Underneath (Foundation/Pre-write)

Chapter 3

They had called us down to the main area to have a talking to. It looks like a normal common room but super sized. It had a library with actual books, an old school computer, and couches. Couches everywhere. One for every person.

Okay, so I may have exaggerated about the couches.

A stern looking lady stepped out in front of the group of 30 or more group of us.

"We have gotten 3 new members with us today. Being the smallest and kindest camp, we welcome them." She paused to lets the group applaud. "Now, a message to our new comrades. We are family, we are kind, we are sought out to be soft. We are not soft, we are tough. The best of soldiers come from our camp. We are not push overs, we push." I just stood there and crossed my arms, trying not to look frightened. "Surely, soon those people will join our family."

The people around us applauded once again as the lady gathered her papers and went into the shadows.

"That was intense."Dakota said in a spooky voice, but I wasn't paying much attention. I was wondering what the little girl in the corner was doing. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks a bright red. I couldn't help but feel bad, so I got my not so big butt over to her. I could feel Dakota try to grab my hand, but failed.

"Are you okay?" I asked the girl, still moving towards her. 

"I want my Bubby..." She said so innocently. She couldn't be older than 5. She was so small and frail.

"Do you want to come with me?" She nodded, so I picked her up and put her around my waist, piggy back style. I walked over to where I had left Dakota. I wasn't gone for long, but I thought he would've moved on by now.

"Do they have a daycare here?" He asked sarcastically.  I just rolled my eyes.

"Let's go find Xavier. To she if she can stay with us." I said, looking around.

"Where will she sleep?" Dakota asked, as if he was offended.

I smiled, "Well, we'll push our two beds together and bring in one from her room old room."  I said. He thought for a second, and then realized what I had just said. A goofy smile spread across his face.

After searching for 10-20 minutes we found him talking to some girl. I rolled my eye. My life is like some soap opera, or some love... mess... screw up... thing. I don't have a clue, it's just dramatic. I walked a respectable distance towards him and sat on a near couch. I had left the girl with Dakota, but she had ran up to me and sat on my lap. The girl he was talking to said something about bags, and sassed herself away. Xavier turned and looked at me.

"What, Kaitlyn?" He said with just as much sass as that chick had. I stood up and put the girl on my hip.

"I wanna find this girls 'Bubby'" He looked at me funky.

"Well guess what, she doesn't have one." He said with a lot of attitude towards the child. 

"Well then. Could she stay with me?" I mumbled in awe. 

"Yeah, sure. Here's her old key. Get her things and her bed and move her out." I snatched the key as he spoke. 

"Fine, Mister Grump-a-Lumps." I said as I walked back to Dakota. "So what's your name?" I asked the girl playing with the hair on my shoulder.

"Arey." She said as she continued playing with my hair.

"Well Arey, your gonna be spending the night in my room for a while."

"Mkay." Well, that settles that. I handed Dakota the key.

"Wait, that's it?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's a key. What's so odd about it?"

"There's only a one. Our hallway is the guest hallway, and it only has numbers 2-50." That is odd.

"Aw, c'mooon..." I whined. I walked over to someone who wasn't new or 5. "Excuse me," I tapped the girls shoulder." She turned to look at me. "I need help finding room 1.." She laughed a quick, harsh laugh.

"That's Xavier's room. Whoops, sorry. His and his girlfriend's room." She said sarcastically.

"Did... did he have a kid?" I said, kinda grossed out. 

"For god's sake child! She was a newborn when she got here. Parents killed themselves. He treated her like her sister. " The girl said, waving to Arey.

"Well I need to find that room," I said, "Xavier said she can stay with me." When I had said that, Arey leaned on my sholder, tired like.

"Xavey said, stay outta ma life," She said. I don't think she understood what that meant.

"Oh, I'm sorry baby," The lady said reaching towards Arey. "He's just a little grumpy. It's a teenager thing." She said chuckling. "My name's Becca Gordon."

"I'm Kaity." I said.

"Well, Kaity, To get to Xavier's room you go down the hallway with the gold plate. It should say 'Staff' on it."  She said, pointing a certain direction. I thanked Becca for her help and headed towards the area she pointed. I signaled to Dakota to come with us.

"Kaity huh? Can I call you that?" Dakota asked. The hallway we were in was dark and empty. I had to think for a few seconds to decide on how to respond.

"I don't care but only if I can call you," thinking continues.... "Kota!" I said with an evil grin. He crossed his arms and stomped his feet as we walked. "Uuugh, fine!" I turned and looked at him with my evil grin.

"So, Kota...do you still have the key?" I said to test my new powers, but all he did was nod. I adjusted how Arey was sitting on my hip and stuck my lip out.

At the end of the hallway there were two doors with golden plates on them. One that said "Boss" and one that said "X~R~A". I'm guessing Xavier, Random chick, and Arey. Kota pulled out the key and said "Should we do something with the A?" I jut shook my head and grabbed the key.

Once we were in the room I automatically noticed that the room had a big difference compared to ours. There were three beds. Two normal sized ones and a smaller one. Arey hopped down from my hip and scurried over to her bed and started tidying it.

"Um, Arey. Could you fold your blanket and carry your pillow with us to our room?" She looked up at me with narrowed eyes. She turned around and snatched her blanket off the bed in a wad and put her small pillow under her arm. I pulled her back into my hip and looked at Kota.

"Do your magic mister strong guy," I said to Kota. He walked over to the bed and grabbed it up.

"Woah, it's a lot lighter that I thought." He said bouncing his shoulders up and down. He turned it sideways and walked out of the room. I turned and locked the door behind us.

---Chapter End---