P.O.V: Elizabeth Harmon.
I woke to a loud beeping ringing around in my skull, pounding against it's walls.
"Shut it off," I mumbled but I couldn't find the alarm. I threw my hands around, searching on what must've been my dresser, only it seemed smaller than what I remembered. I was looking for my phone, as that was the only thing I ever kept an alarm on, but I couldn't find it and the ringing continued on, making my already pounding head thump with every ring.
"Liz," said a voice. That must be my father coming to wake me for school, assuming the alarm hadn't worked.
I grunted.
I heard laughs, multiple, that didn't sound at all familiar in my tired ears. I opened my eyes, not to my comfortable bedroom, but to the small, tidy, six bed room I now shared.
It hadn't been a nightmare. Great. Just great.
"Shut it off." I mumbled, throwing my face into the pillow.
More laughter.
"It'll stop in a few minutes, we can't turn it off. You have to get up, things to do, places to see." Renae piped, sitting herself on the end of my bed.
"Where are we going?" I didn't move.
"Oh, it's a phrase Liz, you're not going anywhere." She laughed. Like that was helping my mood.
"Here," Renae said and I could feel something land on my leg. "These should fit you."
I groaned as I sat up, hating everyone in the room for no specific reason other than the fact that I was now awake and living in the nightmare.
I got dressed slowly, my pounding head making even getting a shirt over my head nearly impossible.
"Are you always this tired in the morning?" Renae smiled at me.
"I usually wake up a bit more after I've had coffee."
She had a long sleeve blue shirt and jeans, again simple clothes, but she looked nothing less than beautiful in them. Her curly hair fell over her shoulders in red waves.
I looked down at my own attire.
The clothes she had lended me were simple too, a green shirt and ripped jeans, but I don't imagine I looked nearly as good in them.
The other girls had left after their amusement had died down a bit, leaving Renae, the small girl, and myself alone in the room.
Renae moved to her own bed and opened her dresser and pulled out a hair tie and a red brush and began brushing through her hair.
I had woken up a little more now and I stretched by arms over my head, yawning.
Renae pulled her into a tight bun, making sure that no hair would slip into her face before she moved to the little girl and began brushing her hair.
I glanced at Renae's dresser and saw a small picture frame. I couldn't pick out who was in it, there were too many clothes covering it.
I jumped when the brush landed on my lap.
Renae laughed. "You scare too easily," she said, then glanced down to see what I had been looking at.
She pulled the picture frame out from under the clothes, careful to try to keep them tidy, and looked at it for a moment before handing it to me.
I could feel my cheeks burning as I took it. "Sorry, I guess I'm too curious."
Renae only smiled. "Trust me, I was the same way."
I looked down at the picture.
Immediately, I recognized Renae. She was younger in this photo, undoubtedly so, years younger by the looks of it. On her left stood a younger girl, her small hand in Renae's, and I recognized her as the same, silent girl that stood in the room now. To Renae's right stood a boy that had such a close resemblance to the older girl there was simply no way they couldn't be related.
Of course they're related, dumbass, I scolded myself.
I handed the picture back to Renae and I looked at the smaller girl. "So is this your family?"
She nodded and sat next to me.
"Yes. This was taken a while ago though." She admitted.
I pointed to the older boy. "Who's this?"
Renae froze for a second. This seemed to be a question she had hoped I wouldn't ask. She relaxed, but her face was still tense.
"My brother," she said and offered no name or explenation.
She didn't look like she was going to tell me anything, so I moved to the last face.
"I'm guessing this is her?"
Renae looked relieved at the change of my focus.
"Yes, this is my little sister," Renae smiled and looked back at the silent girl. "Come say hi."
The girl carefully got off the bed and stood in front of me.
The girl looked like she didn't want to speak.
"Hi." She said softly.
"I'm Liz." I introduced myself.
She said something but her voice was too soft for me to hear.
"What?" I asked.
"Her name is Mia." Renae said instead.
"Hi, Mia." I said, smiling at the young girl.
She frowned. Whatever had upset her provoked her enough to speak up.
"No, Mia. Like 'my' and 'a'. No variations." She said, her quiet voice giving way to irritation.
"Okay." I said, wondering why she had gotten so ticked off by me mispronouncing her name. "Mia then."
Mia nodded, satisfied.
Renae laughed at the exchange.
