Fifth Universe

Home of Lies

Nameless

Must I beg to have my skin against dirt again? When will the danger leave? When can I be free? I have so many questions and no answers. Fenix knows. He doesn't know everything but he knows enough, and despite his bitter lies he's the only person I trust. What does he think of me? Does he see me as below others, or just weak? I need to know.

'Carlisle' The name sounds sweet in my thoughts, although there was roughness in his voice when Blaze said it. I try to picture Fenix's face in my head and match it with the name. Somehow, it works.
For his sake, I don't mention the fact that I heard the entirety of their conversation. Who is this Blaze anyway?

We both walk back into the sweaty crowd of people. There must be thousands of them by now. Foxy and Jay find each other quickly, it's easy for them to ignore me. I can't blame them, they're much closer to each other than I am. I may have lived in an isolated town, but I know enough about being a third wheeler.

I wander off and join the boys instead, who are in a deep conversation about which type of weapon they'd prefer to use in combat. Warfare has never been an interesting topic for me, so I sit a few meters from them and say nothing. For someone who only gained friends recently, I feel quite alone.

The shock of a new power still makes my skin feel static. Super hearing and healing, great, they're both completely useless in combat. I think back on the daydream about frost surrounding me as I waited, it still disappoints me that it wasn't real. Being able to tell dreams from reality is the one superpower everyone has and takes for granted. I'm glad that the confusion is ever so slowly decreasing.

Bored, I watch the crowd join together around an uplifted platform that stretches from one side of the rectangular room to the other. The platform is trying to be a stage, but to me it's not quite there.

Fenix stands and talks about us newcomers and the fact that we lost the aircraft — yada, yada. I'm not very interested in what he has to say, since half of it I already know. People from the crowd throw sudden questions at him and he answers in his scary leader voice, while I trail off into a daydream. I cant even try to memorise faces since they're all looking the other way.

Wandering and getting lost is something I'm good at. Why not do it again? I don't need to check to tell that no one would notice me slipping away, since everyone is engaged in Fenix's speech, and he can't do anything while he's in the spotlight. It all sounds like a perfectly good plan to me.

Slowly, I weave my way through the crowd, and slip out into the same hallway Carlisle brought me down to talk. Will I ever know why he worries so much? I don't even have much of a personality to be frank, overall I'd understand if someone called me boring.
Being alone is something I never thought I needed until now.

The hallways become more empty and silent as I go, wonderful. The bunker is well cleaned and there are corners that tempt me to sit down in them and just think. In the state I'm in, I'd probably fall asleep.

Like the ship, everything here is in dull colours but I don't mind. After seeing what's outside all I have left is hope to see it again — longing.

My footsteps echo as I pass a few rooms that I can recognise. A kitchen, first aid room, a few bedrooms too. I doubt they will be as spacious as the ones on the ship.
A faded logo placed on one of the walls catches my eye. The blue spray paint has almost lost its colour entirely, but not enough for someone to miss. My fingers press against the cold wall as I study it.

The logo looks like a star. Maybe a diamond. I have never seen a logo like it before, so I take a mental note to ask Jay about it later. Or anyone who hasn't been as isolated as I have.

"Strange isn't it?" A female's voice echoes from above me. I gasp in fright and look up at the exposed support beams, ready to fight if necessary. A beautiful Asian girl sits comfortably on one of them. Her leg dangles below the pole, and she watches me like a vulture.

She gracefully jumps down from her post and strokes her straight dark hair. 'A cat always lands on its feet.' The saying jumps into my head like a flea on a rat. Where have I heard it before? The Poll wouldn't educate us on such petty, useless sayings.

"A foreign logo on Kinsen territory." She studies me. "You're new here, aren't you?" The girl asks. She checks her nails, with carelessness in her expression. Kinsen? Is that what our country is called? Maybe she knows what this is, and how do I answer her question? New here, yes. New to this... faction, not really.
I give her a shrug, and think about the time I spent on the airship. "I guess you could say that." I tell her. Part of me stays on edge. Something about this girl doesn't seem trustworthy.
"Who are you?" I ask, raising my eyebrow at her. "And what are you doing here? Fenix is talking to the others."

The girl snorts, and tilts her head upwards. "I could ask you the same thing, missy." She snaps her fingers at my face like she has some sort of authority over me. "I don't need to listen to whatever Fenix has to say. I've been here long enough to know."
"It's about Vivian." I fold my arms, and let my eyes jump from her head to her feet with scepticism.
"Don't think because I'm new you have an advantage either." I shut my mouth the moment I realise what I said, and how uptight it sounded. My tone, my reaction. I sound like just like Fenix. A smile pinches at the corners of my lips.

The girl's eyes widen. Her people's eye shapes are unique — and beautiful. I almost envy her for it, but I know I would look ridiculous with those strangely wonderful eyes. I knew a few people like her in the Poll. They were always officers, making sure everything was in order. They were always acknowledged for their commitment to work hard. Maybe that's why our leader chose many of them to work for him.

I pull myself away from the sticky thought. I need to let go of my dull past. It shouldn't be difficult. So why is it?

"He confronted Vivian?" The girl asks me. She seems more surprised than I thought. "Not exactly. We just ran." I say. Her eagerness disturbs me. Thinking back on the event isn't pretty either. The way he obeyed her so easily. He belongs to her, he's her slave.
"So you saw Vivian." She says. "And you didn't do anything?"

I frown at the girl. "We didn't have a choice. It's not your business anyway." I shrug her off and turn around to start walking again. The last thing I need to do is start a fight, but my mouth keeps on running. Sometimes I wish I could rip it off my face.

"Hmph." The girl breathes through her teeth. I turn around and see an amused grin on her face. "I like you. You're not a doormat like the rest of those Poll people."

I whip my head around. "How can you tell I'm from the Poll so easily?" I ask. The whole 'just a hunch' thing is starting to make me suspicious. Am I doing something that's obviously strange to everyone, that I haven't picked up on yet?

"Your hair is in a tail. There's a number tattooed on the back of your neck." The girl points out. My hand immediately goes to the back of my neck. One of the Poll's many rules comes to mind. Two haircuts. One for boys and one for girls. They both cover the back of our necks, and girls are forced to keep it down.
Foxy taught me how to tie it up on the pod. We had nothing better to do for three days. I decide not to believe it until I see for myself.

"What's your name?" I ask her. I don't want to talk about my home any longer than necessary. It's a good question to ask. The girl smiles. "I'm Sakura." She reaches out to shake my hand.
"Let's introduce you to the others."