Running out of the bathroom, I hurry to catch up to the other girls, who are already almost out of the dorm area. All of the other first-years are in the front with Ebony and Kyla, so I shouldn't have to deal with them right now. I don't mind Aubree and the girl with the animals, but I have a bad feeling about the green-haired girl.
Catching up with the group, I slow down to match the pace of everyone else, falling in line behind the other girls. Two of the first-years look back at me but don't say anything, quickly turning back to their conversation. Aubree stays poised looking forward, paying me no mind.
"Heyo boys!"
"Eyy, Kyla's here!"
"Don't be stupid Trey, all the other girls are here too. It's not just Kyla."
"Hmph, you're just jealous that I'm closer to her than you are, Travis." We enter into the so-called lobby, and are met by a group of boys standing together waiting for us. Kyla appears to have ran up to the boys, talking excitedly.
"Hey, Luis, sorry for the holdup. We had a few, um, setbacks, you could say. We've got everyone here now." Scarlet approaches one of the boys, probably the leader or whatever you want to call him. I think he's got the same position with the boys as Scarlet has with us. As they're talking, I size him up.
He's pretty tall with a good build, and judging by how close he seems to be to Scarlet, he's probably a fourth-year like her. He has spiky gray hair and big brown eyes, he almost looks like a snowy owl. Odd, I wonder why that is.
"Hey Trey, why's Tyler being all grumpy and mopey again?" Turning towards the group of boys Kyla is talking to, I tune into their conversation.
"I'm not being mopey!"
"Sure…" She says skeptically. "So what's the deal, Trey?"
"He's just upset because he didn't get to carry the girl back to the dorms. You know how he always wants to be the hero, I think he's jealous of the new kid."
"Ooh, is that right Tyler?"
"Shut up before I burn a hole in the side of your face!"
"Guys, please stop fighting-"
"Nobody cares Travis!" They keep arguing, but I'm not really listening to what they're saying anymore. Instead, I'm looking at them, trying to size them up.
There's five of them, counting Kyla. I feel like something's off about them, but I really can't tell. Looking closer, I realize why it felt so off. The four of the boys all look almost exactly identical, are they all siblings or something? No, I think it's something more than that. Could they be quadruplets? That's the most likely explanation, but I feel really bad for their mother if that is the case. That can't have been fun.
They all have sandy brown hair, not too dark but not too light either. They've all got pretty similar facial features, but they look slightly different. It's probably just their expressions though, their personalities. They're all built similarly, but they also carry themselves differently, making it hard to see the connection. Scanning them, I see something that makes me pause for a second. They all have one green eye, the same color for each boy, but it's the other eye that made me pause. Their right eyes are all different colors. One has a deep blue eye, another has a deep brown. The one Kyla called Trey has a white eye, and the angry sounding one has a vibrant red eye. This is the only thing that separates them from each other, at least as far as I can tell.
Looking around, I take in the entire room, including the couches, games, and the snack bar. It looks like Axel and the other first-year are standing off to the side of the rest of the boys. Axel's lounging against a wall with a bored look on his face, but the other kid is looking directly at me. I think he wants to approach me, but can't bring himself to do it. Well, that's one less thing that I have to deal with, at least.
I take one final glance around the room, noticing that the other girls went up to the group of siblings, joining in the conversation. I choose to stay where I am, standing away from any other people in the room, especially the boys. Odd, I could've sworn that there were eight boys in the group, so why do I only count seven? Maybe my senses have been dulled due to all the action today. I must've just miscounted, even though that never happens. Not anymore, at least.
The sun is shining in through the massive westward windows into the room casting small shadows across everything, signaling that it's probably about three in the afternoon right now. I'm feeling better than I was before, and with everyone distracted, I might be able to escape. I know it's a long shot, since I don't know if I've recovered enough, but it's worth the thought. I begin looking around the room once more, not to observe but instead to strategize how I would escape.
I get the feeling that somebody's watching me, but I can't see anybody looking at me. I actually think they all forgot about me after meeting up with the rest of the groups. Could it be Crawler? I don't think so, but I should probably check around me to see if he'd be able to grab me through a wall or something again, preventing my escape. I'm far enough away from the walls, though, so I don't know. Man, I'm really losing my touch. First I miscounted the people in the room, and now I feel like somebody's watching me? Whatever, let's focus on escaping.
Slowly, I inch my way closer to the windows. If I am further away from everyone, I should be able to get out easier. In addition, if I stand as close to the windows as possible, I'll not only be able to see everything that's happening in the room, but I'll also be able to observe the outside surroundings as well. That way, I'll be able to better gauge my situation and take the best route of action.
Looks like we're in the middle of the forest we were headed to before the attack, and there's a stunning lake in the area as well. The lake's probably my best bet. If I can sneak out the front door without anyone noticing, I can go into the lake and hide from the others for as long as I need to, and then finally go back home. It's a good thing my oddity makes it so I don't have to breathe, it's super handy during times like this. I guess it's a result of playing with the weather all the time, I've just got a constant supply of air wherever and whenever I need it. I'm not sure how it works in detail, but it just does.
Okay, it looks like everybody's still talking and joking around, I don't know how much time I have left until somebody realizes I'm not with the group, I've got to move soon. I know I already checked everything, so why do I still have this unsettling feeling? It's definitely going to be better for me if I get away from this school, I've only been here a day and I already feel like I'm going crazy.
Walking swiftly, I make my way over to the door, almost directly across the room from where Kyla and the others are talking. Just one sideways glance and I'll be busted for sure. I can see the metal handle on the door, shining, just waiting for me to grab it's sleek surface and rush out of the building. I can already feel it, the sense of freedom. I get that my family wants me to be here, but that's just absurd. After all that happened, I can't just lie down and accept this. I don't belong here, so it's time that I take my leave.
Without warning, a pair of hands grabs me from behind, one hand over my mouth and another around my chest, holding me tight. It's almost exactly like Crawler's grip, but it's different. I don't know how to explain it, it's a strong yet gentle grip, one that's commanding but loving at the same time. It's almost… otherworldly.
With a start, I tense up. What's happening? There wasn't a single person even looking at me, so how is there now someone behind me? I don't understand! I feel the hands dragging me downwards, taking us through the floor. Everything's dark, where are we? I feel us rising, moving swiftly upwards through the darkness. Suddenly, I'm standing to the side of Scarlet and the boy she was talking to, still being held from behind by this mysterious figure. Both of them stop mid-conversation and stare at the pair of us, surprised.
"Who do we have here?" The boy talking to Scarlet quickly recovered from the shock, addressing the person behind me.
"She was near the doors, I can only guess what she was trying to do." Damn him, is he the person I felt watching me? I knew I counted eight, I knew it!
"Seriously?" Scarlet sounds disappointed, but I'm not sure who she's disappointed in; me or the rest of the group, who failed to notice I was missing.
"Is this the one Crawler and the other higher-ups warned us about?"