Sanctuary

Chapter 7

We all sit down in the living room, silence rolling over the us in a whisper.
"So......." Katherine says awkwardly, "What do you have to tell me?"
It took awhile for someone to finally answer Katherine.
"I'm so sorry Katie, but......" Meg trails off, before finally answering,
"The Leader is looking for recruits."
Katherines jaw drops, and her fists instantly form into balls.
"What! Already! No, no, no! Not again!" She stands up and starts to pace her floor.
"Sh, Katie, it'll be alright." Meg stands up as well and comforted Katherine.
Katie turns around and starts to sob into her shoulder, Nina and I follow Megs actions and take our arms around Katie's shaking form.

When she calms down, all you can hear are her sniffles and shaky breath.
She takes her head off of Meg's shoulder.
"Im sorry." She says, her face is red and wet from her crying.
"Oh, Katie, don't apologize. We know you went through something very traumatizing, and we all want to help you." Meg says in her soothing voice.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nina asks.
"I'm mean, we don't have to if you don't want to! It's a stupid idea, I'm sorry Katie I didn't meant to-"
"It's fine Nina," Katherine cut her off, and gives a small smile.
"who knows, it might help." She shrugs.

We all sit down again, none of us saying a word.
"It was a couple centuries ago," Katie starts, finally breaking the silence, and taking a deep breath.
"before we knew each other. The Leader at the time needed new recruits, everyone in Sanctuary took 'The Test'. 'The test' was made to see what your personality traits were. Like a good leader, a independent thinker, a strong organizer, thing like that. It helps the Leader choose and pick who would be the best to rule next.
Five were chosen from Sanctuary, I was one of them. They shipped us off to training, were the Leader would judge our preferments on the different tasks they gave us, like how we handled certain situations and such. It was what I imagine a school would be like." Katherine paused, her eyes were glazed over as she talked.
"Their were about a hundred or so of us that were there. We all had to pass these levels that would get us to the next 'round', or so, that's what they called it." Katherine sighs loudly.
"I got to the last level, I was so proud of myself, so honored."

"For the final level." She pauses, taking a deep breath.
"The Leader ordered me to vanquish someone. I had never done a vanquishing, and it was just a little boy, a little boy that was at the wrong place at the wrong time. They just plucked him off the streets, like a flower from a meadow.  I know this because I saw it with my own eyes, but I didn't say anything because I was trained like that. Trained to not speak of the filthy thing's that happen behind locked away doors."
Even though her face was empty of emotion, her voice wsd full of it.
"His eyes, I will never forget his eyes.......never." Her own eyes started to get watery, and her breath hitched in her throat.
"It's ok Katie, ye don't have to go on if ye don't wanta. " I rub her back, trying to make her feel better.
"I didn't do it, I couldn't!" She looks off into the distance, like she was watching a scene form in front of her eyes.
"So then........ they chained me up and tortured me. The Leader yelled at me, and always screamed 'You are filth, you are nothing more and you will be nothing less!'." Katherines whole body started to shake, and she cried out as though in pain. She dug her nails into the chair she sat in, moining with hatred and sorrow.

-----time skip-----

"So, ye goin to stay here with Katie?" I ask.
"Yeah, just to calm her down and make her feel safe. We also haven't had a sleepover with just the two of us for ages. Again, I'm  really sorry." Nina looks down at her feet.
"Oh stop it. It's fine! We understand." Meg smiles.
We both knew Nina and Katie have know each other for decades, they were each others only comfort to trying to understand this strange new life they were throne into. Everyone knew that they were very close, and we understood it, and didn't want to brake or tarnish the bond that theu had.
"Well, see you tomorrow?" Nina asks
"Definitely." I smile.

Meg and I waved our goodbyes as we leave the two of them, walking out onto the dirt pathway.

"Did Katherine ever tell ye that?" I ask Meg as we walk side by side.
"Yeah, but not in such great detail. Oh, I feel so bad."
"Why? Ye did nothin wrong?"
"I don't know, I kinda feel like it's my fault somehow." Meg shrugs.
"Like, I didn't do enough to help her, you know?"
"Meg, ye know it's not yer job to take care of us, right?"
"I know, I know, but still."
"Ah, don't worry about it. If this was a job, ye would be amazin at it!"
Meg giggled and quietly spoke a thank you, bowing her head a small bit, like a curtesy. Meg and I keep on walking, until we end up at a fork in the road, and say goodbye to eachother, taking our separate ways and ending the day.