Seven | Book 1 (An EXO fiction)

3.

~Chapter 3: Out with the Old~

*One Day Prior*

The next day, I didn't go out to look for Tao. As a matter of fact it's safe to say that I decided to actively avoid him. I left the orphanage at dawn knowing that Tao would try to find me and sway me (while I was disoriented by sleep) first thing in the morning. I was never good at making decisions right after waking up.

I sprinted out of the home in the clothes I had been wearing for 3 days straight now, and headed straight to the nearest train stop. The trains took passengers for free to any destination within the capital as long as you were allowed to be there. Knowing I wouldn't be leaving the 3rd ring, I took the train to the district farthest from my own.

The trains are extremely fast and I reached my destination in about 10 minutes. A good 200 mile ride gone by easily. The Capital is an enormous place. I haven't explored the entirety of the 3rd ring just because it was too big, and I had no need to. I was extremely familiar with district 48 of the third ring since it was where I lived. That one district is all that I needed to know.

What better time was there to look around the city than when I'm avoiding my friend, right?

District 3 wasn't as worn out as 48. There were more cars, and a lot less trash. It was no 2nd ring, but it was definitely a nice change of pace here in the 3rd.

I walked around and in and out of the numerous and expensive buildings for hours just trying to busy myself with some kind of task so that time would pass by faster. I must have gone in and out of at least 30 buildings before I decided that I needed to return. The sun was setting, and I needed to get back to the 48th district before it was too late at night.

I wasted a good chunk of time bumming around, and was cast only a few wary glances by the wealthier citizens. Their crisp and clean black clothes looked sufficiently less ragged than my own brown dress.

I was again obviously out of place, and they knew it.

Kids flew by on hover boards, adults looked down at their tablets or talked to their bronze metallic bracelets. Presumably engaged in a call through the communicator that came with the shiny accessory.

Their sense of urgency was almost contagious and I felt myself feeling as though I had tasks that I should be attending to. I even glanced down to my wrist thinking that I had a notification on my own bronze wrist communicator. The bare skin that greeted me reminded me that I don't own one of those identical bracelets, and that I was just imagining the feeling of metal vibrating against my wrist. I rubbed my unadorned wrist anxiously and continued back to the station. I needed to catch the bullet train home, I didn't belong with all of these busy people.

**

I ambled back home in the twilight and the only thing I could think about was Tao. I missed him and it fucking pissed me off. He could be trying to sell me off to a fucking owner, and I should be wary but I still wanted him to be here with me. I trust him...I trust him more than I trust myself.

He wouldn't do something like that to me right?

I scoffed aloud and kicked at the ground in agitation. My head hurt from thinking too hard about all of this. I decided that maybe if I go lie down for the next 3 days my thoughts would be cleared...or at the very least less scrambled.

When I got back to the home, it was empty. I didn't see any of the boys around and honestly, I should have taken that as a warning sign. There was almost always someone home, and for all of them to just coincidently be gone so late at night wasn't a good sign. Even knowing that something was off, I was too preoccupied by my own thoughts to think too much into the case of the missing boys. The door to the kitchen opened ahead of me, right as I closed the front door behind me.