I found myself smiling in spite of myself.
Some of them didn't seem that bad, despite my expectations. Mia was quiet bit I felt that I could get used to her. Renae, Thomas, even Jacob, though he spoke briefly, didn't seem like the monsters I had expected to find here, nothing like the savages I would have expected from hearing all the stories.
But that was also only three people, I reminded myself. There will always be some who don't fit into the crowd they run with.
Donny, even being an asshole, didn't fit into that blood lust, murderous mindset I thought all Gate Keepers had.
Hell, a good portion of their population seemed to be made up of teenagers and younger children like Mia.
But, even knowing this, I still knew that my plans had not changed. I was still getting out of this place. Because no matter what, they were the Order's enemy, and I wanted no part in this war they created. It was bad enough that Brannon had somehow been dragged into it, I wouldn't allow myself to do the same. And once I was out, I would find a way to get him and my father out as well.
I would leave tonight, I decided. After lights out I could easily slip outside- no, the guards. I had completely forgotten about them. All I had to do was get by them, figure out how to open the wall like Donny had, which I would ask Thomas about today, and go to the nearest police station. I had it all planned out in my head.
I suddenly remembered where I was and that I was not alone and looked back at the two sisters. Mia was grabbing a notebook and pencil and walked out the door. Renae had put her picture back into her dresser and I quickly brushed through my hair. I handed her brush back and she put it away.
As she was turning around, she froze, her feet stopping midstep and her eyes turned a vivid white.
I jumped off the bed, trying to put some distance between her and myself before remembering that her ability wasn't offensive. So this is what happens when she has a vision.
"Renae?" I ventured closer to her cautiously. I stood in front of her, stupidity waving my hand in front of her face to see if she reacted. She did not. The only thing I received in return was a wide blank stare.
I turning for the door to get help, thinking the others would know what to do, when she snapped out of her trance and put a hand to her forehead.
"Renae?"
The look she gave me in return was both the oddest and the most confusing look I've ever received.
It was part surprise, annoyance, disbelief, and the slightest edge of aggravation.
"Renae?" I repeated. What had I done to her? Or was it whatever she had seen in her vision that made her look at me like that?
"I'm fine." She said, and that easy going nature was back. "I just... wasn't expect that."
"What was it?" I asked.
She waved it away. "It's nothing, really. I just wasn't expecting it was all. Come on, let's go meet the others. Do you want breakfast? It might still be going."
"Do you guys have coffee?" I asked. Doubtful. Most of their rooms didn't have doors, so the likelihood of them having coffee was low.
Renae shook her head, confirming my assumption. "Nope. Sorry."
I groaned. "How the hell do you guys wake up this early without coffee?"
She raised a perfect eyebrow. "It's six in the morning, Liz. Not three a.m."
"I know," I stressed. Did they all wake up at six? With no coffee? "It's too early."
She laughed. "We'll, you might want to get used to it."
Was I imagining it? Or had I heard almost a threat underlining her words?
No, why would that be a threat? I was being stupid.
I groaned as I stood up and followed her downstairs. Renae thought that breakfast might be over, but I still wanted to check.
She was right. Of course she was. Why did I go against the physic?
I decided not to do it again.
I looked at Renae as her eyes blinked white. They faded back to green and she grinned at me.
"What?" I asked.
"Liz, you may not think you're gonna bet against me, but you'll be surprised." She shook her head and turned to walk outside.
"What- how-" I couldn't even get the correct words out. "Did you just read my mind?"
She laughed again. "I'm a Physic, not a Telepath." Seeing my bewildered expression, she explained.
"I saw you taking my side of a bet, and you said there wouldn't be a day you would be caught betting against me." She grinned.
"Oh," I laughed, mostly out of relief. If she had been reading my mind, then she would know what I was planning to do tonight. "I mean, what's the point of betting against a physic?"
She smiled and we walked onto the lawn, where the others were waiting.
Donny pulled out a sandwich and a bottle of water that he must've saved from breakfast and handed them to as Renae sat down beside him.
Renae looked at it. "You aren't hungry?"
He shook his head. "No, not really."
Renae's eyes narrowed in suspision but Donny just rolled his eyes and told her to eat.
Thomas threw me an apple and I sat down beside him.
"Thanks." I said. It wasn't coffee but it was better than nothing.
