Survivors

Chapter 32: Jada

Chapter 32: Jada

          Xain has another cousin?! Both of our jaws drop at the news. She looks nothing remotely close to being a cousin of Xain’s. She could be a cousin of Clay or Katya with her red hair, but not Xain.

          “If you’re Xain’s cousin,” I start, “then why are you...well...”

          “Not the same skin color or complection?” Alestra completes. I nod and she continues, “We’re not blood related, my father was adopted into the family at a young age. He married, and moved away before any of us we born.”

          “Why didn’t he take me and Xania in when our parents died?” Xain has a bit of anger in his voice. Alestra just sighs.

          “My mom wouldn’t let him,” she says as she bites her lip, “She said that it would bring more harm than good.”

          There’s a silence as we stand in the doorway.

          “Can we go in?” I clear my throat.

          “Oh, of course,” Alestra says and unlocks the door. We go in and walk down the hall.

          “Are you hungry?” Alestra asks as she turns the corner. She looks at our faces and bites her lip. “You probably want to wash away all of that blood.”

          “This isn’t blood,” I say, “it’s residue from firesap leaves.”

          “In that case, you both need to take showers,” she grabs both of our hands and runs up the stairs.

          At the top, she opens a closet and pulls out two sets of towels and hands them to us. She then points us to opposite directions.

          “Boys are on the third level, girls are on this level,” Alestra explains, “Every other room has its own shower. Xain, you’re in 304; Jada, you’re in 211.”

          She leaves us, but then turns to say, “I’ll send clothes up to you.”

          I head to my room, which is unlocked and has two beds. Great, I think, I have a roommate. I throw my pack down on the floor along with my weapons and head to the bathroom. It’s so beautiful and clean that I feel bad that I’ll be the one to dirty it up.

          The shower is so white and shiny. There’s a panel that has an option for the shower. I hit “on” and it begins to shoot water down on my head. I press an option that reads “fountain”, and it shoots water underneath me. I see the dirt from my body pour down the drain and immediately reach for soap, but there’s no bar. The to the side of me, there’s a soap despenser.

          I stay in the shower for what feels like half an hour. It feels so good to have a warm shower, even though I did have a hot spring bath while Xain was incapacitated. This shower is like none I’ve ever known. It even shows you how “dirty” you are with a scanner. At the end of the shower, there’s an air dry option. I hit “yes” and it tells me to step out. Once I do, air shoots below my body, and almost within seconds, I’m dry. I grab my towel and wrap it around me as I step out of the bathroom. Like Alestra said, there are clothes layed out for me, right down to undergarments. I slip them on and they are a perfect fit.

          As I slip on my shirt, the door opens. I jump, but see that it’s just Alestra.

          “You clean up nicely,” she comments. She’s changed into jeans and a green top. Her hair is also pulled into a ponytail. “The others should be getting back from training soon, so we’re about to have dinner.”