Francesca's Dream

Secrets

Aira awoke early the following morning. His arms were still wrapped around the sleeping Francesca. She looked so peaceful laying next to him; her pale hair draped across her pillow. Her hands were resting next to her face; looking at them Aira could tell that these hands used to be soft, and delicate. Now they were dirty and blistered from work.

Sitting up from the hard worn out cot, everything can racing back. The tunnel, the kissing , the crying , and Vincent. Vincent, that reminded Aira that he would have to talk to him about last night. Skott and Helena were still in the tunnel; Aria looked over at Vincent's bunk at the other end of the bunk house; he was gone.

Aria's heart skipped a beat. He knew that Vincent often worked night shift and would always get as much sleep as he could on days that he knew that the group was pulling tunnel shifts. This was bizarre; Aira shifted on the thin cot. Climbing over top of Francesca trying his best not to wake her. The clock across the bunk house read 5 am, their next shift wouldn't start for another hour.

Francesca rolled over, sheepishly opening her eyes. "Hey, where are you going?" She said, sleep still holding on to her voice. "I just have to pee, I didn't want to wake you." He lied. "Oh okay" She said, rolling back over quietly falling back to sleep. Aira made his way across the room and out to door, in search of Vincent.

Aira slipped in and out all of the usual places he figured he could find Vincent, the yard, one of the other bunk houses that he knew Vincent had friends that lived in, and the mess hall. Aira was getting ready to round the corner of the hospital building when he heard Vincent's voice. Aira peeked is head around the corner of the building; he was talking with two of the guards. One was fair haired and tall, the other one Aira knew, it was the guard that found Francesca. Aria was pretty sure his name was Eric. Aira ran back to the bunk house in fear that we would be discovered by the guards, and punished for it. Aira slowed to a walk just before entering the bunk house; looking up at the clock on the wall it read 5:45 am. There was no point in falling back asleep now with only fifteen minutes before they both would begin another tunnel shift.

Aira moved over to the bed; sitting on the edge, gazing down at Francesca once more. As if sensing his presence, she rolled over to meet his gaze. "Hey" She said sounding not quite as sleepily as before. Had she suspected that he had gone to find Vincent? Had she been awake and waiting for him the whole time; Aira thought. "Hey" He said back trying to sound almost normal. "That was quite a long time just to pee."She said sounding a bit suspicious. Dam so she had been waiting for me ; he thought irritatingly. " Yeah I just wanted to walk for a bit, get some fresh air before going back into that dam tunnel." Lying once more. How could he tell her of what he had heard go on with Vincent and the guards, without him catching word. "Well its almost six, we might aswell get up and let Skott ,and Helena get some sleep. When did you say breakfast was again?" She said standing up to stretch.

"Its at eight, well will dig till then, and then come back to finish up our time. I think Audrey has to work today so we will have to pick up her shift later on." Vincent said walking towards the secret board in the wall. He knocked on the thin weathered plank three times.

A short while later the smiling face of Helena , now covered in dirt, poked through the secret board. She came through the wall, closely followed by Skott. The bottoms of his striped pants covered in dirt. "Hey cesca, how was that kiss last night?" Skott said smiling; Helena giggled. Clearly they had known of last night's events. Francesca was in some shock, she had her hand over her mouth trying to suppress a smile. Looking over at him, she tried to hide her smile even more. His eyes were huge ,and his mouth agape. This she found so funny that she released a nervous giggle. Aira's eyes shot at her in slight anger; Vincent most likely told everyone when they had drug the event outside, or early this morning after they had fallen asleep. Aira thought to himself.

"You should see your faces right now." Audrey said propping herself up on top of her bed. "If only I had a camera." She replied sarcastically. "So are you going to tell me or what?' Skott said with a smirk. Francesca still smiling looked at Aira, they back at Skott; "It was a good kiss, for being my first." The room erupted; "what do you mean your first? You have never been kissed before." Everyone asked. "Well no, I have never been kissed before. I was never really interested in boys back home." She said sweetly.

"Okay well we need to be getting to work, so we will have to save the rest of this conversation for breakfast." Aira said ushering Francesca towards the hole in the wall, eager to leave the now slightly awkward room.

The tunnel was still cold but not as damp as before. Audrey must have been able to dry out the room with her heat. They had just started to dig when Aira stopped to look at her. "So you had never been kissed before last night." He said questionably. Francesca stopped digging; "No I had never been kissed before you. Do you have any secrets of your own Mr. Verlincia?" She said raising an eyebrow at him. Aira thought for a moment whether he should tell her what he had seen this morning.

"I won't lie, I do have a secret. You can't tell anyone I told you deal." "Deal" She said eagerly. "When I went to the bathroom this morning, which you know I did not. I went looking for Vincent. I found him talking to a couple of guards; I don't know what about. But, we need to keep a close eye on him." He said in a hushed voice. Francesca nodded her head in agreement; a creak of the ladder ripped their attention towards it.

It was Helena,"Hey time for breakfast."

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I want to dedicate this story to my friend My-name-is-not-Vin for inspiring me to become the author I have and am still becoming.