize there’s no way out. I’ll be stuck in this endless deafening silence for the rest of the time I exist. There is no escaping. And instead of scaring me, like I’m sure I’m supposed to, it feels almost like a relief. Nothing can touch me here. Well, except that one voice. But I’m sure I can get over it. I always seem to get through…

At least… that’s what I think.

As I accept my fate, I relax my body further. But then the darkness is lightening, turning gray. It’s not welcoming anymore, it’s too bright. Too sudden. I don’t want to leave. It’s so relaxing, so peaceful… But I can feel the speed I was going getting slower and slower... Until I’ve stopped. And it’s all white.

I can’t take it anymore, and I close my eyes.

~ • • • ~

“It’s okay, Rose,” a voice whispers to me.

I groan, a slight headache forming.

“It’s going to be fine,” the voice repeats, “You’re awake now.

“What…?” I grumble as I slowly open my eyes, immediately regretting it. The light’s even brighter than it was in the darkness.

“They finished the scan, and they think it’s okay for you to go now,” the voice explains, his voice screaming with delight.

Wait… “Lemon…?” my dreamy voice says as I look around.

And there he is, his dirty blonde hair hanging over his face.

“You stayed,” I whisper, my brain trying to process everything around me.

“Of course I did,” he replies, looking worried, “You feeling okay?”

“Okay enough,” I mumble, massaging my growing headache.

“What do you mean by that?” a new voice chimes in.

I turn my head slightly in the direction. It’s Larry again. I sigh and turn back over. I don’t feel like having a huge argument right now. I’m so tired…

“I’m not here to talk,” Larry says, probably trying to reassure me, “I’m here to apologize.”

I pause, “That’s… still talking.”

I can practically see his eye roll when he replies, “Well… you won’t be talking then.”

He pauses before continuing, “I’d like to apologize for… my actions earlier today,” he sighs, “You see, you and your brother… you’re just…” he searches for words, “Just so rare.”

I scoff, “So we’re just your secret weapons you’re going to pull out on the enemy?” I say the last bit with quotation marks.

He looks up to the ceiling, muttering, “Why the heck do teenagers have to be so dramatic?”

Anger flares up in me, and suddenly I don’t feel as tired anymore, “Dramatic? DRAMATIC?! You think I’m being dramatic?! MY MOTHER IS DEAD!” I croak, “OUR WHOLE FAMILY IS DEAD AND YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT MY COUNTRY, THE COUNTRY I WOULD FRICKING DIE FOR, KILLED THEM?!”

He sighs, “I understand you’re angry but-”


“NO!” I explode, “YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT WE COULD BE GOING THROUGH.”

I rub my head again, trying to massage the headache away. The anger slowly fades and I grow weary again, laying back down on my soft pillows.

“I can,” he whispers. And before I can reply he adds, “I’ve felt loss like yours before.”

“What do you mean? Who did you lose?” Leon whispers, surprising me. I forgot he was here…

He’s been listening to me shouting… To a side I’m pretty sure he’s never seen from me before… I want to hug him, and I probably could. But I don’t want to do it in front of Larry. Instead I lean in, curious to what he’ll say.

He pauses again before whispering, “My wife.”

I stare down at him and furrow my eyebrows, hoping my face clearly demonstrates how I feel, “That’s it?”

“What do you mean that’s it?!” he incredulously says, “I lost my wife!”

I shrug, “Yeah- that happens all the time. What else do you want me to think?”

He rubs his hand on his face, muttering words I can’t understand. It makes me feel slightly sorry for my words. But he could just be trying to earn our sympathy, so I won’t grant him mine. Unfortunately, I can already see Leon look away. He must think I’m an absolute monster for saying that… I sigh, why does everything I do make Leon hurt more?

Before I can try to whisper to Leon, Larry says quietly, “This… isn’t the way I thought things were going to go… But,” he adds before I can interrupt, “the real reason I came here was to tell you you have free access to the facility. Except the river until we can trust you enough to not…”

He leaves the sentence open, so I fill in, “Kill myself?” when he winces, I add more, “You realize the only reason, the only reason, I didn’t end up killing myself was the fact that Leon is here, unharmed. Otherwise you would not bring me back, even if you tried.”

He raises his eyebrow, “I doubt that, but I’m not going to go any further in these pointless arguments. We’re giving you access only because you obviously have trust issues. I will leave you to explore.”

