Leo was the first to say something, he was tall enough to see over my shoulder from behind me.
"Ya that's her, where did you find this?"
"It was under the crack of this door."
"Humm." Foland thinks to himself.
"But we can't get into this closet, it's been locked since we got here," Leo explained to me.
"Really what do you think this could mean?"
"Leonardo, could you come over here a second?" Foland asks.
I look at him and he shrugs and walks over. The two of them talk and I study the photo. If I were Neal I know that I would want this back. The more I look at this photo the more I wonder why it was under the door, who would let go of such an obviously sentimental photo.
"Riviann," I turn and see Foland calling me," let's go back to the lounge."
I nod and follow behind them the whole way. When we get there we are the last group back.
"Did anyone find anything?!" Neal asks frantically clearly shaken.
There was a collective no from the other groups.
"Actually," they all look at me and Leo looks to Foland who only stays quiet watching me.
"I found this photograph under the storage room door in the cafeteria."
Everyone looks surprised," Really?" Neal asks.
"Ya, here," I hand him the photo and he just stares at it.
It's dead silent and the sun is setting outside. Foland speaks up," It's getting late and we have patrol tomorrow so everyone lets get back to your rooms"
"Foland?" The blond girl asks.
"What is it Jane?"
"We don't have a room for the new girl to stay in."
"Hmm. Zane can you help Riviann clean the room next to yours."
"Ok-" the copper hair boy answers standing up from his spot.
"Why are we making a room for her! She could be dangerous for all we know, I think that we should lock her outside for the night."
"What's your problem Catherine! She's a human she'll freeze to death outside it's, like, the middle of winter!"
"Girls stop it," Foland demands clearly irritated," I already said that she isn't a prisoner there for she will not be treated as one. We will decide if she stays tomorrow so tonight before you go to bed think about your answer. You are all dismissed, leave," we all start to walk out and Foland grabs Leo's attention; they only start to talk once everyone leaves and the door is shut.
"Hi, you're Zane right?" I ask the copper haired boy.
"Yes."
"So we're are you from?"
"I don't see how that's important to know now," he looked back at me. His ember colored eyes study my form before he looks forward where he was walking.
" I thought it would be nice to get to know everyone."
"Really?" He says, suspicious.
"Ya! If I stay I'll want to know everyone."
"Look sweetheart if you want to kiss up for my vote to stay you better look somewhere else."
I'm shocked by what he thinks I'm trying to accomplish. He doesn't seem to trust me even through Bell vouched for my incidence.
"Is there a reason that you can't trust me."
"Yes, and that would be that I don't know you."
"Well instead of answering my questions I could always answer yours."
He was silent in thought as he slid open the door to the classroom on the second floor. We both start cleaning and clearing a space for me to sleep. It is silent until Zane speaks again.
"Riviann what do you think is the most important trait in someone?" He stops cleaning to turn and watch me give my answer.
I pick up one of the fallen desks and bring it over to the stack we had started.
"You mean in a friend or in people in general?"
"I guess in a friend, a companion."
"Loyalty."
"Why is that?"
"Well I'm loyal to my friends so I guess, I hope that they will do the same for me," I give him a half smile before going to pick up another desk.
"Do you have any fears?"
"I-" I stopped where I was standing for a second and looked him in the eyes," my greatest fear,.. probably being alone."
I look away and continue to stack the desks in the corner of the room. He didn't say anything and continued to clean.
"When I was alone out there. I could barely find a reason to not throw myself out there and join them. Then I thought of all the things I hadn't done yet, and I couldn't just let myself give it up only for someone infected to eat me."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"No, it's ok, I'm with you all here now even if it is only for one night it was nice to see people."
I can feel the hot tears burn the back of my eye lids. I stack the desk I was carrying and press my shirt sleeve into my eyes to keep tears from running down my face. We finished cleaning up all the desks sliding them in the corner, and we had pushed the teacher's desk against the wall under the white board. Zane left to get some blankets and a pillow from one of the storage rooms. I put my bag under the cut out in the desk, where you would usually put your legs when you sit at it, and checked over everything I had. I left most of it in the bag and only took out a small book with little photos in it.
"Ok I got the bedding."
I look up and quickly hide the book behind me.
"What do you have?"
"I ummm. It's nothing! Thanks for the blankets!" I took the blankets and the pillow from his hand and hid the book under them as I dropped them on the floor.
"Right," he says, leaning to look over my shoulder.
I step to the side," Goodnight Zane."
He left reluctantly shutting the door after him. It's been a long time since I've been somewhere safe with other people. I lay on the floor holding the book in my arms and thinking about what will come next.