Breathe

Chapter 30 - Promises

 After Corporal left, we went into our new home. Looking around, it wasn't anything special. Like the hallway, the walls were made of undecorated stone and the floor wasn't anything better to look at. In the main room, there was a table that sat four, but the benches were wide and could likely sit at least two on each. Nearby, there was a small kitchen set with a stove, a sink, and a small fridge. It wasn't anything special—it wasn't like our little cottage in the woods.

Besides the dining set and the kitchenware, there were two couches and a coffee table, resting on a thin, plain grey carpet that looked as though it hadn't been walked on in years. There wasn't anything on the coffee table; it was just clean and untouched. Pure, perhaps.

Connected to the living room was a hallway that had five doors. Opening all of them, I found what I expected: a simple bathroom and four decently sized rooms. In each room, there were two single beds, a desk, and two drawers: similar to the old Liberation Alliance. The rooms were smaller than the ones at our old home and even smaller than the previous dorms at the old Liberation Alliance. Still, they looked comfy and there was enough space between the two beds for it to not become awkward for the two people living in it. There weren't any windows—after all, we were underground—so the view wasn't good in any of them. However, the rooms at least had beds and blankets and pillows, so it looked homey enough.

"Time to assign a room to each pair," I heard Luckas say. Turning to face the hall, I looked at him.

"I'm gonna do the honors of choosing the first room for me and Mae," Dani said. Walking to the first room—the one nearest to the bathroom—she leaned against its door and pointed at it. "This one's ours."

Next, Axel and Chris chose theirs. Pointing to the one next to theirs, Axel said, "We'll take the one next to theirs."

Quietly, Newvy stated, "We'll take the last room."

"Kingsworth and I will take the one next to yours," Luckas finished.

Everyone nodded in agreement with the arrangements. It was done. Somehow, we had made it through without any arguments. Likely, this was the first or second time this had happened. Maybe moving won't be as much of a mess as we might've thought.

I started to make my way to my room.

"Where are you going?" Luckas asked.

Peering back at him, I shrugged. "We're done. There's no point in standing here."

Accepting my response—or at least, seeming to—he didn't give me a response. Thus, I took that as my chance to go.

When I arrived in my room, I quietly closed the door. Then, I looked around. Grey walls. They aren't that much different compared to my old ones. Taking off my shoes, I felt the smooth ground against my feet. It was cold. Colder than the wood panels at the previous house. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it'll take time getting used to it.

Hearing the door open behind me, I turned to see Newvy looking back at me. Silently, he walked to one of the beds and put his bag on it, claiming it as his own. Fast, he unzipped his bag and began to reorganize his contents. Me, on the other hand, I went to my bed and took a good stare at it. Not because it was anything special, but because I hadn't spent much time with him to be able to hold a conversation with him. Additionally, he didn't seem like the type to make small-talk; he was just too quiet. More of an observer than someone who took action—someone like me.

Still, in the corner of my eye, I watched him and looked at everything on his bed. A gun, some wads of clean, unwrinkled paper, some kit (probably first aid), a lighter—he had all the basics. Additionally, all of his contents were small, expandable objects. The only item that was bulky was his gun and even then, it was one of the smallest ones that we had.

Somehow noticing my gaze, he inquired, "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"You chose me instead of Phillip," he responded, "do you not prefer Philip?"

"A few days ago, Danielle suggested that I spend less time with Phillip so I didn't choose him."

"Then why did you choose me?"

"There are many things that I'd like to learn from you."

He stopped moving. He turned around. "Such as?"

"Why did my mom make the X.Q. virus? And if she made it, why did she leave? And my dad... why was he there? How did he find her? How...why did he die?" I kept bombarding him with questions. With each, he started to turn more and more away from me. Once I was done, he had his back turned to me again.

Closed door.

He took in a deep breath and slowly sighed. "Wynn, you're asking too many questions from me. Some of them I can answer—others, I don't know the answer to." Glancing back, he added, "However, I promise that you'll learn the truth one day. But today..." He looked away. "Today, relax."

I scoffed. "What? And tomorrow relax again? Newvy, I think that you're trying to avoid my questions. Do you have something to hide?"

"I don't have anything to hide," he spat, malice filling his voice. Darting a look at me, he sharply stated, "You don't know it right now, but I'm protecting you, Wynn. I can assure you that I wanted to tell you everything from the first time I saw you, but I resisted since I knew that would only hurt you."

Softly, I whispered, "Not telling me at all will hurt me more."

Once more, he sighed. "Fine." Giving in, he offered, "I'll answer one question every day. No more. If I can't answer it, you can ask another. Other than that, only one question."

Before I could respond, a knock was heard on the other side of the door. Faintly, I could hear a voice call for us. It was probably time for that tour that Corporal told us about.

I threw my things on the bed and walked to the door and opened it. However, before I left, I looked back and murmured, "I expect an answer later today," and left. He didn't respond.

Scurrying, I joined the others who were standing in the living room. Phil, who immediately saw me, started making small talk with me. After a few minutes, everyone else came out and we went on our way around the headquarters. Our guide showed us all of the training rooms, the meetings rooms, and the like—however, though it was interesting, my mind was on other matters: family matters.

For the first time, I knew who my parents were. Though I didn't like the information, it was still a step forward for me knowing who I am...what I am—why I was given up, too. Though not all the dots connected, I could see the faint lines already. I only needed Newvy, and then the lines would finally be clear. Just give it a few days, and everything will be clear.