Chapter Three –

Secrets

Sedaytion sat up suddenly, wondering whether it had all been some dream: a nightmarish delusion her mind had given herself for the fun of it. Maybe somehow, all the U.R.T.V's were safe, and none of them had been injured. For a few moments she sat there, staring at the o-so familiar Dive room. Plain walls, small room and the machine took up most of the space. One door would let her in and out; a guard was on the opposite side.

The few moments of believing it was a dream was the only relief she would get. When she looked down at the gun in her hand, the wound on her arm and their blood soaked on her cloths, she was sharply brought back down. Everything she had seen had happened; everything she had touched and smelt was real. But why? It seemed so impossible for all of that to have happened, her small mind couldn't comprehend it. No one could be put into that situation: especially not a child.

Quickly, she shoved the gun into the bag beside her, and stood up out of the pod she had been lying in. Her legs were like jelly, like she had been lying there for hours. It took her a moment to get used to the realistic world. She put the bag over her shoulder, heading for the door.

It opened and as it did, a small gasp emerged from her lips. Standing there, red with anger was her father. He had dark red hair, darker then Sedaytion's, shoulder length and tied back. He was wearing a pair of thick framed, oblong shaped black glasses, a white lab coat, and dark jeans. They looked nothing like each other; even the hair was different, and their eyes. Standing behind her father was Doctor Mizrahi, with a strange look of concern.

Before Sedaytion could say a word, he had tightly taken hold of her hand, and was beginning to drag her out of the room. She tried to get her hand back, stopping in the hallway, but he was too strong. "Will you let go of me?" she screamed. She didn't care how many were staring, but she started to scream and kick, trying to get her father off her wrist.

"Can I go home now?" Sedaytion begged. Her eyes glanced at the clock sitting on the glass desk she was at. She had been there for more then an hour; listening to her fathers yelling and inquisitively asking questions.

She looked at her surroundings. There was a large window behind her father who she sat opposite to, bookcases lined the walls of the room, and a few computers were stuck closely in-between them. A guard was in the room, which put up some questions. Had her father put him there, or did Doctor Mizrahi? She knew about him, so perhaps it was her. Sedaytion didn't see reason to why her father would put a guard in there himself.

"No," he said firmly. He picked up a pen and began to write out some documents. A sigh escaped his mouth. "I have to talk to you first."

"I've already spoke to you!" she yelled. "For more then an hour! And most of the time you yelled at me."

He stayed silent, writing out the document. Sedaytion sighed, beginning to get very irritated by her father. He was so rude, and she tried to contain herself yet she couldn't.

"You're a bastard," she said. He lifted his head up quickly, his cheeks returning to the usual bright red.

"Don't you dare speak to me like that!" he yelled.

"I can speak to you however I wish," she said. "Your no one to me. Your just a piece of dirt. I can't believe how you can put children through that! And you just use me!"

"Jem, you don't understand," he said. She gritted her teeth slightly, shaking her head.

"Don't ever call me Jem," she said firmly.

"You're my daughter, and that's what I've wanted you to be called," he said. "So I have a right to use it."

Sedaytion suddenly sat up, slamming her hands on the glass desk. She looked deeply into her fathers dark eyes. The guard stood up straight, watching her closely.

"You are not my father!" she yelled. "My mother and my father named me Sedaytion. You were just some stupid guy that got in the middle. Blood and cells don't matter."

A sharp stinging pain ran up Sedaytion's arm, making a slight squeal escape her mouth. Her father held tightly onto her wounded arm, blood staining his hand. He brought her closer to him and then whispered. "Speak to me like that and I'll kill you."

He let go of her hand, reopening the cut painfully. In a frustrated fear, she picked up her bag, quickly leaving the room. The door opened, and then shut. Thankful to be out, a sigh escaped her mouth. Her arm hurt, and she felt a drop of blood fall to the floor, but she couldn't care less; she was just happy to be free from his grasp. She hated him.

After getting her wound sorted out, having a peaceful and warm shower, and getting dressed, Sedaytion left her home, heading for the forest area. People had called it dark and depressing, yet she never saw it that way; it was an isolated place, somewhere great to go with her thoughts. She escaped deep into the forest, hoping to be alone.

The shadows cooled her skin. She sat on the ground, leaning her back against on of the trees, with her legs spread out in front of her. Her small bag was sat beside her, and her arms were by her sides. She sighed, listening to the silence and her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the horrible things she had seen that day, and she wanted them to disappear and never come back. Yet, she knew that would never happen; she would never be that lucky.

There was a rustling behind her, and as she turned her head, hearing a few leaves get crunched under someone's weight. Walking slowly through the forest, was a U.R.T.V. As he passed her, she glanced at the number on his palm, praying it was either number 655 or 612. But she wasn't that lucky: printed on his hand was 431.

