The Rat in The Signal

Chapter 12

Back to present time stuff, we're done with the past related stuff. Whooooo

Rat squeaking, human speaking

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Rain nervously rubbed her wrist, her head low as Seven explained to her what happened. All of what happened. He hated telling her the whole truth, but... it needed to be said.

"Did... did he really try... really try to kill you?" Rain whispered, barely loud enough for Seven to hear her. He nodded, there was no doubting it, he remembered the events perfectly. There were some night on The Maw where he had nightmares of the Commander drowning him at the creek, which sometimes got to the point he would wake up other the kids from his screams.

His eyes drifted to the book that still laid in his lap, Squeaks looking at the dark scribbles with minor interest, rather looking up to them every now and again.

Rain looked down at it with him. "I'll read the journal to see what happened with this Cini person. I... I need a moment to think of all of this," she explained, hand reaching out to take the book from her brother.

Seven looked at her hand, eyes glancing over a darken mark on the underside of her wrist. He closed his eyes, taking a breath before he spoke. The question had been eating at him since the moment he saw her leave Mono's chamber is such a hurried fashion. The dark circle around her eye...

"Has he hurt you?"

Rain looked caught off guard, looking up with a dull shine in her pale green eyes. She didn't answer for a moment, lowering her head as she waited for the book to be handed to her. She shifted in her spot.

"Sometimes he just gets really clingy... he doesn't like it if I stay out all night and when I talk to some of the others here... but," Seven waited for her to continue, gently flinching as she spoke up barely above a whisper, "he still cares for me..."

"Rai, there's something wrong with him. This isn't the Mono that saved me or you. Besides, caring for anyone doesn't mean he has the right to leaves marks on you. Don't you remember mom?"

"Mom chose to stay with dad, she could have left any time before then. Besides, I can't leave. I'm the Oracle, they need me..." she muttered under her breath.

Slowly and reluctantly, he gave the book to her. He couldn't meet her gaze, even if he tried. Squeaks suddenly perked up beside him, staring at the curtain to the entrance tunnel.

Seven could barely hear it, but knew the found. Footsteps. Seven grabbed his blanket, fanning it up, before shoving Squeaks down to the bed, flipping on his side, hiding the other with relative ease, if you didn't notice the bright yellow sleeve that poked out from the top near his head.

"Squeaks, stay," he whispered, feeling the other squirm slightly next to him. She eventually died down, Seven trying to fix his position where he could spy on whatever was happening.

The curtain moved, showcasing who he had suspected. Quietly, Mono entered, his coattails slightly stirring dust lightly behind him.

He came over to Rain, who smiled slightly to him, regaining total control of her once nervous attitude. She bowed her head, book still in her hands.

"Commander Mono, good evening," she greeted with a small chirp. It was nearly impossible to see Mono's face, but he did give a small nod to her.

"Rain," he greeted back, before looking to the fake sleeping Seven, whose eyes were barely cracked to allow him to see. "How is he doing?"

Rain looked over to her brother, a small smile on her face, puzzling Seven at just how good of an actor Rain was. "He's banged up, but Nosebleed said he'll be fine," she replied to him.