Ares is… tall, like huge. That's my first impression of him. Larger than life.
It's like he fills my entire camp of vision, his frame making everything around him dull and hazy.
His straight, layered bluish black hair reaches just above his shoulders giving him a debonair look.
His features are hidden under a black jacket like mine, t-shirt, black pants that wrap around his big thighs like silk and heavy knee high combat boots.
At his side, an equally massive black wolf looks at Sinuhe curiously. It must be Nyeth, she's muzzled too.
Something catches my attention, a white streak similar to Sinuhe's cuts through one of her white eyes, the left one.
"Alexandra, my darling, even hidden like this, you're still so enchanting. It is outrageous to hide you like this, but what can we do?" Says the man side by side with Ares, his remark breaks my internal musings, giving me a slimy and icky feeling so bad I almost recoil.
He has greenish-yellow eyes that somehow look like fresh dropping, and short dark brown hair. He wears a black pristine overcoat and has a thin bulk.
"I'm Dragon, you will be in my direct care from now on." He says to me but he's not looking at my face.
Disgusting.
Sinuhe growls low.
'Soon, I promise. We can't afford to stay here.' I send to him.
He stops but is still focused on Dragon, as if any movement and he will immediately attack.
I can only bid my time.
Waiting.
***
I imagined that the Sororities were disgusting places, with monstrous people, with the sky always cloudy and gloomy, the air exhaled with blood, everything macabrely and putrid.
Like a nightmare that never ends.
I am completely wrong. Which actually throws me off a little after being tortured, tested and prodded for so long.
When we left the hall, we come across a dense bright green forest, with a narrow path in the center. The trees are high and the vegetation lush and abundant, with some specks of color here and there. It's indeed a breath of fresh air after the recycled waste we have been fed all this time. The gravel and soft soil under my feet gives me a strange sensation, like I'm walking on a dream.
We walk for about five minutes on this trail.
Nobody exchanges a single word. Dragon in front, the guards all around in full alert and Ares walking behind me. I feel the weight of his stare like a physical sensation.
Niethyw constantly brushes her soft black hair against my leg. She's walking on my other side, like Sinuhe. I don't know why she's not with her owner but I don't make any move to stop her.
'I feel something strange when I'm around Niethyw' Sinuhe says in my mind.
'I feel the same way, it's very strange, do you have any theories?' I reply.
He just grunts.
'I know it's not a bad thing, and my instincts tell me absolutely nothing.'
This is very strange.
We finally arrive.
The Sororities are a collection of sinuous and magnificent modern-style small mansions.
There are thirteen in total.
On the left side there are six and seven on the right.
All side by side with just a small patch in between covered by trees and flowers. Maybe they wanted to maximize space.
The day is beautiful, the sun rays flood the windows, the birds sing, and the clear white clouds cover the sky. The leafy trees bear fruit and beautiful flowers.
Totally different from what I thought. The ground is all compact earth, and must be annoying when it rains.
It's all deserted though. But it doesn't feel abandoned.
We continue towards the last republic on the right.
We stopped in front of the door. The windows are open and the curtains sway in the breeze but there's no movement inside. The porch is bare, there's no sofa, no chair, nothing. Not even dust.
The guards disappear, each going quickly in different directions until they are out of sight.
Sinuhe hides behind my legs.
Niethyw does the same with Ares.
We're so close that his arm brushes against mine, and I can hear her breathing behind the mask. An electrical current makes my eyes go wide when we touch. I suddenly feel breathless and my heartbeat goes wild. I can hear him take a sharp inhale and move father a little, like he was scorched.
Goosebumps rise on my arms, blood rushing on my ears until I can't hear anything more, just forcing myself to look forwards, like nothing happened.
Like the ground didn't just shift under my feet. Like my heart isn't pounding so loud I fear Dragon will hear and ask about it.
I look up, a large emblem with the number thirteen is held up by a metal plate.
Dragon opens the door.
***
Sunlight radiates from the glass windows painting the wooden floors in a lighter shade.
The furniture inside is sparse but somewhat cozy. Just a big fluffy caramel sofa, a small glass table, but no TV. There's a window seat on the other side, with three book stuffed high shelves nearby. There's a small hallway that leads to the kitchen or dinner room I suppose, and a set of wooden stairs with a simple and elegant design leading to the mezzanine.
From the living room I can see at leat a dozen doors but they are all closed.
"Good morning, these are your new roommates. Ares and Alexandra Lobaczewski. I hope you all welcome them." Dragon says loudly looking up.
Ares turns to me, he obviously doesn't understand anything.
I just shrug.
Dragon leaves, and closes the door behind us. Without saying anything more. We just stand there.
I'm a little dumbfounded… and let down? I thought there would be… something. Not… this. Whatever this is.
There's movement upstairs and we both look up at the same time. One of the doors cracks and five people come down together.
I recognize one of them.
It's Vincent.
He comes down faster when he sees me.
"Alex?" He asks unsure.
I nod slightly.
"What did you do with your hair?"
That's not quite what I expected to hear.
A 'what did they do to you?' or 'are you okay?' would be nice.
Involuntarily I bring my hand to my short locks.