"Excuse me?" Sedaytion called. He slowed down and she called him again. The U.R.T.V halted, looking down at her.

"Yes?" he asked.

Sedaytion paused, wondering whether or not to ask the question. She didn't really want to know the answer, but her mouth opened.

"Do you know whether 655 and 612 are alive?" Sedaytion asked. The U.R.T.V shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure," he said. "Maybe you should check out the list in the Lab?"

"Okay, I will," Sedaytion said with a nod. He nodded back, and began to walk away, deeper into the woods. "Thanks."

Sedaytion sighed deeply, pushing her legs out in front of her, and leaning her head on the trunk of the tree. She shut her eyes gently, feeling a gentle breeze against her skin. She felt strange peace as she let go of the horrible feelings she had felt that day.

"Sedaytion?" a frail, shaking voice asked.

Sedaytion opened her eyes to look up, from where the voice had come from. Standing in an awkwared position was Albedo. He held his arms around his chest, and it looked like he was shaking; his eyes were puffy and red: had he been crying?

"Are you okay?" Sedaytion asked. He shacked his head ever so slightly, almost as if he was ashamed.

Sedaytion sat up straight, as Albedo took a seat by her. He sat close, leaning his back on the same large tree. He was close to her, their shoulders almost touching; he brought his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on them. With a sigh, he leaned his head on the tree.

"Have … you been crying?" she whispered. Albedo stayed silent for a moment. "You can talk to me."

"You'll laugh," he said. Sedaytion shook her head.

"I won't," she promised.

He opened his mouth, yet nothing came out. He shook his head, sniffing slightly. "What did your dad say to you?"

"He just yelled," Sedaytion said, looking down at the ground. "He said some stuff, I don't really understand …"

"Like what?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," Sedaytion said. "He probably only said it to frighten me."

Albedo looked at her for a moment, feeling a weird flutter in his heart. He turned his head away, and both sat there in silence. Sedaytion didn't feel awkward or bored at the fact they were in silence. She knew something was on Albedo's mind, yet she didn't want to pressure him into telling her. For once she felt peaceful and happy with someone by her side; something she hadn't felt for ages. Slowly, she leaned her head on his shoulder.

He jumped slightly at her movement, looking at her for a moment, wondering why she was leaning on his shoulder. But he said nothing, closing his eyes and thinking about things. Maybe, just maybe, had he touched her heart ever so slightly like Rubedo touched Sakura's?

Quickly, without knowing it, Sedaytion lifted her head, kissing Albedo lightly on the cheek. She pulled her head away quickly, feeling herself go red in the face. As she kissed him, Albedo went red straight away, pausing for a moment. The different feeling he had at that moment took him back for a few seconds.

"Sorry," Sedaytion whispered. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Albedo said. He looked at Sedaytion who was as red as he was.

Albedo turned to face her, changing his position so he sat on his knees. Gently, he put his slightly shaking hand on Sedaytion's red cheek. In moments they were sharing their first kiss, both hearts pounding from nerves. Albedo brushed his hand through her hair as she wrapped her arms around him.

That was it. They both knew it.

He liked her.

And she liked him.

Maybe they both liked each other even more deeply then they knew at that moment, yet neither of them knew.

"I really, really like you," Albedo whispered.

Neither of them had expected to get their first kiss anytime soon. He couldn't stand people to some point, and he was too shy, yet with her, he wasn't. And for her: things were too complicated to even comprehend. Boys were the least of her problems. And with the rocky start she and Albedo had gotten off on, it was mind blowing they were kissing.

"I really like you too," she smiled as they pulled away.

Albedo held tightly onto her hand, their faces still close to each other. He smiled widely, feeling an emotion of happiness he had never felt before. His heart felt like it was flying; the butterflies were still in his stomach. She actually liked him on the same level he liked her.

Sedaytion had spent the rest of the day with Albedo, talking and giggling. It was official they were in a relationship, even though Rubedo didn't know. But did he really need to? Sedaytion got home late in the evening, and as she opened the door she was greeted with a surprise.

But not at all a pleasant one.

For standing in the hallway, with his usual reddened face was her father. Stood by him were two guards, Helen and Doctor Mizrahi. Both woman looked slightly concerned and Helen looked quite upset. Sedaytion froze, staring at the unexpected guests in her house. She felt her heart sink suddenly to the ground. Her father quickly began opened his mouth, hissing his deep and frightening words at her.

"You don't dare go behind my back!" he yelled. "You little bitch."

"What are you talking about?" Sedaytion asked, raising an eyebrow. The words of spite that left her fathers lips were no shock to her, and were just normal.

