One In A Billion | Transformers Prime [1]

𝟎𝟎𝟑𝟑

"Welcome to my humble abode," I signaled Raf inside, after punching in a set of codes, undergoing facial recognition, and CCTV camera security just to ensure Raf's safety to the door. 

I unlocked the door with my keys just in time to hear the gates close with a sound that marked finality. The boy flinched at the noise. Finally, after finding the right key, I inserted the wedge into the lock, turned, and pushed the door inward, letting Raf go in ahead of me. I slid my key under the doormat and walked inside. Raf, his back faced against me, was looking up at something, standing stock still as he shouldered his backpack. I didn't need a magnifying glass translucifying his head to know that he was astonished. 

"Living room's right up ahead," I said as I locked the door. "I suggest you get comfortable." 

We walked out of the foyer, passing an arch up above. Through the arch was a spacious room with rows of white couches and a plush white rug in the middle. Geometric chandeliers dangled overhead and large windows bordered the back of the room, displaying the city views. Behind us was a plaque-sized 98-inch TV. 

The boy hesitated before taking a seat on a white leather sofa. I stuck by a pillar, watching him intently. 

"Do you want anything?" I raised a brow, "something to eat, drink..." 

The boy thought for a little, before brightening up with a thought, then shuddering back. "Water, please," he timidly asked. I stared at him for a moment before nodding and going to the kitchen to fill him with a glass of water. A full minute later, I arrived with his glass. I handed it to him. He took it. He sipped it. Waited a few. Took another sip. Waited again. Took an unpretentious sip. I watched him from the pillar, eyes following through the motion. 

"Your house is really nice, Ember," Raf beamed, his fingers wrapping around the condensed metal. "And your water tastes really good too!" 

"Thanks," I tore my vision away from him as I sat opposite from him. 

"How can you even afford this luxury?" 

The question itself spoke volumes. Irrevocable trust fund. As much as I wanted to elaborate to save Raf from getting the heebie-jeebies just sitting in a living room with a girl four years older than the former, I reminded myself that we were here on business and not chatter. 

"I decided to take you up on your offer," I said, snapping away from my thoughts. 

Raf raised a brow. "What offer?" 

I inclined my head. "The night we first met. You said that if I needed any information or had any questions about the bots, that I should ask you," 

"Yeah, I remember saying that," Raf looked up, eyes reflecting a distant memory. 

"Well, it turns out I have questions," I crossed my legs. "A lot of them." 

Raf scooted backward in his seat and set his water down, wiping the condensation on his khakis. "Shoot,"

I looked at him, mentally taking a deep breath. Here goes nothing. 

"I was wondering if you could talk me through your experience with the bots, how you met them," I paused, then added, "and how you met Bumblebee." 

Raf shifted his weight on an armrest. "I was sitting alone under a bridge playing with toy cars. It's—it's what I did often before I met the others," he kind of shied away before I had a chance to ask. What in Petrovich's name was he doing under a bridge?

"I was doing my own thing when Jack and Arcee came zooming overhead, sticking a landing just a few feet in front of me. Jack, at the time, was confused about everything. I still remember him backing away from Arcee and trying too hard to pretend she didn't exist,"