White Eyes

Chapter 12 - Study

— Ayra —

Lina and I had been talking for a while, and my concern about Eyder's delay grew. He had been missing for quite some time again, and something was definitely wrong. The only things keeping me calm were the fact that the city was large, and it was daytime. I didn't know what else to think to calm myself down.

I wasn't calm, but Lina, who probably picked up on the thoughts I was letting slip, calmly said, "Relax; he probably just got lost and took the wrong turn." I nodded in agreement. "Now, tell me, how do you use such a rich vocabulary when you've been imprisoned for so long?"

"I had lessons like grammar, geography, history, and even math."

"You did? But what did they gain from teaching you?"

"Apparently, a lot. They wanted to understand my ability as much as possible, so they taught me. I started studying when I got there, up to what would be called high school graduation."

"Why only 'up to'?"

"After my first escape, they stopped. I think they only taught me to read and write because there were experiments that required it."

"I see. But what about the other subjects?"

"All the subjects they taught me were necessary for specific experiments."

"Could they have stopped teaching you because they didn't need to train your ability anymore and just blamed your escape to make you feel guilty?"

"That's a possibility, but I remember hearing about a project that required a lot of education. But I wouldn't doubt what you said."

"That's incredible that you had classes in the dome."

"Isn't it? I didn't think it was possible," said a male voice from behind, breathing heavily in pauses.

"Eyder," Lina and I said simultaneously.

"I finally made it! We don't have time! Gather everyone; we need to get out of here. I'll tell you what happened on the way."

"Alright," we said in unison.

Soon, we all resumed our endless journey. Through Eyder's voice, I thought about how to improve the barrier, and I improved it in several ways. I made it as if we were completely invisible now. I just hoped it would work. As we walked side by side, I looked at him, trying to get him to talk. But he seemed too focused, so I would have to ask him directly.

"So, what happened there?" I finally asked.

He looked at me, as if having a bit of trouble returning to reality, and then said, "I forgot, sorry. I'll tell you everything. I went to inform the director that we were almost there so he could prepare transportation, as we are now 50. Up to that point, there was a normal number of SAHs. But I think having to use that darn payphone is partly what gave me away, but it's our only secure means of communication."

"But then, did the problem happen on the way back?"

"Exactly. While I was walking back here, I noticed that one of the SAH saw me and locked eyes with me. I was sure he knew, so I had to shake him off."

"You didn't get lost?" I recalled what Lina had told me.

"There was no way I could get lost; I have the entire city memorized. It's not the first or the last time I've done one of these rescues or other missions."

"I see."

"So, I had to take an alternate route..." He told me everything that happened, including how he finished watching a movie at the cinema just to blend in and all the chaos he caused. I loved the idea of the disguises.