"You cannot date a weapon!" he yelled.

"Robert, calm down," Helen said, looking at Sedaytion with concerning eyes.

"Yes, yes I should fucking calm down," Robert, her father, yelled, gritting his teeth. "My daughter is in love with a fucking weapon, not obeying my orders and won't fucking do as I say!"

"Hey!" Sedaytion yelled, taking a step foreword. She heard the door shut behind her. "Don't you dare yell at Helen!"

She felt the anger well up inside of her as Robert gleamed at her with glowing eyes. She shook her head, clenching her fist. "If it weren't for Helen, you wouldn't be seeing me and I wouldn't be being looked after properly."

"You really think I care about whether your looked after or not?" her father yelled. These words stabbed Sedaytion's heart sharply, and she looked at her father.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. She knew he didn't love her as much as her mother, no where near, but she thought he loved her enough to care.

"Only reason I keep you alive is for that chip in you," he said, slightly calmer then before. She paused, staring at him. The words didn't make sense and she took a minute to respond.

"A … ch-chip?" she asked, frowning heavily. He nodded.

"Yeah. You have a fucking chip in you!" he yelled. Sedaytion's eyes widened and a tear ran down her face. "Now how does it feel to really have your world crash before you?"

He took a few more steps foreword; Sedaytion's head looked down at the ground. She couldn't understand: was he saying this out of spite or was he really meaning it? He couldn't have been though: she was human. Pure human. She had no powers, no machinery inside of her. She couldn't be anything else.

"I can't be…" she whispered.

"Deal with it," he spitefully whispered. "You're not properly human. Thanks for coming here, Jem. You're giving me a lot of information about humans and U.R.T.V's."

"You're not making sense," Sedaytion said, shaking her head. "I have no chip."

"You do," Doctor Mizrahi said softly. She paused before continuing. "We've been … using you for an experiment."

"When you stop taking the drugs the U.R.T.V's activate the chip," her father said. "It'll send concentrated electric energy through your left arm, coming through to injure enemies at your own will."

"No, you're lying!" Sedaytion screamed, lifting her head. Her chest hurt from the stress and anger her father had suddenly given her. She shook her head. "I'm not a weapon. I'm not a robot. I'm not an experiment."

"You are," her father said, the usual evilness returned to his voice.

"But why?" she asked. "Why?"

"We've spent two years making the chip as strong as possible," Doctor Mizrahi said. "Now it's time to use it."

Sedaytion shook her head; the tears began to roll down her face uncontrollably. She couldn't believe it. The day had been one of the worst days of her life: she realized what was going on in her head, and she learned she wasn't a pure human. But, she remembered about the bond she had created with Albedo. That was the only part of her day that hadn't been based on a cruel, on going lie. As she thought deep and hard, she realized many questions she didn't know answers to. She thought about the explanations her father had given her for different things that had happened, and had they all been lies?

"What happened to mum?" Sedaytion asked.

"What?" her father asked, completely taken back by the question.

"If you've lied about this," she said, looking down at her left arm. "What else have you lied about?"

Her father took a few steps back. Everyone in the hallway could feel the anger coming from his body. Even Doctor Mizrahi seemed shocked by how angry her perfect Doctor Robert Clementine was getting. The guards kept their eyes on him carefully, and Helen kept giving Sedaytion the warmest smiles she could.

Realizing there would be no answer to her question, Sedaytion quickly turned around for the door. It opened for her, and she heard her father take a few quick steps foreword.

"Get here now!" he screamed. "Where the hell do you think your going?"

"To see Albedo," she whispered.

"Jem, for once in your life, listen to me!" he yelled. She shook her head.

"Why should I listen to a man who once I looked up to?" she asked calmly. A few more tears rolled down her face. "I once called you daddy. I loved you so much, daddy." She wiped a few tears off her face as she paused. "I want you back. I want daddy, not this man. He … frightens me. Lies to me. I don't even know who you are anymore. I miss you when I was young."

"People change as they grow older!" he yelled.

"No, daddy," Sedaytion said. "People lie. People speak the truth after the lies fade away."

"Jem don't talk to me like that!" he yelled. "I'm your father, and you have to listen to me."

She stood in the doorway, holding onto the doorframe lightly. "My father died ten years ago."

Sedaytion quickly left the room, her hair lifting slightly in the wind. She heard her father try to move foreword, and the movement of the guards. She heard him cursing at her as the door shut. Sedaytion breathed deeply as she headed for the room Rubedo, Nigredo and Albedo were in. She tried as best she could to contain the emotions she had inside of her, yet a few tears left her eyes.

