Facade

Chapter 15- Found.

Not really edited, sorry!

School has been hectic these past few days. Words gone out and rumors have spread. Things like 'it was inevitable that Lana was going to do Unnaturali Infirmitate, her sister's done it the disease infected her'. I've been asked all the time relentlessly 'were there any signs?' No, no there wasn't she was perfectly normal. I was her best friend. Should I have known?

My mom tried to comfort me, she said that there was nothing I could've done but maybe there was. Maybe I could've been a better friend and maybe she would've told me her problems, maybe I could've helped here.

She tells me everything's alright, that no one will treat me differently but I see it. In their eyes they're thinking 'she's with them, she's infected too.' I try to ignore the stares as best as I can but it's not like it's not true.

With all this going on I haven't been really able to process what's happened that day. I rushed home. I shoved it to the back of my head. I did't want to think about it. I basically was in Unnaturali Infirmitate if we were both under seventeen.

I sigh under my breath as I bag the groceries for the old lady at the counter, she hands her credit card to the cashier and asks her a series of questions about coupons. I carefully place the groceries in the bag so the old lady won't yell and bicker at me.

This was one of the places that kept my mind of Matthias, I had to constantly work and maybe even worry. I never think it's safe though, that's the part of the main reason I don't think about him. Someone will definetly catch me thinking about it. I'll be thrown in the correctional facility. I'll be a disgrace to my family. What'll happen to mom and dad, their social standings. Mikael won't have any friends. I can't think about him at all.

I get sent to the aisles by my perky boss Alex, a six foot five twenty-eight year old who loves to show pictures of his little girl. I'm sure if he was able to, he'd take the chance to be a stay at home dad.

I take a cart full of items that I need to shelf and start to go down aisle one. As I check the list and mutter down the objects, pushing the cart along with me I bump into something. The cart collides with the body, jolting all the cans and boxes in the cart.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I say as I look up and I freeze up as I stare at the guy that I've been trying to not think about the past few days. His hair is as ruffled as ever, not even bothering to fix it he sheepishly smiles as if there's nothing weird between us.

"Lilith." He smiles as he places the cereal box back on it's shelf "we need to talk, please, let me explain." He pleads and looks down at me with eager eyes, ready to spill the beans.

I- I don't know. Should I even let him? Is there even anything to explain? It's plain and simple, he just lied.

"Please Lilith." He says as he knows I'm contemplating inside my head.

It can't hurt can it? I slowly nod as I turn away, walking to the front of the aisle "Alex, is it okay to take my break now?"

He nods and smiles "yeah sure, just be back in time."

I look back at Matthias who is right behind me, closer than ever and I take a giant step away. I nod at him to come along as I led him through the restricted area to the loading station of the store. "We'll be fine here." I quietly mutter as I take a seat on a crate.

"Lilith I know what you're thinking but it's wrong, I'm not what you think I am." Matthias starts and scratches the back of his head with makes my heart warm but I push it back.

I raise my eyebrows and shake my head "no, I know what you are." I soften my voice "you lied Matthias."

"I know," he says as he rubs the back of his neck "but would you have talked to me otherwise? You would've ran in the other direction if I hadn't told you that I had a soul mate." Matthias countered.

"I'm the same guy, the whole time I've been with you I've never been anyone but myself." Matthias says willfully. With those words it's as if every problem is absolved. It's as if. Nothing will ever really disappear.

"You remember the cats right?"

I stare at him with no idea where he's going with this "yes?"

"I was one of the people who organized it." He says carefully, watching my reaction. The cats, that day when me and Lana were going back, the swarm of them, it was done by Matthias? Why?

"You know about the outsiders right?" he asks softly as he takes a seat across from me, seeing that I'm calm.

What do nonexistent people have to do about this? "I heard of them..." as I finish my sentence something clicks in my brain. What Lana said, what Matthias said right now. Rumors were that the outsiders did this. "You're one of them?" I say in disbelief.

He nods slowly and I spring up from my crate. "What-what am I suppose to do with this information? Why did you tell me this?" I feel myself getting light headed and I lean on a stack of milk cartons. What? Was I suppose to go to someone for this? I can't- I can't do that. No matter what, I still- I still what?

"Lilith." Matthias gets up and walks towards me, making me shrink a little. The hurt is evident in his eyes but he doesn't move an inch. "Don't you have this nagging feeling? That things aren't right?"

"I-I-I don't know what you mean." I shake my head as I avoid his eyes. The outsiders, he's one of them.

"The whole soul mates thing, it's just a charade. The government is just trying to control you, they don't want it to go back to the old ways." Matthias says, getting closer to me.

"The old ways?" I breathlessly let out. Soul mates aren't real? What is he trying to say? Soul mates have been around forever. The government isn't doing this.

"It's hard to explain, even I don't fully know but it was chaotic, war raging everywhere." Matthias says in a serious tone.

"But the government?" I ask as I look up at him.

"Haven't you ever felt the scar in the back of your neck? Haven't you ever wondered what it was? Where it came from?" he cocks his head and asks with a hint of amusement.

I open my mouth to say something but close it. I never really thought anything about it.

"Chips, implanted on the back of your neck." He says as he taps his neck.

"So you're saying everything the way the world is right now, isn't?" I say with disbelief and I slip away from him. So everything is just fake. Why would he tell me this? Why me? "Matthias..." I start and he looks right at me, making me waver but I shrug it away. I don't get why he would tell me of all people "I-I'll keep your secret, I promise." I blurt out, stunning him, he widens his eyes and opens his mouth to say something but I turn away.