One Color At A Time

Chapter 13

I make it back to the lounge to find that Nathaniel has left but the others are still here.

"Hey, so what was that all about?" Travis asks

"She accused me of being too involved since my cousin is a scientist and then showed me videos of times I've hung out with Madi. Saying that I was also too involved because of me being friends with her." I say letting out a huff and plopping on the couch crossing my arms.

"Really? That's odd. She never pulled any of us in for anything like that. Not even when I personally told them that my uncle is a scientist." Clarabell says pulling her eyebrows together.

"I don't know but it all just felt...set up almost? Like she wanted to see how I would react."

"Well, how did you react?" Sally asks

"I said that it shouldn't matter and that I will do my job just as well as anyone else. That I was determined to find Madi." I say with a shrug.

We all sit just silent. Thinking about what we are going to do.

"We should be getting back to campus. It's getting late." Lacey says looking at her pad.

"God, I almost forgot about campus completely because of just worrying about Madi and training," Travis says standing up from the couch.

"I know I did too man. Fuck we even skipped classes today because of everything." I say getting up as well.

"Well, let's get going," Clarabell says grabbing Lacey's hand and we all walk out of the little bunker.

The girls show us the code to get in and then they say that our information should already be in the system so it should work just fine.

Walking back felt different than when we came here earlier in the day. It's fairly late at night but it's still the same day. How could so much have happened in one day?

Everyone is silent as we make our way back to the main street. It's busier but none of us take any mind and just continue on our way. 

At some point, we stop and grab some food but decide to bring it back to my dorm.  The silence isn't awkward nor is it tense. It just feels like if anyone spoke something would break.

We make it back to my room and all just silently ate. I honestly believe that this moment we all are just in this bubble. A void. Madi has become such an important part of our friend group that without her it feels incomplete. Just like when Tyler was gone. Nothing feels right but now there is a high risk of us never seeing her again.

The bubble finally bursts.

"You three realize that we all still have to focus on classes right? We have to still be college students." Clarabell says looking between the twins and I.

"I know but it feels like it's not as important now," I say with a sigh slouching over.

"Trust me, Jonathan. We understand but we have to balance out both of these lives. It's not easy but it has to be done." Sally says reaching over and placing her hand on my shoulder.

"We will have to focus on classes and that includes any projects or finals that will be coming up soon. However, we also have to make time to go to the division to get work done there as well. With Madi being taken a lot more people will be working to find her or any clues on how to stop the scientists." Lacey says 

I let out a sigh and run my fingers through my hair. Just the thought of trying to balance either two lives gives me a headache.

That's when another problem pops in my head.