Children of the New Dawn n-logy: Book 1 - Facilitated.

Chapter 26: ''A way, away.''

Dylan adjusted to the new ways of the rising sun. Year 2025.

At night he heads back to his room with his new shaved head. He falls down on his bed and rubs his head. He looks up at the ceiling in thought when suddenly he heard someone whisper over at him. "Psst", the voice can be heard again causing Dylan to sit up and look at the creaked open door. "Who's there?" He calls out into the darkness. "Come", the voice says before trailing off, bare feet tapping against the floor as the person departures. Dylan stands up walking to the door before stepping out and looking at the figure over by the end of the hall. "Quick", Josh instructs in a harsh whisper before running off. Dylan sighs but complied and jogs right behind. Josh then jogs passing a few rooms. He turns around to see Dylan catching up. They arrive in the cafeteria, Josh stops, and disappears. Dylan makes it and looks around in confusion. "Josh?" He looks around but no response in return. Dylan jumps in fright when Josh stands up from behind the food counter with a hair net. Josh chews on his tongue as he holds back a laugh. He clears his throat and attempts speaking. "Would you—" he burst out laughing, covering his mouth with his hands to minimize the noise."You are such a dumbass." Dylan responds laughing breathlessly, still in shock. They eat left overs and lay down on one of the tables after a long while. Dylan's head next to Josh's but bodies in opposite directions.

"I'm sorry I frightened you on your first day. I tend to over share.., as I heard from Manny." Josh speaks, breaking the silence. "It's okay. I just needed to process everything. I still don't understand why I'm here." Dylan responds. Dylan follows Josh's movements as he sits up and crosses his legs. "I don't know much too", he says and shrugs before speaking. "All I know is that if we behave, listen to mama and papa when doing tests we will be able to go up. Outside isn't that cool?" Josh says, his voice filled with enthusiasm and hope. Dylan looks up at his eyes glistening and wide. The smile taking up most of his face. Something in Dylan doesn't believe Josh's story, all he could do was smile. "Wait... how did you get into my room?" Dylan asks, leaning now up on his elbows. Josh, turns and looks over at their plates. He raises his hand, and his fingers bend, as he does this the plates rise into the air. Josh smirks and raised an eyebrow. They laugh. The next morning Dylan woke up, he was in dread. Might be the medication he was given. An alarm goes off, the kids leave their rooms and group up with friends as they walk down the hall. They make it to the big area, and stop speaking when they see the doctors waiting. "Good morning. Let the tests begin, your new families await." Papa Gregg informs. That's when Dylan saw her, his eyes widening and a stinging sensation occurs in his chest. Fae was there. So close, in the crowd.

