Silent Love (Scarab Beetle Fanfiction Spin Off)

Chapter 3.

    The room is, for a lack of a better word, deafening. While in actuality, no one is speaking. My ears pound with the throbbing sound of rushing blood, thumping along with my own rapid heart beat. Suddenly, I want to turn on my heel and bolt. Call it PTSD, but the Academy makes me uncomfortable. Even if these two look like they just escaped from a retirement community.

"Who is this young beauty?" He asks more to her than me, so I don't answer. She signs something using mostly her fingers. His reply is both audible and in ASL.

"What a darling name, I actually don't have a name sign. Ms. Rose does, just an Initialized R Happy sign."

Emmeline repeats the last sign he did and then begins into a new set of movements. Ms. Rose signs something back quickly and they lock into a conversation. I'm clueless as to what's transpired and Bryant is nowhere around. Maybe, Dr Roberts can help?

"Can you interpret? I don't understand sign language and I just want to help." He nods and tunes into the conversation.

"She just finished telling us that you found her and she wants to stay, I believe she is under the idea that we are going to take her?" Well, at least we're both on the same page. They took the last girl...

"Well, seeing as I can't talk to her, I didn't put that in her head..."

"I wasn't accusing you son, I just was telling you what she said. Bryant mentioned that she needed an interpreter and somewhere safe to go, I agree and I'm sure you do as well. Rose just wants to talk to her about how to help her."

"You mean you don't want her to join your... Creed." He holds up his hands and points to the door, telling me that we are apparently going out for this conversation. Setting my milkshake down on the old desk, I follow him out; only because... I need to know. I need to know so many things, not just about Emmeline, but why Kayli shut me out... Why they wouldn't let me in, and certainly why they placed an agent in my damn bar!

I follow him out into the hall and then stride past him to take the lead. The back door opens with a smooth swoosh and he follows me out into the bar, music is playing loud enough that our conversation shouldn't be overheard... and we can have something poured for us. We can at least sit like old dogs and have a drink during our talk. We choose a small booth in a corner, away from the dance floor and crowd of drunk patrons. Once we're both seated I wait for whatever talking to I'm about to get. He doesn't give me more than a breath before he starts harpen.

"Watch how you say things. You seem to forget that we're on the same side, just because you're unhappy with us, doesn't mean you can just make crazy claims like that. I know some of your story, you've been a hot topic among the academy teams that surround the Toma group. I also know you haven't learned everything you should have about us, because the Toma team held you at an arm's distance. We asked them to do that, but it wasn't because we are a cult. We just were not ready for you to learn about us. Yet." The bartender brings two of my usual drink to the table, but Doctor Roberts asks for a water and slides the tumbler across the table to infront of me.

In a hushed tone, as the bartender leaves our table, I whisper. "Keeping me in the dark ruined my relationship, and possibly my life." Kayli could have been my future, they didn't give us a chance.

"You turned Owen Blackbourne away when he came to... enlighten you. We can tell you almost everything, but you first have to promise to keep our secrets."

"Your secrets? I already know your secrets. I've done research on all y'all too."

"No, you don't know our secrets. You think you do, but you don't. I can tell you almost everything, but I need a promise to keep everything secret son. No one is out to get you or hurt you, we aren't the bad guys you're making us out to be. We do no harm and we certainly don't jump in irrationally, like we have seen you do before. We gather a great deal of information before we act. Do you want me to answer your questions son, or would you prefer to jump to some more conclusions first?"