REMUS

Be vewy vewy quiet...

I awoke to complete blackness. For a moment I didn't remember where I was, and when Seera put her hand on my shoulder I nearly jumped out of my skin. She quickly covered my mouth with her other hand before I could yelp. Her voice was little more than a breath next to my ear when she spoke.

"Be very quiet. We are having a lockdown. The Republic Force is right above us. All the lights are off and all sound is gone. Until one of the Five comes in here and tells us the verdict, we have to be completely silent."

I trembled slightly in the darkness, because as well as the lights being off, so were the heaters. I clutched the blankets around me tightly, and suddenly, the realisation hit me. I was hiding from the law. Another shiver went through me, this time from the excitement and adrenaline this thought provided.

After what seemed like hours in the darkness, I heard slow deliberate footsteps enter the room. My breath caught and I felt Seera's hand squeeze my shoulder. As we held our breath, a deep voice resonated in the silent room.

"The lights will be back on momentarily, the patrol has passed over us completely. We still have scouts trailing them to make sure they don't loop back around. Seera, you here?"

I heard Seera breath a sigh of relief. "I'm here, TOP."

"Good, and you, Miss Neios?"

"I-I'm here."

"How is your head?"

"Nearly better, I think, thank you..."

"Then I will leave you both now. If you are feeling better, I will send Taeyang to begin showing you around."

"Th-thank you."

Once again I heard his deliberate steps exit the room. After about five minutes, the lights came back on and the familiar humming was resumed throughout the building. I turned to look at Seera, and the look of surprise and confusion on her face took me by surprise.

"What is it about you? He has saved plenty of other people in REMUS's lifetime, but he has never shown this much interest in any of them. Usually he just brings them to the infirmary and then leaves, letting the others deal with them. But with you, he stayed until you woke up... I don't get it, it's totally uncharacteristic of him."

I blinked, and felt my mouth open and close a couple times like a fish, not knowing what to say. I felt my cheeks heat at her intense staring, beginning to get embarrassed.

"Nevermind, sorry. It's probably just my imagination." Seera smiled, but her eyes still held the previous look. "Taeyang should be here any minute, so we need to get you into some decent clothing before you go out."

I looked down, and sure enough, the clothes I was wearing were extremely dirty and torn. Seera handed me a neatly folded pile of soft cloth.

"There's a screen over there that you can change behind."

"Thank you." I smiled at her and gently stepped out of the bed. To my surprise, the only thing that didn't ache were my legs and feet. Usually it would be the other way around.

I walked behind the screen and slipped on the new clothes. They were very baggy, but not so much that they fell off my small form.

"Sorry if the clothes are too big, they are basically the default outfit that we give all the girls that end up here."

"Well, they are a little baggy, but I think that they'll do." I heard Seera chuckle lightly.

As I came out from behind the screen, someone knocked on the doorframe. I turned my head, seeing Taeyang leaning against it.

"You ready to go? There's a lot to do if you want to get through all the important stuff today." he smiled. I nodded.

"Thank you for everything, Seera."

"Don't thank me. I just watched you creepily as you slept. And besides, you're going to be my roommate! Taeyang, you better bring her back in one piece, or I will hunt you down and shave that mohawk of yours off."

A look of mock fear flew across his face. "Don't worry, Seera, she'll be fine! I don't want to risk my mohawk!"

"Yeah, yeah. Get outta here. Time's a-wastin!"

I giggled slightly as she shoved us out the door.

Taeyang looked me over. "Well, I know where we are going first! You need new clothes. Also, would you want to do anything with your hair?"

"You mean, like, color it?" my eyes widened and a smile spread across my face. He nodded. "Absolutely!!! I've always wanted to do that!!!" He laughed at my enthusiasm and pushed the door open to the street.

"Alrighty then! Off we go!" 

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