A Different Path

Chapter Nine - A History Repeated

"He knows exactly what he's doing, Thomas, that's the problem. When the real him is back, he remembers all of it, and he regrets those outbursts more than anything... He can't take-" Both the boy's eyes shot towards the door as they heard a knock on the glass window pane. Thomas saw the silhouette of a girl through the blinds they had pulled down earlier, hoping for a bit more privacy. The boys didn't make a sound, hoping she would go away, but the girl knocked again.

"Guys, could you put the blinds up for a bit? I don't want to accidentally break them if I open the door." Realising it was just Sonya, Thomas let out a relieved sigh. He stood up, jogged to the entrance of the restaurant, and pulled up the blinds. Sonya looked a bit awkward, so Thomas decided to open the door for her.

"Come in, my lady." He then bowed, desperately hoping he wasn't making things worse. Luckily, the awkwardness disappeared from Sonya's face and it was replaced by a smile.

"Why, thank you, my good sir." She left out the 'r' in the last word, seemingly sounding a lot more British than she had hoped for. "O crap. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, don't worry," Thomas said despite the massive knot in his stomach. "So uh, are you still coming in?" Sonya nodded with a faint smile. The awkwardness had very much returned.

"So, let's be quick about this." Minho turned his chair around, grabbed hold of the backrest, and turned to Sonya. "Whose side are you on?" Thomas felt his heart drop.

"Minho! You can't say that!" he uttered.

"Why not? She stayed out there with those weirdos when we left." Thomas had no clue where Minho's sudden hostility had come from, but he didn't like it for one bit.

"So, I'll ask you one more time," the Asian boy continued, "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side," Sonya confidently stated.

"What?" the boys asked simultaneously.

"I'm on nobody's side, because nobody is on my side," Sonya repeated, after which she laughed. "It's something I've read once, though I can't remember where or when."

"Good that. As long as your not on their side, it's fine with me." Minho scraped his throat and smirked. "Now, whereto do we owe the pleasure that is your presence?" Thomas noticed the familiar mischievous twinkle in Minho's eyes, and he felt like a weight had been lifted off of him.

"I wasn't expecting such eloquence from you, master Minho," he teased.

"Well, that's both you and me, master Thomas." Sonya giggled, and soon the three of them were all loudly laughing.

After the short moment of joy had passed, Thomas couldn't help but wonder what had happened after he and Minho had left.

"So, uh, did they, uh," he stumbled insecurely. "Did they tell you why they...?"

"Why they wouldn't have it?" Thomas wanted to thank Sonya a thousand times for finishing his sloppy sentence. "They told me, but it was a bit weird, and I still don't really know what to think of it."

"It's Teresa and Aris we're talking about here, how can it be not-weird?" Minho mocked. Sonya smiled faintly, but it was very clear to Thomas that she was worried.

"It's okay if you want to keep it to yourself," he said gently. Sonya shook her head in response.

"No, I think you should know." She paused, frowning in thought. "Again, I'm not choosing sides just yet, and I don't even know if I ever will. Anyway, to make a long story short, they think you're planning to take the supplies and leave this place." Thomas felt like somebody had punched him hard in the stomach; right under the ribs, where it hurts most.