Renascent

THE FIRST QUESTION

"WELL, that's too easy to answer for your first day." He says. "Let's go somewhere else. Back to our tub."

"Why?" I ask.

"Is that another question I hear?" He looks at me. Bearing a serious face.

"I-" I mutter.

"Very well," He smiles. "Are we waiting for the sun to set before we go back to the tub?" He asks walking away from the clearing and towards our compartment.

"Move your butt, Luke. It ain't gonna move itself, you know."

"Coming!" I shout walking to catch up with him. I run. And then reach him just a foot away.

"You ran." He looks back. He's standing at the entrance of the silver door towards our compartment.

"You ran?" He asks.

"Yeah." I ought to ask why but that will be another question. So I shut up.

"That's a first." He says. "For your first day of training."

"Let's get inside, Bren. My skin is burning." Although it's not. Obviously.

We get inside our compartment where our three tubs are located. I stand beside my tub while he stands by the door. He looks me in the eyes.

I am wondering.

Why is he looking at me?

I wonder.

"Are you waiting for me to ask you the same question again?" I ask.

"Ask me." He says looking past the door turning his back at me.

"What are we training for?" I ask.

He faces me. He looks at me.

"Grey's told me to train you." He answers.

"I know. You told me just a while ago." I say. He looks away. But I call him loud enough to make him face me again.

"Brennard!" I shout. I call him with his full name.

"Tell me what happened," I ask though it's not really a question. "In the Bowm." I want to know the reason.

"You really want to-"

"Tell me. Right now." I interrupt him. For the first time in my whole existence, I interrupt him. I couldn't look him in the eye. I am so ashamed. "Sorry." I mutter.

"You really want to-"

"I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH. RIGHT NOW." I shout in a whispery voice. Or I whisper in a shouty voice, maybe.

He smiles.

"Okay. You want the truth. You get the truth. You want an answer. I'll give you the answer." He says. But not in a serious voice. Not in a happy voice either, I suppose. He says it in a very calm way. He's so calm he sounds a little bit dangerous and a whole lot treacherous. He walks towards his tub and sits on it. He looks at me. He looks at me like he never looked at me his whole existence. I never seen him that way. He seems wary. But I trust him.

"Tell me."

He walks towards the door and –

"What the hell, Bren! Where are you going? Tell me what Grey's told you!" I shout.

He shoots a look back at me and grins. His grin is so suspicious.

"Why? I'm just gonna close the door." He says.

"I thought so. Yeah. Sorry." I say.

"Now, now." He says walking back to his tub. "Sit down."

I sit down on my tub and look at him. He just turns his very treacherous look into a very innocent one. I can't figure out what or who he is right now. But right now all I have is him. After all he has never done anything wrong for me. He has never done me wrong. But in this new world, how can I distinguish what is right and what is wrong? Is there such a thing as right? Or is it as vague as wrong. I don't know. That's what I am best, you know, in knowing nothing. I keep my thoughts in my head and I am looking at him. With his mouth moving saying something.