Finding a home // Peter Ballard

001

I always hate being wake up by someone, as far as I remember I have never been a morning person. And now being wake up by loud knocks on the door will not soften my mood. I tried to open my eyes but the light was to bright, it was burning them. During several seconds, I blink them and hopefully I manage to adjust my vision. What I saw make me want to scream for help. I was in an unknown room, which was completely white, far different from my bedroom.

Panic overwhelmed me, my heart thudded in my chest, I found breathing difficult like I was choking on air, tears were forming in my eyes. I tried desperately to find a way to calm down, in vain. I grabbed my neck, tried to tear out my skin with my fingers, but suddenly the door opened letting someone came in. When I recognized him, I cried even harder, questions formed in my head like a storm. I just want to be home.

Seeing me in that incontrolable state, he shouts something to people outside of the room. Then, two guards came, followed by a woman with a needle who give it to him. They tried to held my arm to keep me in place, but I was fighting, kicking them, biting them; at that moment I was feeling like a wild animal.

"What are you going to do to me ?" I shouted to the person who I loved since I was born.

"You're just going to sleep peacefully." said the man, a needle in hand, coming near me.

"I just want to go home, dad." I cried, drained of every energy left.

I stopped to fight, letting the guards holding me hard enough to not move, as if I had the strength. My dad said, introducing the needle in my left arm, "But sweetheart you are already home". These were the last words I heard before drowning in a sleep without dream.

H

Ho

Hom

Home

I just want to come back home.

I wake up for the second time today, or maybe it is a different day but it doesn't really matter, I just want answers.

"Did you sleep well ? You were out for a couple of hours." I kind of jumped at the sound of his voice, not realizing that he was there.

"Dad..." I tried to articulate but my mouth was too dry.

"It's alright sweetheart, take some water." I took the water that he was giving me, drinking a little simp from it. When I confirmed that it was only water, I drank it all.

"Suspicious of me now, I see. You can trust me and I am doing what it is best for you and everyone."

"Liar. Why am I here ? Where is mom ? I want to go home." I panicked. He approached me, even if I didn't want him near me I let him hug me. I realized that I missed the comfort that he brings me. Seeing that I had calm down, he took a step back, putting an end of the first moment of peace since I was here.

"Starting today, you will live in my lab and we will train your powers. Don't worry you are not alone, there is also an another boy who is living here. Maybe you can become friend, don't you find it exciting you're first friend. I bring you here because your capacities became a little out of control sweetheart. I think you will prefer staying here than hurting your mother or me. Think about her, you will not bear the result of you injuring her."

"Maybe you're right, after all everything you do is for my own good, dad." I lied, not believing a thing of what he just said. He lost my thrust the moment he brought me in his lab.

"Perfect, and few things before I go, you are not know as y/n but as 000. You know it's more practical for the staff. You can't leave here because I want to protect you, the life outside is dangerous." he started to walk to the door but when he was about to leave, he turned around and says "Also, now you have to call me papa." these were his last words before he disappeared in the corridor.

"What a jerk !" I hissed. "My capacities became out of control and I can harm people" I mock him. "They should be thankful that I end their pitiful life." I said with sarcasm. "And what ! I am going to talk to him in French now. Merci papa de m'avoir sauver (thanks dad for saving me). He will wait because this day will never come".

After taking a long breath, I realized that there is an only good thing in this situation, and it is meeting someone. I never had any friends before, my parents always kept me home, I was never able to leave. I completely understand their reason, after all I have capacities that can become dangerous. Even for my studies, I had home school. The only thing that I know about the outside is from the tv, the books and the little garden we have at the back of our house. I wish that one day I will be able to travel the world and see all the things that I miss.

At the moment, I am not going outside and I think, not in a long time. But I have the opportunity to make a friend, a real one, so I am not going to push my luck right now. With this determination, I start to head to the corridor.

Everything was white, like my designate room. And there is a lot of doors and corridors, it looks like a maze. Just thinking about the fact that it will be really complicated to leave, make my head hurt. After a long time, I finally come in front of a door with a rainbow.

"That sound interesting, maybe I will find him here. I just hope that he is not a 5 years old kid, because me and kids are two separated universe." with a last breath, I opened the door. And I really didn't expect what I saw. It was really spacious room, full with toys but it wasn't the most fascinated thing in it. It was the young man who was drawing at one of the table. To my delight he looks one or two years older, he has blond hair and they look really soft, they make me want to touch them. I am mesmerized by his blue eyes, carrying anger and frustration. They look like an ocean a day of storm, when the waves crash on the rocks, trying desperately to be free by destroying everything in their way.

He suddenly stands up, breaking at the same time the eye contact but it doesn't stop my analyse. His skin looks really pale, it may been years since he saw the sun, now I feel really bad for him. I just been here for a few hours but it is enough for me, I can't anymore, I want to go out. He is not so muscular but I don't really mind. Also a thing really interesting about him is the power that radiated from his body. I feel it and it is pretty strong.

Finally I find someone like me.

I am not alone.

"Hi ? I'm y/n or 000 now." It took him several seconds to come to his senses and to speak.

"Hi, pleasure to finally meet you. I'm 001."