Era of Ezri

Two-faced

The sound of footsteps hadn't reached this corridor yet but, I could tell someone was heading this way.

Hell, what if it was Jordan? How was I supposed to explain what I was doing in here without seeming suspicious, I couldn't imagine disappointing or upsetting him.

I had two choices, attempt to hide under one of the desks, hopefully not getting caught and finding an opportunity to sneak out at a different time but risk getting locked in. 

I imagined that Jordan leaving the door unlocked was a mistake that wouldn't happen again and when he came looking for me later today, I'd have no choice but to admit I was trapped and call for help.

Or, I could dash for it now. Although I was at the very back of the room, if I ran now, I might be able to casually act as though I was just making my way from the attic.

I stared at the door, tapping my foot anxiously as I debated on what I wanted to do.

To hell with it.

Sprinting at a pace faster than I could've imagined, my bare feet slapped against the cold tile floor as I skidded out of the door and into the wall opposite it, disturbing some of the picture frames.

It seemed that my hearing wasn't the only thing the scientist enhanced.

I quickly shifted away from the wall and pulled the door to the lab closed with a faint bang. Relieved that I hadn't been caught, I collapsed to the floor, panting heavily as I tried to catch my breath.

I sighed heavily, trying to slow my breathing as I noticed my chest had lit up with a strange purple light.

"Are you okay?" I froze in shock.

Cynthia was here.

How long had she been standing there? I'd been so trapped in my bubble of anxiety and worry, I wasn't sure if she'd just arrived or had been watching me the whole time.

"H-h-hi." I stuttered, trying to act as normal as possible.

Cynthia approached me and stood over my position on the floor, she offered me her hand which I hesitantly took as she helped me up.

"I- I was just making my way downstairs and I-" I stopped trying to explain myself when I noticed Cynthia's attention was drawn to the purple light that you could see clear as day shining through my white shirt.

"Err, Cynthia?" I asked, attempting to wake her from her frozen state, but she didn't respond as her gaze continued to penetrate my chest.

What had gotten into her?

I clicked my fingers in front of her face and the sound seemed to knock her from her trance and back into reality.

At that moment, her face transformed into that of a person I didn't recognise. For a second, I saw a tone of resentment in her eyes as she glared at me, whilst her mouth moulded into an ugly frown.

But as fast as the expression came, it was gone.

"Sorry, I just can't get over how unique you are, there isn't a single person as special or as valuable as you Ezri. You're worth more than you could ever know, a lot more."

I frowned, where was all of this coming from?

I was about to ask her what she meant, but as though she'd sensed my confrontational mood, she cut me off.

"And there's no need to worry, I won't tell Jordan."

I almost stopped breathing when I realised what she meant, she'd spotted me coming from the lab. And now she was using what she'd seen to warn me to tread lightly.

Cynthia then attempted to smile at me, peeling back her lips to reveal pink gums and straight white teeth. I had rarely seen Cynthia crack a smile, but when I had, she never looked like this.

It was a worrisome sight, not only because she had more gums than teeth but because the falseness of the gesture was so blatant that her whole face was twitching.

"Errm okay?" I said, hoping she'd stop whatever she was doing with her mouth.

Cynthia nodded her head once before continuing on her way.

That was odd, something really did seem off with her and the fact she'd been standing there for however long (watching me) didn't seem right.

Although she'd always seemed genuine in the past, everything about my encounter with her, has me wondering what type of person lurks behind the fake smiles.

I shrugged off the sudden chilliness, I needed to head to breakfast.

******

From the kitchen doorway, I spotted Jordan, Rio and..... two other people I'd never seen before sitting at the wooden dining table that ran down the centre of the room.

The room was spacious enough to fit a large family and the light orange walls held memories of the sibling's childhood via posters, family pictures and children's drawings.

Jordan stood by the fridge near the window, deep in conversation with the two new individuals. I knew I'd have to make an entry and introduce myself at some point, but I had yet to interact with anyone apart from the siblings and Moira.

I subtly crept into the kitchen and slid over to where Jordan was standing. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hid my face in his back.

"Ezri?"

I shook my head, hoping that Jordan would pretend I hadn't just walked in and continued talking.

"Ezri is something wrong?" I refused to answer, too shy to use my voice, so I shook my head.

"Jordan, who's this?" A gruff voice asked.

I heard Jordan let out a huff at my stubbornness. "This is Ezri, she's a friend who's staying with me at the moment."

"Just a friend?" The same voice queried.

"Yes, just a friend."

"That's a shame, I thought you'd finally taken some time away from being a smart ass to have a social life and meet a nice girl..."

Author's note

It's crazy, I just realised that I wrote a good portion of this book a year ago and I just have to edit and upload it. So look forward to more frequent updates 💜.

Love,

Y