Fae's head turns, and her hair swished aside. She sees Dylan. Her eyes widen and she begins to smile "Dylan.." she whispers. Dylan squeezes through the crowd. He notices Melissa standing on the far end of the room, speaking with some of the other children. People stare, as Dylan approaches Fae. "What are you doing here? Do you remember what happened before this?" He asks in a lower tone, his eyes scanning the room. "Dylan.. I remember. Did you send me that note? Saying they can't.." before she continues, she crosses arms and leans in over Dylan. "That they can't know we remember who we are?" Fae stands back and waits for a reply. Dylan's eyebrows burrow in confusion. The gut feeling he had last night comes back. Taking over his whole body. His chest stinging, and his mouth going dry. Adrenaline running through his blood, keeping him awake and aware of every detail around him. He looks at Fae, his mouth opens, forming the words. He clears his throat and starts again. "Fae Melissa is here too. She... changed. She doesn't seem herself. It might be that she hates me but it looks like they did something to her. I don't have a good feeling about this." He shakes his head slowly, his words cautious and slow. "Melissa's here?" Fae starts looking around for her. "How does she look?" She continues to look around, before turning her head to Dylan. "And the note? You didn't write it? Who the fuck did then... do you have an idea?" Fae tilts her head.  "She ... she doesn't look herself. Even her energy. She's completely fallen off." Dylan looks up at her, and he looks back at the curtain back where Lamark usually awaits. "I don't know who wrote that note, but what I do know is that you should speak to him", points back and continues speaking "they call him number one or something. He knows what you want to know." Come on. He walks through the crowd. Fae follows Dylan through the crowd of children and young teens, trying to keep as close to him as possible. "number one? What's that all about." Dylan stops and turns and looks at her. "What's your gift? Why you here... did you tell them?" Dylan faces her, and looks back at the doctors. Fae almost stumbles into Dylan as he stops "I didn't tell anyone. I don't even quite know myself. I've.. I've been having some visions. Jack calls them dreams. I had a vision of you, Dylan. Of them taking you.." she whispers, looking down. "And you?" Fae now looks up at Dylan. He listens to the information putting the puzzle pieces together. He looks down, and gestures for her to follow ignoring the question about his gift. He continue walking through the crowd down to meet The One. ''Hm.. how rude.'' Fae shakes it off and follows him. They arrive, Dylan pulls open the curtain making a space for Fae to enter. He looks around before closing it and taking a seat. He looks at Lamark then Fae. "Hey... it's me Dylan. That's my friend Fae. She just made it and she has questions. I was hoping you could help us?" The youth indicated by Dylan is a scrawny looking young man with short, thick white hair, with two streaks of pale blue in it, starting at the temples and tapering back over the ears. His eyes are orangey brown and watching the new arrivals with curious watchful expression. "Everyone seems to have names," he muses with apparent bewilderment. "Why of course. You don't?" Fae asks, staring at him, eyeing him up and down. "What are you?" She asks. Evidently missing the intent of the question, the youth cocks his head. "I'm 13-2. I've always been 13-2, and it wasn't until my friend 05-16 took the name Stella and told me that I even knew of names. Only the Mamas and Papas have names, and they don't like that we have names," he replies, appearing a little winded at the end. "Well, Dylan said I should speak to you." Fae stands impatiently, swaying back and forth. "How did you come by the name Fae?" His eyes study Fae with piqued interest. "Wait.. I've seen you somewhere.. those eyes.." Fae looks at Dylan. "Dylan I've seen him before, in my first vision.. I-" Fae is stood in shock. "I've had fucking dreams of this place. Can you tell me more? Who are you and where are you from? I feel like I know you without really knowing you." Taken aback by Fae's outburst, the youth draws back with a guarded expression, then he blushes profusely and can't seem to meet Fae's eyes again. "Uhh," he finally manages to get out. "You've had a dream of me. Where we.. we're. Where we were." He stops and looks thoroughly lost and embarrassed. "fucking?" He squeaks out, staring intensely at the floor. Fae stops up, before almost yelling.^ "ew, no! You idiot. I have a boyfriend." Fae grabs his juice brick and throws it at him. "It wasn't a bloody dream. Focus!" She snaps her fingers at him. She's leaned in over the table he's sitting at. The youth looks momentarily confused at the word 'boyfriend', but as Fae throws the juice brick at him, bronze and blue dust swirl up in his hand and solidifies into an all-metal carving knife.At the same instant, or perhaps a fraction of second later, his face erupts into a goatlike countenance with black horns curving back into fine points.It all happens so fast, that he manages to skewer the juice brick with the blade.The goatface manages to express horror at what's happened and in the next instant, the knife disintegrates in a shower of sparks, and the youth's face reverts to human. "Woah!" Dylan says stepping back looking at the juice brick falling down to the ground, cut in half. He looks back at Lamark, bewildered while examining his face. He looks at Fae. He holds her arm, and nods for her to step back. He walks back closer to him, cautiously with his arms stretched out, hands out in defense. "Look, we didn't mean any harm okay? We just don't know what we're up against that's all. We just need to know more right?" Dylan looks at Fae, but continues speaking not waiting for a response. "Like what happens in the outside world? A friend of mine told us if we do tests and mama and papa like us we get sent up. Is that true?" Dylan puts his hands down slowly. Horror still evident in his features, the youth looks around with tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "Y-you. You. You can't tell. Anyone. I did that. I'll be Fetched. Like Stella," his voice battling the weeping at the end. "Fetched? What does that mean? What happened to Stella?" Dylan's voice is trembling, but he tries to speak as sympathetically as possible. He takes a seat in front of Lamark. He puts his hands on the table. He breathes out of his nose. "You can trust me. Please, just... help us. We scared." Dylan pleads. Fae looks unbothered about what just happened "help us find a way out." The youth is still visibly shaking and constantly looking around, seemingly expecting something terrible to happen at any second. A moment passes of nothing out of the ordinary happening. "Out? I guess there's just one way to do that. You show that you're good with what you've got, and then you get Fetched to the outside. Or you show that you're dangerous, and you also get Fetched, but probably not to the outside. To somewhere else. Somewhere worse," he says, his voice trailing off towards the end. "So... now what?" Fae stares at Dylan, in hopes for a second idea. Dylan pulls back and leans down on the chair in defeat. He's looking down at the floor not able to speak. His cheeks are illuminating a red colour. Once he heard Fae's voice, he turned back to look at her. He stared for a while before shrugging. "I ...", he looks at Lamark. "I don't know."