"Anytime." He replied with a smile. "But, just for future reference, you might want to get some food before the kitchen closes."
"Thanks for the advice."
He grinned.
I wasn't going to be needing it though, and that thought made me smile.
Jacob, as usual, remained mostly quiet. It wasn't that he appeared to be shy or anything of the such, I think he remained quiet for the simple fact he had nothing to say. He didn't seem to be the type of person to fill the silence with pointless chatter.
Donny and Thomas, on the other hand, not so much.
They bantered back and forth for a while on fighting techniques, which were best for certain situations, which they could preform best. I couldn't make sense of the conversation.
This wasn't the type of conversations regular teenage boys had. Then I had to remind myself that they weren't regular teenage boys.
I found it odd that I had to remind myself of this fact.
Renae must have knew how off kilter I felt because she peered around Donny to give me a reassuring smile. It did some to calm me. I found that I actually liked Renae, even if she was odd, she seemed nice. Much more so than some of the girls I shared classes with.
"Jacob!" Someone yelled. All of us, Jacob included, turned toward the voice.
It belonged to a young woman about Jacob's age, possibly a few years older, walking briskly toward us.
She had long orange hair, tan skin, and surprisingly light blue eyes. Honestly, she was pretty. Or, she would be if it weren't for her face. A bright pink line scarred the left side of her face, seeming to pull that side of her face downward, her lips turned into a perminate scowl.
It unnerved me, but her appearance seemed to have no effect on the others.
Jacob smiled at her. "Good morning to you as well, Kaylee."
"Good morning my ass." The woman- Kaylee- replied tersly.
Her name sounded oddly familiar though her face did not.
"Aw, what's gotten you all pissy this morning?" Donny grinned at her even when the woman scowled at him- though I couldn't tell whether or not this was intentional.
"Life, what else?" She replied.
"I just thought it was your overwhelming happy attitude,"
She rolled her lifeless eyes. "Yes, because I need a talk from you of all people about my attitude."
Donny grinned.
The women turned her attention to Jacob. "I need to see you."
Jacob nodded, standing. "Alright,"
"Well, both of you, actually." She added.
"We'll be right there." Jacob promised her.
She nodded and turned on her heel toward the building Renae and Thomas had referred to as Command and disappeared inside it.
Donny turned to glare at me. "Do you have to stare at everyone?"
I didn't realize I had been that obvious.
"Sorry, I- I just couldn't help it." I said honestly.
"Well, you might want to try." Donny snapped.
Renae ignored Donny's tone. "I did too, when I first came here. You get used to her, don't worry. But do try not to let her catch you staring, please." Renae all but begged. "I think it makes her uncomfortable."
Thomas nodded. "Yeah, not the best idea."
"That and the fact that it's rude. Has no one taught you mannors?" Donny said.
Donny was scolding me on having mannors? I felt like I entered the Twilight zone.
Jacob just shook his head and interjected before I could start. "It's not that, I think everyone does it at first." He looked at me. "You'll get used to her, like Renae said."
I couldn't stop my mouth before it came out. "What happened to her face?"
The others had a shared expression of hesitance before Jacob finally answered.
"She was attacked on a mission." Jacob explained in a patient voice. I saw him glance the way she had left. "That's the result."
I didn't say anything to that.
I nodded and before the conversation could get any worse for me, Jacob stood up.
"Come on then, let's go see what this is about." He said, then looked at me. "Renae and Thomas will show you what you're supposed to do, we'll all meet back around supper."
With that, Jacob and Donny stood up and headed in the direction Kaylee took.
"Where are they going?" I asked.
Renae looked after them. "To talk to Kaylee, of course."
We watched as Donny and Jacob too dissapeared inside the small building.
I turned again to Renae.
"I thought only Jacob and Kaylee were supposed to go in there." I said.
"No, I said only Commanders are allowed in." Renae corrected me. "Donny's a Commander so he's allowed to go in and out as he pleases."
"But he only goes in there if they need him." Thomas interjected.
The thought of someone like Donny having any position of authority almost had me laughing.
As others around us began to stand and go their own way, Thomas and Renae stood and I followed suite.
"I think it's kitchen first, right?" Thomas asked Renae.
"Yeah, Sarah's been complaining about nobody wanting kitchen so she should be happy."
"Where are we going?" I demanded.
"Taking you to the kitchen." Renae told me and started walking toward the House.
