The Atlas Project

Shadow

I trust no one. Not even myself. They always tell me that I'm dangerous. They say I could hurt people. They say I'm all alone. I'd believe it too if there weren't other kids locked up with me.

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"One! Two! Three!" I call out as I pick up and throw pecans in the air behind me.

My friend, Morph, sprints from the other side of the cafeteria and catches them in his mouth. Without slowing down he runs around the pristine white tiled floor before plopping himself down in the chair right next to mine.

"Would you look at that," he says around the pecans in his mouth. "I caught all three of them." And as if to prove it, he sticks his tongue out at me with the pecans clumped together.

I grimace as he pulls his tongue back into his mouth and snaps his teeth shut. I shutter from the sound and turn towards the entrance of the cafeteria  as more faculty and friends file into the room. Besides Morph and I, there were already three others in the room with us. Two of them are the couple of the year, Lady and Steeler. Both are really good friends of mine and both are really good at grossing me out. Right now they're arm in arm walking towards my table with their food. At another table next to ours is Vine who is having a very hard time studying for our next exam. Coffee cups lay by her stacks of notes and she looks sleep deprived.

I shake my head. Finals really aren't too bad here. Vine is really stressing out over nothing really but then again her grades have always been better than mine. Maybe I should give studying a shot.

I break my gaze at her as the most annoying guy in the world strolls into the room surrounded by his group of friends and admirers. Easily the most popular guy in here, Inferno has always been a thorn in my side. Now he hasn't really done anything to me to make me hate him, he just has an air around him that makes him seem like a stuck up kind of a guy. Not to mention but he also has a way of not doing anything and just having anyone else do the work for him. And in return, all he does is give you a wink and "thank you so much. I would have done it but I've just so busy with [insert excuse here]".

My thoughts are broken as Steeler sets his food down on the other side of me and pats my shoulder. I wince as he and Lady sit down and start to look into each others eyes and start whispering pet names to each other. I ignore them and turn my attention to Morph who keeps tossing pecans in the air and failing to catch them in his mouth. I chuckle to myself and whisper, "another day in paradise my friends".

I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought as Steeler turns towards me and laughs. "Haha! Paradise? yeah right. The outside world is better then this dump. Why I'd be bold enough to say that this place-".

"Don't you DARE say it!" Lady snaps at him. "I know what you were going to say, so don't you say it".

Steeler looks defensively back at her and shrugs his shoulders "What? It's the truth".

"This place is far better than the outside world. Don't listen to him Shadow. The outside world isn't worth it"

I nod my head and turn back to my plate of toast and a cup of milk, all that I could afford before our credits are refilled at the end of today. I take my knife and finish slathering grape jelly on, but before I can sink my teeth into the first piece of toast, guards suddenly rush in and start to block every exit. I do a quick count in my head and see that there's around a dozen in the room with all of us. Their masks make it impossible to read their expressions. Two of them separate and take a post on either side of the door, which can only mean one thing, the Commander is coming.

Now the Commander is in charge of the facility. He's your typical military man with the typical haircut and the typical uniform with all the symbols of a high ranking officer, a general, I think. He walks in with both hands behind his back and head up. He may not be the tallest man alive, barely being a head taller then me, but he definitely has an air of command and confidence around him. He has slightly greying hair, a sharp nose, and eyes that are chilling to look at. Eyes that are looking directly at me...

I quickly avert my gaze as he scans the room with an indifferent look on his face. He steps forward a few feet and the guards behind him relax a bit since they're no longer in his line of sight. The Commander then stares directly forward and speaks in a soft tone that is slightly creepy and can be heard by everyone. "Good morning everyone. Today is a special day as another joins your ranks".

There's a slight pause as he lets us all absorb that information. He takes a deep breath before continuing, "I want you all to make the new comer feel welcomed. All of you will be in the common room to greet him except you, Shadow. I want you to be in the Box and be the tour guide around the facility. You will teach the laws around here".

He stares at me with those eyes as I silently nod. He nods back and says, "Good. Now that you are all caught up, you are dismissed. Classes will be canceled for the day and will be resumed tomorrow"

The Commander does a sharp turn and the guards immediately snap to attention. He quickly walks out and the guards quickly follow him down the hallway. Once the footsteps fade away, life gradually starts back up. I still can't believe it.

Another one is joining us. Another to join the thirteen of us already here. I look over at Morph, Steeler, and Lady as they continue to joke around. I shake my head and look back down at my plate suddenly not hungry anymore. They just tore another kid from his home. Another kid just lost his freedom in the outside world.

I continue to be absorbed in my thoughts that I don't realize someone is coming up behind me. So I nearly jump out of my skin when she pokes me in the back and whispers, "Hello" in my ear.

I quickly turn around and see the timid face of Glass. She's around ten maybe eleven and looks absolutely terrified every single day. I feel sorry for her, I really do. She came here about a year ago and still hasn't made to many friends here since she is the youngest of all of us by a good six or seven years. I've talked to her before and she always responds in a whispery voice. Right now she shakes from head to toe, looking at me with her stuffed cow clutched closely to her chest.

I'm about to say something when Lady is suddenly by Glass's side and talking to her in a comforting motherly voice, choosing her words carefully so she doesn't disappear. "Hey Glass. Don't worry about a thing. I'll show you how to greet the new kid. I'll say hi to him first so you can see how it's done".

I smile and nod at Glass when she turns her attention to me.

"Yeah." I say as a kneel down, "You don't have to worry about a thing. You've got me and everyone else here to help you out."

She smiles and hugs Lady and me before running off down the hallway as fast as her barefoot feet can carry her.

I stand back up and dust myself off. I turn back towards the table and see Morph's goofy smile as he and Steeler also stand up.

"What are you smiling about?" I ask Morph.

"Oh nothing." He replies. "Just that you're going to be a great father one day."

He and Steeler laugh as Lady berates them both and smacks them a couple times. They all run off with Lady still yelling at them and them with their wild laughs echoing down the hallway. I laugh for a second and stop when I realize that I'm the only one left in the cafeteria. I guess everyone left while Lady and I were talking to Glass.

I shrug and walk down the hallway by myself as I make my way to the box. I'm usually the one who shows the newbies around. The Commander says it's due to me being in here since the day I was born, so I know the place like the back of my hand. 

I listen to the sound of my own footsteps tapping against the tiled floor and think to myself what the new kid is going to be like. If he'll be younger or older? Will he be an ally or someone to keep an eye on? Is he even a he? Maybe he's a she. Maybe she will be ready to adjust to her new life.

I eventually make it to the entrance of the box and straighten out my uniform. I have to tell this new kid how great it is here. I have to sell another lie to another kid. I sigh as the double doors slide open. It's showtime.