Two

The Kitchen: Part 5

Ben's eyebrows immediately furrowed as he took a closer look at me. His face scrunched up ever so slightly and his eyes looked glassy. He looked as if the word 'fear' was written all over him, but I couldn't tell if he was afraid of my number, or just of the situation we were in.

The longer we stayed that way, the more I noticed about him. He had long sleeves and his clothes were surprisingly unripped, but like me, he also didn't have any shoes. Just a broken shackle around his right ankle. 

I could usually tell a lot about a person just by looking at them and feeling the way the air moved around them. It wasn't a power, it was just a feeling. Ben's vibe felt similar to Blumiere's when I first met him. Helpless, scared, alone.

Ben continued to stare at me in silence with his large grey eyes until he finally placed his finger on the ground, writing: 

Name or Number?

"Number," I answered.

"He knows about the number thing too?" Mario asked you in a low voice, raising an eyebrow. As soon as Mario spoke, Ben leaned to the side slightly, looking around me to see you and Mario. 

The kid then shakily pointed at you.

"That's Two," I answered.

You frowned slightly, wondering why I gave Ben your number instead of your name. Especially since I had just lectured you not long ago on the importance of hiding your number from the world.

Ben tensed up a little more, then pointed to Mario.

"Twenty," I said.

Mario rolled his eyes. "It's Mario, actually."

Ben nodded, then looked down, letting out a soft sigh. He then placed his finger on a new section of the floor.

88

"88," I read, pausing for a moment. I had never met someone with such a high number. I've heard of humans with numbers that high, of course. But I had never actually met many humans. Everyone that I had encountered was at least somewhat powerful. 

This poor kid... I couldn't even imagine what it would be like knowing he had a number so low. Knowing he was so vulnerable.

I offered a small smile, then stood up, grabbing his arms and helping him up as well. Ben was at least a head shorter than I was. He was even shorter than Blumiere when I met him. 

He reminded me of my long-gone friend.  

"Well, 88, do you want to get out of here?" I asked with a small smile.

Ben nodded, eyes widening slightly as I mentioned the possibility of escape. The fear in his eyes began to slowly melt away, turning into what looked like hope.

"Then stick with us," I smiled. "We'll keep you safe."

He stared at me for a moment. I wished there was a way for me to know what he was thinking. I could usually somewhat tell based on expressions, but he looked the same as before. Slightly hopeful, but still fearful. 

He then walked towards the wall, placing his finger on the frost and writing: Promise?

"We promise," You chimed in, stepping forward.

Mario joined you, though he didn't smile. He just nodded and re-adjusted his hat so it was on backward. I smiled and furrowed my eyebrows, wondering if maybe that was some sort of weird fashion trend from where he came from. I had never seen someone wear a hat that way. 

Ben nodded, then carefully hugged my left arm, looking down and refusing to make eye contact. For some reason, I felt my heart ache. Perhaps it was because the moment he grabbed on, I was reminded of all the times I would hold Blumiere's hand and lead him through the horrors our world threw at us. It reminded me of all the times he was afraid and looked to me for comfort.