"Why?" I grouched.
"That's your job for today, the kitchen." Thomas said. "Everyone has to pull their weight so everyone over the age of ten has to help out around here."
Great. Now I'm required to do chores.
"You're going to be helping out in the kitchen today, later if you don't like it then we can switch you." Renae put in.
I bit back the words I wanted to say as Thomas held open the House doors for us and we walked inside. Their cafeteria was mostly empty, the only occupants being three girls behind the counter, all of whom looked up at us when we entered.
One of the girls ducked under the counter and came over to us. Her hair was a light blond and her eyes a similarly light blue.
She looked at me. "I was wondering if I was going to get you."
"Kitchen doesn't have that many people so we thought you would need some help."
"Yes," the girl replied tersly. "Because we haven't handled ourselves for the last two years without-"
Renae rolled her eyes at me. "Will you stop with your shit already? It's too early."
The girl glared daggers at her.
"Anyway," Thomas said, trying to ignore the tension. He turned to me. "Liz, this is Sarah Lanes. Sarah, this is Elizabeth Harmon. Obviously, she's going to be working with you."
Sarah reacted better to Thomas, smiling at him warmly. "I'll put her to work." She looked at me. "Let's go, newby."
"We'll leave you with her then," Thomas said and looked at Renae. "We should get going before they beat us there."
"What job do you guys have?" I asked.
Sarah sighed impatiently behind me.
"You'll see after you get done here," Renae said. "Just come to the Center. That's where you can usually find us."
They left, leaving me alone with Sarah.
"Come on then." Sarah said impatiently.
I ducked under the counter after her.
"We do all of the cooking and preparing the meals, as I'm sure you've figured out. We only have breakfast and dinner though, partially because everyone is busy during lunch time and because we have to conserve food." Sarah was telling me as she directed me deeper into the mess of the kitchen.
"We're the only ones allowed in the kitchen besides the Commanders. There's no snacking or anything and inventory is taken every month before the Raids."
Sarah led me to two large sinks in the corner of the room. Dishes were piled beside the sink.
"You and I are on dishes, Keisha and Lana are on cleaning duty. After we get done here we have some free time to do as we please before we have to get dinner ready." Sarah told me and started rolling up her sleeves.
Reluctantly, I did the same.
Just one day, I reminded myself. You can get through just one day.
As we washed the dishes, the others talked amongst themselves, babbling on about things I had no patience in. I wanted to talk to Thomas- okay maybe interrogate was a better term. The sooner I got out of here, the better. After we had scrubbed every dish and the room was as clean as it was going to get, Sarah dismissed us with a reminder to return in two hours to prepare for dinner.
I wiped my hands on my pants as I raced out the door. I ran to what Thomas had referred to as the Center and hurried inside but stopped. I wasn't sure where to look for them.
As I thought about where they would be, Renae's bounded out of the Mutant training zone and smiled at me.
"Lost?" She grinned at me.
"How'd you know?" I sighed.
"Physic, remember?"
"I forgot," I said honestly.
She smiled and led me back to the Mutant training zone where she had come from. She wove through the people around us with effortless grace as I stumbled after her, in complete confusion as to how she was able to do that, and then I saw her white eyes. Of course. She would be able to see a person's steps before they even knew they were going to take them.
I followed her back to the sparing mat where we had gone to yesterday, only instead of Donny and Jacob sparing, it was Jacob and Thomas.
Donny had been watching them intently, eyes narrowed in concentration as the two wrestled. He looked up at our entrance, though I hadn't thought we made any noise, and grinned. Renae leaned on the wall beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his scarred arm around her shoulders and went back to watching them spar. Renae did too, staring at them as intently as he had been, as if some important lesson were being taught. Thomas finally tapped out after Jacob put his knee to Thomas's neck. After a minute, Thomas gave, slapping his hand on the ground.
Thomas rolled over, gasping for breath and coughing, one hand on his throat. Jacob knelt down beside him. I could see his lips moving but the words were too low for me to hear.
I moved away from the wall, unsure of what to do. Should I get someone's attention? Was he okay?
I looked over at Donny and Renae. Surely they would know more of what to do, but neither of them showed the slightest bit of concern. They were watching the two as they had been, but neither one made any move toward them.
"Thomas?" I raised my voice as I stepped forward.
