We, who Survived

I must have slept for a handful of hours or a couple of minutes before waking up to a rainstorm, the droplets hitting hard against the windows. Spark was still in his bed, hidden under the covers and pillows pressed up against the wall. At least he was able to sleep through the noise. Shaking my head, I slipped out from under my covers, spine complaining as I stretched slightly and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before leaving the room with one of the lighter blankets as silently as I could manage.

When I reached the library, I lit a dusty candle. The dim lighting gave the library an eerie life to it with the shadows and black aisles. Taking the candle, I silently padded down one aisle, glancing over the old spines of books until I found what I was looking for. When I did, I made a mental note of where it sat, dust rising as I pulled it out, before moving back to the window seat. Curling up under the blanket, I made myself comfortable and began reading.

Someone was playing with my hair, their hum a gentle, nightmarish grumble. Their movements were far from pleasant and docile compared to Maria’s, forcing me awake as another person entered the library. They cleared their throat, momentarily ceasing the person’s playing.

“What are you doing?” Jae’s voice was harsh, edging on a growl as his boots scraped against the floor. I wanted to open my eyes so badly at that point but the shifting of the person playing with my hair made me think otherwise. Nothing about this felt right. My instincts told me to hide under my blankets, listen in on what caused Jae to become tense and aggressive.

“Oh, Onyx, what brings you here? Ooo, on another note, look how cute he is!” The girl’s voice was unfamiliar to me. She giggled in the silence that Jae left untouched, stroking the side of my face.

“I don’t care how cute he looks. You know you can’t touch him, so leave.”

“That’s unfair! Spark gets to touch him all the time and didn’t waste any to leave the marks on his neck to prove it.”

Marks? What marks? As if to answer my questions and her accusation, she yanked the neck of my shirt down. My skin tingled with the chill of her hands as she circled around something on my neck that caused a weird sensation to course through me.

“I told you he can’t be touched. What in my sentence said otherwise? Before I say something I might regret, get the hell out of here.”

“Fine but it’s totally unfair that you lot can hog the poor thing to the point everyone can’t get to know him or utter a word to him.” The stool next to me grated against the floor as the girl pushed away from me. Her boots purposely thumped heavily as she stormed out and echoed in the hallway.

“I know you are awake, Bookworm,” Jae stated. Slowly I sat up, causing my book to thud to the floor. Jae took a seat on the stool before stretching down and picking up the book. He scanned over its cover before handing it over to me.

“What just happened?” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to bring some warmth back into me. Jae shook his head, leaning his shoulder against the wall while pressing his lips into a tight white line.

“That was Ming, Spark’s obsessive ex. She’s still in love with him and hates the idea of anyone else getting to know or have him to themselves. She also lies like a snake, so watch your back or even better, stay clear of her unless you want trouble,” He explained, sighing as he closed his eyes.

“You made me sound fragile, what’s with the whole no touching thing? Really, it makes me sound like a possession.”

“It was not meant to sound like that. We told everyone to give you space so your immune system can recover and get strong again. No one wants you getting worse.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I let the silence between us linger again. The way Ming spoke, it sounded like I was made out as a fragile, porcelain object compared to what Jae had said. Then there was the other thing she brought up, the marks on my neck. What were those, what did they mean? Even her mentioning of Spark being the only one being able to touch me made me think she was trying to give a sexual jab.

“Nate,” Jae called. Glancing at him, I watched as he pushed his fringe back from his face. “We are going to have a meeting in a bit by the tree. You can stay here or come with me, your choice.”

“I rather stay here, clean up the place a little before letting other people come in.” Jae nodded, standing up and ruffling my hair. My skin didn’t crawl like when Ming touched me.

“See you when I see you, I guess.” He quirked his lips into a smile before leaving me, sliding his hands into his jean pockets.

As Jae’s boot falls echoed into silence, the library’s still atmosphere returned. Sighing, I pulled my knees to my chest, gazing at the book’s cover before hearing my stomach growl. It was a strange sound to get used to in the span of time we had landed. It made me think back to the famine so many families went through before Trident helped us out. Then there were the people left behind. Did they find a way to survive or did the bombs kill them all as they scrambled towards the bomb shelters?

Shaking my head, I climbed out of my wallowing state and covers, before placing the book on the stool. This library, as I took a quick scan, would have made my mentor so happy. She would have made this her Holding if the Board had allowed it.

The hallway was silent, the windows heavily crowded by vines, allowing tendrils of sunlight of morning light to filter through. The overhead lights were so dim that they did not even seem to be on. Boots thumped on the floor, making my heart pound in my chest. Would it be Daniel? One his vengeful goons coming this way? No, it could not be them. I had not seen them anywhere or heard Daniel’s voice. The boots kept coming until I was sure they would appear any second and Speare would already have a smirk on his ugly face. But, when I looked up, Maria stood where he should have been. My knees wanted to buckle from the instant relief of seeing her until the word she used to describe me came back up.

“What do you want?” I growled, balling my hands into fists.

“I wanted to check up on you. Spark said you were still feeling weak and wanted me to see if anything was wrong.”

“Why could Spark not come and check himself?”

“He’s sorting out the defence teams with Joon.”

I glared at Maria until she dropped her gaze, smile becoming forced. She knew I heard what she had said but she had not apologized for it which just pissed me off even more. I was not broken, just reclusive and unknowing about certain things. I knew Spark felt something towards me but I could not put a finger on it yet.

“Listen, Nate, uh... I don’t know what you remember from two days ago but I’m sorry for what I said. Charlie’s right, the way you can’t even look at me means you have kicked me out of your friend circle.”

“Maybe every time I look at you, I can hear you saying that I’m broken. I am not so stop thinking like that!”

Maria’s eyes widened and seemed to become glassy. She had no right about getting upset about my words when I had every right to be with what she had said. She gulped then stepped out of my way so I could walk past. I did so quickly and without looking back. My anger had taken away my appetite and left me shaking slightly. Sighing, I walked in the opposite direction, towards the spot everyone else would be. Maybe then I would be able to see Carly? Anyone was better than Maria.