Experiment VII

Chapter Twenty-One: The Truth

     Getting out of that place was something we all wanted so badly. It was the only thing most of us thought about. Everyone wanted to go back to their old lives.  Now they are out, but they are not as free as they hoped. None of us can ever go back, we all just have to live here, most not getting so much as a single memory returned. My friends now have looks of hopelessness on their faces replacing that of relief from when they all first arrived here. The mutants here are so envious of the 'lucky' few who's memories returned to them, but some things we are better off forgetting. I wish I did not remember anything, but at least I am not burdened with the desire to go back to my life before all this like the others.

     A sudden stinging on my cheek startles my mind back to reality. The muffled sounds of people bustling and talking around me becoming more clear. Ellie sits opposite from me with a boastful grin on her face. My hand instinctively moves up to the irritated area of my face.

"What'd you do that for?!"

"You were zoning out, again," Ellie responds in a normal tone.

     I give her a look of disbelief, "So you decided to slap me?"

     She merely shrugs before carrying on eating her meal of which the smell makes me want to gag.

     Before anything else can be said a girl I recognise as Ashley walks by us to go sit at one of the many other tables.

"Dang, she's cute," Daesung remarks as soon as she passes.

     I suppress the urge to laugh knowing full well the girl is Rilo's sister, who happens to be sitting right beside us. My friend here, however, does not know that, not yet anyway.

"That would be Ashley, our tattoo artist," Rilo says now inserting himself into the conversation.

"She can tattoo me any time," Daesung smirks. I have to hang my head in an attempt to hide the grin slowly making its way onto my face.

"She's also my sister." Rilo then adds, his voice void of any obvious emotion and his face vacant of expression.

"O-oh." he stutters out, his previous confidence now lost as his cheeks turn a dark shade of pink.

"Well, that's awkward." Ellie chuckles and some of the others share a few sniggers. I myself am no longer able to suppress my laughter and let out a chortle at Daesung's embarrassment.

     Daesung turns to me and his eyes thin, "You knew didn't you?" he questions, "And you didn't warn me?" He looks at me with a look of utter betrayal, that only fuels my laughter. I notice Rilo's lip twitch up into a smirk for just a moment before he resumes his normal rigid expression.

"I uh got stuff to do," he says, standing up abruptly and leaving the canteen out of obvious embarrassment. 

     A while after the laughter subsides Rilo turns to me and Ellie, "Oh, before I forget you two are on cleaning duty."

     I nod otherwise Ellie gives a defeated whine instead, "Aw man come on."

"If you want to stay here you gotta pull your weight and according to the work rotations you're cleaning today."  

~*~

"Uh, how did we wind up on cleaning the kitchen tiles. I mean I know why, but...why?" Ellie whines, in fact, that is all she has been doing since we started. When shoving her scrubber into the bucket of soapy water it ends up sploshing out of the bucket and on to her face.

"Complaining isn't going to make it go any faster," I say hoping that will keep her quiet.

     She scrubs the tiled floors for only a few short moments before stopping to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead, "This is way harder than it should be and I blame Harvey." 

     Rilo is in charge here and Harvey is his second in command. Planning the work rotations and who does what is one of the many things Harvey does so most of us are not really that fond of him.

"Yeah.." I mumble not trying to keep the conversations going any farther. That is if her constant complaints qualify as a conversation.

"Hey, so what do you remember exactly?" She curiously asks out of nowhere.

     I honestly do not really know how to answer that. Do I tell her or not? Not saying anything at all would be preferable, but not an option, unfortunately.

"Axel?" She questions looking up from the floor she was previously scrubbing.

"Oh, well you know..." I immediately look away, not wanting to have to make eye contact, "...just normal stuff I suppose." I continue trying my best not to stammer too much. 

"Normal stuff? Axel, there's no such thing as normal stuff," she responds knowingly.

     Heat begins to rise to my face and my hands begin to feel clammy. When I do not answer Ellie resumes speaking, "You know for someone who lies a lot you sure are terrible at it."

     Well, now I am screwed. I give a dry laugh, "How'd you know?"

"Because that's exactly what I told everyone else when they asked me." I glance up at her having my attention, "My dad was a drunk, never knew my mom. How are you meant to tell someone that?"

"I'm sorry," I say as if that would offer her any comfort. "My mom was a junkie, I don't even know about my dad. I guess we're not all that different then." I explain feeling the obligation to tell her since she trusted me enough to do the same.

"Guess not," Ellie responds plainly with an empty smile. 

     Silence fills the room, turning into an awkward tension, neither of us knowing what to say to the other.

      The silence is broken by the door swinging open and revealing Daesung, completely out of breath.

"Guys you've gotta come and see this."

A/N: Well, that was kind of deep. Anyway, sorry for the wait and thank you for reading!

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