| Part I | Part II |
I believe that I am correct in thinking that it is a well known fact that people by nature, are curious.
Curiosity has fueled many of the greatest inventions of time, such things being electricity, or the wheel.
Of course, it does not take anything, no great genius, to be curious. In fact, thanks to modern technology, everyone who becomes curious is able to fuel that curiosity, have it satisfied, in mere seconds.
Back in middle school, I remember being curious about something. I was curious to see how many variations there were of the word confusion. As it turned out, there were many.
I won’t bore you with all of the variations there were, since if you are curious, you could simply look it up yourself. However, I will share a particular one that I liked.
My favorite variation, or synonym for the word “confused” was disoriented. By definition, being disoriented, means that a person is thoroughly confused as to a time or place.
They are out of touch with their surroundings. They have lost their sense of direction, they are unable to think clearly, their surroundings creating mixed feelings, emotions, thoughts.
Oddly, all of this was going through my head as my brain tried to register the words that I had just heard.
“Ah, Mr Shillings. We’ve been expecting you.”
Disoriented, my eyes slowly opened.
I winced, as harsh, white light shone down on me. It only took a moment for my eyes to adjust, and when they did, my throat dropped into my stomach.
Standing above me, was a man.
Despite my disoriented state, I tried to quickly take him in.
He looked old, with white, receding hair and a white, neat beard. He was wearing all white, to his button up shirt, to his pants, his coat, to even his tie. He was staring at me, a small smile on his face, trying to gauge my reaction as I could hear other people bustling around behind me. What the actual fuck was happening?
Stay calm, I told myself. You’re not in danger. If they wanted to kill you, they would have by now. I tried to reason. The man was still staring at me, and I was too afraid to break eye contact with him, too afraid to look around. From what I could see out of my peripheral vision, the room was stark white, and filled with what looked like hospital equipment. The man was still staring at me. Maybe he wouldn’t speak until I would?
“Y-You’ve been expecting me?” I asked, trying to keep the fear, the apprehension out of my voice. The man smiled wider, reaching next to him for something. A clipboard.
“Oh yes! We’ve been expecting you for a while. I know you must have quite a few questions, but don’t worry! All of them will be answered in due time.” He said, giving a small laugh. I was beyond unnerved, His laugh was too high, too long for it to seem natural. I desperately wanted him to stop smiling.
I finally worked up the courage to advert my eyes, to try and take in my surroundings. It did look like a hospital room, but the equipment was different, unlike anything I had ever seen. What looked like nurses were milling about with clipboards, all dressed in white. Everything in the room was white, which is why it caught me off guard when my eyes fell onto the blood red door on the far side of the room.
The same door that Avery and I had just come through.
Avery. Avery. Avery.
Avery wasn’t in the room.
I bolted upright, relieved to find I wasn’t tied down, which honestly was a thought that crossed my mind. I looked around once, twice, and a third time. Avery wasn’t in here.
I looked at the man, for the first time since my arrival here, feeling angry. “Where’s Avery?” I demanded, my voice stronger than it had been a minute ago. The man simply looked at me, that creepy fucking smile still plastered on his face. “Mr Anderson is quite fine. However I will ask that you don’t make sudden movements, you will disrupt your healing process.”
Healing process?
Shit. How could I have forgotten?
I looked down, lifting my bloodstained shirt up, the shake in my hands noticeable. How was this possible? The spot where I had been- well, impaled, showed nothing except a long scar. I ran my fingers over it gently, the indent noticeable, but nothing else. I looked up quickly, to which the man put his hand up. “Questions will be answered. How about we take a walk?”
Take a walk? Was he serious? A small, nagging voice in my head told me that it probably wasn’t the best idea to refuse him, especially since he made it sound like it wasn’t really a question where my answer mattered, but I didn’t care. “No.” I said forcefully, renewed confidence flowing through me.” I want. To see. Avery.” I said, my voice slow and measured, laced with anger, with stubbornness. For the first time since I had seen him, the man’s smile flickered, annoyance and impatience crossing his face.
