Kain Locke
After sleeping for two hours, I finally woke up and got out of bed. My eyes stung slightly, and I could feel how swollen they were. My whole body ached, muscles sore from the fight earlier. Aside from that, and feeling a little sweaty, I figured I'd be fine after a bath and some food.
I stretched, rolling my shoulders to ease the stiffness, and ran a hand through my hair. The room was still empty.
No Alec. No other roommate. I remembered I had actually woken up earlier, thinking he would be coming in the next minute, after all i heard someone warned that, Out of the way Alec is coming. But he didn't.
With a sigh, I shuffled towards the small, attached washroom, tugging off my shirt as I went. The moment I turned on the shower, the cold water hit my skin, making me suck in a sharp breath. It wasn't much, but it was enough to wake me up properly.
I wiped the foggy mirror with my palm, my reflection stared back at me, thin and absolutely worn out. I guess that's what I get for the stress I've been getting these days. And there's also something, bruises, there was a faintest trace of dried blood near my brow. Ken had actually landed a hit after all. I hadn't felt it then, until now.
I exhaled slowly, running a finger over the cut. It wasn't deep. Just another mark to add to the growing list of things I didn't have time to care about.
I finished up quickly, pulling on fresh clothes before stepping back into the room to see it was still empty.
Alec.
That name still echoed in my head. Not because I cared, but because I had heard it enough times today for it to stick to my brain like a bubblegum on hair.
Who was he? More importantly, why was he everywhere, yet nowhere to be seen?
Just as I was tightening my belt, a knock sounded at the door, which was quickly followed by another one.
Why would Gray or the other Omega knock on the door? It just doesn't make any sense, and the possibility of a Beta coming here was also slim to none, and I doubt it would be Bella because she'd earlier stated that she won't be coming here for the rest of today.
Thus, I buckle the belt properly before going to open the door to see an Omega standing there, haven't seen this one since I got here, therefore;
"What may I help you with?" I demanded, raising my eyebrow slightly.
He flushed slightly, his head a little lowered as he said, "It's time for the dinner."
"Isn't that supposed to be a few hours to now?" I asked, clearly confused.
"No, it's now actually," He explained, and I couldn't help going hurriedly to get my communicator from the bed and stared at the screen, it was almost seven PM
Was it because of the bright light? Or the fact that I overslept?
"I have no idea it's this late." I murmured, my face heating up a little with embarrassment.
"The dinner is usually six PM in the evening. But the competition at the hall is so frenzied that if you get to the hall late, you have no other choice than to grab a milk and a snack In the vending machine."
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair. It was a little embarrassing, sleeping through the entire afternoon and missing the time. But then again, after the day I had, it wasn't surprising.
The Omega shifted slightly, as if unsure whether to leave or wait for me.
"Thanks for letting me know," I said, shoving the communicator in my hands into my pocket. "I'll head over now."
He hesitated before nodding. "Alright. Just… be careful. But I'd suggest taking you there because It gets a little rough in there if you're late. I'm here to lead you anyway." He added in a murmur, but I heard him regardless.
I frowned but didn't ask for any details.
Stepping into the hallway, I shut the door behind me and followed him toward the dining hall.
Now we're walking side by side, I noticed the Omega was a little shorter than I am, with delicate features and soft-looking pink curls. It definitely wasn't natural, because a few black strands still peaked through.
"You're the new guy, right?" he asked after a beat of silence.
"Yeah." No point in lying.
"I know," He hesitated before adding, "People have been talking about you."
I rolled my shoulders. "Let me guess. Because I didn't beat Ken into a coma?" or to death?
He chuckled, though it was more nervous than amused. "That, and… other things."
I gave him a sideways glance. "Like what?"
He fidgeted, then lowered his voice as if someone might be listening. "You're Kain Locke, right?"
"Yes." I answered looking at him and he turned his face sideways before muttering,
"You were… different from what I expected."
"What do you expect?" I couldn't help asking.
"Nothing much… but maybe another dead Omega, I'm tired of seeing them every single time. But you can't imagine how glad I felt to hear someone actually stand up against the Beta. However, I was kind of expecting... I guess this is another reason to not judge by appearance."
"You also don't seem like someone who runs errands for others," I said casually. And his shoulder went stiff a little.
He blinked, looking a little surprised before his lips pressed together. "I don't."
I raised a brow. "Then why did you come get me?"
He didn't answer right away. For a second, I thought he wouldn't at all, but then he exhaled quietly.
"Because someone asked me to," he muttered.
The way he said it made something in my stomach twist. He wasn't lying. But he also wasn't telling me everything.
Before I could push further, we turned a corner, and the dining hall came into view. So it's this easy to find?
Nevertheless,
It was loud in here.
The room was packed with several long tables occupied by Betas, and Omegas alike in uniform. Most already has trays piled with food in front of them, while others were deep in conversation.
My stomach rumbled. It had been a while since I'd eaten a proper meal. I was used to ignoring hunger, but the sight and smell of food made it impossible to push aside. Even back at City C, Felix was the one who mostly did the cooking, and sometimes he'd force me to the table and sit food in front of me.
The Omega beside me gave me a small nod before slipping away, disappearing into the crowd.
I didn't bother looking for a familiar face. I just wanted to grab a plate and eat in peace. But as I took a step forward, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
"It's the omega who messed up Ken."
"He didn't mess Ken, no way he would've done that, I heard it was due to the injuries Ken sustain from the past mission."
"Now it's clear why Ken could easily be defeated like that."
I didn't even have to turn to know it was directed at me. But I was simply too hungry to care.
I grabbed a tray from the stacked up ones, and walked ahead to the counter where the food was being served.
The woman behind the counter looked at me expectantly. "What do you want to eat?"
I glanced at the food trays in front of her, steam rising faintly from some of them. Nothing looked particularly appetizing, but I wasn't in a position to be picky.
After a moment, I pointed at a few things. "I'll take these."
She scooped the portions onto a plate on the tray and slid it over. It wasn't much, but it would do.
I walked quickly to grab water from the refrigerator and took out a bottle, placed it beside my tray and walked up to an empty seat and sank down into it, and started eating gently, and like I guessed, Bella wasn't in sight so I was already eating alone.
I ate as fast as I could, took the plate to the dirty ones when I cleared it and returned to the room, however the moment I opened the door to the room, someone was sitting there on my bed.
"What are you doing in here?" I blurted, clearly surprised to find him here of all places.
However when he gazes up at me, his purple eyes lazily glanced at me for a moment like he hasn't seen me before, "I should ask you that." He declared.