Moira

38.

000d, 00h, 00m, 00s

"I'm sorry, dear—" My eyes snapped up from the beige pages, landing on an elderly woman maybe twice my age, a kind smile on her lips that I reciprocated almost immediately. "May I sit here?"

My gaze quickly darted through the common room, most spaces still free with no need to share a table with anyone. Though, as my attention landed on her again, I nodded lightly.

"Of course," I smiled, gesturing for her to sit opposite me.

I tried my best to keep my attention on the paragraphs in the book before me, though when I started the same sentence for the third time — my wandering eyes flickering up to her too often to read coherently — I snapped the book close.

The sound caught her attention, and her head turned to look at me.

A few wrinkles on her forehead and by her eyes as a genuine smile graced her features. Her previously restless eyes — she had scanned the common room since the moment she had sat down; no book in her hand and no other activity prominent — rested on me now, head tilting in expectation.

It was something about her eyes that seemed so familiar— their dark brown as comforting as the sun itself. I wondered what shade they'd be if the light hit them.

I wondered why they looked so tired and worn out.

Grey hair framing her sharp facial features beautifully, full brows slightly raised, she opened her mouth before I had the chance to.

"Rosemary," She greeted, hand extending to give mine a polite shake. "But call me Rose, please."

"Amidelle."

Letting go of her hand, still mirroring the smile on her face, I wondered out loud, "Have you been here for a while?" My eyes still steadily on hers until she diverted her gaze to wander through the relatively empty room.

"A while— yes." She nodded. "'Couldn't tell you how long it's been."

My brows raised in surprise right before they furrowed lightly. "Honestly, I don't mind it—" I regretted my lack of manners right after I interrupted her.

"—Of course!" The words tumbled out of my mouth. "Can't say I'm not jealous— I don't think I'd mind, either." A singular chuckle escaped my lips simultaneously, and she nodded, delighted by my attitude.

"That's right," She huffed in relief. "I'd consider myself lucky. I've seen so many people come and go. And I feel sorry for them every time." She, too, laughed at her own words, shaking her head and probably thinking back to all the people that weren't as lucky as she was.

Maybe I'd be.

With an amused huff, I diverted my eyes from her undeniable presence in the room for the first time. Gaze darting through it, lingering on the time that was displayed over the wide screen. It was only ten in the morning.

Today was the first day I hadn't see Eniola since she found me a few days back. And while that might've concerned me just a month ago, now I knew she was being taken care of by The System in every way imaginable.

And, so, there was no reason for me to worry. If anything, I should worry when she's with me, rather than them.

My eyes flew over the few people occupying the room with us;

A girl a little older than me — 27, maybe 28 — with a grim look on her face and the same book I had in my hands, in hers. A scar running all the way down from her eyebrow to her cheek, brown curls framing her face.

A man who must've been in his mid-thirties, bald and rather skinny; a tattoo peeking out of the top of the white, collared shirt we all wore. His eyes were blue enough for me to identify them all the way from across the room. His gaze was firmly set on the rotating logo of The System on the screen.

A group of girls — three of them, to be exact — all around the ages of twelve, it seemed. Their blonde hair all in up-does that only differed from each other slightly. One of them a single bun on top of her head; the other one two, and the third one half of her hair up, and the other half falling over her shoulder in light waves.

They were reading to each other, sat on the floor in a circle while a singular giggle or gasp escaped one of their mouths every now and then.

Two men, the white clothing in contrast with their dark skin, entered the room right as my eyes fell on the entrance; one of whose hair was as short as it could get, while the other's was long, forming corkscrew-like coils. They immediately headed for the bookshelf spread along the wall without a single look at anything else.

And another one stood against a wall, arms crossed in front of his chest as his eyes carefully scanning the room, blond hair buzzed off almost entirely. He was the only one wearing a white suit out of all of us.

Everyone else seemed to still be in the dining hall.

"Are you looking for something?" Rose's calm voice interrupted my train of thought as well as my silent observations. "Or someone—?"

My head snapped back towards her, eyes captivated by her familiar brown ones once more. It was almost like I could see a different person in them entirely. But I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Oh," I chuckled, shaking my head and waving her off absentmindedly. "No— I was just—"

My sentence was cut off by a guttural yell and the sound of glass breaking, head snapping in the direction of the sound. My eyes immediately focused on the cracked screen below the time that displayed 10:20 AM now.

My brows furrowed, my body automatically coming into a standing position; fight or flight response activated and definitely ready to flight— from what I could tell.

It was quiet for a second, the bald man standing right in front of the screen, hand raised and balled into fists despite his thin arms. He listened into the silence as well, the sound of his scream being carried away by it.

It was only once the man in a white suit — his light brows knitted together tightly — leapt towards him, that he said anything. His voice loud and unruly;

"How could we let ourselves get to this point!" He exclaimed, then, hand lowering right before his arms were harshly pinned behind his back, and his body was pushed into the nearest wall.

Taking a glance behind himself, a cruel smile formed on his lips as his eyes fell on the man holding him forcefully. As they moved through the room right after, they landed on me. They lingered on me.

"Captured and held like animals that need to learn how to comply again—" His voice became louder with every word he spoke, though he didn't struggle against the ever-tightening grip of the apparent guard behind him.

"You're more— we're more—!" Four more guards entered the room behind us, sirens starting to blare in an unpleasantly low tone. My breath hitched painfully in my throat as I watched them handle him.

There was one more sentence he managed to say before falling unconscious right then and there. "Remember what you fought for—!"

As we were ushered back into our respective rooms, Rose nowhere to be seen and Eniola not with us in the first place, I thought about his words and what they did to him.

I thought, and I thought, and I thought.

And I wondered whether I had fought for anything.

I realised I didn't not long after. I realised I didn't, and I realised he deserved what they did to him.

And I knew they'd fix him just like they had fixed me. 

- 

Thoughts? 

I'm starting to fall in love with this book more now that I'm writing the last few chapters pjkhvg

Probably daily updates from now on if I don't forget hehe