She sat next to him as he flipped to the first book in the New Testament and began scouring the pages until he found the 22nd chapter. She didn't miss the slight fingershake as he located the 14th verse.
"Matthew 22:14," he read aloud, "For many are...
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"REED!" Jack's scream made my heart sink into my stomach.
Oh no, oh no, oh no. He hadn't been smashed to death, had he? I felt absolutely sick.
The resounding silence was horrible, almost worse than the actual sounds of the ceiling giving way moments ago.
And then someone started hacking.
Jack's laugh of relief made the sick feeling in my gut lessen some.
"I'm fine. It missed me," Reed's voice was strained, so I doubt he was fine, but at least he was alive. "I can climb it. Go."
"Not until I see proof."
"Jack, move," Star commanded down the tunnel.
"But–"
"If he says he's fine, he's fine," she reassured him.
A few minutes later another new boy popped up and landed pretty ungracefully on the ground. He hopped up to his feet though, brushing chunks of rock out of his hair. "Everyone made it? Everyone's alive and stuff?"
"Yes," Star answered.
And now we waited again, eyes trained on the entrance. Reed's broad frame appeared not long after, definitely looking like he'd narrowly dodged a chunk of rock and got showered in dust. Fine cuts covered half of his face now, though. He dropped down heavily but managed to stay on his feet, his face passive. How did he manage to remain so calm?
The wooden door creaked its way shut and relocked on its own, sending shivers down my spine. We'd made it. We were alive. But now what were we supposed to do? I took a look around.
We were in a large room made up of the same yellow-y thick slabs of brick that seemed to make up the rest of the tunnels and rooms we'd seen so far. The light came from holes in the upper wall that I assume were windows set intentionally out of reach. Despite the size of the room, it really wasn't full of stuff. There was a wooden table and two matching chairs pushed off to the side with a small worn sack sitting in the middle of it. Then there was a door, also wood, that would hopefully lead us outside and away from here.
Tunnels weren't exactly my favorite place, and the amount of light and air coming through was very, very promising.
"We need a game plan," Star said, looking around at us. I nodded. A game plan would be nice. Jack was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed as he stared up at the window. While the rest of us sort of made a bad circle, Taylor had excluded herself by being a good foot or so away from us. Reed stood next to me, and Star was at the helm of the room, closest to the door. The other boy – I still didn't know his name – was standing next to her and...staring right at me. Like he'd just seen a ghost.
My eyes widened in surprise as I openly stared back. Because this wasn't a stranger. I knew him.
The pain in my chest suddenly went from a dull annoyance to a full-on boulder pressing against my chest. Everything became far too heavy; my eyelids refused to cooperate, my legs were numb, and my heart had a mind of its own. It stuttered against my ribcage before giving out a painful squeeze. I tried to catch my breath but my lungs had also joined the mutiny.
Small Nyla was curled up in a ball, back pressed to the corner. The light wasn't sunlight, but harsh overhead lights that washed everything out. She was trembling.
"Hey, you okay?" Someone asked.
Little me did not want to see who it was. She squeezed her eyes shut, whimpering.
"How old are you?" The voice asked in concern. "You're so little..."
Well, maybe the other voice didn't sound too scary. Nyla slowly came uncurled, only long enough to peep at the person speaking to her. She was tall, and her hair was in a short black ponytail. Big glasses made her dark brown eyes even bigger. She knelt down but didn't make a move to grab her.
"Um, 5?" Little Nyla answered.
"You're only 5?"
"I think so..."
The girl thought for a moment. "I'm 10, want me to take care of you?"
"I-I don't know. Where is this place?"
She sat down next to her, criss-cross-applesauce style. "I'm not sure."
Nyla was on the verge of tears. "I wanna go home."
Footsteps drew both of their attention as a pair of boys walked in. The smallest one stopped and they locked eyes.
I opened my eyes and blinked slowly in the sunlight.
What the heck was that? Another memory? Dread shot through my body. Who were the other people? Why were our ages so different? Everyone here seemed to be about the same age...what was going on?
"Are you alright?" Reed asked.
It took me a minute to realize that barely any time had passed. I hadn't fallen to the floor but sagged against the wall. It was Reed who kept me upright. When I was sure I wouldn't fully fall apart, I stood up straight and cleared my throat. Why had that boy triggered such a weird memory?
As if he sensed me staring at him, his eyes lifted to mine again from across the room, filling my body with a strange feeling. He hadn't been in the memory, had he? My first instinct wasn't no...but it didn't make any sense.
I just could not shake the feeling that we had to be connected somehow.
"Are you done?" Star asked point blank, definitely over my drama.
"Y-yeah. Sorry."
"Good. We should talk."
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