“Wow! That was just... awesome!” Blake squealed from the floor, “Nissan, do it again!”

Is he a maso...?

“I felt like I was flying! Kid, you're seriously stronger than I thought!”

Whew... At least... I'm not in trouble yet.

“Erm... sorry Blake,” Afton said, holding out hand to help him up.

Blake took it and got up. “He he! Ok, guys, continue your party!”

****

Twenty minutes later, the party was dismissed and everyone was back in their bunks. Well, almost everyone, Rain had invited himself onto Afton's bed. There were exactly 38 people who lived in the rooms connected to the circle room. 39, now that Afton(Nissan) came a long. There were five rooms, approximately eight people in each.

That's even less than the number of soldiers sent to get Kaylie! Hemph... It seems Kaylie really is that important. She freezes stuff, I can see. What did she do to save me, though? Freeze a truck tire?

“Ps, Nissan! Do you want to read another poem I wrote?”

“Huh? As long as you won't burst out giggling.” (Afton was seriously freaked out at his giggling.)

Rain nodded, “I don't usually giggle like that, but when I do, I can't control it.”

“That's good to hear. Where is the poem?” Afton asked. (Please note that the conversation was all in whispers)

Rain took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Afton.

Unrolling it, Afton began to read...

Two hours later, Afton finally understood what the kid had meant to write. But Rain had already fallen asleep.

Afton's big brother mode flicked on. Rain reminded him so much of Alistair (if he excluded the giggling). If he was just anyone, he would've cried as he covered the child with his quilt. They were so like-minded, both innocent, caring...

Gah! Stop thinking about it already! Think of the mission, then you'll get back to him.

Looking around, Afton noticed for the first time that he hadn't seen a window. The walls were all gray and the lights were perpetually on during waking hours.

What would happen if they had a power cut? Should I test that? No. No no, I shouldn't. Totally bad idea.

Dropping lightly to the floor, Afton decided he would go out to check on his horse and get his bags.

He turned the tiny doorknob and stepped into the circle room. Six tiny ugly doorknobs blinked at him from all directions.

Wait... so which one is to go out?

He kept away from Rain's door and slowly tried the rest. Opening just a crack to peak in before closing it quickly. The third one he tried was locked.

Something tells me that's the way out.

He put his ear to the door to listen, but no sound was to be heard.

What have I gotten myself into? This... wait. How was I so thoughtless to not even remember how I got here?

Contemplating all the way to his bed, he scolded himself on the way up the ladder. The events of that evening came back to him.

After being called from that room, he was told to get into a carriage with no windows.

Why didn't I suspect something from that?! Why wasn't I more alert?!

The carriage had gone through high and low elevations on its way to this place, wherever it was. There, Afton had been led through the pitch-dark of night...

Or is it something more than darkness?

...to that circle room.

That might actually make sense. If we were able to invent something that emits light, why not something that draws light away. Gah! Whatever! I hate Chrision anyway! Just two days here and I wish I'd never existed.

Afton threw himself onto the bed, feeling thoroughly suffocated all of a sudden. Rain awoke and rubbed his eyes. “What's wrong?” he asked drowsily.

“Rain! When can you get out of this place?”

“Oh, that? Erm. I'm not sure. But why don't you like it? This place isn't boring or anything.”

“It's so void of sunlight. I wouldn't be surprised if someone actually told me that I was underground.”

“You didn't know we were?” Rain asked, surprised.

“We are?!” Afton asked, taken aback.

He quickly composed himself. “I thought you said you wouldn't be surprised, though.”

Wait... so while they have a city in the middle of nowhere filled with hundreds, maybe thousands of civilians, they train soldiers underground.

“Actually, why wouldn't you know? You lived in Chrision your whole life didn't you?”

Afton nodded.

“You didn't know that the farmers gave up agriculture up there?”

“F...Farmers?! They gave up farming above ground?! Where do they get light?”

“Have you been staying in the corner of the underground your whole life? Were you born underground? What exactly happened to you?” Rain asked.

“Honestly, can you keep secrets?” Afton asked.

“I can keep another's secret though I can't keep my own secrets,” Rain whispered.

“Wait... so if I tell you will that make it your secret?”

Rain shook his head.

Ah... who cares really. The truth is the easiest lie right now.

“I forgot my past.”

