Run

Chapter 19

"Their brother?" I start. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"There's not much to it, really," Key replies, spitting out each word like it is venom.

I have never seen this side of her before. What am I talking about? She has barely ever shown an inch of emotion, be it positive or negative. What's with the sudden burst of impatience? Maybe it's not impatience. Maybe it's something else. Either way, there's something about her that is different. She is not as collected as she normally is. She's hiding something. There's no doubt.

"Okay, I have no idea what I ever did to you to, but you do not have to treat me like an idiot just because I was trapped in the facility for most of my life. It's not like I chose to be there. Just because I am different from you doesn't mean you have the right to do so!" I snap, shooting icy daggers her way.

Wil places a hand on my shoulder gently, but his grip is unwavering. "Miri," he says, soft but firm.

My shoulders tense, not wanting to admit defeat to the likes of Key. But I know that, in this situation, Wil is right. I know that it is not in my place to be mad at Key. She probably has her own reasons to act the way she did.

I let out an exhausted sigh. I am normally a more patient person, able to keep most of my thoughts and comments to myself. I wonder why I am so short tempered all of a sudden. I run my fingers through my tangled hair. "I'm sorry about that, Key," I say, forcing the words out, trying to sound sincere.

She casually waves a hand in reply, dismissing the issue like it is no big deal. "This is what I came here looking for," she continues, pointing at the book. "I needed to confirm or disprove my suspicions before moving on."

I chew on my lower lip to prevent myself from saying anything that I would regret later on or from snapping at her.

"If you don't mind me asking, what suspicion are you referring to? Care to elaborate?" Wil asks, approaching the question with caution, sounding a bit too formal.

 Key rolls her eyes, though the movement is so swift and subtle that I almost did not catch her doing it. My hands clench into fists, sick and tired of Key treating us like kids who can't understand anything. It takes all of my self-control and will to be able to keep from bursting out at her.

"It's a long story."

Why does Key seem so reluctant to tell us about it? I suspect that this has to do with the Aaron boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to Wil; after all, what else could it be? And if Aaron is Aries and Aristelle's brother, that must, obviously, mean that his parents are the ones who created us. If that is the case, then it can't be merely a coincidence that Wil looks almost exactly like Aaron. There has to be more to it than this.

"We have time," Wil answers slowly, practically spelling the words out.

Key nods, gesturing towards the chairs located at the back of the room. "You two should sit."

Both Wil and I do as commanded by Key. As we walk across the room, I take good look around, determined to spot the smaller details that I did not see the first time my eyes scanned the room.

Just like the stairwell that leads here, the walls are made of some kind of stone – maybe granite – and are moist; the sound of water falling onto a hard surface fills the room. The ceiling and even the floor is made out of the same material as the walls. It's almost like this whole room is actually a cave. Maybe that's the point. A small chandelier hangs from the centre of the room, looking as though it is made of copper.

I take a sit on the wooden chair, crossing my left leg atop my right, placing my hands on my lap, awaiting Key's explanation, hoping that it will clear things up. Surreptitiously, I steal a glance at Wil. I can see him gritting his teeth as his jaws are tense, but the rest of his composure is so cool and collected that it is rather hard to know that he is even a tad bit nervous.