Chapter 5: Uncomfortable Truth

The brunette stormed down the hall. Onlookers quickly moved out of his way as he passed. Whipping a hand through his long hair, an annoyed sigh left his lips.

No words could ever describe how much he loathed this place. Glancing at the various religious symbols adorning the white hall, he scowled.

It was all a sham.

Reaching the end of the expansive hall, he threw the door open. “You better have a damn good reason for calling me in here like this!” he bellowed.

“I-I do apologize, Emperor, but I’m afraid it couldn’t wait,” a young man clad in white robes replied, his hazel eyes downcast.

It wasn’t wise to cross Emperor Shiro Munchausen.

Shiro blew out a sigh. He hated dealing with the Holy Council. Making his way over to the large table in the center of the room, he pulled out a chair and flopped down. “Out with it, then.”

Another, older, man that was already seated at the table cleared his throat before hesitantly speaking. “I’m afraid we’ve lost contact with the Delta Labs. There was an explosion early Thursday afternoon. It appears that we may have lost half of the Genesis Project.”

Shiro rose from his seat immediately. “What?! It’s Monday! You morons waited until now to bring this to my attention?! Get that incompetent idiot, Vladsco on the phone. He has some explaining to do.”

“Right away, Sir.”

Shiro growled as the boy made his way over to the phone in the corner of the room. That thing should have been destroyed years ago…

****

Leo took a long drag on his cigarette, leaning against the steel wall. He hoped that he wasn’t putting too much on the girl. Not that she’d really tell him if he was.

The blond smiled. He highly doubted she even realized just how proud of her he was. The girl was really something.

Leaning his back against the wall, Leo gave a rare, contented sigh. Visions of cheery smiles and soft, golden hair danced through his mind as he allowed himself the opportunity to space out.

The sound of footsteps making their way down the hall soon jostled the commander from his thoughts, drawing an annoyed sigh out of him as he put out his cigarette.

“Hey, there, Leo. Sorry about the delay,” Kurt greeted, offering his father an apologetic smile.

Leo folded his arms. “I was beginning to wonder where you two had gotten off to,” he spoke, annoyance weighing heavily in his tone.

Kurt spared a glance behind him at his companion, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Yeah, sorry. Vincent, here, was getting a little ‘special’ training from Alice.”

“I said it was an accident!” Vincent immediately retorted, his pale cheeks reddening.

Leo quirked a brow, eyeing the boy with a small hint of amusement. Awfully jumpy. “Oh? Do tell. This sounds like an interesting tale.”

The brunette sighed. “There’s nothing to tell,” he muttered, refusing eye-contact.

“If you call being on top of Alice nothing,” Kurt snickered in retort.

Leo’s icy-blue eyes narrowed. What?! “Vincent, I didn’t put you in my army so that you could play grab-ass with my daughter.”

Vincent flushed, immediately throwing his hands up in protest. “It’s not like that! Kurt’s making it sound…p-perverted when it wasn’t!”

Leo rolled his eyes. Here come the excuses. If only he had a nickel for each one he’d heard over the years. “Then please do enlighten me.”

The boy gave another heavy sigh. “I-I tripped, okay? I was clumsy and made a complete fool out of myself in front of her,” he admitted, his voice almost dripping with humiliation.

Leo’s brows crinkled. Sending a glare in his son’s direction, he swung his hand out.

Kurt cried out as the large palm struck the back of his unsuspecting head. “What the hell, Leo?!”

The commander’s hard glare softened slightly as he rolled his eyes. “For being a moron.” Honestly! The boy had him worried for a moment.

The teen grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, shooting a look of discontent at his father before heaving a sigh. Okay, so he probably did deserve that.

“That will be all, Kurt.”

“I-”

“I said that will be all. Didn’t you have something you needed to finish in the lab?” Leo cut the boy off, his gruff tone leaving no room for debate.

Kurt sighed before turning and leaving without another word. There was no arguing with the commander, after all.

Vincent couldn’t help but feel somewhat sorry for the other teen as he watched him go. One thing was definitely clear to the boy: He did NOT want to get on the commander’s bad side either.

The clicking of a door pulled the boy from his thoughts.

“I took the liberty of assigning you a room, Vincent. Now that you’re officially one of my soldiers, you’ll need a space of your own.”

“Um, that’s nice of you. I appreciate it,” Vincent said, watching as the blond finished unlocking the thick, metal door.