“You? Forgot your past?”

Afton nodded, then put a finger to his mouth, “Shh.”

“Let me tell you all about Chrision then....”

Turns out, Chrision's queen had an underground palace. There were some people who made homes under ground, but after the crop-stealing, many more people began making their own underground homes out of fear. Underground this and thats began coming about. There were famous noodle stores down under. The city above was what was left of the Chrisanions.

Ah... that makes things.... SO MUCH MORE COMPLICATED! I'll never get home!

Apparently, this was an underground brigade.

“Wait, Rain, aren't you afraid that if you went above ground, one day you'd just fall inside a hole in the floor?”

“Naw. I trust the workers. They're the best at constructions! Just look what they made out of a giant block of metal!”

“So... the underground... is made... of... metal?!” Afton asked.

“At least whatever I've seen.”

“Ah...”

“Well, Nissan, guess what! I thought up a poem while I was sleeping.”

“Ok. Go ahead.”

“It's about snow. Snow's pure, like a child, but when you look closer...”

Rain had done enough talking and explaining on his poem to make even a restless Afton sleep.

****

“How long do I have to stay here?”

“For now, keep hidden. The queen will come for a visit soon. Wait for her instructions.”

Kaylie lay on a sofa with her eyes closed, her long, straight, dark-blue hair spread out behind. She had changed into shorts and a long sleeve turtleneck. Her slim, well-shaped legs, so smooth and white, would've made the men, even boys, go staring.

It was really a pity that this little pretty girl had to play such a big part in the war.

Soon, the queen's presence was announced. She entered the big room in simple clothes. She was, after all, a young adult.

Kaylie didn't move in the least. “Queen Alice!” an attendant called again. Alice held up a hand to quiet him. To which he bowed and walked off.

So now, there were two pretty girls in the room and the rest of the space was filled with awkward silence.

Kaylie opened her eyes, “What do you want now?”

“I have to say, that no one dares to speak and act with such disrespect as you,” the queen commented in her soft voice.

“I've given my life away. I'm a slave. There's nothing to lose anyway,” Kaylie replied, carelessly.

“It's more like you know I would not take your life over such a petty matter,” the queen said, “Now, will you fire a shot?”

“I'm a traitorous villain, I am,” Kaylie said.

“Kaylie, answer me, will you fire?”

“It's what I've given my life to do. Do whatever you want with it. Play with it as much as you like, Alice, I just wish you'd play me without showing your face. Your presence is hard to resist. I felt like freezing you just now when you walked in.”

Alice swallowed before continuing, “Why do you hate me so much? I'm just a queen doing her duty.”

Kaylie nodded, “Yeah, just carry on.”

“Kaylie, it was against my will that you were kidnapped...”

“Twice! Kidnapped twice! Be grateful I didn't freeze all the veins in their bodies! Those cursed mongrels!” she spat.

“Was their treatment that bad?” Alice asked.

“You wouldn't care either way, you're a queen anyway,” Kaylie muttered.

“Kaylie, I'm sorry you had to go through such injustices. But I assure you that my underling did it without my consent. However, I will gladly take all the blame if that would appease you.”

“Carry on with what I have to do. I'll just work my load.”

“Kaylie, all you have to do is stay here until further notice, I just came to see how you were.”

“I'm well, sound too. You've seen it, so you can go now,” Kaylie said coldly, closing her eyes, “I want to sleep.”

Kaylie turned over to face the back of the sofa.

The queen's heart fell at this. The pretty little girl whom she had liked as a sister, hated her.

****

“Do you like to burn things?” a little, blue-haired girl asked a short, little, dark brown-haired boy.

He shook his head.

“Hmm, I just remembered a story. Would you like to hear it?” the little girl asked, to which the little boy replied with a nod.

“When I was small, a toddler's age, I remember playing with another girl. She was a little bit older than me, almost about our age.”

The little boy stared at the ground, drinking in her sweet voice.

“She and I would play every day. It was fun... but... one day, I went back to my land. The name of my land is Tearigch. I think I missed the little girl for a while. But I still had a brother to play with so I soon forgot her.”

The little boy blinked and began using a twig to scratch something in the mud.

“But one day, someone took me away. I don't remember how or when exactly. I only remember the rolling of carriage wheels, strange voices, and the pounding in my chest. I was so scared.”