"I needed to change."
Vinccentt comes towards me and grabs me in a bear hug.
"I was worried about you!" He whispers.
Sinuhe makes a strange sound in his throat.
"Ha, Ally will be jealous." Says a brunette girl behind the other four people.
It's Tannisha.
Vincentt finally lets me go.
"I'm glad you're okay." Says Tannisha.
I don't know if she's being sincere.
"Alright, let's start with the introductions." Says Vincent.
He looks happy here.
Strange.
This is all throwing me off so badly I start questioning if I actually saw all those of his friends dead and the others bound. Was I hallucinating or is this another ploy?
I'm so speechless I just let him talk.
A happy rebel in enemy installations.
Very strange.
But maybe he's just pretending.
"Viktor Buckheiseiin."
A boy with light blonde hair similar to Sammy's, light brown eyes, and snow white skin.
He's gives a small step forward and nods, his ripped jeans look neglected, and his green v-neck blouse makes his body look frail. He's too thin.
"Noam Rutherford."
Brownish blonde hair, vibrant dark gray eyes, slim and subtle build. He smiles and says hello. I nod back.
"Conrad Rosenkreutz."
Brown hair, bright black eyes, slender and all proper posture, he gives a short bow greets me but doesn't smile.
"Matt Rutherford."
Light copper hair, albino, extremely light blue eyes that seem a little unfocused. His clothes are all loose. He gives a big silly grin.
A group of girls come down too, each prettier than the last.
"Dahlia Iglesias." Vincentt continues.
Dark blonde, long wavy hair, dark brown eyes, lightly tanned, purple dress down to the knee looking like a textbook prom queen.
I think I'm in the wrong place, this looks more like the set of some Hollywood high school movie.
"Elisabeth Bruhessen and Clare Bruhessen."
Twins.
Straight brown hair down to their waists, light pink eyes, clear wheat colored skin with a pink flush in their cheeks, matching embroidered heavy dresses, one baby yellow and the other pale jade. They have a… face that doesn't look from this timeline. I can't describe it exactly but it's like looking at those Victorian paintings. Their old looking outfits don't help with this perception too, principally since everyone else is using outfits oscillating between rebel teen and second generation heir.
"Cassandra Katterfelto at last."
Cold and proud expression like someone owes her a million.
Big brown eyes, thin small face, short blonde hair with purple highlights.
Slim fit body displayed in a short and tight pink dress. Can she walk without flashing her bottom?
"Tannisha and I don't need to introduce ourselves." Says Vinccentt.
"But I'm not from here, I'm from the tenth." Adds Tannisha.
I notice nobody else has fits like mine and Ares, or damn masks. Is this to oust us or something else?
"Which republic is Ally in?" I ask.
For some reason I feel like she is the only one who will give me an honest response to all the questions running though my mind.
"First one on the left. There's a big number one on top." Tannisha answers.
Vincentt tries to say something but I'm already turning around.
The door is locked.
Not for long.
"It's no use, the lock is super-resistant." Says someone behind me.
Why are they locking us inside?
I force the door.
The latch breaks and the door opens.
It wasn't that resistant.
I run to the first republic.
The door is also locked.
Just a little pressure and it gives in.
The configuration is the same as the place I just came from.
Ally is sitting near a window in the back of the room.
Many boys and girls sit around on the ground and on the sofa like they are playing a game.
Amanda, she's one of the girls. She was caught because of me.
They don't even notice me when I walk past them.
Sinuhe barks behind me.
But because the muzzle was tight, it came out more like a squeaky sound.
Ally turns around, her face in stupor, as if she's not really seeing me. She doesn't seem to have suffered much, her hair and lolita clothes just like before.
"Alex? Is it you?"
I hum.
I get closer and sit next to her.
No one seemed to have noticed my presence, neither the wide-open door nor the four-foot-tall white wolf. They keep playing. It's almost eerie if they weren't so noisy. Are they pretending?
"I'll get straight to the point, why does everyone seem to like it here?" My voice is low.
Ally looks deep into my eyes. Her lashes trembling.
I see a dark room, with her almost naked and chained to the floor. It's a room just like the one I stayed in, all white but gloomy.
"They threatened us" She whispers in the ground and turns to look at me, multiple marks on her body still healing.
I don't need to ask any more about this. My heart drops.
"They torture us, then threaten us to make us lenient, as if everything was fine."
But it isn't.
They are sick. And I feel sick too.
I try to dispel the cloud of thoughts that burns in my mind.
The vision ends.
"So, you're with Vincent?" I try to change the subject.
She blushes and look away.
"I think so." She whispers.
"How long has it been?"
"Two months."
Two months?
It can't have been that long. How much time have passed?
Is it all a pretense to make it seem they are cooperating?
"How long has it been since you last saw me?" I ask.
"Three months."
My eyes go wide.
Three months?
Sammy, what could have happened to her?
Would she have arrived safely?
Her gaze wanders distantly and aimlessly.
I hug my knees.
Anny approaches.
"Hey." She waves at me, her face friendly.
"Hi." I say.
"Will you follow me?" She asks quietly.
Ally and I look at each other.
Is there any possibility of saying no?