Clipboard still in hand, he started to cross to the other side of the room, where a keypad was attached to the wall. The wall was entirely made up of those clouded glass panes, the ones they put on houses for privacy.
I slowly pushed myself off the bed, following him, trying not to look at the other people in the room. The man stood in front of it, slowly putting in a password. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get closer. Was he going to let me see Avery? Or was this some kind of a prison cell to throw me into for not doing what he asked? The man’s back was turned, and that’s when I saw something on a table. It was Avery’s gun, the one he used to kill the Lost Ones.
Now of course, it was only a regular gun.
I made a decision quickly, silently reaching out and taking it, stuffing it into the back waistband of my jeans, before quickly hurrying over to where the man was, praying he didn’t notice anything, or the nurses. A few seconds passed, and no one said anything, no sirens sounded. I breathed a silent sigh of relief.
As the man finished putting in the password, the clouded glass started to get clearer.
The man silently moved to the side to let me see.
I slowly walked forward, and had just reached the glass as it finally became clear, and I could see into it. My voice seemed stuck in my throat.
It was a dark room, smaller than the one we were in, with more of the equipment that I didn’t recognize. The room was bare of furniture besides a bed, which was being occupied by Avery.
His eyes were closed, a mask covering, and attached his mouth that was attached to one of the machines next to him. One of his ankles was bandaged, from where the Lost Ones had got him. He wasn’t moving.
My brain didn’t want to accept what I was seeing. It was refusing to deal with the wave of emotions that had started to rise up, invading my thoughts. “I-Is he..” I choked out, my eyes not leaving him.
“He is fine.” The man said. Turning to face him, I saw that he was still smiling. I wanted to hit him. “He is sleeping. I would be more than happy to explain things to you. Would you care to take a walk?” He asked, his smile unwavering.
I didn’t trust him. I didn’t trust whatever this place was, whoever was here. The only person that I trusted right now was Avery, but I couldn’t get to him. I’d have to fix that.
You just have to be patient. I told myself. Wait for the right opportunity. Then you can get him and find a way out of here. I made a decision. I’d have to play along for a little bit. Looking at the man, I plastered on a smile to match his.
“I’d love to.” I said, smiling. The man beamed.
I had never been good in pressured situations. Or lying, for that matter.
However, it was the thought of Avery lying motionless in that bed that allowed me to fall into step next to the man, to smile like everything was normal. It was the sight of Avery lying in the bed that made my nerves settle enough for me to pay attention to potential exits as we walked, trying to draw a mental map of the place. After all he had done for me, I owed it to him to find a way to get us out of this here.
“So, I imagine you have a few questions!” The man said, leading us out of the room and down a long, narrow hallway. I tried to not wince with each step because of my stomach, but it was a hell of a lot better than the alternative. “You could say that.” I replied. The man chuckled. “I’ll try to answer your questions to the best of my ability. What would you like to know first?” I was trying to focus on finding a way out of here, but I also had questions. So many questions.
I took a breath. “What did you mean, when you said that you had been expecting me? Where even am I?” I asked, the words tumbling out of my mouth. We turned right, around a corner.
“Well, I’ll try to keep it simple. The fact of the matter is, Theodore, is that you have what it takes to be a Matchmaker.” he said, a small smile resting on his face as he glanced at me. Internally, I froze, however I tried to keep my feet moving. What?
“W-What are you talking about?” I asked, bewildered.
“Again, I’ll try to keep it simple, but keep in mind the real answer is quite complex.” The man said as we turned another corner. Left.
“Each citizen born within city grounds has the ability to carry a gene, one of the ones needed for the.. ability to possess the powers needed for a Matchmaker. Sometimes, people don’t exhibit the abilities when they are born, or at all, even if they have the gene that carries the ability. It is because of that, that citizens are required to have bloodwork done, so that we can know who is carrying the gene.” He said, his voice starting to sound flat. Monotone.
“We use the bloodwork to identify the people, so that later we can seek them out, and begin training them to unlock the potential given to them. These people serve as the Matchmakers, the leaders of the city.” He said, this time giving me a meaningful glance.
