Black. But he was still awake. Asleep. At least, most of the way. A sliver of light. Just a flash. He opened his eyes. Barely. People were running. A sign. An exit sign. They were following it. They were going the wrong direction. They were running from something.
What? He couldn’t move his head to see. A flash of light. Again. Behind him, he could tell. Something was happening. Something was wrong.
He was awake. He was asleep. His eyes closed. Darkness.
****************
“Brycen!” Sarah exclaimed as they followed the robot into the room. The other kid smiled and the two enveloped into a hug. Tyler stood there awkwardly, looking at the wall until they broke away.
“Who’s this?” the kid asked. The kid named Brycen.
“Tyler. My friend and colleague,” Sarah said.
Tyler gave a little wave and tried to seem disinterested. He scanned the writing and information on the wall. Sarah didn’t introduce her friend to him, but he didn’t really care. All he knew was that this kid and supposedly thirteen others down here worked for the HIA. Only Sarah had been here before, but he had not. He was satisfied with letting her handle things. That didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be awkward.
****************
It was just a joy ride. Flying, she felt free. She didn’t even know why she had thought to do it just then. Maybe it was because it was one of the only things she could do that didn’t involve using her legs. And with a broken leg and a still recovering mind, she knew she needed something that would take her away. Something that would feel good.
She knew the automatic drive had an important purpose and was really convenient at certain times, but that didn’t mean she ever used it. It was more fun to pilot it manually. She felt connected to the plane, like her body wasn’t really her own and that her whole being was transfused with the plane. It was her wings.
After being grounded for so long, trapped for seemingly forever, it felt good to get out. Good to let loose. Good to be free. Her mind had been a cage, locked from the inside. The key was on the inside, but she had taken a long time to find it. Now that she was out, she would take a long time to recover. But in the meantime, she was going to fly.
****************
Rian. He was picked on at school because he was so different. He didn’t have a family. Not anymore. That’s what made him so different.
“Special,” as the teachers had put it. He didn’t feel special. Just different. It didn’t help that people were constantly reminding him of what had happened, how it had changed his life. Constantly reminding him of why it was a mistake for him to live every day. He didn’t feel special. He didn’t feel gifted. He didn’t even feel like he had a divine quality that kept him alive after the accident. He should have died with them. His father, his mother, and his sister. A whole family. Four graves.
But there were only three. He had been allowed to live, for some unknown, mysterious reason. He had been allowed to live, and he didn’t even deserve it. He didn’t even want it. Not most of the time. Life had been so good to him, the adults said. The doctors said. He should be grateful. But all he had seen so far, all he had received from life was guilt, loathing from his peers, fake sympathy from his teachers and his counselors, constant teasing and memory of the pain. He didn’t want this. But maybe he deserved it.
Maybe he wasn’t supposed to live. Maybe he had cheated death. And this was the world’s way of punishing him for it. What was life when every day he woke up with an emptiness in his heart. An emptiness in his actions. An emptiness in his home. Wherever he went, he tried to fill that emptiness with happiness, new friendships, and hope. Others, it seemed, tried to fill it with snide remarks, taunts, and teases.
That’s why he had come here. To escape all that. He had a kind of sixth sense about things. He could see things in other people, read it in their faces. He could almost read their thoughts, know their dreams, see what they wanted to accomplish. It was a gift. Or a curse. When he had first seen Rebecca, he could see something in her eyes. Something lacking. The same kind of emptiness. He thought maybe they were the same, and that maybe they had something in common. Foolishly, he had told her about his family. His dead family. He felt comfortable around her, like he could be himself.
Now he knew that they weren’t the same. He was too different. Too different from the world, from everyone else.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still try.
****************
Griffin tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy. He knew that he had to run away from something, but he didn't know what. He couldn't even push his eyelids open. He was too heavy. Griffin tried to move. It didn't work. He heard some fast footsteps. A muffled shout. He felt some fingers checking his pulse, then some more muffled shouting. He felt hands pick him up and they placed him on a hard surface. Griffin tried to open his eyes again. His eyelashes were stuck together. Griffin didn't know if he was being rescued or kidnapped. He was helpless.
****************
"So how's the fort? Strong as ever?" Sarah asked Brycen. He shook his head.
"It's been rather difficult. Our enemies grow stronger by the day. It is very hard to keep them from finding our location."
"Maybe I can help." Tyler commented. Brycen looked at Tyler as if he was insane. Sarah, however, had a different view. She said to Brycen, "He's one of the best technological experts that we have in the HIA. I would trust him with this."
Brycen pouted, but then agreed. “Fine."
Sarah's face lighted up in happiness with Tyler and he blushed in embarrassment.
"There's your door." Brycen said to Tyler a few minutes later. Tyler walked into the room.
****************