End Of Days

32: Truth

'Dear Sally,

So here we are, first day on the new job. I honestly wasn't too sure I'd make it through the induction, especially after they started throwing around kidnapping and death matches like they were perfectly normal aspects of a test. I'd call it hell, but that would only undermine the last year and a half. I don't think it's a fair call, really.'

The foyer of the building was large and grand. Polished marble lined the floors, and large pots filled with blossoming ferns sat in each corner. There were a few chairs scattered around, but the receptionist had assured him he wouldn't be waiting long.

Wilbur found himself smiling down at the notebook, pen perched awkwardly in his hand. He leant against the wall and continued scrawling his letter, his writing haphazard and only half legible, but there all the same. The words for his girl were finding their way onto the paper, and that was what mattered.

'I still don't really know what this job entails, honestly. I might be working under Landon again, but maybe I won't be. I'm not sure which would be better. Either way today's probably going to be painfully difficult. Hopefully it'll be a tad bit easier than the induction. Either way, I know I have my bed and my dad waiting for me back at home.

I can't wait for you to see the outpost. You're gonna love it. It's an old house in all the right ways, with floorboards that creak but always seem to hold your weight. Drista found me some fairy lights and I strung them up in my room. They're battery operated, too, so they don't need the generator.

It's beautiful at the sunsets, Sal. The stars looks like something out of an oil painting. When you arrive I'll show you them all. We'll walk along the shore and watch the sky change, then we'll come home and I'll play you any song you'd like. It'll be good. It'll be perfect.

I'm holding on for you. I'll keep doing it, I promise.

Love,

Wilbur'

"Wilbur."

Wilbur's head snapped up as he closed his notebook, already tucking the pen back into his bag. "Hey. Hi. Hello."

Landon watched him, eyebrows raised slightly in almost amusement. His gaze was complicated-- a mix of several emotions that seemed to clash against one another. His lips gave nothing away, pressed together as he watched the boy in front of him rush to put his things away. "It's your first day today."

"Yeah." Wilbur nodded, straightening up and pushing off the wall, his hands finding the strap of his messenger bag. He eyed Landon carefully. The last time he had seen him, his handler was agitated, stone faced and tense from the failure of the final exam.

"You look well." Landon began to walk and Wilbur took the hint, falling into step beside him. His tone was light and his words were casual. "Have you settled in alright?"

Wilbur nodded, and it was easy enough to press a smile to his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, uh, the apartment's really nice."

"From my understanding you didn't spend much of your break there." Landon didn't sound upset. He didn't sound angry. He sounded intrigued. Wilbur held back his shiver. Landon sounded like he already held all the cards, but he was interested in how Wilbur would try to make his move anyway.

"I went back to my father." Wilbur said, not hesitating to weave another lie as they stepped side by side into an elevator lined with polished steel. Landon leaned forward and pressed a button, glancing at Wilbur, silently letting him know that he had to give a little more than that.

"He's, uh, he's a bit older." Wilbur hummed as the doors slid shut, the words coming easy, especially knowing the exact face Phil would pull as he complained that he wasn't that old. "He needs a bit of help sometimes. I wanted to be with him, make sure he was doing okay. Family, you know?"