"Did Ten say something to you last night?"
"About what?"
"Oh! You can talk! Ah no, I mean about... Oh God! I'm still shaking right now. Okay then, um..." He ran both hands through his hair before taking a step forward.
I just tilted my head at that, thinking he had lost his mind.
"Well... did you remember everything that happened to you before?" He asked quietly.
I stared at him blankly for a good moment, trying to understand what he was asking me.
"...Remember what?"
He flinched at my response, probably not expecting this. "Err... Nevermind. I guess I must be mistaken."
DING!
Both of us turned to the sound coming from the elevator, seeing the doors sliding open. We watched as Eight stood inside the elevator, staring at us with her eyes widened.
"Dang it..." She mumbled under her breath.
Meanwhile Nine looked at her and me with a puzzled expression before it hit him. He went back to look at the girl. "Miss Eight, mind explaining the situation for me please?"
Eight could only show an awkward grin as she scratched the back of her head. "Alright I will but can you keep this between us?"
Her face changed when she saw someone standing behind us. When I turned around, my gaze met with a pair of cold cobalt eyes.
It was a tall male wearing a black turtleneck. When he noticed me looking at him, a hint of wariness flashed across his eyes but immediately vanished just as quickly. Then he went straight towards the elevators, entering inside without even glancing our way.
Nine's eyes followed him. "Looks like we have been found out earlier than we expected."
Eight let out an exasperated sigh as all of us walked into the elevator.
<<26>>
I was having my breakfast without paying attention to the silence that filled the dining room. Not even a sound of utensils hitting plates was heard. Well, except the person in the hoodie who's so focused on eating his breakfast without care.
Slowly I lifted my gaze from the plate. Everyone's eyes are focused on mine, as if they wanted to read every inch of my face. This makes me slightly uncomfortable
"Guys, stop staring at him. You're just making our new guest feel embarrassed." Said the guy with ginger mullet, smirking while stirring the spoon in his tea.
I glanced at Eight who's sitting next to me. She smiled apologetically as if she was guilty of something. Finally, she broke the silence with her voice trembling a bit. "Umm... Guys, I know this is sudden but I'm sure all of you remember him, right?"
"Aren't you supposed to be dead? How can you possibly be alive?" Asked the navy blue haired woman. Her expression was normal, yet there was something about her that made it seem like she wasn't happy with what she was seeing. The same reaction the blue-eyed guy from earlier showed.
It seems like there are people hating me without knowing the reason.
Eight exclaimed. "Six! Don't be rude! Let me explain first! He didn't know anything!"
A few seconds passed until Six responded curtly. "...Explain? Are you trying to side with this killer? Eight, don't you remember what he has done to Four? Or did you choose to just forget that he almost killed him last night? And you accepted him so easily?"
"That's not what I was saying! Look at him, Six! How can someone like him do that to Four?!"
"Just because he looks weak, doesn't mean he's not able to murder someone! This killer nearly tore Four apart!"
"He's not a killer! His name is Twelve!"
Six scoffed. "So you already named him?! Why?! Have you fallen so hard for your own Subject?!"
This time Nine was able to stand up from his chair and walk closer to the arguing members. As the two were yelling at each other, he slammed his palm against the table causing both Six and Eight to snap their head in his direction, surprised at the sudden noise.
"Enough." He didn't yell, but his voice sounded stern and firm as a warning.
Their expressions immediately softened when they noticed him staring them down silently with his icy gaze.
Ten sitting beside Seven, starts moving and hiding behind the guy. The boy's side eyes peeked out while listening to their conversations attentively. Seeing the angry Nine scared him more than anything.
When Nine started speaking again, his tone was calmer. "I think what Eight was trying to say is that she's very sorry for not telling anyone about the Sub- I mean, Twelve. Also, I know this is unexpected, but yes. As you can see, he is alive. As for what happened to Four, we are still investigating it."
I stared blankly at the scene unfolding before me. But somehow, seeing my blank expression caused Six to glare at me furiously.
"Fine! But before you guys decide to accept this bastard, then at least let me show the proof! One, I'm sorry this is sudden but if you don't mind..."
All of them turned towards the long-haired man in the wheelchair, who just entered the dining room. His eyes were shut tight with a gentle smile appearing on the corner of his lips.
"If that is what you want."
Eight could understand the meaning behind those words and she got up immediately. "Wait! What are you doing, Six?! Are you out of your mind?! No!"
She was about to walk up to me when suddenly, the cobalt-eyed man stood up in the middle between us.
Eight blinked confusedly when the man shows up in front of her, as if he's trying to shield her from any threat. "Eleven?"
Whereas the guy who was called Eleven, glared down at me with an unreadable expression.
I also glared back at the tall guy. These two people really hate my guts. Good thing the feelings are mutual.
Six tilted her head. "You have no choice, Eight. Whether you like it or not, you will have to follow through with my plan. Just watch, you will understand soon enough the reason I'm doing all these."
Then she approached me slowly with a sinister smile on her face. "Now, I would love to see what kind of monster that does such a thing to Four. We can only begin if you accept the duel. A handshake would suffice."
When she held out her hand, I stared at it for a while, starting to understand what they were talking about. Without hesitation, I accepted her handshake. I could hear some of the others gasping.
Suddenly Six pulled my hand and whispered down to me. "Don't blame me if you're going to die for the third time, because that's what I'm planning to do."