The Choice Of Fate || The Promised Neverland

Chapter 46: The Garden

Sistine's POV:

"Sistine!!!"

"I'M UP!" I exclaim, jolting upright. I freeze upon seeing familiar sandy blonde hair and a teary eyes. "Woah, hey, why are you crying...?" I ask, reaching out to wipe the tears from the child's eyes. "Did they introduce me to the others while I was knocked out?"

The girl shakes her head, hopping on the bed to hug me. "I missed you, Sistine..." she mutters. "I thought you were dead... When I found out that you escaped, I thought you would never come back alive... But you did..."

I stare at the crying figure in surprise, but a warm feeling soon fills my heart. My hand rests on her head, caressing her lovely hair. "After all these years... You still remember me, Nayla?"

She whimpers in response, nodding. Tears form in my own eyes as I hug her back. Eventually, the teardrops grow into streams as I rest my head on her shoulder. I feel gentle rubs on my back, which eventually soothe my heavy breathing. "What was the outside world like?" Nayla asks me, her voice shaking.

I let out a little chuckle. "Messy."

All of a sudden, the familiar bell rings, causing both of us to turn to the door. "Nayla! Food's ready!" One of the not-so-familiar kids exclaim.

"Coming!" She answers back, and she tugs on my sleeve. "Come on, Sistine! Let's get ready!" I nod in response, wiping my tears and following her as she gets ready. As soon as I entered the dining hall, everyone was there to greet me. Even the new Mama was there. She signals me to come closer to her, to which I oblige.

"Alright, children, settle down!" She calls out, and all of the children take their seats. The new Mama gestures to me. "Children, this is your new sibling, S--..." She trails off, trying to recall my name.

The dark-haired woman turns to me in confusion, to which I only give a smile. I lower my head and bow before the kids, saying, "My name is Sistine. I'm thirteen years old, turning 14 in June 2048. Pleased to meet you!"

A wave of nostalgia fills my senses as I observe their routine. After nearly three years, I'm wearing the same uniform as before. I'm taking the same tests that I've been taking long before I even knew the secret. It's like my life was just reset, or everything I experienced was just a dream.

I nearly forgot what this place felt like. Ever since I found out about the secret, I forgot that slight sense of home in this plantation. I forgot the warmth, the safety... The love this place provided.

It's like all I saw was how fake that comfort was.

"Sistine! Sistine! I wanna show you something!" Nayla exclaims, tugging my sleeve. I get confused by the sudden excitement. Just a few minutes ago, she was so serious. Why the sudden change?

"Where are we going?" I ask her, noticing the other children following us.

"We never thought you'd have the chance to see this, but we wanna make sure you do!"

I take notice of the familiar path in the forest, wondering why everything here just feels way too identical. Am I getting deja vu or are the plantations exact replicas of each other?

The children look at each other excitedly, counting to three in unison. Upon reaching three, they clear the path, revealing an entire garden filled with santan flowers.

"You..." I trail off, stepping into the garden in awe. Thousands of flowers surround me, the space being a million times bigger than the garden I recall.

"We continued the garden for you," Nayla tells me, walking to my side and holding my hand.

"But... The garden was burned..." I mutter. "And this is Plantation two..."

"Plantation two?" Nayla asks, baffled. "Sistine, this is our home! They fixed it!"

"They... What?"

"Yeah!" She exclaims, pulling my arm and leading me to the landmark with my name carved on the wood. "See? It's yours!"

... Since when was this here? Did Mama put this...?

"When we were transferred here, we found this in the middle of the forest," one of the kids explained. "It looked unharmed by the fire two years ago, so Nayla suggested that we continue it for you!"

"We all thought you were just her imaginary friend!" Another child laughs, making Nayla giggle. "But we joined her anyway, cuz it sounded fun!"

"We planted a flower every time one of our siblings left the House!" Nayla exclaims, giving me a bright grin. I barely return the smile, lifting my eyes to meet the gaze of the elder children. Their eyes seemed hesitant, fearful, unsure whether they should tell me the truth.

I think I know how to fix that.

"Do you kids want to hear a story?" I ask them out of the blue. The younger kids look fearful, but Nayla is ready to reassure them. The elder kids have a more curious look on their faces, sitting down on the grass. I follow them, saying, "I'm sure a few of you have heard the story of the outside world."

Some of them flinch, turning to their elder brothers and sisters in awe. The latter children nod their heads, and I ask them, "Life hasn't been very nice to you, has it? How long have you guys known?"

Their answers differed, but it was no lower than the age of seven or eight. I give them an earnest look, looking around at the children in front of me. Despite it being less than three years since I've seen them, it feels like everything has changed. Kids are getting smarter and smarter, to the point that they're discovering the secret at such an early age.

The brunet boy, who I assume to be the eldest, asks me, "How are you still here?" I turn to him in confusion, letting out a curious hum. "The kids here range from ages one to twelve. You're thirteen... How did you get here?"

I give him a little smile, placing a hand on his head and ruffling it. "That's the story I'm telling you today.

"I'm telling you exactly how I ended up back where I started."