The little boy stopped and looked at the little girl. She looked as if she was reliving the bad memory.

“But there was only one person who held my hand through it all. She was that same girl.”

The little boys slouched and continued his mud art. The little girl sighed and looked up.... So cute a pair were they...

****

...that it was a pity, Afton was shaken awake somehow by a grumpy-looking Rain. (Please note that Aton didn't remember any of the dreams after waking up. He only remembered the one with voices alone)

“You... you fell asleep while I was talking!” Rain whined.

“Yeah, just a bit tired.”

“The rest are asleep now. They have habitual afternoon naps because there''s really nothing to do. But, I was talking to you! How could you fall asleep like that!”

“Hmm, sorry. So what were you talking about?”

“My poem. But let's talk bout something else now.”

“How about you. Let's talk about you, Rain.”

“I'm fine with that, so what should we start with?” Rain said, shrugging.

“How old are you?”

Rain giggled a little and said, “Shh, don't tell anyone, I'm fifteen.”

Afton nodded, “How many siblings do you have?”

“I have... three. Had four. One of my sisters died.”

“Oh, I'm sorry,” Afton muttered, nervously playing with his fingers.

“Bah! I'm over with all the I'm sorry's that I get. I lost my mother, too. My father's working in the army somewhere. He doesn't come to visit. I don't have any aunts. My uncles are dead or dying, No grandparents. Cousins...”

“Oh... I don't need the whole family tree! How long have you been here?”

“I've been here for about three years doing nothing. My brother's been here for five years now. Blake's been here for four plus years. Kole's been....”

“Eh... how many times have you been in the Chrision above ground?”

“Oh, you mean Sundance? I've only ever been there once. I played in the plains quite a few times. I got to the border of Isumton once but then I didn't go any further because my paranoid brother stopped me.”

“Don't you think Isumton is dangerous, Rain?”

“Of course it is! But... the shadows.... the smell... something about it calls me. It's just... a Rain magnet! One day, we'll go there together. After the war, of course.”

“Rain, what do you think about the war?”

“Like do I like it? Or do I think war is just?”

“Yeah.”

“I think... the queen is just. In everything. I trust her judgments and I'm sure any average civilian would push their own bodies as human shields for the queen they've never seen.”

“Wait, no one has seen the queen?” Afton asked, surprised.

“Nissan, were you really born here? Of course the queen's never shown her face. She's so young. If she did show her face, I'm sure her beauty would send whole of Isumton into a civil war. Every man for himself....”

“That's a lot of imagination you have,” Afton smiled, patting Rain.

“Oh! I forgot to tell you! We can leave today, because it's a weekend. But let's do it after dark, ok? Just don't say anything, I'll come get you.”

“Sure, tell me when ever you're going.”

“I'm going back to my room now. I need to sleep for five hours before we go AWOL.”

“Didn't he say we could go because it was a weekend?” Afton asked himself, he shrugged it off a few seconds after.

You didn't have to put it that way... I mean... we are coming back, aren't we?

****

Afton passed a quiet five hours full of mixed feelings. At the beginning of the first few hours, Afton didn't have a strong opinion. He tossed it out of his immediate thoughts and began thinking about Alistair. It filled him with a longing to return to Isumton, after half an hour. Then, he thought about the mission and two voices raged a war in his head until he felt as if he could burst with frustration. At the third hour, he had calmed down and he wasn't thinking about anything particularly. He even took an hour-long short nap.

As an hour ticked by and he found himself at half-way through the fourth hour, he suddenly became very nervous and he wondered if he'd bump into any soldiers he knew. He imagined all the worst-case scenarios that an Afton could ever think of, that a terror began to rise in his heart at the beginning of the fifth hour.

He got off his bed and was inspecting every single irregular bump on the wall for a half hour. His stomach began churning in excitement when his watch showed fifteen minutes to the end of Rain's nap. He closed his eyes, took deep breaths, paced back and forth, cuddled in a corner behind the door, hugging his knees, and examined little specks of unpainted walls for ten minutes. It was simply agonizing how slow the last five minutes were.

For the last five minutes, Afton passed on the bed. He took out the note from his locket and re-read it countless times while clasping the locket itself tight the whole time.

And at last, the five hour wait came to an end. Any moment now... Rain would peak around and tell him that it's time to go...