Marina paced out of the room and walked down the hallway silently before slipping back into Eight's. She felt good knowing that the grade were one step closer to saving Earth and getting back to Lorien. Five was like the last piece of puzzle and Marina couldn't help but smile with satisfaction and pride. The loric had come so far together and this (the reunion of all the garde), felt like a milestone that should be celebrated.
The door clicked shut behind her as she glanced at Eight. He was lying on his back, one foot over the other. His arms were bent behind his head and he faced the ceiling with closed eyes, his thick lashes resembled feather dusters as they cast shadows over his sharp cheekbones. Marina had always envied his lashes.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
Eight opened his eyes and glanced at her from across the room, "Nothing," he hummed.
But Marina could see right through him, she could read him like a book. Eight was a honest man, who kept his word and was always reliable. She could trust him with any secret, that was his greatest trait, so she could see through him like glass when he was lying. After all, he was a horrible liar and the slight twitching of his nose always gave away his lies.
Marina arched a thin eyebrow, "Eight, what's wrong, you can tell me."
He sighed and propped himself up on one elbow, "I know, I just. We found all the garde, what do we do from here."
Marina came and sat beside him on the bed, Eight shuffled over so she had some room. "You know exactly what we have to do." She started, "You're just afraid to come to terms with it."
"Huh?"
"Don't try to hide it, Eight." She gestured to her temples, "Mind control."
He groaned which made her laugh softly.
"It's okay. We just have to train, and try to find out more about the Mogs and what their planning, and once most of us have developed all of our legacies, we act and we fight."
"You make it sound so easy."
Marina laid down on her back beside him, his arm under her head,"It's not going to be easy. But that's why we have each other right? We should just take it one step at a time. The next step isn't an easy one, but it's one we need to take. And I think you know that."
He nodded and pulled the quilt over both of them. It was in the peak of Winter and it was freezing in Chicago.
"One step a time," he repeated and slid an arm over her small waist as she flicked the lights off with her telekinesis, "I still don't get how I found her. We've been searching for her for so long and I just stroll past her in the middle of the night. I don't get it." He had explained to her before, briefly about how they had met.
"I don't either."
"Five reckons it could be lorien."
"That's possible," Marina agreed, "But what if it's something else. Something different from a message from Lorien. What if it's something normal - like a legacy."
Eight snorted which made her turn around and glare at him playfully, "Hey, you never know. It could be a legacy."
He laughed and held his hands up defensively, "Maybe. But have you ever heard of," Eight searched for a name for the legacy, "Loric Recognition."
"No. And thank Lorien for that."
He laughed with her, "It could be a trap."
"I don't think so," Marina countered, "Five seems pretty genuine and plus, I don't feel any strange or hateful feeling coming off her. It could be anything, but I don't think it's something we should worry about."
He nodded and rested his head in the crook of her neck. The smell of her mango shampoo was overwhelming and it filled his head with nostalgia and memories of India and it's exotic environment. He remembered all the moments that he and Reynolds shared together. Marina reminded him of everyone he loved. She was his beacon of light, the only thing that stopped him from getting lost in all the stress and worry that his life threw at him.
X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.
Six opened the cardboard carton of milk and poured herself a glass before sticking it in the microwave and heating it up. She liked her milk warm, it helped her wake up in the morning and it reminded her of her old life with her cepan, Katrina. Katrina would always give her a glass of warm milk before Six left for school. Old habits die hard.
Six pushed a chair out and sat down before glancing out the window. It was still gloomy outside and Six guessed it was around half past five. She bent her head on the oak table and sipped on her milk. She was probably the only one up except for Nine. Nine always woke up early on training days and went for a run around the neighbourhood. They were the only two that were early birds, it was strange to think of Nine as an early bird but he was, the rest didn't wake until around six.
Six took another sip of her milk and threw her feet up on the chair opposite her, running her fingers over the smooth spandex of her sports tights. She was already dressed in her training gear and was feeling impatient so she slurped down the rest of her drink before tossing the mug into the sink for the next person who saw it to wash - probably Nine, and walking to the training hall to warm up. The censor, double doors opened with a buzz and Six was met with all the weights, training gear and an unfamiliar face. Six gasped.
Five.
Five was sitting on a blue yoga mat, her eyes were closed and the lights were dimmed. Her hair was loose and cascaded down her shoulders like black velvet. She was wearing a pair of grey leggings and a blue singlet (both belonged to Marina), her hands were stretched out either side of her body and her fingers were curled into the Gyan mudra, an Indian meditation hand symbol that symbolised calmness.
The part that most confused Six were Five's legs which were bent in an unnatural position and tucked behind her head. The pose looked both painful and intimidating. Six did not immediately take Five to be a flexible person and had certainly not pinned her to be the type into yoga and meditation but she was obviously wrong. Five looked as if she had been balancing for hours and she no doubt had been.
Six could only stare in awe, she had found a new respect for the last member of the garde. She slowly backed out of the room to give the girl some peace and quiet when Five began to move. Without adjusting her hands, Five uncurled her left leg and let it drop to the ground gracefully before moving her right leg so that she now sat with crossed legs. Her hands fell as well and, like a blooming flower, she lowered them so that they now rested on her knees. The last garde inhaled loudly and let her fingers untense before her eyes opened.
She spotted Six and blushed, "Just meditating."
Six nodded, "That was pretty impressive." Five smiled humbly again and stood slowly.
"Can you teach me?"
And just like that, the two went on for hours stretching and getting to know each other.