As she came to the door she paused. Her heart was pounding quickly, and butterflies suddenly came to her stomach. She knew the guys for months now, yet for some reason she hesitated to push the button to open the door. She felt ashamed at the thought of them seeing her in a state. She felt ashamed she had broken down; she felt ashamed she had been used and was not as human as she thought. She took one small step closer to the door, and then another. She lifted his clenched fist up, holding it in mid air. And then she knocked on the door. Her arm returned to her side, and she heard movement on the other side.

Suddenly, the door slid open, and standing there was Nigredo. His eyes slightly widened to see Sedaytion's damp face, slightly messy hair and bloodshot and puffy eyes. She forced a smile and a small giggle to escape her mouth.

"Hiya," she softly said. She saw Rubedo and Albedo behind Nigredo, lying on their beds, still wearing their uniform.

"Sedaytion?" Nigredo asked, bewilderment plastered across his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I wondered if I could …" she paused, not really knowing why she had gone there in the first place. She needed to escape her father and see people she trusted and liked, yet she didn't want to seem weak. Pushing that aside, she shrugged. "I just wanted to stay here for awhile. Is that okay?"

"Ugh, yeah," Nigredo said, moving out of her way so she could go inside.

Their room was quite large. Three beds were at the left side, a table with five chairs was in the centre, made from glass, and there was a sofa and a television at the top end. A closet and two blue drawers were in the corner of the right, and was all surprisingly neat.

When she came inside, Albedo immediately stood to his feet, going over to her. He brushed some of her bangs out from her face, and embraced her. She smiled slightly, feeling the tingling sensation on her face where he had touched her still.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Nigredo shut the door, and sat at the table, followed by the also confused Rubedo.

"Yeah, yeah, just great," she lied with a smile. She sniffed. Even though a few tears were falling from her eyes, the tone in her voice was absolutely perfect.

'I'm too used to lying,' she thought.

Albedo led her to the table, gesturing for her to take a seat in between him and Rubedo. She gave a small smile to Rubedo, before placing her elbows on the table. She leaned her head on the palms of her hands, and stared off in thought. There was a deep silence in the room, none of the boys knowing what to say.

"What happened to you?" Rubedo asked, looking at her. Sedaytion paused, thinking of a way to word the thoughts inside of her.

"I'm not human," she whispered.

"What?" Albedo cried. She hunched her shoulders dejectedly. "What are you talking about?"

"I have a chip," she said, lifting her head. She looked down at her left arm. "I've been being …" a lump appeared in her throat as she tried to say the word. She swallowed it, before continuing. "modified."

"Why have you only just learned about this?" Rubedo asked.

"I guess I…" she paused. "I guess I pissed Robert off too much today, that he let it out in spite."

"Robert? Your father?" Nigredo asked.

"He's not my father anymore," Sedaytion said. She felt the lump appear in her throat again, yet this time she couldn't contain it. She felt the tears run down her face, and then a sob escaped her mouth. She put her arms on the table, resting her head on them, so no one could see her face.

Albedo reached over, taking her hand gently. "Don't worry about him." He said softly. "Don't worry."

Believing his every word, she nodded, lifting her head back up. She felt her heart beat slow back down and the butterflies lifted from her stomach. The tears were beginning to stop; she wiped the remaining ones away. After the silence had passed, Rubedo spoke.

"Do you want to stay here?" he asked. Sedaytion sniffed.

"Not sure," she said. "There isn't anywhere for me to sleep."

"You can sleep on the couch," Nigredo suggested. Sedaytion nodded, smiling.

"Yeah, okay then," she said happily. "Helen won't mind and I'm not going back there."

Sedaytion couldn't sleep. She sat up on the couch, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders. Her eyes were still swollen slightly, and her face was red. The room was dark and silent; a faint blue light came from a small glowing lamp, yet not enough for her to see properly. She pulled her legs up onto the couch, crossing them over. Sedaytion left a long sigh escape her mouth, looking over her shoulder. She could just about see where the guys were soundly sleeping. How she wished she was part of a group like that; with no secrets, no sorrow and no death. She returned her head to look down at the ground, and began to hum a song. She couldn't remember the words, or the name but it was most likely a lullaby her mother had sung to her as a child. Sedaytion sniffed lightly, wondering what might happen to her. Would her father forget what happened and still use her for the Simulators? Or would he send her away?

"Bastard!" Sedaytion yelled, hitting her knees. The anger had suddenly been let out, making her feel just slightly calmer.

She heard movement behind her, mentally slapping herself for waking someone up. She felt her cheeks warm up as she turned her head. Albedo stood in the middle of the room, leaning his hand on the glass table.

"What are you still doing up?" he asked.

"Can't sleep," she simply answered, shrugging her shoulders.