Auriferous

chapter 23

Lights automatically flickered to life as the boot heel noises of two pairs of feet rumbled the ground beneath. Down the two flights of stairs, the house was more of a lab than a haunted house. The floors were of escalator patterns, the plain aircraft patterns. The walls were white, barely apart each other. Lael sucked in a breath as she squeezed through the tight aisle. She could have been claustrophobic. Who knew? Gillian. Her friend's face haunted her again. She could just imagine if she told her. Which she would never do. Gillian would have thought she was playing the most sick prank on her to make fun of her loss. "Where are you taking me?" Lael asked. She had no clue as to why she got bolder. Maybe it was because she wasn't scared of death, or maybe because she had a revolver at her use. She could not say she was shocked he did not check for weapons, from how he thought of lael, she was just young and a sweet college girl. Yet, she was shocked that the guy with the bright hair never spotted it when they were fighting over lael's last form of communication with the real world. Lael only remembered her weapon at her aid when she felt the holder push in at her stomach. How stupid she felt. Was she not supposed to be clever? In answer to her question, he drove them soundlessly towards a set of double doors armed by men on each side. The colours struck lael's eyes once again. Him. Lael thought. The guy with the purple hair. His face , which was a second ago's grim, changed to a look which lael could not exactly pinpoint. What she did know, though, was that in his mind at that instance, flashbacks of what lael said to him were playing on repeat. She nearly smiled in victory. He recovered quick enough, giving a curt bow to his father along with his armed pal by his side. They opened the doors and he swept inside with rows of aura rushing through his entrance. Seeing no other plausibility, lael followed suit but as she was about to step a foot into the brightly lit room, an arm stopped her. She was expecting it. She did not think he would wave her pass as if not knowing her after what she had told him. Lael did not look back even though the white lights were blinding her pupils when she muttered "what?". Suddenly, she felt a hand slide down her waist below her jacket. She was not often shocked or made surprised. But this time she was unprepared. She was about to slip out of the hand's grasp promptly as her gaze still fixated on him walking into the room further away from her, when she felt a low grumble. Almost mechanic?
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Lael did not know if she should sigh in absolute relief, or panic in desperate attempts. The low grumble clicked off as her birthday gift was lifted up off her looped belt by a long thin finger. She stared at her revolver being exposed to the surroundings, exposed by the guy with the indigo hair. His face had on a smirk. Biting down on her lower lip, lael grimaced at his grin. He chucked the weapon into his own holder, brandishing an array of knives. She was not going to be weak because her extra advantage was gone. It was obvious the boy felt good about himself and lael was annoyed that her words had not touched him. She leaned in quickly and smiled. "A little gift for you to remember me by." She turned without seeing his reaction and briskly walked to catch up with him.
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People were walking around in white suits up to their shoulders, rumpled to their ankles. A flash of the three 'native' colours were printed on the chest of each suit like a logo. As soon as he had entered, they busied themselves with locating tubes filled with liquids, checking off different coloured metals of tiny sizes off a long checklist attached to a red clipboard. It was almost like a scene from a movie when a lucrative operation was underway. "I expect everything in its place and nothing out of place. Do not mess this up." He threatened. "Mess what up?" Lael asked. He turned to face her. "Reviving you." Lael frowned. "I'm pretty much alive." "You won't be for long if i don't save you!" He snapped, impatient. "From what?" Lael yelled back. "I have a right to know!" He sighed. "I promise you it won't hurt." He said. "What won't?"
"Every few years, you have to get...a medical check up so that all the modifications will keep running." He said the words so shamelessly except for the stammers when he was choosing the correct words to use. Lael gagged with the most minimum reflex she could muster. She was confused as to if they were talking medical or talking car engines."What happens if i don't be...refuelled?" A pause. "Then there's one more birth into the world. " he said. Did that mean she would be naturally revived? Then what was the need for the refuelling? Before she could let her curiousity run wild again, he saved her breath and continued his vague explanation, still carrying the airs and auras around him. "The birth of an innocent young girl called anastasia."