Inferno

Part 6: Strolls and Stories

We end the walk home in silence. No one talking about Christian's outburst.

Once we get back to the house, it feels incredibly empty compared to this morning. I look around for the shouting kids and the bustling slaves, and most importantly Christian. Yet no one is there.

"The kids are at school," Sadie answers my unasked question. "We're supposed to have school too, but the three of us were absent so we can be there for you after the simulator."

I take a moment to ponder this. So much for them being there for me. Wherever Christian is. I glance at Sadie, she seems upset by the ordeal, I don't want to make her feel worse. "Thank you," I smile weakly at her.

Sadie doesn't answer. Eric shifts awkwardly from foot to foot before he excuses himself.

And then there was one.

"Obviously, I need to learn how to control my powers, right?" I realize. "I have to learn more about my powers."

Sadie nods in acknowledgement.

"Who will teach me?" I ask.

"I think I know someone," Sadie finally speaks. "However, I'm warning you, he isn't the most hospitable person."

"I think I have experience with hostile people, if that's what you're hinting at." I chuckle.

Sadie grins at me and we start the journey to my new tutor.

••••••

We walk down the street, passing houses identical to Sadie's.

We walk across the town square filled with school children finishing lessons.

We walk away from the busy town.

We walk to a different area, with weeds up to my waist; difficult to trudge through. Yet, I manage not to complain about the ordeal once. I give myself a mental pat on the back for that.

Eventually, after what seems like hours, walking in silence, we arrive at a vacant four story mansion. It's much bigger than Sadie's house, but it looks unattended.

"Um," I look around nervously.

"Well," Sadie turns to me. "We're here."

She leads up the walkway and to the front door. She raises her fist to knock, when the door suddenly opens by itself.

Was that supposed to happen?

Sadie looks alarmed as well. Oh no.

I carefully step inside. The old wooden house is completely barren. The walls are clear of paintings, and decorations. The entire main floor has only one piece of furniture; and there's a rickety old wooden rocking chair in the middle of the room. My eyes wander up, I start wondering if maybe the resident of the rundown house could be upstairs.

"Hello," Sadie calls out. She's obviously new to the house, too.

I hear the steps creak as I slowly tip-toe up to the second floor. The second floor hallway is just as vacant as the lower layer. Although, I see only two doors, one of them probably leading to a bedroom. I roam into the left door to be greeted by a bedroom. All that's in the room is a bed, and two rickety chairs placed beside it. This time the room isn't vacant, I notice an old man sitting up in the bed peering at us through a novel. He gently puts his book down beside him and gestures for us to sit.

"About time," he says as Sadie and I lower ourselves down on the unstable rocking chairs, replicas of the models downstairs.

"You were expecting us?" I look quizzically at the old man.