Lost in the Past (Complete)

3

--Jacob--

"Uh, Jay?" I ask, and he looks up from his sketchbook. "Where do we sleep, go to the bathroom, and all the other necessities?"

"You sleep on the floor. And if you need to go, just ask the guard to go to the bathroom."

"Do we get at least a blanket?"

He shakes his head, going back to drawing.

"And why do you know anything about this place?"

He ignores me.

"I know you'll ask this sooner or later, Shorty, and no. I will not let anyone take over my personal space for warmth while sleeping," Lily says.

"Bu-"

"Nope."

I turn to Jay.

Looking up from his sketchbook again, he shakes his head, then continues.

"But it's cold!"

"Be glad there's some heat in here, it's better than a tree," He says, and Lily laughs quietly.

"'It's better than a tree,' no duh. Where did that comparison come from?"

"Put the pieces together you idiot. Why do you think I always have leaves and stuff in my hair?"

"And you never bother to try to get them out?"

"Oh, trust me, I try, but a river can only reflect so well."

"Are you saying you have no house?"

He doesn't say anything.

"Honestly, I suspected this since the beginning. He's skinnier than me, the food-hating alien, which can only mean that he rarely gets food. I've always thought his only source of food was the school's lunch," Lily says.

"But...But what about your family?"

He holds his pencil still on the sketchbook.

"Do y-"

"Drop it."

"W-"

"Doesn't matter, drop it."

I shut up, for seven seconds. "Who is your family?"

Tossing the sketchbook and pencil down, he pulls his knees to his chest and puts his head down.

"J-" I take a step towards him, but Lily pulls me back, shaking her head.

"Leave him be."

I sigh.

"You know, I still have my phone, what if I just call the police?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Don't know why I didn't think of that earlier."

"No," Jay says quickly.

"Why not?"

"Can't you just take a no?"

"No, this is something the police should handle. What do you have against them?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Y-"

"Jacob, I'm not calling. If Jay says not to, I won't. I know the endless torment of having a solution but not being able to do it because it will have negative long-term effects."

"Why does nobody ever listen to me or answer my questions? Jay knows something about why we are here, we deserve to know what."

"Why does it matter? I can't change the past, it won't fix anything," Jay says, raising his voice slightly, and standing up.