Wyeth stayed on the porch of the lodge, watching the people gather for dinner under the shade of the sky. Emergency tents were being set up, Twin Falls was more than twice as crowded as before. The old man's cold face actually hid concern. The rebels' place in Three Forks was destroyed. Before, that place was very safe and could not be searched by the Army or Deformity.
However, after the aliens had just come out of the Orb, Earth was on the verge of death.
Wyeth, who felt that Twin Falls was the second safest place, became insecure. Meanwhile, it was not a large building with advanced facilities and advanced weapons. It was a wooden fortress with an open roof and no other security except for the superpowered people. However, Hannah said that even those with superpowers might not be able to counter the power of the aliens.
Wyeth's eyes shifted to Elijah and Isaac, who were sitting away from the crowd. Where the two young men were engaged in serious conversation. He hadn't spoken to either of them yet, perhaps it would be a good time when things were a lot more settled.
He approached Elijah and Isaac, walking past the people and saying a quick hello. When Wyeth approached, Elijah and Isaac noticed, so they stopped talking. Wyeth nodded politely and sat down next to Elijah.
"Am I interrupting your conversation?" asked Wyeth.
Elijah and Isaac shook their heads. They just stared at the people gathered around the campfire. The two young men knew from the people who Wyeth was; he was the father of Hannah and Halsey. The owner of Twin Falls, one of the older members of the rebellion. Although the people who lived there referred to Wyeth as the leader of the straight generation. Not the rebels.
"What do you think? About Twin Falls?" Wyeth tried to be friendly. Elijah and Isaac's only reaction was a confused look at the old man. "I'm Wyeth, you can call me the caretaker of this place. We haven't had a chance to meet."
"I'm Elijah, and this is my friend Isaac. Your place is pretty nice and cozy," Elijah replied.
"Yeah, okay," Isaac continued.
"I heard from Hannah that you survived an attack by an eight-legged creature." Wyeth began to turn the pleasantries in a more serious direction. "Unlike the one that attacked at Three Forks."
"We didn't talk about anything," Elijah said. "About the ants."
"Ants?" Wyeth's forehead wrinkled.
"Yeah, they're like ants, aren't they?" Elijah remembered Josh's words.
Wyeth nodded. "Maybe Hannah assumed that when everyone in the city was dead and you were alive. Wouldn't you be able to escape their attacks?"
"Those ants almost killed me, then when the orb exploded, they just died," Isaac said. Then he stood up. "I'm a little tired, I think I'm going to bed."
Wyeth just nodded and didn't stop Isaac from talking. Isaac quickly got up and walked quickly to the cabin, leaving Elijah alone. Elijah's face looked tense, though he tried to be as casual as possible.
"And you?" Wyeth asked suddenly.
"Me?"
"How did you survive the ant attack?"
Elijah swallowed. He hoped Isaac would say the same. "Like Isaac, he and I were together. On the run. Because we were from the Academy at the time."
"So there's nothing definite, why did the ants die? And the orb just exploded?"
There was a quick nod from Elijah. "I think the Deformity did it. I'm not sure."
From what Hannah had said, half the city was destroyed and scorched. There were no survivors. The place where the Orb had been was a flat field with black soil like charcoal. The explosion certainly wiped out a lot of people.
It is likely that the deformities also went on a suicide mission to prevent the aliens from attacking other humans.
"You have no power. Hannah says so," Wyeth said.
Elijah nodded. "That's the way it is."
"So does Hannah. She was twins with Halsey. Where Halsey was, the government took her." Wyeth looked at him. "I didn't want my daughter taken, not both of them. So I escaped with Hannah and joined the rebels."
"If Hannah has no power, why should she be taken?"
"That's the rule. Didn't you also grow up in the Academy?"
"My parents died in an accident when I was a child. I had no one, so I was sent to the Academy." Elijah looked at Wyeth briefly. "The Academy is my savior."
Wyeth sighed softly. "Any child who has not yet shown strength is only allowed to stay with their parents until they are nine years old. After that, they must still be taken in by the Academy."
"Is that so?"
"When did your parents die?"
"I don't know, maybe nine, ten... I almost forgot. It's just that we were traveling, I don't remember where we were going."
"Maybe your parents tried to escape."
Elijah looked at Wyeth with knitted eyebrows. To Elijah, what Hannah's father had said was a kind of accusation; the accident was clearly a tragedy. It had nothing to do with the Academy, that was what the young man had in mind.
