Affinity

Chapter 4

              Zero brought his head into his hands. What was he doing anymore what was he thinking? This wasn’t him, helping girls he didn’t know! He was supposed to be trying to take out the Cure for murdering his family. It had been two months since he found his Mom and Zack on the floor, bodies clinging for life even in death. He died that day with his family. Zero had not talked to anyone he only stole for food and sat waiting in the Hole far away from his old home patiently counting the days until The Inquisitor would fly above.

              The large cargo airship supposedly held the key to The Cure’s mission, and with nothing else to lose he decided to take action. He was going to take out that damned organization from the core even if it meant taking out every politician in the inner sanctum.

              God it was working so perfectly too he paid off a young metafin in the streets for help getting onto the ship. Once on he was planning to find this “key” take it and go. Granted the rest of his plan wasn’t thought out, but he was looking to figure it all out when he found out what the key was. When he found a list of all the rooms and the one marked with extreme care, 224, it was supposed to be the one the room with the key to The Cure’s fall! But all he found was the ridiculous girl from the otherside.

              He didn’t even believe the otherside existed until he found her there in 224. The otherside was a myth, stories people fed their kids in the hole to give them hope just as the Cure offered hope by offering medicines to the people they poisoned. Maybe it was their way of keeping their maintained world from falling to anarchy.

 It was strange though from the second he drew the large black door open his whole body reacted to this girl they all held so importantly, he put it off as part of being a homafin, usually could feel the energy with one of Affinity, but it was such an overwhelming feeling he had to know what else she was. When he put his hand on her cold pale skin a rush of strange energy overcame him, in a way it energized him.

              For the first time in months he felt alive again. The blood that ran cold through his veins flowed now faster spreading warmth through him. Before he knew what came over him he was his old self, his self before the Cure came, before his family fell apart in disease.

              Who was this girl? What had she done to him? Zero stole a quick glance to the brown sofa he tossed Amy onto. She laid in an awkward position clutching onto the cushions with her mouth half open letting out soft breaths. Long copper waves fell across her face and down her back in a tangled mess.

              Stop staring! He scolded himself for stealing a glance at her. She was a distraction not what he needed. But how could he just leave her, after what she had just been through. Then he thought of that mouth of hers and how it refused to remain shut, maybe she would be fine on her own she could probably talk her way out of anything.

              Zero stood up and began pacing the room he was taking refuge in. It was nothing much, a studio apartment with the couch and small table with two chairs being the only pieces of furniture. There weren’t any decorations, discarded clothes, or really any sign that anyone lived in it. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust after a closer inspection.

              The place had been abandoned, even better than the owners just being out for the night like he thought when he didn’t sense anyone in the apartment. This was a building probably thirty miles from the inner sanctum and ten from the Hole. It was a good in between place to be if you were raising a family and trying to stay out of trouble. Zero quickly disregarded the thought. A nice life, never was an option for him and never could be, not for the sort of person he was.