Friend : 7
"What do you want?" I stood at the bottom of the stairs, glaring at Thomas. The boy was in jeans and a navy blue T-shirt, his brown hair tousled into his face like he had been asleep before this. He stood at the end of the hall by the front door.
"I want to show you something." He said and then scanned over me with questioning eyes. "You should change out of your pajamas."
"I can't leave mom or Lizzy." I frowned and folded my arms over my chest, my tail flicking irritably.
"They'll be okay here, they have Mrs. Wren. Really, you should get different clothes."
I stood fast.
"Where are you taking me?" At the same time I mentally probed his mind, feeling out his emotions and intentions. He was excited, curious, impatient, but mostly…lonely.
"I'm the first hybrid you've seen before, right?" Thomas asked gently. I nodded. "Hybrids look out for each other. You can trust me, and I can trust you."
I looked back up the dark stairs. Lizzy and mom slept in our room completely unaware. If I came back before morning, they would never know.
"That's it. Come on, I know you'll love it." Thomas smiled. His presence in my mind was completely foreign, yet comforting at the same time. It filled a hole I didn't know about. I looked back at him. I wanted to go, but at the same time…
"We have to be back before-"
"Before morning, I know." He opened the front door and slipped out onto the stairs. I hesitated for a couple seconds, then slowly followed him.
The air outside was much colder than I had anticipated. The stairs, street, and surrounding buildings were bathed in dull, orange light from the overhead bulbs in the ceiling. I hugged my arms over my chest and glared down at Thomas, who had already jumped down the stairs and stood in the quiet street.
"Why is it so cold?"
"Because we're underground." He stretched his arms over his head and unfolded his dark, emerald wings as far as they could. The orange light made them look black and shiny. "It's not that cold, though. I find it energizing."
"Let's just get moving." I hurried down the stairs and stopped next to him. Thomas didn't hesitate.
We jogged down the rough, cracked pavement for a while. Every house looked the same as Mrs. Wren's. Large, blocky, gray, and no windows. No cars were in the streets, not even in the large, spiral road leading up out of the city or down to the level below. Only our footsteps crunching over gravel and dirt echoed through the silent alleys.
"Why is it so quiet?" I panted. Thomas didn't slow down.
"Curfew is at 8 PM. It helps keep the hybrids and humans organized."
"Do both humans and hybrids follow it?"
"No, only humans." Thomas rounded a corner and slowed to a walk, his breathing only slightly labored. "Hybrids basically have free reign over the city at night."
"So where are they?"
Thomas looked back at me and smiled. Then he turned and raised a hand up towards a massive building. It was about three stories tall, shaped like half a circle, and was wedged up against the wall of the city. Thick beams of metal wrapped around the building, and a small archway in the center marked the entrance. It was a huge stadium. Bright light spilled out of the open top and splashed against the city wall rising high above it. As we got closer, I could hear people chanting, screaming, and shouting.
"You brought me to watch a game?" I stared at Thomas in confusion.
"It's more than a game." He unfolded his wings and roughly flapped a couple of times. The wind buffeted me gently, ruffling my hair. "I'll meet you at the top." Before I could react, he had jumped into the air and took off. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the dust and debris blown off the ground, then stared in awe as he soared through the air. His wings were easily 13 feet across and carried him to the very top edge of the stadium. He looked back at me and motioned for me to follow. I dropped my gaze and felt my cheeks flush.
What's wrong? Thomas asked.
I can't fly. I admitted and I felt the shock and surprise from him. Thomas jumped off the edge of the stadium and glided to the ground, running to a stop in front of me.
"What do you mean you can't fly?" He frowned. I couldn't meet his eyes.
"My dad clips my wings." I slowly unfolded my wings to show him the straight edges where my flight feathers normally would be. "And even if he didn't, I don't know how."
"That's barbaric." Thomas hissed in disgust and shook his head. "No big deal, I can teach you. But you can't let him do that, it's not right."
"Like I have a choice." I glared at the road and refolded my wings. "My dad hates hybrids."
"I know." Thomas sighed and I looked up at him in surprise.
"How could you know?"
"Because I can see him in your thoughts, your emotions." Thomas smiled gently again.
"Mom says that's rude."
"Telepathy helps you understand someone, connect with them, and help them." He reached out a hand and placed it on my shoulder. I just stared at him incredulously. "You already looked through me back at the house, right? It's instinct."
Instinct. There was that word again. And he was right, I had done it without even thinking about it.
I broke eye contact. Everything he said felt right, it felt normal. He was telling the truth, I could sense it and feel it. Communicating with him felt easy. I didn't need to hide anything from him, and he wasn't hiding anything from me. Even his presence in my mind felt welcome.
"We'll worry about all that later." Thomas patted my shoulder, then dropped his hand. "I'll just get you in through the main entrance." He started to walk away.
"Thomas…" My throat felt choked and tight. "Can we do this another night?"
Thomas stopped and turned to face me again. He swept through my mind again, a gentle sensation.
"Yeah, sorry, Newt. I'm just excited to have someone else here." He sighed and walked back to stand by my side. My hands were shaking lightly and I balled them into fists.
"Can we go back to the house?"
"Yeah, follow me." His voice was gentle. He carefully turned me around by the arm, then began walking away from the noisy stadium.
We walked in silence for a long time. Thomas led the way and I followed just a few steps behind him. My mind felt extremely overwhelmed. I had too many thoughts bouncing around against my skull and none of them had a way out. Colin's death, mom's illness, moving to an underground city, dad, hybrids, Xylem, Thomas…
"I live on the first floor, third door on the right." Thomas spoke after some time. I blinked and looked up from the road. He was watching me.
"I'm on the second floor and the last door on the left." I muttered, retracing the path mentally. Thomas nodded, seeing it too.
"Do all hybrids communicate this way?" I asked carefully.
"Only the ones with telepathy."
"It's so much easier…" I breathed and he laughed.
"It is!" He stepped into the road to cross it. Mrs. Wren's house stood quietly on the other side. "I wish more people could do it. Ben can't, so it gets lonely in the house."
"Can't you just find someone else to talk to?" I started walking up the front steps after him. He opened the front door a small crack, but paused to look at me.
"I talked to you." He walked through the door silently. I had to remind myself to follow him inside.
Thomas stopped in the middle of the silent hallway awkwardly.
"Sorry I dragged you all the way out there. We can visit the games another night, if you want." He smiled.
"Maybe. Just let me get used to everything beforehand." I said quietly. "A lot has happened in the past 48 hours. And I don't even know you."
"I'm just like you, Newt." He tapped the side of his head then dropped his hand. "If you ever want to talk, you can reach me up here." He began walking towards his room.
"Can we be friends?" I called out. The words flew out of me before I could even register what they were.
Thomas paused and looked back at me, one hand on the doorknob to his room.
"Definitely." Then he was gone.
But not gone completely. Even though he wasn't here physically, I could still feel him in my mind, like a snug puzzle piece. Relief flooded through my chest at his answer. I could barely walk upstairs, my legs were so shaky.
Mom and Lizzy were still asleep when I opened our door. I silently crept over to my bed and laid down. The room was still warm, still quiet, still dark. It didn't matter that dad wasn't here, or if Lizzy listened to me. I had a friend.
Goodnight, Thomas.
Goodnight, Newt.