"But that's just my guess," Wyeth continued later.
As Wyeth started to get up, Elijah suddenly grabbed the old man's arm. "What is the reason my parents ran away? The assumption that they were like you?"
"No parent wants to be separated from their children, Elijah. Even if you have no power, rules are rules, you have to stay with the other children."
"I never knew that." Elijah's hand rested on his chin. "The Academy always said we belonged there."
"You certainly don't know." Wyeth smiled bitterly. "It's sad to know that every adult on Earth cannot hear or see the laughter of children."
Is it true, then, that the Academy, the Army, and the creation of the Deformity were all a form of brainwashing for those with superpowers?
"Is that why you became a rebel?"
"We're trying to defend our rights."
"By killing a lot of people? Not a few people have died because of your actions."
"Sometimes there are things we cannot avoid, Elijah."
Wyeth nodded goodbye, then stepped into the crowd and chatted. Meanwhile, Elijah was still pondering, thinking about Wyeth's words, which had affected his mind a bit. There were many things he didn't know about the army or Deformity, but what he saw were the rebels. Figures who were supposedly ruthless and evil.
One fact is wrong, that the rebels kill everyone with superpowers out of hatred for the opposite. Twin Falls was a paradise for those who had escaped the shackles of the government.
The place was full of peace, and people even helped each other. No matter who had superpowers or not. There was no discrimination, no fear. Then why were they the guilty party?
From the direction of the other lodge, Carol came out and walked quickly to Elijah. She smiled very sweetly. She was very beautiful, her hair wavy down her back, golden brown in color. Her body was thin, petite, but her face was kind and sweet.
"Map is sleeping, it's okay if she's with me, right?" Carol said. "Yes, that is also a rule. But I won't steal her attention from you."
"Do you think I'll be jealous that she chose you?" Elijah chuckled.
"It's quite complicated here because they really like little girls," Carol replied. "A lot of parents don't get to see their kids grow up. You know what I mean, right?"
Elijah nodded. "Thank you, Carol."
"Oh, yeah? Have you eaten? Would you like to have dinner with me?"
Then Elijah stood up. "Yes, of course."
They walked to a long dining table with several trays and pots of soup. The food was simple, but it was good for Elijah because he had missed a lot of meals the last few days. At the Academy the food was quite fancy, in Twin Falls it was okay. At least he wasn't starving and could still enjoy a decent meal.
"Have you been here long?" asked Elijah.
Hannah nodded. "Sixteen years. I came when I was four. My brother was nine."
"Don't you get bored in this place after a dozen years?"
"We travel through the forest too, Elijah. Sometimes I went to the base at Three Forks, but rarely. To get food and things. Not everything can be harvested here," Carol explained.
"I don't know what it's like to live like..." Elijah paused.
"To be away from civilization." Carol continued. "But it's a nice place. I like it here."
"You never thought about what it would be like to live in the city?"
Carol shook her head. "No, I wouldn't. I'd probably end up at the Academy."
"Excuse me for asking... but what is your power?"
"Earth," Carol replied. "Jacob has telekinesis."
"Your powers are different?"
"Not all siblings have the same powers. It's like a random selection, even Hannah has no powers, right?"
Elijah nodded. "You're right."
"I heard you're just like Hannah."
"Right."
"And Isaac? What's his power?"
"Fire."
Suddenly, Elijah remembered Isaac, his friend who hadn't eaten yet. They'd been sitting around earlier, waiting in line for dinner, and feeling lazy, they'd decided to just sit around. Elijah felt very guilty because he ate his fill and almost forgot about Isaac.
Although it didn't really matter because Isaac had bullied Elijah a lot before.
"I'll call Isaac, he hasn't eaten anything," Elijah said.
Carol nodded and smiled kindly. "Really? You'd better hurry up. The food will get cold if he doesn't eat soon."
Elijah finished the last bite, placed the plate in a large basket and said goodbye to Carol. He hurried to the lodge and slowly opened the door. There was no one in the cabin, so Elijah was a little surprised. He walked in and looked around, afraid of entering by mistake. However, he was pretty sure that they had been put there.
"Isaac?" called Elijah.
Although it was silly of him to call when Isaac was probably hiding under the bed.
"Isaac?" he repeated.
Elijah stood where he was. The young man's body stiffened. It looked like Isaac meant what he said.
He's running away!