My eyes had to adjust to the light. It was blinding, so bright I had to blink a couple of times before the blur in front of me materialized.
The boy stared back at me, his chocolate curls carelessly tousled. Concern touched his features, and his eyebrows scrunched together adorably.
"Were you listening to me? You kinda blanked out for a second there." Weird, his eyes were two different colours: One brown and the other bluish-grey. I liked it though. It was kinda cute.
"Hello?" He waved a hand in front of my face. Oh frick. Was I staring? I quickly diverted my gaze, towards a freshly ironed white shirt and dark blue blazer. When the awkward silence ensued, I forced myself to look up, back at his scrunched eyebrows.
"Hi." I smiled. The muscles tingled with the movement. Almost like they had never been used before. "I don't think we've met before. I'm Astrid."
He shook his head. "No, I meant- Never mind. Do you know why we're here? Everyone here looks so... different, you know?"
"Do they?" Honestly, I hadn't taken a look around this place yet. The boy was the first person I had seen since... waking up.
Pink crept to the boy's neck and ears. "So," he started. "What's William like?"
"William who?" I cocked my head. "I don't know any William."
"He was talking to you just then." He rubbed his eyes, his ears pinkening even more. "Or maybe I was hallucinating... " He added under his breath.
"Maybe it was someone who looked like me," I offered. "Do you know her name? I can help you find her if you want."
"Um... Yeah. I'll pass." The boy shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.
"What's your name, anyway? And who's William?" I asked. The boy's fingers clenched together and he was suddenly very interested in his black shoes.
"Okay..." I raised an eyebrow. "I'll talk to you later, I guess."
Rows of identical mahogany doors lined the hallway. They were probably my classmates' rooms. Glass chandeliers hung on the ceiling, glittering iridescent. Even though I didn't recognize this place, it was somehow ancient, modern and extravagant at the same time. Timeless. That was the word I was looking for.
"Hey! Wait up!" It was the boy again, but there was something different. Maybe it was the wider smile or the bounce in his step. I wasn't sure.
"I thought you didn't like me." I frowned. He stopped for a moment, eyes wide and face flushed. Then, he unfroze.
"What? No!" He groaned. "When did I say that?"
"Just then?" I crossed my arms, glaring at him. He visibly recoiled.
"If I said that I didn't like you, I was only joking!" The boy was about my height, and he had a certain look in his eyes that I liked. "Besides, I haven't seen anyone approachable apart from you. So, can we at least pretend to be friends for a while?"
"Do you mean playdates?" I bit back a smile. "That would be great, but I don't know your name."
"Magnus." He smiled, sticking out a hand. "You?"
"I told you already." I frowned. "It's Astrid."
"Oh, Astrid! I've heard that name somewhere before, but then again, maybe not." Magnus' lips curled into a grin, and in this angle of light, his shirt and jeans suited him much better. "Awesome meeting you."
I wasn't lying when I said this. "You too. Want to explore? Look around this place?"
"Why not?" He grinned.
The hallway was deathly silent apart from our giddy voices, which bounced back and forth like a haunting siren. The floor sparkled, stretching our shadows till they resembled gnarled fingers on the chalk white walls. Magnus' hand hovered around the crook of my elbow, a shy but certain smile appearing on his face.
"So, where to, Astrid?"
This place was infinite. There were so many things to explore. So many secrets to unravel. I gave Magnus my best confident smirk.
"Wherever we want to go."
Did we know where we were? No. Did we know who we were? No. Did we know what was going to happen tomorrow? No. But did it matter? No.
Both of us were blissfully happy as we skipped across the barren hallway, the sunlight casting shadows on the floor, our footsteps hollow echoes in the distance.
A/N: Guess who's POV this is in ;)
Anyways, sorry for this super late update. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Again, comment down below if you have any ideas for a bonus chapter :D
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C0NV3RG3 (Sequel to M3RG3)
AcciónLyla doesn't remember anything. All she knows is that the Republic took her under their wing after the Merging Process. Now, she is training to become the greatest Republican there is. However, the voices in her head don't seem to die down as time p...
