Chapter 4

I awoke the next morning to a heavy dripping noise. My eyes were closed, but it took me less then a moment to realize where I was. I opened my eyes and sat up fast, narrowly missing the cavernous ceiling above me. I looked around the small cave. There wasn’t much to look at. I first caught sight of the tap on the far side of the room; this is where I’d heard the dripping. A cot sat on the far side of the room, and next to it was a small shelf with a candle, a large black book and a pen. On the other side of the room was a bookshelf with a number of books, whose titles I couldn’t read from so high up. High up? I gasped almost forgetting where I had slept. I was on a very narrow ledge, a hole in the wall pretty much. I was thrown a number of fabric pieces as a blanket, but I’d had no matrices, so it wasn’t a very comfortable sleep. I grumbled trying to get out of my “bed” and slipped my bare feet on the floor…the first mistake I made in my new home.
I gave a small cry as my feet hit the floor. I danced around a bit, trying to find somewhere to get off the floor, before jumping back into my bed once again. I held my toes, trying to warm them. It was at that moment that the heavy metal door scraped open, with nine standing in the doorway, looking at me in amusement.
“So you stepped on the floor huh?” she scoffed. I didn’t answer. She threw me the same pair of boots I’d worn the night before. “Your clothes are over there.” She pointed to the far side of the room next to the tap where sat a chair. On it lay the clothes from the night before. She closed the door, and again I was left alone. I shoved the boots on, once again observing that they did not belong to me. I trampled over the chair and looked at the clothes. Because of all the excitement of yesterday, I hadn’t realized the clothes I was wearing. I lifted the one-piece suit. It was almost exactly what nine was wearing. A dark green, almost gray, jump suit, that clung to my skin. I pulled it on, and zipped up the front carefully so that it wouldn’t pinch me. Next to it was a bandana. I shrugged not quite sure what I was supposed to do with it so I just held it and walked towards the door. It was then I realized that I didn’t know how to open it. I looked around for a latch like the outside of the door, not finding one, I began to panic and frantically began to feel my way around, flailing my arms around aimlessly as though I were newly blind. Fortunately for me the door opened again and nine once again looked at me as though I were a very revolting yet amusing creature.
“Once your finished, would you like to meet us in the council room?” I blushed and followed her to the room across the way. Inside sat, the three boys who stood up almost at the exact moment that we walked in. I found this tremendously amusing, but I didn’t say anything knowing instinctively that it would be incredibly ignorant of me to say anything, never mind laugh. When I’d reached my seat, everyone was already getting seated again. The four of them stared at me, none of them saying anything to me. I felt awkward, but I pretended to be engrossed in the surroundings. Finally, my brother asked
“Did you sleep well?” I nodded. He smiled and eagerly began to start up a conversation with the others.
“Today,” he started off “I have to get supplies. Who wants to come with me?” No one answered so I voluntarily raised my arm. Nine shook her head and protested.
“People will be looking for your sister.” She pointed out “You said yourself that she was a daddy’s little girl. Having your daughter randomly go missing in the middle of the night isn’t something that parents can dismiss so easily. I know.” There was a bit of arguing, but finally it was decided that Blink and Nine would go up top to get whatever was needed. I was to stay down here with J and C. At this point I became a bit upset at the fact that no one was taking my opinion into account nor were they letting me make my own decisions. From the moment I’d gotten down here there was nothing but sit here and do that. I sighed and looked down at my hands only then realized that I was in dire need of a good shower. J pushed over a bowl of what looked like cottage cheese dotted with lettuce leaves here and there. I was disgusted and almost afraid to ask what it really was. Seeing my face, my brother laughed and said “It’s really not half bad. Trust me. I made it.” In normal circumstances I wouldn’t have touched the stuff, though I knew that if I pushed it away one of two things would happen. Nine (who at this point was glaring across the table at me waiting for me to put the spoon in my mouth) would probably take the spoon and shove it down my throat or I wouldn’t get anything to eat for a good while. I slowly pushed my spoon into the goop and lifted it to my mouth. I held my breath and put it in my mouth. What I tasted was surprisingly, as my brother had put it, was not half bad. It tasted like salty porridge, and yet there was something sweet about it.
