Shadows Ablaze

Chapter 20- Shyah

The back of Mr. Dee's—the headmaster—balding, light red hair is all I see as Rynn and I trail him through the outdated and poorly lit hallway. A lot has happened since the last time I was here, but it doesn't make me hate it any less. In fact, this is probably one of the last places I want to be right now. I have bigger things to deal with.

A waft of stench rises to my nose, making me gag. I wonder if anyone has cleaned the place lately. After a reluctant inhale, I notice a musty undertone to the otherwise stagnant air. It did rain yesterday. I wouldn't doubt some of the downpour found its way into holes in this place's infrastructure. Wonder how long Mr. Dee, or whoever is in charge of this place, will let it grow, acting as if it doesn't exist until the problem is staring them right in the face. That seems to be the way all the Skiddy facilities work.

Rynn's hobble echoes in the hall as she lags behind me, her crippled leg slowing her down more than usual today. We pass through an open doorway, entering the small lobby I remember from the last visit. We continue past it, coming to a stop in front of the same room we worked in before. The mismatched chairs haven't moved; their positions unchanged.

"I will go round up the first batch," Mr. Dee says with a nod before disappearing back down the corridor.

Rynn hands me the bag she's carrying without saying a word. I take it, understanding the implication. I begin placing the equipment on the nightstand and desk, doing my best to keep them organized. I don't try very hard, knowing she'll rearrange everything anyways. She never likes the way I do anything. Everything has to be done her way. I always have to bite my lip, trying not to say anything every time she begins moving the instruments around. She should be assisting me. Doing what I tell her to do. I am genetic-born, she is natural-born. I should hold the power.

And one day, you will, I tell myself as I place the final instrument on the table and step back to observe my work.

Rynn turns, looking it over before reaching for various items and switching them around on the table. Finally, she gives a nod, glancing at me. "We're ready."

I walk toward the door, pulling it open to find five boys sitting in the seats across the hall. I call the first in, checking off his name on the clipboard that I found in Rynn's bag.

We go through the same process we did last time. Checking vitals. Injecting serums. Making the boys wait a couple minutes. Asking questions about how they feel. Then finally letting them go.

After two hours, and a series of orphans, I release the boy currently perched on the plastic mattress after we've certified that he feels okay. The next boy in line has his eyes centered on the ground. His knees bounce in anticipation as he waits.

"Next," I say, looking directly at him.

Smoky eyes meet mine just before dark brown hair falls over his face. He throws it out of his eyes with the back of his hand before standing from his place in the hard, metal chair. He's tall, towering over me and suddenly taking up majority of the air in the hall. My breath catches in my throat, making it suddenly hard to breathe. I cough, doing my best to hide my struggle to inhale like a normal human being.

The boy's straight, nearly black eyebrows lift, but I can't tell if it's in question or amusement. "Don't tell me my nurse is sick during a wellness visit," he adds, his tone holding a hint of sarcasm.

"I'm not a nurse," I state, the cough dying in my chest. It's almost offensive that he thinks I am. Pars are nurses, not Apexes like me. "I'm a scientist."

He holds his hands in the air. A crooked smile plays on his lips, but he quickly hides it. If I had blinked, I may have missed it, but I didn't. He looks so familiar, but I can't place where I've seen him before. Probably here, from the last time we had appointments. But I feel like I've seen him somewhere else. Wrinkles form on his forehead as he analyzes me, his gaze searching my face in a way that should feel uncomfortable and wrong, but instead, gives me butterflies. "Jaxon Debul," he finally says.