Listen

11

11

Everything was oddly quiet for the next few days. I barely had a spare moment to breathe let alone do anything else. I had so many jobs to do. It was nearly like they were trying to find work for me. I didn't get to really see anyone, not even my roommates. I was in bed late and up early due to my duties.

It wasn't until near a week had passed that I was relieved from my extra work. But even a usually normal day of work left my body exhausted. I somehow managed to stumble into a downstairs common room and find myself an empty armchair. The side of my face ended up pressed against the soft, worn fabric, letting me breath in it's, I assume, 'homely' scent. My tired eyes roamed the room. There were other people in here. It was nowhere near full but far from empty. I eyed up a particularly interesting group. They couldn't be any older than thirteen, their youthful faces giving them away. They were all looking over at me at the same time. Staring would be a better word. In unison, they turned to form a huddle. I couldn't understand their incoherent whispering. But one loud head bobbed up.

"I heard she's got some weird disease that drives you crazy," she yelled in a whisper. After her volume changed, it seemed to be easier to hear their responses.

"Oh shut up, that even sounds stupid."

"My dad said she nicked something from a patrol."

"That's a rumour."

A lone arm shot out and hit one of them on the air. Their voices dropped too low to hear again. I switched to face the chair. Are people really talking about me? By the sounds of it, a lot of people are. My ears tuned into the footsteps coming up to me. A slender hand rested on my shoulder, leading me turn to face the person.

Seeing Adrian made me sit up straight. What does he want?

"Sine," he said in a cold voice, "We need to talk about all of this stuff that's going on."

He sat down on the table opposite me and crossed his arms.

"Why is there reason to believe that you stole stuff from the Science area?"

I did really contemplate telling him. But after weighing the limited pros against the obvious con that he could easily snitch on me, I decided against it.

I tried my hardest to make my face seem as naïve as possible before saying, "I have no idea, Adrian. I didn't do anything wrong."

Adding the wrong in there was to take away some of my guilt. After all, it can't be morally wrong to wish to find out rightful information about yourself, even if stealing is lawfully incorrect.

My facial expressions must be getting better because he let out a sigh and stood up, dropping the conversation. He gave my shoulder a comforting shake and a smile. But his softened eyes were telling a different story. And I was filled with a worrisome fear that Adrian knew I was lying and prayed he wouldn't say a word.

Just before he left, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slightly crumbled envelope.

"Nearly forgot, some mail came for you."

*****

After not recognising the rough handwriting on the envelope and opening it, I made the decision to hurry the group together. That was how Emily, Sam, and I ended up at Finn's doorstep. I rapped on the door and waited for a response. The door was pulled open by a woman with greying hair and a soft face.

She had a blank face when she looked at Emily and I but it brightened at the sight of Sam.

"Sam sweetheart! How are you?"

He let out a grin. "Hi Michelle. Finn there?"

She stepped aside to allow us to walk inside. The house was warm and dimly-lit.

"He's in his room, feel free to go into him," she said before turning to Emily and I.

"And who are you girls?" We briefly introduced ourselves as Finn's friends. She chuckled and shifted her hip in our direction.

"Which one of you girls is with my Finn? Sam'll tell me, won't you boy?" She winked at us before pointing down the hallway. "Just down there."

Together, we scurried down towards the room at the end of the corridor. Sam rapped on the door before pushing it open. Finn was lounging on a double bed on his stomach. His head sprung up and a childish grin popped onto his face.

"What's the gang greeting for?" He chirped, swinging his body to sit up. He patted the bed and called for us to sit. Sam launched himself onto the pillows while Emily and I sat precariously at the end of the bed.

I pulled the bent letter out of my back pocket and rested it on my lap. A quietness donned over the room. I cleared my throat before choosing to speak.

"I got this letter. I-I didn't want to open up it without some back up, I guess."

Then I slid my finger under the lid of the envelope and pulled out the rough-edged paper.

Sine,

If you want answers, meet me here. Bring any of your trustful colleagues, like that boy.

Yours,

J.T. 

After letting me finish up reading the note and glance at the address at the back, Emily asked, "So what is it? What it's about?"

I glanced nervously at the bedroom door. As I did, I heard Finn say not to worry about anyone overhearing. No one else is home, and Michelle can be a little hard of hearing at times. 

"J.T. It's from Julian Tate, the man we met with. He says he has information for me," I said in the one breath before pausing to inhale.

"He's asked me to bring anyone I trust," I mentioned as I drew my eyes up to face them. Sam and Emily both watched their laps for a moment before they looked at me. Finn, on the other hand, always had his eyes on me. All were silent.

"We're not going to be allowed go, you know that," Emily muttered. We all nodded together. After going through all the trouble of retrieving the file, I was under a lot of scrutiny. I knew that. But I wasn't prepared to wait for someone to give me permission.

"I know how much trouble I'll get in, but I have to go." This overwhelming feeling took over my chest as I continued, "I can't stop now!" 

The three of them watched me in silence and hard pressure formed on my heart. Reading their faces, I could see their doubt showing through. My mind began to ready itself by plotting out what my next, solo move would be.

But then Sam let out an exhale and a laugh. "Well, I'm already in this deep so."

Emily smirked slightly and said, "And I need to know what's going on so I need to go now I guess."

A wave of relief went over me as I covered my mouth with my hands. I let my eyes trail over to Finn to see his decision. He just looked at me before chuckling.

His hand reached over to rest on my knee. "When have I said no to going with you?"

I smiled and let my hand lay on top of his.

"And, let me guess, we're going," he said before the other two joined into finish, "tomorrow."

I didn't even have to nod. 

/// Talk about long time no see, sorry! I couldn't find the time to write much during the summer but fingers crossed school will help get me back on track! Also, I screwed up and put a point in this chapter that was already covered in a previous so I had to cut it out, thus the short length. Sorry! ///