“We were planning to seek you out after realizing that you carried this gene. However, we hit a little snag when you broke one of the rules, and most unfortunately got transported to Below.” He said with a small sigh, but still smiling.
“Luckily, you seemed to manage just fine! Not without a few bumps along the way of course.” He said with a laugh, motioning to my stomach. A sickening sense of unease was starting to wash over me. Something wasn’t right with the way that he was talking, the way he was laughing, the fact that he wouldn’t stop fucking smiling.
“So you know what happens to the people you throw in there? The people that get down there by accident?” I asked, trying to sound innocent, but I couldn’t help the anger that was sneaking into my voice. Luckily for me however, the man didn’t seem to notice.
“Well, of course. The people that we put down there are a danger to our society. They are risks, and here, we don’t take risks. Any citizen that doesn’t follow the rules provided in my own opinion, is just as bad as people that get put there. We have rules in place for a reason. To protect the citizens. They are not for laughs, or for fun. Anyone who does not take that seriously has no place in our community.” He said with a smile.
I would have given anything right then, to have hit him as hard as I could.
I needed to change the subject. I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me, not when so much was at risk. We took another right turn. It was this turn that made me realize that I hadn’t seen another person anywhere since we left the room that we were in. I just added it to the growing list of reasons I needed to get me and Avery out of here. “How did you heal me?” I asked quietly.
“State of the art technology!” The man said loudly, his words echoing off the walls, startling me slightly. The fuck?
“We have perfected almost all things, including health and safety. Our state of the art technology allows for healing and recovery unmatched by anyone else! Injuries such as yours can be healed completely in a matter of hours!” He said, his smile growing even wider then it had been before. It sounded like he was reading from a pamphlet.
We turned another corner, this time to face a dead end, where we were greeted by a handsome set of mahogany doors. I opened my mouth to ask another question, but the man held his hand up. “Unfortunately, I can not provide you with any more information. You are to wait here until a Matchmaker comes to start with you on your training, and give you a more detailed explanation.” He said, moving to push the door open. My mind spun, panic seizing my throat.
“Wait, what? I haven’t agreed to anything! My parents will be looking for me, and my friends- they’ll notice I’m gone..” I said, my words trailing off as the man shook his head, smiling.
“No need to worry. Your family and friend’s memories will be modified. Of course however, the choice to become a Matchmaker is up to you. It is, of course, the highest honor. You will have everything you have ever desired, dreamed about. Your life will be perfect.” He said.
I won’t pretend that I didn’t think about it, and I’m ashamed to admit that I considered it, even for a second. A perfect life, everything taken care of for me? The ability to set people up with love, set them up with happiness? A perfect life?
I paused, something rising up, blocking these intruding thoughts. “What about Avery?” I asked softly.
The man smiled, shaking his head. “He is no longer your concern.”
I thought of Avery. I thought of the mask over his mouth, his unmoving body.
I thought of his smile, his laugh. The way he held me, protected me. The warmth that filled me whenever he touched me, the way he looked at me when he thought I didn’t notice. He had the chance to leave me behind, to leave me to the Lost Ones. He could have let me drown, let me fend for myself. The door was right in front of me. Once I went in that room, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything ever again.
A wave of certainty slowly washed over me. Avery’s gun felt heavy in my waistband. The man looked at me, a smile still plastered on his face.
I could hear my heartbeat thundering in my ears.
“Go to hell.” I said softly.
A flicker of confusion passed over the man’s face. “Sorry?”
I reached behind me, my hand closing around the handle as I pulled it out, clicking the safety off as I leveled it at the man. For the first time since I saw him, the man’s smile fell. “I said. Go. To. Hell.” I snarled, my finger closing around the trigger. Somewhere in my head, before I even pulled out the gun, I knew there wouldn’t be any blood.
I was correct.
Sparks flew as the man stumbled back against the wall, smoke starting to come out of the place in his chest where I had shot him, wires of all colors visible through the hole, the man’s eyes open with shock, and unblinking as he slid to the floor, his head jerking a few times before he lay, unmoving.
A second later, sirens began to sound as the lights everywhere turned red. I turned, and started to run.
