Chapter Three
"Faith, breakfast is ready!"
Forcing my tired eyes open I look around the room incredibly confused. This isn't my little room, and that certainly wasn't Mrs. Sturn's voice. Sitting up I see flattened boxes in the corner and my single bag sitting on the chair next to my desk. I try to put everything together in my head, but I honestly couldn't remember how I got here.
"Faith?" My head whips up in surprise and I see a petite woman with thick black, silky hair in my doorway.
"Oh, you are awake sweetie, I made pancakes, don't take too long dear or they will get cold!" She says before disappearing.
Climbing out of bed I go into my bathroom and look down at the grey granite countertop and slowly bits start coming back to me. That was Ruka in the doorway and she is married to Dax and they are my new foster parents. Walking into the kitchen I hop up onto one of the stools and dig into the warm fluffy pancakes in front of me.
"When do you want to go shopping dear?" Ruka asks taking a seat across from me with her own plate of pancakes. My brows scrunch together in confusion, shopping?
"Remember we have to go shopping for your uniform today and whatever else you may need," Ruka says.
Looking for a pen and paper I see one across the room and hop up and grab it. Quickly scrawling down that whenever it is fine with me, I hand it to Ruka and she smiles. We finish breakfast quietly and I wash the dishes while Ruka dries and puts them away.
"I would have done the dishes," she says as I hand her the last one. I just give a dismissive wave, it's the least I could do after she made me such a wonderful breakfast.
"Go change dear and we'll head out," she says, and I give her the okay symbol.
Walking back into my room I slide the door open to my closet and see all of the clothes that magically appeared and swipe them to the side. I don't understand why they didn't buy the uniforms when they bought everything else, but Ruka pegs me as the type who likes to shop so I am not surprised. Grabbing the black blouse and jeans that Nolan bought me I put that on with my sneakers. Walking back into the kitchen I don't see Ruka around, I trace my way into the living room and then the room off to the side. I see a beautiful grand piano sitting proudly in the middle of the room.
The piano practically consumes the room considering its size and dark color. Walking over I trace my fingers across the shiny black surface before sitting down on the bench. I haven't played the piano in years except when I had to take music classes in my previous school. Looking around for Ruka she still hasn't reappeared. Would they be mad if I played? But why would you have a piano if you didn't want people to play it...
Sucking in a slow breath I raise my hands and place them on the smooth keys before pressing down tentatively. I hit the opening chords for Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I continue to play what I can remember until I hear a door open and close in the back of the apartment. The slightly tapping of shoes tells me Ruka is coming and I walk into the living room and peer at some photos.
"Why did you stop playing dear?" Ruka asks me and I cringe, she had heard me. I shrug my shoulders in response.
"The piano belongs to Dax, he doesn't play very frequently anymore but I am sure he wouldn't care if you used it, Faith," Ruka says with a smile.
"Come on let's go shopping!" She says before grabbing her keys and walking out the door.
We spend most of the day shopping for uniforms, shoes, undergarments. I try to protest but Ruka absolutely isn't having it. I think I have met my match when it comes to someone being as stubborn as I am. As we sit down in the food court for a few moments I stare at the massive number of bags we have accumulated and can't help but to cringe, I hate having money spent on me.
"The last thing we need to get for you would be a phone and a computer for schoolwork," Ruka says glancing at her phone.
I shake my head profusely and make a no gesture with my hands. She gives me a confused look and I just shake my head again. I search through the bags trying to find my pen and paper but can't seem to find it under the mass amount of clothes we bought.
"What's wrong, Faith?" Ruka asks me with a worried look.
"Here honey just type it on my phone," she says handing me her phone.
I look at the sleek glass and metal in my hands and carefully tap the screen. I swipe over and find the notepad icon. Staring at the screen until I find the new note button I start attempting to type once the keyboard finally pops up.
'You have been so generous to me, I can't ask for anything more. A phone and computer are very expensive, I can't ask you to spend any more money on me,' I write out and hand it back to her.
"Faith, you are not the first child Dax and I have fostered and if there is one thing it's important for us to be able to communicate with you, especially if you aren't in the apartment with us. It's important that you have a phone and we have enrolled kids in this school before and they always end up needing laptops," Ruka says and I huff.
"We wouldn't buy it for you if we didn't think it was really necessary," Ruka says and I make a gesture of defeat.
"Good, now let me go grab us something to eat," Ruka says before getting up.
As we are sitting at the table eating lunch I have the unnerving feeling that I am being watched but try to dismiss it. Pulling my long hair back I run my finger over the implant behind my ear. We all received them in order to enhance our hearing, but the dumbasses never thought to put a tracker within it. Ruka and I go to a technology store and she picks out a phone and computer for me and I just stare at the machinery fairly blankly.
Walking out of the store I hold the bag very tightly and walk close to Ruka as we start winding our way out of the mall. I am acutely aware of someone coming up close behind us and my adrenaline kicks in as I spin around.
Staring at a tall boy in front of me I put myself in the way of him and Ruka. Looking him up and down I take in his thin, lean frame and shaggy brown hair. His teeth are slightly crooked, and he has a light splash of freckles. He has the face of a boy, but I can tell he is older. I can hear his heart rate pick up slightly as he takes in my agitated frame. I can sense easily that he isn't fully human, but I couldn't quite figure out if he is also a metahuman.
" Faith, it's okay," Ruka says.
"Faith, please calm down," Ruka says.
Looking around I blink confused and I see a concerned Ruka and a scared boy in front of me. Looking at his short curls, my eyes travel down his face and I see one strikingly green eye and one dark brown one. I relax my stance and Ruka steps forward.
"Faith this is Elijah, he is one of our children," Ruka says stepping around me and giving him a hug.
