I am Number Twelve

18

18

The confines of a small glass box are nothing matched to the confines of my life. Never being able to tell the truth. Never having a single friend.

I am taken back by the fact that I can do as I like once I escape this box. Talk, lie, tell the truth, have friends, kiss, cuddle, kill, and now, I realize I am so vulnerable, so I can also die. Soon the charm will stop, and we will have to finish this.

The light is harsh, and there is no sound but Jake's snoring. Charlie sits cross legged in his box staring vacantly into the room.

Charlie. I try talking to him. Nothing. I force all the energy I have into one word, and throw it at him.

Charlie! He looks up and grins at me.

 What is it? He asks.

We have to get out of here. Today, ugh, tonight. Whatever. Got any plans? I urge.

Yes, actually. Fancy some self-detonation? He suggests.

Perfect. When?  I fire back.

After we wake up Eleven and tell him the plan.

Ok.  I stop talking to Charlie, and yell at Jake. It's surprising how effortlessly this Legacy is coming along. Like gliding through water, a knife sliding over butter.

Jake. Jake. Jake. I pester. His eyes flicker open and he looks at me, his eyes gilttering in the circumambient lights. Just breathing.

Mhmm? He replies. Brain talk is cool.

Charlie is gonna blow himself up. Up for an escape?

You bet. I'm itching to get out of this freaking cage. Why, exactly are we talking in our heads?  He questions.

I figured it's probably easier.  I lie. I like the feeling of it, actually.

Gotcha. When is this happening? He asks, his voice croaking.

Now. I say.

I switch to Charlie. You ready? 

Totally. He stops talking, shoves his hand down his shirt, and pulls out a pack of matches. He drags one of the thin wooden sticks along the side, and a spark ruptures from the tip. My heart fastens, and I feel a sticky warmth spreading over my body, as if I could feel the flame. And I can.

Charlie looks me in the eyes, as though to say 'You know what to do.' and I sweep the fire into the corner of his cage from mine. My hands warm to a pink colour, and it's like I'm in the desert, or soaking up the suds in a hot bath.

Charlie shuts his eyes, and meditates in his cage. Then, five minutes later, I hear an excited voice, Brace yourselves.  I'm guessing he sent it to Jake too, because his head is protected by his hands.

I cover my ears. A deafening boom erupts from Charlie, and his flesh turns to shrapnel as he explodes, breaking his cage apart. Fire litters the room and a chunk of the wall is missing, leading into the white hall.

The shrapnel flies back to the cage and Charlie is sitting there once more, like he was before. 

He stands up, stretches and rushes over to my cage, he breaks the lock with one kick, and the front panel falls to the ground. I inch my way out, and stand. I take hold of the fire, and swirl it around on the ceiling. Jake is now free, and I bring some of my fire to him.