The Red Room

𝕊𝔼𝕍𝔼ℕ

I arrived at Reagan's house and knocked on the door. I heard dogs barking from inside. She opened the door with an excited smile on her face, "Hey! Nina, quit." She yelled at her dog that was running excitedly around me. She led me into her room where she told me to put my stuff down before we went into her living room where the other girls were except Jennifer.

"So everyone's here, do you want to go downstairs?" Reagan asked.

"What about Jennifer?" I asked.

"Oh, she wasn't invited."

"But you talked about it in front of her." I squinted.

"Yeah, we do that in hopes that she'll leave us alone."

"What's wrong with her?" I realized I was pushing my limits and probably should shut up.

"She's really rude to us and has a terrible temper. She yells at us constantly so we just stopped inviting her to things." Reagan shrugged.

I tried to imagine quiet Jennifer yelling at anyone, I couldn't do it. I decided to keep my mouth shut because I wasn't about to compromise my mission on the behalf of one girl.

We all filed into Reagan's basement where there were several couches in a half circle around a TV, there were two air mattresses in the vent of the half circle.

Reagan passed out blankets and pillows to everyone and we made sleeping arrangements. I got a recliner spot on a couch. We all changed into our pajamas and I sat cross legged on my couch spot.

We talked and talked and talked for hours. Eventually we played truth or dare. "Um, Iz, truth or dare?"

I considered it, for truth I could just lie, and dare might be something like eating American food, so I said, "Truth."

"Who do you like?" She smirked as the girls giggled. I made my face to red, a technique we learned at the academy, and smiled.

"No one..." I'd read about people doing this, taking a while to be convinced to tell secrets.

"Oh come on, we know you like someone." Marie rolled her eyes.

"I don't even know if I like him or not." I lied, still smiling and blushing.

"I can tell you that you do, now who is he?" Marie laughed.

"Fine, fine." I motioned my hands for them to settle down. "I might like Morgan."

They all erupted in squeals, giggles, and several, "I knew it!"s.

"Shhh, your going to wake Reagan's parents." I giggled.

The rest of the night was actually fun. We played card games, gave each other makeovers (which I failed at considering we don't wear make up at the academy), and we watched several movies they called "chick flicks".

Finally everyone fell asleep, I stayed awake though, regretting this mission to the fullest. I should have just accepted my punishment of staying back for sleeping in, it would have been shameful, but at least it wouldn't be this.

The thing was, it wasn't that the mission was torture, it's that it would be torture to leave the mission. I loved these girls. They seemed to like having me around as well. They were the first friends I'd ever had that I didn't have to worry about them dying. I really did like Morgan too, another problem. Even if not in a romantic way, I still liked him. 

How could I ever return to the harshness of the academy after living this life. I couldn't run away, they would hunt me down and kill me in an instant. I would have to tough out the next seven years of my "schooling" until I graduated. Then, maybe, I could come back and get back together with these girls. Of course to them I would only be that one girl who was there for some of that one year.

I sighed, took one look at my new friends around me, and closed my eyes.

"Wake up girls! If you want waffles, wake up!" All of the girls burst out of bed and up the stairs to the kitchen. Except me, I was trying to figure out an excuse to not eat the waffles. "Izabella, dear? Do you want anything to eat this morning?" Reagan's mom leaned in the doorway of the basement.

"No thank you, I'm not really a breakfast person." I smiled.

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I am."

I sat at Reagan's dinning room table and watched everyone eat the thick, fluffy, soft looking things. They honestly looked delightful. I tried to keep my stomach from growling and it was difficult. After everyone was finished we all got dressed and people started to leave, eventually I did too. I swung my backpack over my shoulders and walked home. It was a ten mile walk with an empty stomach. I'd been through worse, though.

I finally arrived at my house and Morgan ran out of his own house and said, "Iz! Hey, Iz!"

"Hey." I stopped, kind of annoyed because I was so hungry. I'd never been denied food at the academy. They needed us to be well fed to work all day, unless for punishment.

"I was looking for you last night but your mom said you weren't there." He stopped to face me.

"Oh, sorry. I was at Reagan's house for a sleepover." I smiled proudly.

"Wow, extreme. You fit in pretty quickly."

"Well it's all because of you, really."

"How so?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You introduced me to the girls, so, uh, thanks." I have a half smile

"Oh right I did do that." He smiled like a superhero and I laughed.

"What did you need, big shot?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Do you wanna learn football today? I figure it's better to do it on a weekend."

"Yeah, sure. When?"

"I don't know, maybe meet me here in a half an hour?"

"Sure." I smiled and walked into my house. As soon as the door closed I dove for the muck. I shoved it into my mouth until I was full. Then I put my hair in a ponytail and went to meet Morgan.

He was already on the sidewalk waiting with a football and a white board. "Ready?" He asked.

"Yep. Where are we going?"

"To the football field. You can't learn football without a field." He rolled his eyes like "duh".

We walked to the school football field and when we got there Morgan acted like he practically owned the place. "This is where the magic happens." He spread his arms to a slightly broken down football field.

"So this is where the big shot got his fame, huh?" I teased.

"Yep." There was a pause before he said, "Let's get started." He began by throwing me the football. I caught it perfectly. Then he showed me how to throw it, I did that with perfection as well. After that he taught me the rules. They were fairly simple. After a few hours, I knew everything there is to know about football.

"Is there anything you can't do, extreme?" Morgan laughed.

"Hmm." I thought for a second. "I can't seem to catch a break from you." I smiled.

"Ha ha." He laughed sarcastically. "Let's go, I'm hungry. Do you want to stop somewhere and have lunch?"

I couldn't eat restaurant food, the academy would never allow it. But, it was spending time with Morgan, which is always good. So I could probably bend the rules a little. "Sure." I shrugged.

"Sweet." We headed off to McDonald's.