Abducted

31

Today, everything was blurry. He could make out shapes, figure out where things were, but nothing was sharp.

He also could walk; running would be pushing it at this point, but walking was okay. He managed to get himself out of bed while Ivan was sleeping, taking a shower and getting dressed on his own- something that probably wasn't the best idea, considering he could hardly see and couldn't remember his home in any amount of detail.

When he walked out of the bathroom, Ivan was looking for him. Despite not being able to see in detail, he still knew the worried look on his face. Ivan walked forward and embraced him, even though he was wet.

"I'm fine," Alfred said, kissing under his chin, "you don't have to worry about me so much."

Ivan sighed, "And yet I still do. You can walk, are you sure?"

"Are you kidding?" Alfred laughed, "I'm right as rain. No need to be so nervous," he kissed his neck, where he hadn't yet wrapped his bandages, "yes, I'm sure I can walk. Been doing it my whole life."

Ivan gave him a strange look, before rolling his eyes. He squeezed him, a little tighter, before releasing him.

"Do you want to eat breakfast?" Ivan asked, "Your family would be happy to see you."

"Totally!" he exclaimed, "But do we happen to have magnified glasses anywhere? My eyesight is completely shit at the moment. That might need a day or two."

Ivan nodded his head, before furrowing his brows. He walked away from him, turning on the walkie-talkie beside the bed and making his request into it. It buzzed to life, three different people giving him three different places where apparently glasses could be found before Nicanora finally spoke. She told him where to find them.

Alfred sat down at the table, poking at the leather book that rested on it. He couldn't read it, but it still felt good to be able to feel the pages and see the leather.

"I'm going to go get your glasses," Ivan said. The glasses he normally wore were fake, to make him seem more young and innocent. They would be no use to him now- but occasionally, if there was a bad dust storm or a tornado in Texas, he minorly lost his sight. He had real glasses for that occasion.

Alfred nodded his head, "Thank you."

Ivan looked at him for a moment, walking over. He ran his fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead, before he left the room. Alfred heard the wooden door close and sighed, shutting his eyes tightly before opening them again, staring down at the leather.

Ivan looked around, walking down to the sixth floor before strolling to Nicanora's office. That's where the glasses were kept, for whatever reason. Her office had no windows, and only one lightbulb in the middle of the room. The walls were covered in an assortment of memorabilia, collected over her almost eighty years of life.

The immortalized human was waiting for him. Her face was drawn into a frown, her eyes narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed. In her hands she carried documents- stamped with the seal of the organization that had taken Alfred from them- and she read them, over and over again.

"What is it?" Ivan asked, stepping over the threshold of the room. She jumped, looking up at him with wide eyes before she calmed. Nicanora pulled the glasses case out of a drawer on her desk, tossing the black case to him before continuing to study the papers.

"They've gotten a little desperate," she sighed, "and Tala has finally weakened. We've found a lot of people, saved a lot. Some more of the kids were just returned. Apparently, only the valley was attacked. All of the mansions are in tip-top shape. Seems odd."