With that, he simply leaves the room. Not even looking back. It… surprises me. I thought my response might trigger something in him. But he seems so… unsure. Like he has no idea how to treat me. Like I’m a wild animal that’s going to pounce on him at any moment. He isn’t wrong.

I push off the thought for now. I need to focus on the big picture: searching the building. He said I could go anywhere- except the river- so maybe I can find a weakness where Leon and I can escape…

“I’ll… be outside,” Leon says awkwardly, moving toward the door.

I’m startled by the suddenness. What will he be doing outside? I shake my head, he’ll probably be searching the grounds. I should’ve thought of that since I’m not allowed near the river.

I nod toward him, though he had already closed the door. An unsettling feeling fills my stomach as I stare out the door. I didn’t mean to shout when he was in the room… I take a deep breath. It’s not my fault. It’s not. It was Larry’s. He brought it up. I’ll just need to be more careful…

I try to push the thought off as I push away my bedsheets. I look around, but the doctors must have left already. They are nowhere in sight. I swing my legs to the side of my bed, yet I’m surprised by how heavy they are. Maybe while we’re here I can find some food as well…

My stomach growls, agreeing with me. Who knows how long they had me unconscious… They could be starving me and I would never know.

I put very little weight on my feet as I settle them on the ground. I slowly stand up, my legs buckling slightly. Frustrated, I lock my knees. I will not have my stupid, weak legs keep me back from escaping this place.

I lift my body up, my torso slightly swaying as I try to control myself. Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall, I beg my body. My chest starts to lean forwards… DON’T FALL!! I inwardly scream. My body finally listens and stands up straight.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Now for the tricky part: walking. I cautiously lift up my leg, noticing the dead weight feeling, and take a step forward. Still stable.

I take step after step, careful to be slow. The embarrassment of falling I would feel would be tremendous, but it’s almost like I’m a baby learning how to march. So embarrassingly pathetic.

I start roaming the halls, but I quickly figure out that it’s pretty useless. Every room is the exact same, just a small office with a few books. The grey walls blur together as I keep walking, but I slowly get faster and faster at walking. Door after door. Fluorescent light after fluorescent light. It doesn’t seem to end.

I sigh as I grab another door handle and pull it open. But to my immense surprise, it’s not an office. It’s… a bedroom. But not like any I’ve ever seen, with pristine cleanliness and pure white or gray walls. It’s almost completely… black. The only light comes from a window in the back of the room, and even that is mostly covered by black curtains. Who in the world lives here? I think to myself as I examine it further.

Suddenly, I hear a toilet flush from a door I hadn’t notice. My whole body freezes, someone’s in here. The door handle turns and the door slowly inches forward. And in comes a… boy. Not a little boy, but not like one of the workers. He looks… familiar. His black hair, green eyes…

He sees me and immediately plants against the wall.

“WHAT THE-“ he exclaims, stammering to fully buckle his belt, “WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?!”

“I’m Rose but-” I stammer, trying to gather my bearings.

He takes a glance at me, finishing his buckle, “Oh, the new girl.”

“I’m…” I clear my throat and change my wording, “I’ll just go now, um, sorry to disturb you.”

I immediately turn to go back out the door, my cheeks burning as I grab the door handle.

“No, wait!” Vex says desperately.

For some reason, I pause. I let go of the door handle and turn toward him, crossing my arms as lean against the door.

“What is it?” I ask impatiently. I’ve spent way too much time in this one room as it is…

He sits down on his bed, black like the rest of his room, and settles in before asking, very bluntly, “What did it feel like to drown?”

His question surprises me. Of all the things I thought he was going to ask… Why the actual heck does he want to know what it felt like to drown?

Confused, I ask, “What do you mean by that…?”

“How did it feel to drown?” he bluntly repeats again, “Like, was it painful?”

I try to avoid the question, “Why do you want to know?”

“Studies,” he answers casually. But I catch a slight pause… he must be lying.

“For what?” I ask suspiciously.

He scoffs, “For necromancy, obviously.”

“You mean like raising the dead?” I say sarcastically, “You really believe you can do that?”

He scoffs again and rolls his eyes, “I don’t believe I can do it, I know I can,” he looks at me before saying, “But that’s not what I asked. I asked how did it feel? Don’t pretend I didn’t notice you changing the subject.”

