Etched In Stone

Chapter Seven

He doesn't sleep much that night.

They give him a room upstairs that has a vague familiar feel to it - this is the same room he stayed in all those years ago. He's sure of it.

It seems to have been mostly untouched these past years, with navy sheets on the bed, pale blue, faded paint, not much in the way of furniture apart from a chair sitting in the corner and a small table beside the bed.

Jake lies there now, every inch of him aching for sleep but his mind just unwilling. Everything he's learned today goes through his head over and over again. He doesn't remember much of his parents, anyway, but it still makes his stomach twist whenever he thinks about how they were murdered and not in an accident like he believed. He touches the scar on his abdomen lightly through his shirt - how did he really get it? What did Alpha do to him to leave such a permanent mark on his skin?

He turned over once more, closing his eyes and finally fell into a deep sleep.

- - - - - -

"You have to be able to do something." Serena glances at him sideways, her eyes wide. "Why else would they take you?"

Jake shudders involuntarily, his shoulders caved inwards. "I know that. But I can't remember how to use them."

"They must've messed them up somehow." She frowns, her eyebrows creasing. She's quiet for a while, as if she's thinking how they could've done it, and he's not quite sure what to say so he just stares out the window. She speaks again after a little while, breaking the silence and startling him slightly.

"What did they do to you in there?" Her voice is timid, sensing his discomfort, but she's too curious to let the question go.

Jake shakes his head, but she presses onwards.

"Why are you so afraid?"

"There were all these adults," he begins slowly, "and they all had white coats on and talked to eachother in quiet voices, but I didn't catch a lot of what they were saying, anyway, because they gave me this injection that made me tired." He shivers, remembering the sharp pinch of the needle in his arm and how disoriented it always made him.

"And then what?" Serena pushes, trying to get as much information out of him as possible.

"They had all these sharp knives and stuff, and they cut into me because I think they wanted blood. Wanted to see how my body worked from the inside."

"Was there anything else?" She asks softly, but he won't meet her gaze.

"I don't wanna talk about it anymore." He shakes his head, "Sorry, Serena."

"It's okay. Thanks for telling me."

- - - - - - -

The dream doesn't scare him more so than unsettles him.

The words that he and Serena spoke in his dream are still etched into his mind when he wakes up, stirring and opening his eyes to stare at the blank white ceiling. He couldn't remember anything of his past up until now. Strange that he would dream so vividly about it his first night here. As he swings his legs over the side of his bed, deciding that there's too much on his mind now to sleep any longer, he wonders if it has anything to do with how Serena had spoken to him inside his head yesterday.

Stretching his arms above his head, he took the few steps over to his door and made his way down the hall to where Ian had shown him the bathroom was and showed him how to use the shower. He locked the door behind him and turned it on, stepping inside and letting the warm water run over him. The dream he had slips back into his mind every now and then, sending a fresh wave of discomfort washing over him - he isn't scared, but more shaken at the detailed account of his past.

Stepping out of the shower, he towels himself dry, pulling his clothes back on and then towelling his hair quickly so that it won't drip. He looks at himself in the mirror - his hair is even darker than usual when wet and his eyes stand out in his face because of how pale his skin is, but other than that, he looks perfectly normal. Not an interesting thing about him that would make someone look twice. Which is why he can't understand why he of all people has been dragged into this mess.

Jake unlocks the door again and steps out into the hall, starting to walk back towards his room. He swears he hears footsteps moving at the same time as his own, but when he glances around, he's still the only one in the hall. Then, there it is again - footsteps and whispering, small hisses and scuffles. More than one person is following him, and not particularly stealthily.

"Shut up, Chris, he's going to hear us!" A voice hisses.

"You're the one who keeps whispering!" Another one says, not bothering to keep their voice as quiet this time.

Jake peers around the corner and sees that crouched behind a doorway, on either side, are a boy and a girl, whispering at eachother loudly.

They look up at him slowly, their faces sheepish.

"Uh, something I can help you with?" Jake asks, raising one eyebrow and awaiting an answer.

"Nothing!" The girl stands up, seizing hold of the boy's wrist and dragging him with her. "Nothing, we were just - we heard that you were here, but we thought it would be weird to just barge into your room and start asking questions."

"So you decided to follow me instead?"

Neither of them answer, glaring at eachother with daggers.

"Told you it was a crappy idea." The boy mutters.

"It was your idea, Chris..."

"Sorry, but who are you two?" Jake asks, looking between the both of them.

The girl is short, shorter than him, with long black hair almost reaching her waist and bright green eyes. The boy, while taller than her, is still shorter than Jake himself, but strong. His hair is a tousled mess of dyed purple and his eyes are dark brown. They both have sheepish grins on their faces, and look to be about his age.

"I'm Chris," the boy says, holding out his hand, "And that's Claudine." He inclines his head towards her as he grips Jake's hand, more tightly than he expected.

"Jake." He tells them, nodding in their direction.

"We know," Claudine pipes up, "Saren told us everything. That's why we were so curious."

"Right..." Jake trails off, "So are you two the two other allies they mentioned?"

"That would be us." Chris confirms, grinning, "And we've been told that you're going to start training with us. Power unlocking is difficult, you know."

" I figured." Jake sighs, running a hand through his damp hair, "Can't wait."