The Defiant

Marley

Ezra

I should have been more inquisitive with the guard when he said I was getting new roommates. 

I thought a few guards would be moving in, and I would be supervised from inside the dorm, but no- that's not what he meant. 

Thirty minutes after he left, the cleaning crew came in and replaced the name tags on the doors. It was bittersweet to see them scraping off the names of my boyfriends. It reminded me that they were still free but also that I was alone. 

At first, I wasn't sure why the General had let me stay—why he didn't lock me away somewhere no one could find me— as the new victims came flooding in to fill the rooms I once shared with my partners. 

I decided that he only let me stay to torment me- to let me watch as another group of innocent guys grew close here together, not knowing the whole truth of their situation— and I couldn't tell them. If he had Roan, I wouldn't heighten the possibility that he got hurt again.

Maybe the new boys would grow together as I had with my lovers, or maybe their relationship would take a totally different form. 

There were only five this time- so Dakota's room was left empty. I quickly took up camp there before anyone arrived- it made me feel like I was with him in some way or another. 

I hadn't even looked at the new people. I only glanced at their names while the cleaning crew picked up the mess I had made in my room. I wasn't sure if any had arrived yet, and I didn't want to know either. 

It wasn't because I was putting that I didn't want to see them—I just didn't want to get attached.

I was not doing anything to help these poor souls, and it made me feel terrible.  One day, they would figure out that I knew the whole time why they were here, and I didn't tell them.

It would be better if when that day came, they didn't view me as a friend. 

Plus, I wasn't sure I could get close to them without breaking the act of being clueless. 

I took a deep breath and put the book I wasn't reading on the desk. It was five in the morning now. I was trying so hard not to fall asleep; if the General were to trap me in a dream now, I wouldn't be able to wake up. 

Roan wasn't here to save me, and no one else— as far as I knew— could wake people up from the General's dreams. 

How did you stay awake this long, Roan?

My thoughts were left unanswered. 

"Damn it," I huffed, putting my head in my hands.

I  was just about to analyze why the fuck there was a distance limit to our bond when I picked up hushed whispers coming from outside the door. 

The hairs on my neck rose, and I slowly, quietly pushed the chair back and grabbed the book I was reading as something to throw. 

I was so fuking tired of dealing with these stupid guards. If one of them tried to take me-

The door opened, and I raised the book to chuck it, then quickly stopped.

The short guy peeked his head into the room, then ducked back out of the door quickly, whispering again. 

Another guy— this one abnormally tall—looked around next, taking a more thorough look. 

When he made eye contact with me, he jumped and cursed before slamming the door. 

"There's a ghost!" I heard.

"What? Lemme see!"

The door opened, and the short guy took another too-quick glance at me before slamming it shut.