I hadn’t meant to, I was simply seeing if he really believed all the crap they told him. Apparently, he does. Just another idiot trying to perform things that don’t exist.

“Prove it,” I say. Perhaps if I ask the questions, I’ll never have to answer his.

“Prove that I can do necromancy?” he asks. When I nod he sighs, “Fine. If you tell me how it felt to die, then I’ll do it.”

I nod again and he begrudgingly gets out of his bed, muttering something I can’t hear. He goes to a shelf I didn’t notice before and picks up a jar. A shiver runs down my spine as I realize what’s in it: A heart.

“WHAT THE FRICK IS THAT?!” I scream as I crash into a desk behind me.

He rolls his eyes, “What does it look like it is?”

“You mean…” I back away more, “that’s an actual human heart?!”

“An animal heart, yes,” he says, looking curiously at me, “You seriously thought I killed someone to get their heart?”

I mean… I just met him. I wouldn’t put it past him. And he did just ask me what it was like to die so…

He sighs, then mutters, “Everyone just assumes I’m evil I guess…”

My cheeks flush as I try to search for an answer. He doesn’t deserve an apology but… I sigh. I’m so bad with people skills… Why can’t I just pop up with a sympathetic answer like other people?

“But whatever… Here’s what I wanted to show you,” he says, opening the jar, “Watch.”

I crinkle my nose, expecting the smell of death. Surprisingly, nothing comes. I don’t smell anything. But before I can comment, he grabs the heart out, holding it firmly in his hand. I’m about to roll my eyes and call his bluff when the heart starts beating. Pulsing. My mouth falls open as I stumble back more.

“What are you doing…?” I ask, stunned.

He puts the heart back in the jar, wiping the excess blood off his hands, “Like I said, I’m a necromancer. I can do stuff to the dead.”

My eyes widen more as I try to find a response. But it feels like a cork has been shoved down my throat, blocking my breath. It feels like I’m about to choke.

He shakes his head, then says softly, “Look, I’m not your enemy. And neither is anyone here. We’re trying to help. We’re trying to save everyone. And you and your brother can help. I can respect that bravery you showed actually committing to your “sacrifice”, but we need you. We can’t afford to lose anyone. Especially now.”

I’m at a loss for words. My mind is racing with millions of different thoughts fighting each other. Part of me fights his words, it wants to get out of this room and continue looking for an escape. But part of me actually believes it. Why the heck am I believing this? The warring sides fight each other, but I refuse to let the believer in me win. I turn to walk out the door, but I don’t want to be that rude…

I sigh, then whisper, “I’m… just not that person…”

Then I close the door.

~ • • • ~

I search the corridors for a few more hours, but none show an escape. Just more endless doors. I did end up seeing another bedroom, most likely the other girl’s room, but other than that it was just office after office after office. Not an open window in sight. And, unfortunately, nothing that could break them.

My stomach growls as I think of how long I’ve been roaming these halls. My feet ache as if I’ve run a marathon, and I lean my body against a wall wearily. Why the heck does this place go on forever? I sigh, pulling off the wall. I’ve rested enough, it’s time to move on.

I open the door next to me, barely having time to acknowledge in my head that it is a double door this time, and step into the room. To my surprise, instead of an office, I see multiple round tables with seats attached to them. Bright fluorescent lights shine down on me as I look at the now all-familiar gray walls. And on the very back wall is a table with little trays on plates. I immediately rush over and pull off a lid, but to my disappointment it’s empty. I sigh and put the lid back down, and yet with its thud, my stomach rumbles again.

“Hungry?” a whispery voice asks, floating through the air.

My heart goes up to my throat as I quickly turn around. Someone found me looking around… However, to my relief I see it’s only a girl my age. It doesn’t seem like she’s picked up what I’m doing yet, either.

“They usually put out the food when it gets closer to 6:00, but I can ask if they can give you something,” she adds kindly, “I’m sure you’re starving after being out there for months.”

Months? Was it really months that I was out there? And- wait, how does she know how long I was traveling?

“How do you know that?” I ask, surprising myself by how demanding I sound.

“Your brother and I were talking, and he mentioned how long it’d been,” she says, shrugging.

Chills go down my spine. I thought Leon was looking for a way out, did she catch him while he was looking? What else did she learn?

“How, uh, how did you guys get to talking?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.

“Just found him outside and thought it’d be nice to get to know him better,” she says, looking at me curiously.