"Elijah this is Faith, she just moved in with us yesterday, she's still a little on edge and getting used to her new environment," Ruka says, and I can't help but be embarrassed for my behavior.
"Hi Faith, I didn't mean to startle you," Elijah says giving me a smile and I give him a small smile in return.
"Faith is mute," Ruka mumbles to him so quietly I shouldn't have been able to hear it and he gives a nod so subtle a normal person probably wouldn't have noticed.
"Are we still on for the big family dinner in a few weeks?" Elijah asks with a big smile and Ruka smiles back.
"Of course! I have to call and make the reservations right away. Time just moves so quickly," she says beaming at the man before me.
"Wonderful, I will let everyone know," Elijah says before his phone starts going off.
"See you soon Faith," he says with a genuine smile before answering his call and walking away.
"I'm so excited! You are going to get to meet all of our kids," Ruka says gushing as she drags me back to the car.
On our way back to the apartment Ruka makes quite a few calls to arrange the big dinner that Elijah had mentioned. She is still on the phone when we walk into the apartment and I hear somebody on the piano. Dropping all of my stuff in my new room and poking my head into the piano room. Dax's broad shoulders meet my gaze as he gently taps at the keys. I go and cautiously sit next to him. He pauses for a moment.
"Hi Faith, how was your shopping extravaganza?" Dax asks me with an amused look on his face. I pull out my new phone and open the messenger app.
'It was pretty good, I don't understand why Ruka wanted to buy my seven skirts that practically all look the same, but it made her happy. We also ran into someone called Elijah,' I type out and send it to him.
"You got to meet Elijah? That's wonderful! He's such a sweet boy and he's such a good teacher," Dax gushes and I can see the love for that boy pouring out of him.
'Where and what does he teach?' I type out quickly and send it.
"He actually teaches at your school, he is the physics professor," Dax says with a proud smile.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," Ruka's bell-like voice chimes in from the doorway.
"We have to call and make the reservation for dinner," Dax says and Ruka laughs.
"I just finished doing all of that," she says amused.
They exchange a look that I had never seen before. It is a look of contentment and love so deep that everything is calm for that moment. Dax gets up from the bench and sweeps Ruka into his arms and she laughs. I feel almost as if I am intruding on their moment, but I am glad to see how much they care for each other.
Not knowing else what to do I slide over and place my fingers on the keys of the piano and pick up where Dax left off. I didn't know the name of the piece, but I have played it before, so the notes come to me fairly easily. I can hear the fabric of Dax's shirt rustle as his head whips around in surprise. Continuing to play I feel myself becoming lost in the music. I jump slightly startled when Dax sits next to me, but I don't miss a note. He waits for a pause in the music before starting to play the piece up a third. Rich chords swirl through the room as the already rich tones are overlaid with more chords.
I am faintly aware of a small chime but try to ignore it as I continue to recall the piece from memory. Dax fades out after a while and I finish out the sweet melody. A memory flashes in front of me and I could almost see the striking off the white piano in front of me and the feeling of twelve men staring down my back. I yank my hands off of the keys and try to shake the memory away.
Turning my gaze, I see Dax staring at me with the same expression that Nolan used to give me when I was feeling anxious or uncooperative. I drop my head some and I feel an arm hesitantly being placed around my shoulders. My body stiffens but I don't pull away. Dax isn't a threat.
"You can always talk to us Faith," he says in a gentle voice and I nod.
I hop up and go and grab a glass of water. Chugging it I can still feel the tension in my shoulders. I roll them around trying to relax but as much as I want to, I will never be able to relax until Metac has been taken down. I will always be a puppet for them due to the mental trauma they caused. Clenching my fists more memories flit before my eyes and I try to shove them away.
I hear Dax and Ruka whispering in the other room, but I can't seem to focus on their words. I just hear the high pitch that they used to use so that I couldn't use my abilities against them. I shake my head furiously as fear starts to eat at me. I will only hurt Dax and Ruka; they are in danger because of me. Metac will never stop until they find me. My breathing goes off the charts and my knees give out.
Pressing my back into the cabinet panic overtakes me and I can't control myself anymore. My breathing becomes shallow and unsteady as I gasp for air and my brain races. Footsteps come closer and I cringe away in fear. Don't touch me, just leave me alone, I didn't do anything wrong today.
"Faith!" Ruka's worried voice cuts through my head but I can't move, I am frozen in this position.
"Dax, what do we do?" Ruka asks.
"Get her a bag, as Nolan said and I will get a glass of ice water."
A chill sweeps through me as they leave and I am left to myself to panic. I can feel myself start to violently tremble as I gasp for air. Stars dance in front of my eyes and somebody grasps my hand and puts something in it. I clench down on the material and it dawns on me that it is a bag. Pulling it up to my face I hyperventilate into it for a solid minute before my breathing starts to calm down.
Prying my eyes open everything is blurry, but I can see two people sitting in front of me. I take the glass of water that is outstretched to me and sip on the frozen water. I rest my head on whatever I am leaning on as my tired body slowly unclenches.
"Faith?" Ruka asks and I tilt my head in response.
"Faith, what happened, sweetie?" Ruka asks me as everything starts to become clearer.
The glass of water is taken away as is the bag. I am handed a pencil and paper and with the best control I can, I scrawl out 'panic attack,' and hand it back to Dax. They read it and I can see the sadness in their eyes and I drop my gaze to my lap. I hate seeing that look, a look of pity and concern.
"Is there anything we can do, or do you want to just go to your room?" Dax asks me and I shake my head no.
I feel myself being picked up and I don't object. Dax places me under my covers and I curl up into them exhausted. The lights are turned off and my door is closed. I don't have any strength left to cry so I just fall asleep.