Renae's hand reached out and grabbed my arm. "Calm down, Liz."
"Calm down? He just got choked!"
Renae laughed. Actually laughed!
"He's fine. This is training, believe me worse things have happened in here."
That helped absolutely nothing.
"If he needs help we'll take him to the basement." Donny said nonchectantly, waving off my concerns as if they were an annoying fly.
Take him to the basement? What do they have in the basement? A morge?
I didn't really want to know.
But my concerns, in the end, were unnecessary. I turned as I heard Jacob bark out a laugh and help Thomas up, who was smiling.
They walked over to us and a grin stretched over Thomas's face when his eyes found me.
"Came to watch round two?" He asked.
"How's your neck?" I asked.
He laughed. "It's fine now."
"Liz was having a panic attack over there." Donny told them.
"He was getting choked! What was I supposed to do?" I demanded.
They all laughed at me.
I felt like child again.
"I wouldn't have gone that far, Elizabeth." Jacob assured me. "This is only training, we would never do anything that would really hurt someone."
"Training for what?" I demanded.
They all turned to stare at me.
Donny chuckled. "You really are simple aren't ya?"
Renae smacked his arm.
Thomas tilted his head slightly, looking at me with a confused expression.
Jacob was the only one who didn't look at me like I belonged on the short bus.
"We're Missionaries, Elizabeth. We go out on the missions, that's what we're training for." He explained patiently.
"What kind of missions?" I asked.
"All sorts," Thomas said evasively and turned to Donny. "Ready to go?"
My amusing ignorance was immediately forgotten as Donny grinned and stepped up to the mat with Thomas.
Jacob took a step between them.
"Okay, free for all?" He asked, hands raised toward them both.
They both nodded, neither one of them taking their eyes off the other.
"Alright, free for all. No powers. Ready?"
Another nod from the two.
"Go!" Jacob called and took several steps back.
Before Donny could even take a step, Thomas rammed his shoulder into Donny's stomach, knocking them both onto the ground.
Renae came to stand next to me. "Enjoying the show?"
I looked away from the two as they both jumped up.
"A little." I admitted. It was funny to see Donny get knocked on his ass.
"You should come back after you get done with the kitchen tomorrow." She said.
"You do this every day?" I asked.
"Well, we do different exercises, but yes this is what we do every day. Except when we have a mission."
She said this so casually, as if she were simply commenting on the weather.
I didn't respond and she didn't comment further. She turned back to watch the boys and I did too.
Jacob was watching the boys with avid attention, watching them like a drill instructor, yelling out what they did wrong, what they should have done instead.
Thomas and Donny paid him little attention unless it was to glare at him for his distraction.
Donny got Thomas into a headlock, wrapping his arms around Thomas's neck from behind.
Thomas's neck was not having a good day.
Thomas's hands clawed at Donny's arms but he never let up.
I glanced at Renae. For the first time, Renae's face was pinched in worry.
Jacob had leaned forward slightly, like he wanted to step between them.
Why were they so worried now when Jacob had done something similar only minutes ago?
I expected Thomas to tap out like he had done with Jacob, but he refused.
"Tap, Thomas." Donny told him.
Thomas shook his head sharply. "N-o."
Suddenly, Thomas's head came up to meet Donny's, smacking against each other with enough force to put Donny on his ass.
Thomas wasted no time in scrambling up and facing him.
Donny got to his feet as well, wobbling slightly and off balance, but he put his hands up all the same.
Thomas took advantage of Donny's confusion and kicked him in the chest, throwing him onto the ground.
Needless to say, this did not help Donny's balance in the slightest.
Donny tried using his elbows to force himself off the ground, but his scarred arm didn't seem to want to cooperate with him as it kept failing to support his weight.
Thomas put his knee between Donny's back and neck and pressed down.
Thomas was grinning. "Your turn, Don. Tap out."
Donny scowled and shook his head. "Fuck you."
"You're just a sore looser." Thomas boasted. "Are you gonna tap out or not?"
"Never."
Thomas pressed down harder on his back.
Donny swung his arm out to hit Thomas but missed. Thomas grabbed that arm and yanked it behind his back.
"Fine!" Donny spat, slamming his free hand down. He sounded like he was in pain, which didn't surprise me. "I tap!"
Thomas stood up, grinning widely. "Yes!"
Donny was still on the ground. He was rubbing his arm, face pinched.
