𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 | 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞 | 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 | 𝙸𝚝'𝚜 𝚊 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚙

^^^

The building, where the Handler was probably waiting for us, stood out very much from the others around it. I immediately guessed that it was a hotel. More than that, it couldn't be a highly rated hotel, because what self-respecting owner would call it "Rain Quail"? Good question, but there was not enough time to answer it.  

Five grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Out of my reverie, I almost fell into the roadway, one of the cars just drove past. I pressed my lips together, turned stiffly and nodded my head in a gesture of thanks. The boy did not pay any particular attention to me, he was lost in his own world of thoughts. We crossed the road, the entrance to the hotel was only 10 meters ahead.  

It was late evening. The concert was probably about to begin. Why did the Handler want to see us at such a time? And how the hell did she survive the explosion at the Commission? My head hurt from the pile of questions. There were countless of them. And most were about Five, my influence on his powers, and what he had told me before the Academy fell apart for good. 

Five raised his hand to press the handle of the hotel's front door. 

At the last moment, I grabbed his arm.  

He glanced at me questioningly, his jaw clenched.  

"What's the matter?" he asked, not taking his eyes off me. "You can stay if you want." 

"It's not about that," I sighed, my hand loosening its grip on his arm. 

There was concern in Five's eyes, effectively masked by impatience. 

"What about then?"

I stared at him with a focused expression for a few seconds. I wondered which topic was more important than the others. What I would like to know before... Before it's over.  

"Is all we've been through together..." I began, my hand dropping to my hip. "Is all we've been through together in the last eight days, all these situations, your words... Was this all a test?"

I didn't have to say exactly what test I meant. Five's gaze softened, his hand slipped off the door handle. He was probably considering whether the truth he would tell me would make me throw myself under the car.  

I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer to my question, especially since I had just figured it out myself. Still, I was afraid that if it came out of his mouth, it would be more painful.  

For a while we were both silent, staring at each other. Once again, I tried to overcome Five's mental barrier to read what emotions were going through him. However, I was unable to do so. Apparently, this whole mental barrier was the only thing he wasn't lying about. Apart from the apocalypse, too, of course. 

After a while, the boy sighed. 

"It was like that at first," he said, and I held my breath.  

'What?'

"What does that mean?" 

"Exactly what I said," he muttered, crossing his arms.  

I stared at him in stupor. 

"What's the time interval?"

"From my return to the time of our escape from the Commission."

My heart fluttered in my chest. 

"So this— the situation when..."

"It was not a test."

I felt the stone weighing on my heart crumble to pieces and disappear. Five clenched his jaw, his cheekbones raised. I didn't know if he was ashamed of the truth or just relieved by it too, but he was putting on a mask of indifference. I struggled to restrain myself from smiling.