“It has everything in it.” Smiled Blink “Vitamins, protein, energy, and carbs.” I wasn’t listening. I was hungrier then I thought, and was wolfing it all down my throat.
“Its settled then,” Nine said after I’d finished. I moved my unbrushed hair out of my face and sat up straight. “Come on Blink, we want to get back before…” She stopped abruptly and looked at me. She didn’t continue, but the rest of the council seemed to know what she was talking about.
“And me?” I asked, “What’ll I do?”
“You,” began nine “Will stay here, help clean, wash up (cause you smell like a wet dog, and most importantly stay out of C and J’s way.” I knew that she was going to say something uncouth at me, so I just turned away.
There was an awkward pause between the boys as Nine stood up and began walking towards the door. I stood up to follow but made sure that there was a good distance between Nine and I. I didn’t need to give her another excuse to snap at me. I stood back and let everyone go ahead of me. For some reason C wouldn’t move until I went in front of him.
“Great.” I thought, “All I need is the kid who can’t talk not trust me.” I moved in front of him and he quickly followed closing the door behind us. When I stepped out my brother had taken J to the side and was whispering some instructions to him. I moved towards Nine’s room hoping that maybe I’d be able to sit there until I was really needed.
“Hey sweetie!” Nine yelled at me “Didn’t I tell you that you don’t go in there anymore.” I stopped in my tracks, and backed away slowly as though Nine were a wolf guarding her territory.
“Hey Nine.” My brother suddenly spoke up “Cut it out.” Nine scowled at my brother and he replied back with an almost threatening look. Nine backed away from the door and threw her arms up in frustration. I went to the door and hit the latch. I heard a click but the door didn’t move. I let go of the lever and began to push the door with both hands, but it was too heavy. Embarrassed I pushed harder, which made me look ridiculous as my feet began to slide back. I could hear Nine laughing behind me, but I took no notice, this made me push harder. My shoulders started to hurt, and my calves began to burn. Then I felt a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked behind me and C was standing over me. He gently pushed me to the side and motioned for me to watch him. He took hold of the lever and yanked it to the right. Instead of letting go of the lever like I had he continued to hold it and he pushed, and almost as though it were no effort to him what so ever, the door opened.
“Thank you…” I said walking towards the door. Suddenly he slammed the door shut. I blinked back tears. Was he making fun of me too? But he gave me a reassuring smile, held out an open hand to the door and took a step back. I understood, he wanted me to try. I stood in front of the door and held the lever in both hands. Once again I heard the click. I pushed the door with one hand on the lever and the other on the door itself. I gasped as the door slid open making a loud crunching noise, and I smiled up at C and grinned. He reached out and squeezed my shoulder as though proud of me.
I turned around to find that the council was looking at me encouragingly, including Nine, who was actually smiling.
I turned and walke intot eh door, hearing the door slma behind me. I sat down on my bed and pulled off my boots. I just sat there staring down at the floor and for the first time since I’d arrived I began to think of my parents. What were they thinking right now?
“They’ve probably called the police by now.” I thought to myself and lay down slowly. “Lost child posters are probably all around the city. My friends. What will they think? They probably think I’ve run away.” I began to cry silently to myself picturing my parents crying together, over my picture. Just thinking of my mother crying made me cry harder. My best friend Samara was probably in hysterics crying also, and doing everything she could to find me. I clutched the blanket between my fists as tight as I could, squeezing tighter and tighter as each memory of my life drifted in and out of my head, flooding my mind with emotions.
The sound of the door opening, made me freeze and I lay perfectly still, pretending to be a sleep. I could hear someone walking towards me slowly, then it on the edge of my bed. I wanted so badly to turn around and see who it was but I didn’t want whoever it was to see my tears. I lay perfectly still, until a familiar hand touched my shoulder. I jumped in surprise and turned over, looking into C’s face. He smiled down at me. I could feel a tear drip down my cheek, and for some reason, all I could do was cry. I sat up and he held me. Rocking me back and fourth as I sobbed. As much as I felt so helpless, I din't feel as alone as I had when I'd first arrived.