I watched as he attempted to make a fist with his hand but it took a couple of tries for him to do so.
Once more, I watched as he glared at that horribly scarred arm as if it were personally responsible for his failure.
Thomas extended his hand to help Donny up and I saw his eyes slide to Donny's arm.
Donny scowled and shoved the hand away and got to his feet himself.
"You good?" Thomas asked as he shoved his way past him.
"Yeah." Donny growled, clenching and unclenching his scarred hand.
Thomas noticed but he didn't say anything.
Donny shook his head as if to clear it and crossed his arms over his chest, and I couldn't tell if his smirk was fake or not. "We're going again tomorrow."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "And I'll beat your ass again tomorrow too."
"Oh, no you won't." Donny replied. I couldn't tell if this was merely Donny being obnoxious or if this was a threat.
Jacob glanced between the two before he looked at Renae. "Your turn."
His words painted a picture in my head, Renae on the ground, one of their knees on her neck, or in a headlock.
It was odd how this made my stomach turn, how much I realised I didn't like that picture or the idea of it at all.
Renae, on the other hand, grinned and stepped up to the mat.
"Angela?" Jacob called, looking at a girl with short cropped hair.
She turned toward him, said something to her friends, and walked toward us.
"Commander," she greeted him, smiling.
I couldn't tell if she was being genuine or if she was mocking him.
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Could you train with Renae?"
The girl smirked. "Of course." She looked at Renae. "I'll be happy to kick your ass again."
Renae didn't scowl but she didn't smile either.
Donny, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at the girl.
Jacob took several steps back.
Angela took a rubber band and tied up what little hair she had into a small ponytail on the back of her head.
"Go." Jacob called.
Angela didn't even have time to blink before it was all over.
Renae ran forward and in a move so quick I would have missed it had I glanced away, she wrapped her legs around Angela's neck and pulled her down with her. She didn't let up until Angela slammed her hand on the ground, and she had to do that several times before Renae released her and stepped back.
Barely a minute had passed.
My fear for Renae vanished, replaced by fear for the other girl.
Apparently I wasn't the only one.
"Oh shit, Renae!" Donny exclaimed, grinning.
"Where did you learn that?" Thomas demanded, glancing at Angela.
Jacob was smiling. "Well done, but you need to work on your grip, she could've wiggled out."
But all I could think about was Angela on the ground, grimacing.
What was the point of this, anyway?
Angela groaned and sat up and her glare could have melted ice, but you wouldn't know it by Renae's answering smile.
"Tomorrow, Aloe." Angela growled as she walked back to her friends, the words sounding almost a threat.
"Sure your ego will recover by then?" Renae asked in a sweet voice.
Angela didn't answer.
"'bout damn time, Renae." Donny laughed.
"I just had to get back into the routine is all," Renae assured him, then looked at me. "She's put me on my ass God knows how many times this year."
I didn't know how to respond to that, but luckily Thomas came to my rescue.
"It's getting late, Liz needs to get back to the kitchen." He said, looking up at a clock on the wall.
I looked at it too, and was surprised to see, not a digital clock, but a regular clock with the hands and such.
"Er- what, uh, what time is it?" I asked tentatively.
Thomas and Renae looked at me with confusion, Jacob wasn't paying attention to any of us, and Donny was looking at me like I had asked what one plus one was.
"You don't know how to tell time?" Donny demanded, trying not to burst out laughing.
I could feel my face burn.
"Know what? Don't tell me. I have somewhere to be." I turned on my heels and started toward the exit.
"Why do you have to be an ass?" I heard Thomas grouch.
"Oh come on!" Donny was laughing now.
I was out of the building before I could strangle someone. I was fuming as I stomped into the kitchen and dove under the counter to meet the other girls.
I joined Sarah at the sink and started scrubbing down the dishes that had already piled up. The other girls were starting on supper and I could smell the soup coming from the large pots. Honestly, it didn't smell half bad, but no amount of good food was likely to touch my mood at the moment. The day was almost over, I was no closer to my brother or getting out of this dump, and I had just been made a fool of by an asshole of a boy.
I must have been scrubbing with a bit too much force because one of the plates I was working on was ripped out of my hands.
"Damn, Liz! You know, we would like to keep these dishes around for a little while, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't break half of them!" Sarah scolded me as she carefully rinsed off the plate she'd taken from me.
