Listen

14

14

It was decided. Emily, Sam, Finn and I were signed up for afternoon patrol. Once we leave for our job, we aren't coming back.

Waiting at the gate was a solemn moment. I was alone with my backpack strapped on. The others hadn't arrived yet. Probably saying a cryptic goodbye. I had no one to say goodbye to here. 

One by one, my friends slowly arrived. The boys were dead silent as they shuffled along the road, their heads hung low and shoulders high. I murmured a hushed hello. I didn't want to push them to speak. Their emotions were already radiating out of them out of them without the need of words.

A few minutes passed before Emily walked up to us. Her head was up, which was a good sign. However, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bloodshot. With a gruff sigh, she raised her eyebrows irritabley.

"Well, are we going?" She barked.

With that, we made our way through the exit and towards the centre of the city.

***** 

The building didn't seem as confusing as the first time we came, now knowing the layout. The group was still quiet, no one wanting to speak. I pushed open the door to the room we were in last but was greeted by only one person. A woman with a cropped haircut sat waiting. She flicked open and shut a pocket knife as she hummed. She glanced over to us before heaving herself to her feet.

"I see you decided to take Tate's advice." Her voice was icey-cold sounding. She strut past us to the doorway and gazed over her shoulder. "Follow me, I'll show you to your room."

One floor up, the atmosphere was completely different. The whole level was bursting with energy, people constantly flying from room to room. We followed the woman down the hallway as she pointed out the different areas and rooms. As I attempted to listen to all her information, my mind became distracted. Seeing all the people from the other day challenged my mind to try and recall all their names. It took a moment but I did remember Tate calling this woman Beth. 

She gestured to one room and the directed the boys inside. Emily and I continued on with her until the end of the hallway. The final room was ours.

Once we stepped inside, Emily gasped. "Wait, only the two of us are staying here?"

Beth nodded casually. "Yes. We haven't got many people staying here so we don't need to have massive dorms."

With that, she left. Then it was just us two. We looked at each other in awe before turning back to look around the room. It was simple. Two beds side by side, separated by a table with an unlit candle. There was a chest of drawers against a different wall. And that was it.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Emily's flopping onto a bed, yelling it was hers. I copied and let my back sink into the plush mattress. A clean smell hit my nose. As I stared up at the ceiling, I really realised what was happening. This is it. This is my new life. Everything hit me at once and for some strange reason, a bubble of laughter ran up my throat. This is it. This is really it. I turned to look at Emily before releasing a giggle. 

"This whole situation is just unbelievable, " I giggled. 

Her face crunched up as she started to giggle with me. Soon, we had changed to laughing so hard I got a cramp in my stomach. A rap on the door made me look over to see Sam and Finn in the open doorway. The atmosphere of the accommodation had obviously lightened up everyone's mood as they stood with grins.