Icelamb

Chapter 12

Ara's P.O.V

"Excuse you, I almost died. If you want to kill me, do it fast. Just don't pretend to be my friend," my voice comes out louder than I intend as I rant.

"Ara, you are so funny. I want to help you, but If you think I am going to jeopardize Aye's trust in me by making things easy for you, you are wrong.

Only the tough make it here, and you need serious drilling to survive here," he warns in a serious tone.

I suddenly cringe and remember how they treat people at 'Aye.' Lanre noticed my discomfort and immediately switched to a friendly smile that disarmed my fears.

"What did you do to me, and what were all those things you did with my ears?" I ask, curious to know what games he played with my ears.

"I can't tell you," he says, and I roll my eyes.

He makes to leave the room but stops and turns over his shoulders to look at me.

"But I will tell you when the time comes. Everything has a time and a season. You have to be patient," Lanre says, looking at me with a grim look.

He stares at me and wants to speak, but he stops and leaves the room.

I contemplate whether to search the lab but decide not to, there are probably cameras, so I head out. I go to my room since I have to check up on Titi.

I silently hope for her to still be in her room. I have just reunited with her; I can't bear the pain of her being taken away from me.

My steps lose their confidence for fear of the unknown. I approach my room and turn the door knob.

I am startled at the unusual sight in front of me. Naade, with a pained expression, is wrapping a comforter around a half-asleep Titi. She doesn't seem to be bothered by his gesture. Rather she snuggles deeper into the comforter.

I subconsciously shut the door, and it slams against the wall louder than I intended. Naade notices this, but Titi remains fast asleep. He looks scared when he sees me, but then he masks it with his signature stone face.

I find myself drawn to him, to know him, how he thinks, what goes on when he is masking his emotions, and how it feels to be related to a monster. I don't know why, probably because he is the most courageous of all his captives. Still, unfortunately, every time I summon the courage to have a conversation with him, his father's face, charming yet dangerous, is all I see in him.

I decide to speak to him, and I will take it one day at a time. Being in 'Aye' is deathly already, So I choose to fight teeth and claws or, however, the saying goes, to break out of 'Aye' than allow my sister and me to be treated like animals.

Naade knows this place; he can help. I have to see the good in him, the one he hides from everyone.

I am lost in thought, planning what to say to him, but I have not made any move. My senses snap when I hear the sound of the door knob being turned.

"Wait. Please," I say, bracing myself for rejection, yet I am half hoping he answers. Surprisingly, he stops.

I nod in approval of his decision and carefully shit Titi's tiny body to the edge of the bed, and I lay on the bed.

He hesitates for a moment, but he does the same. He fishes a gummy bear discretely out of his pocket and stylishly hands it to me with his fingers.

I chew the gummy bear, but in anticipation of talking to him, I chew the gummy bear too fast and swallow too much. I choke, and he rubs my back and looks at me with an irritated look on his face.

"Did you have to chew so fast?" He grunts.

"Whatever. Who knows, Mobo may probably come in his Norbit's wife's voice and tell us to hurry up," I joke, taking the chance to see if he had any childishness to him.

He laughs heartily, teeth-baring out, probably thanking me for blessing his life with joy. I join him in laughter, but he stops, possibly the voice in his head telling him to retreat to his usual grumpy self.

"Man, can't you take a simple joke and live in the moment for once" I groan and pretend to whine like a baby looking at him with my horrible interpretation of puppy eyes.

He chuckles and says, "You are ridiculous, and that look is horrible," He then stifles his arms.

"You wanted to say something. Look, Ara, about my dad..." He begins.

I raise my hand to stop him.

"I am not perfect. I can't help seeing your dad and hating you for his deeds, but I can move past the pain and heal. We have to take it slowly. I want to get out of here. I also want to know you. When we know each other better, we can get out of here faster," I ramble and pause to inhale deeply. I exhale and turn to look at him.

He has a stunned look on his face. His mask fades off, and I see a boy who needs love. I see fear, pain, and hope in his eyes.

"OK. Thank you. Nobody has ever said that to me," he says in a gentle voice.

My mind battles with whether to tell him what's on my mind since we just crossed a milestone in barely a minute. I decided to ask him anyway.

"I have one question though, has anyone ever broken out of 'Aye,'" I ask

"Yes," he replies.

Hehe, who do you think broke out of 'Aye'?