"Sorry." I muttered. She could tell that I wasn't.
"So what's got you all pissy?" She demanded.
I sighed and grabbed another dish.
"Donny,"
That was all it took.
The others laughed.
Sarah chuckled and shook her head.
"I should have known," She said, rinsing the dish I had handed her. "Donny's an ass to everyone, don't worry. You're new, he'll calm down after a bit."
"I don't know how Thomas can be around him." Lana put in, shaking her head.
"I don't know how Renae can stand him, much less..." Keisha wiggled her eyebrows at me and the four of us started laughing again.
"Wait, wait." I struggled to stop laughing long enough to speak. "Him and Renae are a thing?"
Sarah chuckled. "You're around them, you couldn't tell?"
"Yeah, they're a thing all right." Lana assured me. "Ever since they met, I think."
"How does she stand him all the time?" I wondered aloud.
"Because I just have a great personality." Came a voice.
I turned around in time to see Donny duck under the counter and walk up to me, that stupid grin on his face.
"Something you need?" Sarah demanded.
"No, I came here for your all's sunny personalities. I need Liz."
"What do you want?" I muttered, turning back to the sink.
"Uh, you. Didn't I just say that?" He laughed.
I glared at him.
"Oh, come on. It'll be quick. Ten minutes at the most." He assured me. "You can stand me for at least ten minutes, right?"
"I don't know about that." I threatened. "I might snap and kill you."
He just grinned. "Come on,"
With that, he grabbed my arm, ignoring the water dripping down my fingers, and towed me out of the room, leaving the girls staring after me.
"Let go of me!" I snapped and ripped my arm out of his grip.
"Just come on, stop throwing your temper tantrums." He sighed and led me out of the House and directed me to the black building.
He opened the door for me.
I hesitated.
"What?" He demanded impatiently.
"I'm not supposed to go in there."
"You're not, but I'm giving you permission." He explained.
I finally gave up and walked through the door.
The moment I stepped foot in the room, I wanted to leave.
It felt like the weight of the world had fallen on my shoulders, quite literally, making it hard to move. My stomach tightened into knots and I covered my mouth in case I thought I was going to throw up. breathing was hard. I heard Donny follow me in and close the door.
"Hey, you good?" He asked. I didn't realise he had been standing in front of me.
"Yeah." I lied. "I'm fine."
He looked at me curiously but didn't say anything.
But breathing did become bearable after a few minutes and I found that I could bear the invisible weight.
When Donny seemed satisfied that I wasn't going to pass out, he moved out of the small hallway I had been frozen in and into the connecting room.
I took a long, deep breath and followed him. My legs had become led and I had to put a lot of force into moving them.
The room I found Donny in was small, about the size of an average living room with an array of computer screens covering an entire wall. On another wall were maps. Dozens and dozens of maps of cities, countries, states. There were pins stuck on the maps in various places, mostly consisting of black, red, and white.
my fingers had just grazed one of the maps when I felt fingers tighten on my wrist and I spun around.
"Don't touch what isn't yours, Elizabeth." Donny hissed.
"What are those maps for?" I asked.
"They're for making nosy brats wonder what they're for." He said. "Come on, He doesn't have much time."
He said, grabbing my arm and leading me toward the computer screens.
"Did you really just call me a brat?" I demanded.
"Yes." He said simply.
I glared at him as the screens came to life and he began to toy with the many buttons.
"What exactly gives you the right to-"
"Elizabeth, look-" Donny started but I'd just had enough.
"No, you look here. It's only been two fucking days and you've already-"
"Elizabeth, damn it, listen to what I'm-"
"No, you listen. It's been two days and you've insulted me, made fun of me, and just been an outright asshole!"
"Liz."
The voice had come from the computer and I snapped my head up to see who it belonged to, though I didn't really need to. I'd heard him for sixteen years.
Brannon was looking at me through the screen and his smile widened when I looked up at him. He looked like he had barely slept. He had bags under his eyes and his shoulders were hunched. But it wasn't this that had caught my attention. His clothes were disheveled, his hair was longer than it was when I had last seen him and his messy bangs were falling into his eyes.
"Brannon?" I whispered.
Was the invisible weight messing with my eyesight? It seemed like I was looking at a completely different person than the boy I had grown up with.
He grinned.
"Hey, sis."
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