Aha, so that’s how she found out. Leon must’ve just tried to get her away by making polite conversation. Smart kid.

The girl tilts her head, “I tried to talk to you before, but…” her voice trails off and changes subjects, “I’m Maryn.”

I nod my head politely, trying with every fiber of my being to look normal, “Nice to meet your acquaintance, I’m Rose.”

She looks relieved that I replied, and continues, “Well, now that we’re here I’d kinda like to get to know you better. Since we’ll be together here for so long, it’s gonna almost be like we’re best friends!”

Yeah… best friends… totally… my inner voice says sarcastically. But the best way to get her to leave is to play the game, and do it like Leon. I’ve got to answer her questions and then she’ll leave.

“So, why’d you come to the shelter?” she asks me.

All the confidence drains out of me as I remember Mom. Mom… dead… rage fills me as I remember who were the ones to kill her. I fight hard to keep my composure, but manage to say, “My… parents told me to.”

I hope Leon told the same story. If he told her differently, she might get suspicious. But her expression doesn’t change, so either she’s really good at hiding emotions like me or we told the same story.

“Did they tell you what this shelter is for, though?” she continues on, trying to draw more information, no doubt. She’s good, but two can play at that game.

“You haven’t exactly told me much about yourself, I thought this was “getting to know each other better,” not a one-sided conversation,” I say coolly.

“Well, I guess you can ask me a few questions,” she says uncertainly.

“Great…” I say with a forced smile, trying to make it look kind, “So, uh, why’s there no windows in this building?”

She looks surprised and then suspiciously asks, “I thought these were questions about me. And anyways, we wouldn’t have things like windows. It’s a security disaster.”

I silently curse as I debate my next question. She’s getting more and more suspicious, so I’ve got to actually ask her about herself. Ugh…

“Are you wanting to go outside?” she asks before I can think up a question.

“Well, I, uh…” I say, my brain rushing to different conclusions.

“I get that,” she says, sitting down at one of the many tables, “Outside’s not as harsh as the inside…”

I think she’s not going to add more when she stands up again and says, “You know what, follow me.”

“Why?” I ask, actually curious.

“I want to show you something,” she says with a sweet smile.

Since I’m obviously not going to be let out of her sight, I reluctantly follow her out of the cafeteria. As we walk, an awkward silence follows us.

“So where are we going?” I ask again.

“You’ll see!” she says cheerfully.

“That’s not really an answer,” I comment, frowning.

“I guess you’ll just have to be patient,” she says with a wink.

Despite myself, I actually start to feel… anticipation. Where is she leading me? Is it a way out?

We turn another corner and Maryn turns to me, “We’re here!”

I look to the sides of the walls, searching for what she wanted to show me. There’s nothing. Of course there’s nothing, this was a waste of time.

She snickers, “Look up, silly.”

I roll my eyes and look up, my mouth widening in surprise. Maryn led me to a window. An actual window!

“This is the only window here,” she says, “It’s usually used to see if there’s bombers, but it sure makes nice sunlight. It’s especially calming when you’re reading a book.”

I look at her, confused, “You read history books for fun?”

She looks at me with surprise and confusion, “Of course not. I read fictional books? You know, the ones with stories?”

“Never heard of books like that,” I comment, weirdly curious.

“You’ve never read any other books than textbooks?” she says incredulously, “I’m going to find you one.”

She runs down the hall, turning right at the corner. I stare at the place she turned long after she left. I feel a strong urge in me telling me I should not trust this girl I met. But she’s just so… different from anyone I’ve ever met.

Vex and Maryn both seem like people I’d actually interact with… But the group they’re in is… I shake my head, trying to block the tears before they come. They can’t get away with killing Mom and just convince me they’re good. I won’t let them. But what if they’re telling the truth? my inner heart asks, and what if everything I’ve learned… is wrong?

Author's Note

finally finished this chapter!! I PROMISE IM WORKING ON THE FOURTH JUST GIMME TIMESE

Reviews

[RenyReads]

I didn't cry this time (shocking, I know.) I could feel Rose's desperation for rest, yet love and responsibility for her brother. I am hoping for her physical and mental healing, and that maybe she punches Larry soon. I'm hoping that this incident isn't brushed off and that she actually gets mental help. Sadly, I can tell poor Leon is going to need therapy after this too. Many thanks to the author! -human

[RenyReads]

T-T. ALSO AHAHA THE POOR NEW DUDE