The Lost Ones

16 - Adrian

When we enter the city, it's just like we've stepped into a peaceful paradise. People wander the streets, happy smiles on their faces. Couples old and young alike walk hand in hand through the trees, colourful blossoms falling down like rain. It all seems unreal, like something straight out of a children's storybook: a fairytale.

"It's all so beautiful." Lela whispers to me. We're walking down a little side street to a 'lodging house' - a place you can basically rent for as long as you need - that the nurses suggested.

"It is. What do you think the lodging house is gonna be like?" I ask her. She thinks for a moment.

"Peri was there when they told us about it, wasn't she? She said something about dormitories, I think...," Lela laughs. "Though with Peri, I guess you never know."

We're laughing and everything is weirdly normal for once. Maybe it's because we're not running from maniacal psychopaths? Possibly.

Lela's thinking along the same lines. "Do you think we could all go back to normal again? Or become normal?"

I look behind us, at the hundreds of kids following us down the white marble-like streets. For the first time, I notice the red scratches on their faces, the dark bruises on their arms and I realize the truth of the matter.

"No. I don't think anything could ever be normal for any of us ever again. Not after what's happened." I say, and I mean it. But this doesn't prevent us from starting again.

"Guys! This should be it, uno momento...." Drew stops at a large (yeah, you guessed it) white building with large mirrored glass windows. Knocking on the door, a middle-aged happy-looking woman opened it.

"Oh, hello! Goodness, there are such a lot of you kids, isn't there?" She smiled. "My name is Jane Tourney, and I'm your landlady. Mr Jenkins, I assume?"

Drew looked slightly taken aback at being addressed so politely, but he quickly smiled and nodded, holding out his hand.

"That's the one! But everyone calls me Drew nowadays." He says and they shake hands. Jane looks at me, then Lela.

"Good grief, you've been in a bit of rough and tumble, haven't you?" She laughs nervously.

I think of all the things that have happened to us - to all of us. We've had family killed, we've been injured, captured, tested on, taken hostage and broken countless times. Despite all of these dark thoughts, I manage a smile.

"I guess you could say that."

So we continue through the building. Inside are various people who I assume are Jane's family members. Sure enough, she calls them all into the dining room (where surprisingly, all of us manage to fit in) and introduces them one by one.

"Alrighty! This are my parents-in-law, Anne and Hector, this is my brother-in-law Ross and his sons Marcus and Alan, this is my husband Colin and my three children Rose, Mary and Russell," Jane says with a flourish. Then she spots another girl in the corner. "Oh, and this is Claire Mellow, our little maid."

Claire was quite short and looked vaguely like Gemma but with straight black hair instead of wild dark brown curls. She gave a weak smile but still looked very nervous and had very dark circles under her eyes.

"Yes, we're here to help you in any way we can, so feel free to ask if you need something! I think you'd better head upstairs and sleep. Have a nice rest, you lot!" Jane waved goodbye cheerily, then set about cleaning up the tables.

"'Night, Jane." Says Gemma. We clamber up the stairs eagerly, some of the younger children drifting along half-asleep. Peri is really asleep, Drew having to carry her up the stairs into the first girls' dormitory.

Lela is about to go in to the older girls' room but I catch her arm. "Wait a second."

We hang around until everyone has gone into their rooms, and then we finally get to talk in - almost - complete privacy. Sent by Riaja (who was checking up on her patients in the attic room so they can have some peace and quiet) Maisie is going around the rooms with Will with a bag of medical supplies to check if everyone's okay.

"Are we staying here?" I ask her. It felt too scary a thought to ask her in front of everyone else. From her expression, I can tell she's just as anxious.

"I've been thinking about that too," Lela looks down at the floor anxiously. "But I think that we should stay here. This is probably the closest thing to family that we're ever going to get."

"Yeah. I was hoping you'd say that. Anyway.... 'night Lela." I mumble, then head for the door.

"Adrian?" I turn around and Lela hugs me. "I'm glad I've got you for a best friend."

"I'm glad too, Lela. I'm glad too."

So we go our separate ways, at least for the night. I lie down in the bed, unused to the feeling of this thing called 'comfort' which was obviously unheard of in the hospital (everything was like a psychiatrist's chair!) and eventually, after much confusing thought, I drift off to sleep.

Charles Magannor's office; I sit beside Lela in a plastic chair. How old are we? 9? 10? It was about five years ago, so I'll say nine. Marie Gabriels stands in one corner, clutching a clipboard. She looks slightly younger, maybe in her early thirties, but there are very dark circles under her eyes and she looks like she hasn't slept in days. I'm guessing it was about Susie, who I'm assuming is still alive at this point (though God knows what she's going through, judging by the emails on Marie's laptop) but Marie says next to nothing during the conversation.

"So, I hear you two have been causing quite a bit of mayhem recently. Now, we just can't have this." Magannor smiles at us but his eyes are dead.

"Why can't we? You can't make us do anything?" Lela dares. Magannor's evil smile widens.

"Oh, I think you'll find that we can. In many... different ways. You will find out soon enough if you carry on like this, I'm sure." He cracks his knuckles threateningly.

And then I wake up, and to be honest I'm slightly glad that I don't go back to sleep.

I need some time to think.