My mind was reeling as I desperately tried to remember which way we came, all other thoughts being pushed aside. I didn’t know how many bullets were left in the gun, and I didn’t stop to check. Left. Right.
Straight down this hallway. Another left?
I was sprinting as fast as I could, my sneakers squeaking against the white tile floors. Above me, the noise was thunderous, and sounded like people were running. I tried to run faster. Avery. I thought to myself. You have to get to Avery.
I turned left again and knew I had gone the right way. I burst into the room I had come from, the room now empty, no nurses, or anyone in sight. I ran towards the glass wall, where Avery lay on the other side.
“I’m coming.” I said softly, knowing that he couldn’t hear me.
I put the gun down, not wanting to waste any bullets. I grabbed a chair, adrenaline coursing through me as I swung it at the wall, again, and again, cracks forming each time I hit it. Each hit was fueled by emotions I had pushed down. This is for the lies, I thought as I swung. This is for the pain. I swung. I paused, panting. This is for Avery.
I took a final swing, the glass shattering around me.
Throwing the chair away, I ran over the broken glass, to Avery.
With shaking hands, I took off the mask, throwing it to the side. I put my hand to his face, my entire body shaking. “Wake up. Come on, wake up.” I whispered, shaking his shoulders lightly. “Avery, please. Please wake up.” I whispered, feeling a sob starting to creep up in my throat.
“Y-you can’t leave me.” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I need you, Avery. Please. Please wake up.”
Tears started to cloud my vision, which is why I thought the flutter of his eyelids was my mind playing tricks, showing me what I wanted to see.
“Theo?”
My body froze, my breath still. His eyes opened slowly, and it wasn’t until I saw the dark, navy blue of them that I allowed myself to breathe, a short, relieved breath escaping out of me.
I couldn’t let myself go through what I was feeling right now, there was no time. “Avery, I need you to listen to me. You need to get up. Can you get up?” I asked quickly, my eyes glancing over him.
“I-I think so? Theo, what is goi-“
“Do you trust me?” I asked suddenly, the irony not being lost on me. Avery didn’t hesitate before he nodded. “Then please, questions later. We need to go.” Avery gave me a quick, searching look, before nodding again.
I took his hand, helping him out of the bed, and noticing his wince once he put pressure on his foot. “I’m fine.” He said, noticing my look. “Lead the way.” He said softly. It was then, I realized that I had his full, unwavering trust. I felt a surge of admiration for him.
I nodded, walking a few paces and picking up the gun that I had set down. I noticed Avery was limping on his injured foot. Without a word, I crossed over to him, sliding an arm under his so that he could put some of his weight on me. “Thanks.” He said quietly. I nodded. “Of course.”
The sirens didn’t stop as we pushed our way out the door. Muffled yells and voices were coming from behind us. “We have to hurry.” I said, Avery picking up on the unease in my voice, and tried to walk as fast as he could on his foot. “Is there an exit?” He said, wincing as we half ran down the halls. “There is, I think I saw one around here.” I said looking around, and to my relief saw one of those glowing red signs for an emergency exit at the end of the hallway we were in.
“There. Come on.” I said, hearing the voices get louder. We were only a few hundred feet away. We could make it. We could make it.
Loud cracks suddenly filled the air as I realized the people behind us were starting to shoot, bullets ricocheting off the walls. I had a feeling that as soon as we got to the exit, they wouldn’t be able to follow.
We ducked our heads as we tried to zigzag down the hall. Fleetingly, I turned my head to look at the people who were shooting. I wanted to look away instantly. I wasn’t sure if you could call them people. They were in all black, their limbs too long, too thin. Masks and helmets covering each one’s head.
Another crack sounded, and I felt Avery slip out from under me as he screamed. It only took me a second to realize what happened. “Avery.. AVERY NO!” I yelled, turning around to see five people in all black coming towards us, and more far behind them. I held up the gun, praying that there were enough bullets as I fired off rounds, watching the same sparks appear as they did with the old man. Avery was on the ground, clutching his leg and groaning. I tried to pull the trigger again, but the gun clicked empty. Fuck.
