No Control (Chris Motionless)

Chapter 26 - More Questions

I was relieved that Darien didn't run off on me like last time when the meeting finally came to a close. My ease didn't last long though as he motioned for me to follow him in the opposite direction of the train station. I hesitated on my side of the street, finger running over the letter opener hidden in my pocket, seeking a small sense of reassurance. 

"I'm just going to visit my mom before we head back to Cambridge. If you need to go, I won't mind." He explains as he catches on to my apprehension.  

I found myself instantly shaking my head, there was no way I was heading off by myself this time with the rest of the cult members still wandering around. "Do you think she'll mind me just randomly showing up with you?"

"I doubt it, she'll probably love to have some new company for once."

We were relatively quiet as we made our way down the London streets and as always in the faint light of the street lamps, I felt as if there was something lurking in the darker parts of the alleys.  After about ten minutes of walking, we approached a row of houses that were connected to each other the way a lot of homes around here were. Darien ascended the stairs of the second to the last house, slipping out a set of keys along the way.

The sound of the nightly news about the weather caught my attention as the door was opened. Another noise met my ears as I trailed after Darien through the hallway, it was some sort of strange rhythmic beeping. When we entered the living room my gaze landed on a woman that looked like a slightly older version of Kamaria, but instead of colorful hair, a silken scarf was wrapped around her head. 

If it hadn't been for the medical machine beside her and the IV in the back of her hand, I wouldn't have known that she was even sick. Her rich dark skin still had a healthy glow to it, but when she peered up to smile at her son, I could see the tiredness lingering in her eyes. 

Darien leaned down to give her a gentle hug, which she returned with a slight shake of her hands. I peered down at the books in my hands, just so I wouldn't be gawking at them and invading their space even more than just being here. 

"Darien, who's this shy girl you got over here?" She asked as she let him go to peer over at me.

"I'm Amber, it's nice to meet you, ma'am."

She held out her hand to me and I shook it as she said, "You can call me Kim, hun. So, how do you two know each other?"

"She's one of Kamaria's classmates," Darien explained as he checked on the bag of liquid that was feeding into her IV and then frowned slightly. "Mom, where do you keep the refills on this?"

"I believe that my nurse left them somewhere in the kitchen."

Darien nodded and hurried back down the hall, leaving the two of us behind.

"Have a seat wherever you like, Amber. So, what are you studying at Cambridge?"

I took a seat on the couch across from her and explained my major as my finger toyed with the edge of the book for some sort of comfort. I noticed that she seemed to have her focus directed solely on the book in my grasp, instead of what I was saying. I slid my hand over the cover, feeling self-conscious, the last thing I wanted to discuss was my new reading material.   

Kim caught my subtle movement and she frowned deeply as her demeanor took a sharp turn, "So, I'm guessing Darien has been talking you into attending Roy's mad propaganda?"

My mouth went dry at that, she already knew about the JTR Movement.

"Dear, if you're going there to seek some sort of answers or meaning, that isn't the place to do it. All that group leads to is destruction and death. They preach about rebirth and the promise of peace, but it comes at a cost that most of them don't consider. They are willing to kill millions for the reward of a few. Maybe that isn't the case for every single one of them, but those that do, cause an issue enough on their own. If you were to turn your back on them once they truly let you in, they won't let you go unscathed."