KEEPING THE FAITH

ＳＩＸ

KEDAH

I couldn't find him. He's so small, he could be anywhere. I tried to scream, but all that came out was a tiny yelp. I ran around frantically. The sky was getting dark, the trees were growing bigger and the grass was growing higher.
I tried screaming Gad's name out, but I couldn't. Gad was nowhere to be found.
Then I heard a growl behind me.
I turned slowly.
A black wolf almost as big as me was standing there, as still as a rock, with its teeth drooling blood, as if he just had his dinner.
But his eyes bore into my soul. They were completely white. But its eyes were not a wolf's eyes. They looked almost...
Human.
Of course, I didn't know anyone who had completely white eyes, but the only person that had those eyes was...
No...
It couldn't be...
Chanter?
I stood completely still. I couldn't breathe. I knew it was him. Those eyes are unmistakably his.
The only thing I could hear was a small voice in my head saying,
"Run."
I bolted the opposite way. I've never run so fast in my life.
The scene changed. It was an endless field of dried grass. I was almost flying because of how fast I was running.
I could hear the wolf growling and barking loudly. I felt like he was right behind me.
Then I saw two people in the distance. I didn't want them to get hurt, so I tried screaming again but failed miserably.
It was Julius, still 18, holding my young brother in his arms. They were smiling as if they didn't notice the wolf chasing me.
They stood there. I tried so hard to scream at them to run for their lives, but when I was a few feet away, the growling behind me stopped, and the two people turned into black wolves. They surrounded me, and I had no way out.
I fell to the ground and tried to scream and cry, but nothing came out.
I finally screamed so loud and clear, but the nightmare was over and I was back in my bed.
I panted and gripped the mattress with clenching fists. My quilt and pillow was on the floor.
Then I heard someone burst into my room.
It was Tee.
He was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants, and his blond hair was fluffy and messy.
He looked so scared and alerted.
"Kedah! What's wrong? Are you okay?"
He got closer to me and crouched down by my bed.
"Y-yeah...yeah sorry. It was just....it was just a nightmare. But it was really bad this time. I'm so sorry for waking-"
He grabbed me and embraced me in a tight hug.
A little shocked at the sudden gesture, I instantly hugged back.
It's been so long since I've had a true hug.
He pulled away slightly and asked, "You wanna talk about it?"
His voice went an octave lower.
He was so close...
"Uh-uhh...it...it was stupid, really. Don't worry about-"
All of a sudden, I felt someone's lips on mine. It took me a little bit to realize that someone's kissing me.
The gesture was so soft, so gentle.
It was so dark, I couldn't see who-
Wait...
TEE?!
He pulled away and said, "I...I'm so sorry. I should've known that you...I mean I'm pretty sure that-"
I pulled him towards me and kissed him back.
I've felt so desperately lonely for the past ten years that I welcomed the feeling. I just didn't care anymore. I embraced the moment. At least I knew I could still feel things.
He pulled away, then rested his forehead on mine.
"I..I have to go. I wish I could stay, but..."
"Don't worry, Tee. It's okay, I understand."
I could barely see his eyes in the dark, but even in this light, his eyes were still an electric blue.
We stayed like that for a little while, then he kissed my cheek and got up slowly.
"You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah...yeah, I think so."
He nodded, then walked out.
I tucked myself back in and had no dreams whatsoever.

꧁ꕥ꧂

I woke up to the feeling of someone dragging me to the room where I usually ate my meals.
I looked up and saw that it was a different guard. He looked almost as dead as I felt, but his grip was like metal.
When I arrived, the table had a single plate of food on it. It was a bowl of oatmeal with a side of black coffee and a small jar of honey. There was no one else here but me.
He led me to the chair and when I sat down he scurried out.
I sighed.
I grabbed the jar of honey and poured some into my oatmeal. I was stirring it in when I heard the door behind me open.
It was Kelligan, the Head Supervisor of the Temptation Trials.
He was dressed in a black suit, and his hair was plastered with harispray to perfection. When I first got here, he looked a little younger than me, maybe sixteen.
He hasn't aged a bit.
I don't like to look in his eyes. They're the creepiest color of green I have ever seen.
He sat down in front of me and smiled.
I acted like he wasn't even there.
"That oatmeal must be good enough to ignore me."
I looked up slightly, then told him, "Well, I am hungry."
He chuckled and shook his head.
"You're a true comedian, Kedah Ray Bernstad."
I ignored the comment.
"Why are you here?" I asked, annoyance lacing my tone of voice.
"I'm here to show you something."
I scoffed, "What could you possibly want to show me?"
"Hey, if you're going to be a brat about it, I'm not going to show you anything."
He leaned in closer.
"Remember, Bernstad, I can have you killed right here where you're sitting. Don't try to be smart with me."
This time, it was my turn to lean in closer.
I looked straight into his eyes with a new confidence.
"You can't lay a finger on me, Kelligan. Because you know that if you do, the deal is over and you'll have to turn me in. No more torture, no more experiments, no more pain. But you like to watch me suffer because of what I did to your precious grandfather. You can't touch me. When you do, you're going to have to turn me back in. That's why you haven't killed me off for the past-"
"Enough!" he barked.
We glared each other down for a little while before he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, took a pair of latex gloves form his pocket, put them on, and took out a small device from his jacket.
"This was sent in from...up above, if you know what I mean. Take it before I start to hyperventilate, I don't want anything to do with...those-"
"Yeah, I get it. Give it here."
He practically threw it at me. Luckily, I managed to catch it.
"What's it do?"
"It's a video diary."
I crinkled my eyebrows in confusion.
"A video diary? Of who?"
"Your precious little brother. He started it about 3 years ago. He used it as a way to cope with your death. The content on it is quite stupid, but it should give you something to do so you don't fall any farther in a hole of insanity. Just press the button on the side, and you should be good."
I sat there, almost dropping the device in my now-cold oatmeal.
"Y-you mean...I get to watch my little brother...."
"Yes, yes," he waved his hand dismissively, "don't get yourself worked up. Finish breakfast and I'll have one of the guards take you back to your room to binge on it as long as you like."
With that, he got up and left the room.
I ate the rest of my oatmeal, but then I heard someone -that someone was Kelligan- come back in and whisper in my ear and say,
"By the way, I know about what happened last night."
Of course he did. He knows everything.
Then he was gone.
I felt the familiar metal grip on my arm again as I was escorted to my room by yet another different guard, my other hand gently holding the device as if it was my life.