Within These Walls

Life After Dark: 26 (WTW Sequel)

(A/N: It's fitting that I write this chapter in the month of April. This one is for our protagonist. May she catch a break someday - but that wouldn't be fun, would it?)

Days pass. Weeks go by. One by one, the kids around me get abilities from the noise treatments. They marvel at them, envy the kids with the really cool abilities, even use their own to try to get their way. No one seems to be bothered that we haven't been rescued. Not that I'm surprised by that—at least, not for my sake. There's no one out there for me besides a mom who hadn't looked at me for years. I have no delusions about a cavalry showing up to save me.

But surely someone misses some of these kids here. Like the one named Alec. Everything about him, from the way he talks to the way he carries himself, says he comes from money. And the frizzy-haired girl he keeps looking at when he doesn't think anyone's watching. Willow. She's the warm and wholesome type that makes me think she has two parents out there who are probably doing everything in their power to find her.

And then there's Marcus. He's convinced all the kids in this place to treat him like he's some ruler, but I can't deny how impressive he is. He has the kind of compelling presence that would surely be missed if he suddenly disappeared from the lives of the people who knew him.

"Sick of his attitude," someone mutters darkly near me on the bleachers as I watch Marcus casually toss a basketball into the net.

The boy who said that, Jake, is quiet and unremarkable, much like myself.

"Jealous?" his friend, who is next to me, says. Tyler is his name. He's bony-skinny and has a face pockmarked by acne. I've heard enough stories about his acne struggles to give me a lifetime of queasiness.

"I don't want to be anything like him. Why would I ever want to be in the middle of their drama? All they ever do is brag and mess around and stab each other in the back. Life's so much easier when you just live quietly."

Tyler nods in agreement. "Life is easier this way. You don't have to kill yourself trying to do things to impress people."

"No chance of getting hurt if we mind our business."

"No one to bother us if we keep to ourselves."

"Just live and let live."

"And enjoy the peace and quiet. It's better this way." Tyler looks at me. "Right, April?"

I look out to where two girls are making their way over to Alec, who stops playing the friendly match and walks over to meet them halfway. One of the girls is the tall and beautiful Willow. The other is the only person who has rivaled Marcus's notoriety in the facility. I've never talked to her, but I've seen her in action enough times to know what she is: fearless and unapologetic and smarter than everyone else combined. It's no wonder Marcus is enamored.

But I know she's more than fearless, unapologetic, and smart. She's arrogant, too, like she thinks she's too good for everyone else. I've seen how she looks at people she thinks are beneath her. Like she can't wait to get away from them.

As the trio start talking, the basketball sails through the air and hits Rose in the back of the head. She swivels around to face Marcus, who holds his hands up in a gesture that's meant to be apologetic, but it doesn't work because he's too busy laughing at her.

"What is wrong with you?" Rose demands as she stalks over to him, her own hands fisted at her sides.

I watch them argue like I've seen a hundred times already and shake my head.

"Yeah," I say quietly. "It's better this way."

#

The first time I see the unfamiliar boy is during the lunch line. He grips my arm as I squeeze past him. My bowl of soup spills on my t-shirt and I jump back in surprise. But I don't say anything. I try to keep moving, but he stops me.