𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐄 𝐆𝐎 𝐍𝐎𝐖? [𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬]

𝐱𝐱𝐢

FIVE PULLED QUINCEY inside the stall and locked the door, he then pulled the file out from under his shirt and sat down.

Quincey leaned again the wall behind him. "So that's the apocalypse file?" Five hummed in response carefully reading through.

The door opened and closed "shit" the sound of heels telling them exactly who it was.

"So how's your first day going?"  The Handler asked, walking into the stall next to them. "Couldn't be better" Five replied and Quince could tell it was sarcastic.
"Glad to hear it"

The sounds coming from the next cubicle over were...disturbing and Quince shared a disgusted look with Five.

The boy was quick to carefully hide the file back under his sweater vest.

"I burned my rugae. Ever burn your rugae? Rugae" The Handler sighed "the ridges on the hard palate that help pass food to the esophagus. Anyway, I'm on a liquid diet for two days, hence the marathon of urination. One faulty cog and nothing works as it should."

Quincey's eyes widen, sensing the Handler was onto them.

"You know, we value integrity at the office above all else. Trust is essential and that trust is...built over time. But in the event of a breach, The Commission will act swiftly and without mercy. An efficiency I'm sure you above all people can appreciate, Number Five. I'm feeling peckish. have you had your lunch?"

"Not yet." The teens shared an annoyed glance.

"Great. How would you like to lunch with me in my office? You can eat solid foods, and I can live vicariously..." The Handler looked over the stall door "through you"

"Sounds great" said Five

"Perfect." The Handler made it to the door "and no plus ones" she said in a sing-song voice before she exited.

"God, I hate her" Quincey scrunched her nose up in disgust "so do I, but I have to do what I have to do, to save my family"

Quincey pushes herself off the wall and was about to unlock the door "Wait" Five said and the girl turned back around, now leaning on the door "what?"

"I thought I would tell you that you look really pretty today" Five sighed "I look the same as I do every day"

"Exactly" he tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and walked out of the cubicle. Quincey's eyes followed his frame out the door "I'm so not used to this"

***

Quincey sat at her and Five's desk, just waiting for his little lunch date with the Handler to be over.

She ended up drawing eyes all over her hand out of pure boredom. The eyes were looking in every which direction and Quince liked to think that they were watching out for her when she couldn't do so herself.

When the girl was younger she would draw the same eyes on her hand when she was bored in school. When she was in school, she had no friends, her brother obviously didn't care for her and neither did her mother. She had no one to rely on. She had to look out for herself.

Having no one give her any attention whatsoever led her to do stuff like steal from stores and vandalise alleyways, hoping, praying that someone would notice her, notice she was there, notice she had no one to turn to, give her time to speak what was on her mind.

That help came in form of Detective Patch but soon enough that safe place, that person to confide in was gone. She was gone with everyone else in the world. All she ever wanted went up in smoke, literally.