Turns out dinner won't be for an hour, so Mr. A offers to show me the room I will be living in for the duration of my stay here. As we walk, he tells me about the kid I'll be sharing a room with. Im honestly not paying too much attention, though I do manage to pick up a few things. The kid's name is Kaishi. I also hear something about a metal arm, but I'm not really paying enough attention to process that.
I'm still way too shell-shocked to even begin to register what Mr. A's telling me.
Amy...
The living quarters of the base are up a few flights of stairs from the main drag. The hall here is carpeted with a soft red fabric, and pretty vintage torch-lamps provide ample lighting, spaced at various intervals between old wooden doors. The wallpaper is patterned with antique floral prints, and I have to assume this wing must be much older than the rest of the base.
"The living quarters have been here for decades, before my agency occupied these grounds. It was originally part of an old hotel. We've since renovated, of course. I believe you will find it to your liking," Mr. A says before stopping in front of a dark wooden door.
"So are we above ground now then?" I ask.
"Not quite. Close though." Mr. A replies, opening the door and motioning for me to step inside.
The room itself is sparsely decorated; furnished with two wood-farmed beds with simple quilts, as well as two lamps on matching tables. A fan spins lazily on the ceiling, generating a cool breeze.
"Kaishi's bed is on the left," Mr. A motions to it, "and yours is on the right. You're clothing and personal belongings will all be stored in plastic bins under your bed."
I walk over to my bed and sit down. The springs of the mattress groan under my weight.
"Would you like to see the training facility, or would you like to rest here for a while?" Mr. A asks.
"I'll stay here," I reply distantly. I feel like I'm in some kind of nightmare, screaming at myself to wake up, yet unable to.
"Very well. I shall send Kaishi to retrieve you when dinner is ready."
Mr. A turns to leave, closing the door behind him.
I lay back on the bed, hugging my arms tight around myself. Superpowers? A secret agency? Amy's death...
It's just too much. For once in my life, I was noticed. The star of the school play for God's sake! That seems so silly now. My best friend is dead. Gone. Deceased.
And I'm still here.
When my roommate shows up to call me to dinner, I'm still lying on my bed, staring blankly at a water stain on the ceiling. It takes me a few seconds to register that anyone even entered the bedroom, much less that he actually said something.
"Huh?" I say dumbly, sitting up on the edge of my bed.
"I said dinner is ready," the clearly Asian boy says. He can't be much older than me, but he's powerfully built and really tall, which makes him sort of intimidating.
"Yeah, ok. I'll be down in a minute," I respond distantly, before I realize that I have no clue where dinner actually is. "Scratch that; I don't know where I'm going."
"Follow me," the boy says before leaving the room.
I don't have much of a choice but to follow him, the rumbling in my stomach all the incentive I need.
"I'm Kyle," I say as I catch up to the boy.
"Kaishi," he says. So he's not much of a talker; which is further proven by the awkward silence after his introduction.
"So... you been here long?" I ask to defray the tension.
"Four years. I was thirteen when I came here from Japan," Kaishi says.
We turn down another hallway connecting to a flight of steel stairs. When I look over the rail, I can hardly see the bottom.
"Don't you guys have elevators or something? This looks like it would be crazy to run up and down everyday."
Kaishi stops and gives me a hard, calculating stare. "We have elevators. I prefer stairs."
"Ok..." I mutter under my breath as Kaishi continues speed walking down the steps. I pant a little trying to keep up.
We walk the rest of the way down the expansive staircase in silence. We don't stop quite at the bottom. Instead we take a door on a small landing about fifty feet from the actual ground.
I can smell some sort of meal cooking as soon as Kaishi opens the door.
"Is the food here good?" I ask.
"You ask too many questions," Kaishi responds.
I stare indignantly at the back of his head and sigh.
There's steel double doors ahead of us with two little windows implanted in the middle of each side. I can see rows of tables lined with long plastic benches. Hardly and of the tables are occupied, save for a small cluster in the back.
The occupants of the seats are young adults mostly. The older looking ones are dressed in official looking suits or scrubs, like scientists or doctors. Others, the younger ones, are in civilian clothes. Kaishi walks up to a counter in the back of the room that separates the cafeteria from the kitchen. On the counter is laid various food items. Kaishi grabs a tray and a plate.
"Well? Are you eating or not?" He asks turning to me.
I nod and get my own tray. Then I walk down the counter and load my plate with food. Kaishi doesn't wait for me to finish, but sits down at one of the tables with the younger looking teens.
I debate sitting at a table alone, but decide that even if I do sit alone, someone will come and sit next to me. I'm way more awkward in one-on-one conversations than with groups.
I take a seat next to Kaishi at the end of the table, leaving a generous space between myself and the boy.
As soon as I sit down, all conversation stops and I can feel about four pairs of eyes burning in my direction. To them I must be like some alien creature from the outside world.
"So your the new guy?" One of the girls at the table asks. She sweeps a tangled lock of red hair out of her face.
"Uh, yeah," I reply. "How did you know?"
"Mr. A told us a few days ago that we'd be getting a new guy," the girl replies happily.
"A few days ago? How did he know I was going to be here a few days ago?" I ask, only a little frantically. How long has this guy been following me?
"Mr. A finds all of us freaks somehow or another. He has agents everywhere, all over the world. It's a wonder he didn't find you sooner," the girl says before sweeping another strand of hair behind her ear. It falls back over her eyes as soon as she lets go of it.
"Where are my manners?" The girl says suddenly. "My name is Kasper. The brooding guy you're sitting next to is Kaishi. You probably already new that though, didn't you?" She breaks off into a nervous laugh. "He's not always so quiet. Just when he's around strangers. Isn't that right Kai? Anyways, that gorgeous and equally brooding girl over there is Serik-Zauresh, but that's a mouthful. We just call her Comrade cause she sounds Russian. She's not as talkative as Kai, but you gotta love her," Kasper says with a smirk. "There's a few more of us, but they already ate. I'm sure you'll get to meet 'em later. So, what's your name?" Kasper asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Kyle. Kyle Sanders," I respond, pushing the food around on my plate. I realize I haven't eaten a single bite.
"Welcome to our dysfunctional little family Kyle. I'm sure your gonna love it here," Kasper says, though I have a sick feeling in my gut.
I just want to go home.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Sorry for the super late update! I am so horrible with these things... Anywho, I will be re opening submissions for two more characters if any of you care to submit. I would really appreciate louder, more teenage-y characters (especially males), because as you can see, Kaishi and Serik are going to be the debby-downers haha. I love then though! Here is the official cast list:
-Serik-Zauresh, submitted by Cirque de Morte
-Kaishi, submitted by AsgardianGrizzly
-Kasper, submitted by anim8tor
-Taken
-Open
-Open
-Kyle, my OC
Well, now that that is out of the way, I would appreciate if you guys could review, although I will never, ever, force my readers to review. If you are reviewing, I love constructive criticism so I can improve my writing. I am really going to be making an effort to write longer chapters, as well as to update every few days, so keep an eye out for more of this story, as I will be writing like a maniac haha. Thanks!