Avery heard the gun click empty. “Theo- g-go. There’s too many. The door is right there. Just go. I can’t move.” He said groaning, his hands painted red with blood. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. No. No.
“In your own words, Avery, fuck that. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving you here.” I said forcefully. Despite the pain, I could have sworn I saw a flicker of a smile on Avery’s face. “Give me your arm.” I said hurriedly, glancing up, seeing more of those things start to turn the corner.
Panic seized me as I grabbed Avery’s arm as I started to pull him towards the door. Only a few feet away. We could make it. More of the things in black were now jumping over the bodies of the ones that I shot. I turned around, reaching for the door handle as the things raised their guns. With a final yank, I pulled Avery towards me just as I opened the door, pulling us both through as the door slammed closed.
I felt myself land hard on a rocky surface, but I wasn’t paying attention. My eyes were on the door, which now looked like a wooden board against a run down building.
A second passed. Then a few more. No one came out.
Looking around frantically, I spotted Avery on the ground next to me, looking like he was going to pass out, blood flowing freely from his leg. I scrambled towards him. “No no no.. Avery..” I said, my voice shaking as he looked up at me.
“Theo..” He started to say.
“No. No. Don’t talk. I’m going to get you help I-“
“Do you hear that?” He asked quietly, cutting me off. I paused, listening as I looked around. We were in what looked like an alley, the sounds of cars and people chattering filling my ears, the familiar scent of pizza due to the overabundance of pizza shops filling my nose. My breath caught in my throat.
We were home.
“Babe! Come on, we’re going to be late!” I yelled across the house as I started to button up my shirt, my finger lingering for half a second over the scar that ran across the middle of my stomach, before buttoning my shirt up over it.
I try not to think much about what happened five years ago. Some of the blanks I filled in for myself, but there were some questions that were best left unanswered.
“We are not going to be late, don’t be so dramatic.” A voice came from around the corner. I turned, smiling at the familiar sight of a tall figure with dark hair.
“Avery I swear, you try to make us late every time we go anywhere with my dad.” I said facing back towards the mirror, reaching for another button before I felt someone’s hands there instead.
Avery turned me towards him, starting to do my buttons up himself.
“That’s crazy. And even if I was, I would be justified in doing so. Your dad scares me.” He said with a small smile, his fingers brushing lightly against my skin as he continued to do up the buttons.
“That’s ridiculous, you’ve known him for five years.” I said, rolling my eyes to distract from the fact that even after five years, his touch still made my heartbeat feel like it was going to escape out of my chest.
“Still scary. Also, why do your parents have to fly down every year for your birthday?” He mumbled.
“Because, they couldn’t fathom the fact that we moved so far away. Also, I like seeing you get dressed up, which you only do if they’re around.” I say, a smile tugging on the corners of my lips. Avery paused for a moment, bringing his eyes up to meet mine. “Yeah?” He said quietly, smiling enough that I could see his dimples. I swallowed.
“Yeah.” I said back, smiling as he finished doing up my buttons. I put my arms around him. “I’ll remind you that our anniversary is next week, which is celebrated without any family members if it makes you feel better.” I said, my finger absentmindedly running over his shoulder.
“I’d still like to debate about when exactly our anniversary should be. Is it the day we got married? Or the day when you realized life was just a hollow shell unless you knew my heart was beating somewhere nearby?” He said with a teasing smile. I couldn’t help but match his smile as I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you want. Although that would make our anniversary the same day as my birthday. Which means we’d celebrate it with my parents.” I said, moving my hands up across his shoulders to his chest.
“Mm. Definitely not. I wouldn’t want to give you your anniversary present in front of your parents..” He said grinning. I smacked him lightly on the chest.
My hand slid into his hair, pulling him down for a kiss, holding it for a moment to let myself enjoy the familiar shot of warmth that came with it before pulling away. “Come on. We don’t want to be late.”
I can’t help but remember thinking at that moment, how perfectly beautiful life was, despite all that we had gone through.
In that moment, life was perfect.
Life was without issue.
--
Theodore? Aiden? .- -.-. .-. — -. -.– – ?