Tadashi's Alive

Chapter 5:

As Tadashi walked to the mess hall, he could hear many people talking, and some laughing. He turned the corner and found almost everyone there. Some stopped eating and looked at Tadashi, but didn't say anything. Apparently, everyone knew about what happened earlier.

Tadashi pretended not to see them and sat down where he usually sat, besides Jo. He stuffed his plate with food and started shoveling it into his mouth.

"I'm starving," Tadashi commented, and almost everyone nodded in agreement. Except for Jo. She was messing with her food and staring off into space.

"She gets like this when she's thinking. Don't worry you'll get used to it," Tadashi heard Zach mention, and just nodded in reply. Tadashi finished into his food but kept glancing at Jo, who was still staring into nowhere.

The bell rang, symbolizing dinner was over, and everyone headed to their workspace, or go to their cots, and sleep. Tadashi saw Jo get up fast, and make her way to their workspace. Tadashi put his dish in the tub by the door and followed Jo. When Tadashi found his way to his workspace, he heard some shuffling of paper and a tool that fell to the ground. He then heard glass crash to the floor, and with that, he ran inside.

"What's going on?" Tadashi asked as he saw Jo rushing around. 'It looks like she is trying to find something,' Tadashi thought.

"Please don't let this assumption be true. Please, please, please," Jo murmured. Tadashi went over to her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Jo, what are you doing? What's happened?" Tadashi asked, a little worried.

She looked straight up into Tadashi's eyes and said, "I have to find it."

"Find what exactly?" He asked and still wouldn't let her go.

"The blueprints. My blueprints," she said, and her eyes dart everywhere. With that, Tadashi grabbed the side of her face, with both his hands and made her look at him.

"You have to tell me more, Jo. Or I can't help you," he said and Jo just looks at him and nods.

"That stick thing, Bram was carrying. I could have sworn I made blueprints for it a year ago. I always saw it, but never knew what it did. When he used it on you, I knew. I knew somehow, he stole my blueprints, but I have to find them to make sure. If he did, I don't know what else he took. He could have taken blueprints that go back from when I first came here. Kane and I, we made so many, trying to find ways to escpae this place," she said and I see her eyes start to water.

"Wait who's Kane, again?" Tadashi asked forgetting.

Jo looked back up to him, and a tear fell. "My brother. We made so many blueprints to try and get out of here, but we never could. He died trying," Jo says and more tears fall. Tadashi wiped them with his thumb. Jo looked at him with a worried look. "I need you to do a favor for me. Please?" She asked.

Tadashi nodded. "What's the favor?" He asked. Jo wiggled herself out of his hands and grabbed an arm full of blue papers. She dropped them into an empty barrel, then handed a lighter to Tadashi.

"Burn them, please," Jo said and grabbed Tadashi's hand, putting the lighter in his palm. Tadashi looked from Jo to the barrel then understood, why she wanted to burn them. 'She doesn't want Bram getting any more of her blueprints,' Tadashi thought and wrapped his fingers over the lighter. He walked over to the barrier and lit the lighter. He saw the top blueprint and saw two names in the top left corner. He looked closer, and it read 'Kane & Jo.' He looked back to Jo, and she had her back turned back to him.

Tadashi dropped the lighter into the barrel and the papers lit on fire. He felt Jo standing behind him and he turned.

"Thank you, Tadashi. I could never had done it, but it had to be done," she said. Tadashi saw something in her eyes, and it looked like pain. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her small frame. He could feel she was surprised, but she wrapped her arms around him too. They stayed like that for a little bit longer, then they let go. 

"I know that wasn't easy, especially because you did them with your brother," he said, hi shands on her shoulders. She nodded and took a shaky breath. 

They walked back to the sleeping quarters together and got ready for bed. Tadashi fell asleep that night feeling happy, along with Jo. They both slept peacefully, especially after what had happened earlier.