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Sora

I needed to tell Mari how excited I was to see Hazuki after so long; otherwise, I would explode. But having a one-way conversation with someone who might not even be listening is not exactly fun. While high on the chance to see him again, I had completely forgotten how disgusting and utterly monotonous this place was. The routine I had in the Village was also always the same, but the interactions were different, the people were different, and the expectations were different.

In here, the feeling of being a prisoner was too vivid to forget.

I climbed the stairs, using my power to blind the cameras for the few seconds it took me to go past them until I reached his cell. Everyone could walk around most of the premises, but visiting someone in cell arrest, especially those located on the third or fourth floor, was a no-go. 

I loved working as a teacher, learning about all kinds of abilities and helping the students slowly control them, and I didn’t want to jeopardise my position by showing my affiliations with what the higher-ups considered worrisome inmates.

They were very strict in their ways, and any side step, even if small, would flag you as someone to monitor. The misdemeanour that put me here already slid me into their line of sight, but it wasn’t enough to compromise our plan. The fact that they didn’t give me a third cuff was proof enough.

“Brought you a snack,” I said when I reached the cell right in the middle of the corridor. Hazuki grunted as a sign he heard me, but continued doing push-ups without a word.

Once he finished, I handed the small bag of chips and sat down when he moved to do the same. At least lately, he sat closer to the bars where I could enjoy his features easily. He was going against his instincts to trust me like he did when we were young. Life did that to him. It hurt having to gain his trust again, but I didn’t show it; I wanted him to take his time, if that was what he needed.

Maybe it was because I knew I wouldn’t be seeing him every day much longer that I blurted, “It won’t be long until I have to go back.”

He looked at me; his eyes weren’t as cold as when I first saw him, but they were just as bleak. “Do you like it there?”

I felt my eyes grow wide at his question when he had never taken an interest in anything outside of his cell. “It’s a lot better than here. We can use our powers and talk freely with anyone. There are a lot more people now, and so many different abilities.” I stopped for a moment to gather my thoughts, trying to sell him the idea that it wasn’t as bad as he remembered. “It’s not like when we were kids.”

He nodded, his eyes far away, ready to clock out from the conversation. “How was it for you?” I asked, in a weak attempt to keep him engaged.

He focused back on me and shrugged. “I kept looking over my shoulder wherever I went and kept everyone at an arm’s length.” I pressed my lips together, seeing the storm in his eyes, remembering the freedom he had. “And even that was better than being a lab rat.”

“It’s not like that anymore,” I whispered, my eyes finding the floor in front of me.

I couldn’t believe the chuckle that came from him. “So you don’t do lab works everyday?” I shook my head. The corner of his mouth lifted without a shred of amusement. “No evaluations or questionnaires?” I swallowed dryly, unable to take my eyes from him. “From 1 to 10, how are you feeling today?” He asked in a mocking tone. The phrase he was quoting was one of the questions we were asked every single day, before the plethora of questions that followed it.  From the place that did all sorts of tests every day on children and adults alike.

“They are trying to help,” I murmured, my fists white on top of my lap. He scoffed and looked away. “They went the wrong way about it before, but now, they are truly making the effort to cure us.”

He pursed his lips while nodding, but didn’t comment. “The death rate has gone down,” I told him, but he no longer was interested in what I had to say, so we sat there as if miles away from each other as silence settled between us.

“How did it feel?” I asked. “Using your power without the cuffs?”

For the longest time, he remained quiet. “Heavy. Painful. Confusing. Tiring. A different kind of tiring when you use them with the cuffs,” he said, flexing his fingers. “I tried not using it, but sometimes it got the best of me, and when it did, I couldn’t control it. Those were the worst days. Like I was beaten, drowned and flailed all at the same time, for hours on end. Lasting for days, sometimes even weeks.”

I sucked in a breath. Anyone brought to the island with abilities was given cuffs, no matter how weak or strong, and they were never removed. Not unless they died.

“Did it get better?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I just got used to it.”

Silence settled between us for a moment.

“Do you ever see yourself joining me in the village?” I asked. He pinned me with a glare, and I realised that all the anger he had before was still there, just under the surface, simmering. “Even if it was your way out of here?”

He didn’t reply, but I could tell he wasn’t planning on leaving any time soon.

“Mari and I came up with a plan,” I said. “It’s still in the works, and there’s a lot we need to work out, and we could use your help.”

“If it’s not like it was before, why do you want to escape? Aren't you happy with your friends?”

It was a low blow. He knew exactly why I wanted to escape, and it didn’t have anything to do with the people here. I wanted to shake him out of his stupor, to slap him awake and get him to move, react, anything. But my words no longer had weight on his actions, and without waiting for my reply, he stood up and walked to the spot he liked to sit at, which gave him a good view of the sky outside. “You should leave. A guard is coming up.”

Of all the excuses he could have used to get me to leave, this was the most ludicrous. “Please hear me out, Hazuki,” I said, standing up. “If you see how things are running now, you will see it’s very different from before.”

He looked towards my direction, but as his mouth opened, telling me to leave, I felt someone staring to my left.