A noisy squeak sounded as the door creaked open.

“Go ahead. Check it out,” Leo gestured the boy inside.

“Thank you,” Vincent murmured in gratitude before hesitantly stepping inside.

The walls were a cool, neutral-gray. A small bed sat in the far-right corner, completely stripped of any bedding. Vincent could only guess that the room hadn’t been used in quite some time, judging from its current state.

“It could use a little cleaning, but it should do for now,” Leo stated as he glanced over the room in satisfaction.

Vincent nodded. “R-right. I can get to that right away, Sir.”

Leo gave the boy an approving nod. “Glad to hear it. Now, if you should need anything, I’m the last door on the left. Alice is right next door on your left.”

I thought this hall was familiar “Right.”

The blond gave an ominous smile. “Now, no funny business with my daughter, Vincent.”

Vincent swallowed, feeling his face warm. “Of course not.”

The commander gave another approving nod. “Glad you see it my way. Otherwise, you do realize I would have to kill you?”

A sudden chill ran down the boy’s spine as he swallowed hard. The man was clearly trying to intimidate him…and succeeding.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you to get acquainted with the place.”

With that, the blond strolled out of the room with confidence, leaving the boy alone with his thoughts.

****

Seth leaned back against the tree he was resting under. Running a hand through his hair, he tilted his head back, looking up at the leaves as they swayed in the gentle breeze.

The afternoon sun shone brightly through the canopy, casting mesmerizing shadows in its wake.

A sigh escaped the boy. He was beginning to feel quite hot. A yawn left his lips. The lieutenant was certainly taking her sweet time coming to get him.

The brunette scowled. She was probably still with him.

As irrational as it was, Seth acknowledged the small bit of jealousy that had flared within him. A sentiment that had only grown since witnessing the pair together. After all, it wasn’t as if they were lovers.

He smiled slightly. He could imagine the admonishment he’d receive if she knew some of the thoughts he had of her.

The teen soldier was brought out of his amorous thoughts by approaching footsteps. He failed to keep the bright smile from his face as he turned his head in the direction of the sound.

There she was…

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten all about me.”

The blonde said nothing in response to the cheerful greeting, a sour frown tugging at her pale lips.

Seth frowned. “What? You mean to tell me you didn’t miss me?”

“Not in the slightest,” Alice quipped, rolling her eyes.

The brunette snorted. “You know, Lieutenant, for a fire user, you sure are cold.”

Whatever reaction Seth had been expecting, it certainly wasn’t the sudden, suffocating silence that ensued.

Where was his golden lioness in a den of kittens?

“Alice?”

"You’re insensitive,” the girl muttered finally, turning to face him then.

Seth quirked a brow. “What the hell are you talking about? I always harass you. You know that by now.”

The blonde gave an icy glare. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know good and well that I won’t ever be able to conceive children.”

Seth’s eyes briefly widened. How could he have so callously forgotten? Suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame, the brunette averted his eyes. “Oh, Alice, I’m…I’m so sorry. I wasn’t-”

Alice sighed, cutting the boy off. Pity was the last thing she needed. “Just forget it, Seth. You’re off the hook, so you can come back inside.”

Seth frowned. “Just so you know, I feel like a complete asshole now.”

His companion said nothing, turning on her heels and heading back the way she came.

Seth sighed. He’d really done it now. How am I going to make up for this one?

Glancing down at his feet, the teen shook his head. He highly doubted a simple flower would be enough of an apology this time.

****

The brunette sighed as he made his way down the hall, ignoring the loud cries and clamoring behind him.

Honestly! The place was enough to give him a headache.

He ran a hand through his black hair. Could this place be any duller?

Reaching the stairs at the end of the hall, the boy stopped in his tracks at the sight of the intimidating figure that greeted him.

“Mind telling me what you’ve done, boy?” came the familiar, thick Slavic accent he knew all too well.

The brunette teen scoffed. “What are you going on about, Vladsco?”

The older man sneered, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he made his way down the stairs. “Don’t get smart with me, boy. I just got a call from Emperor Shiro.”

“And?”

Vladsco crossed his arms in his mounting impatience. “And there was apparently an explosion at the Delta Labs after you left the other day. The report is we may have lost half of the Genesis Project. YOU were the last one to be seen with it.”

Cain’s face remained a stoic mask. If I have anything to say about it, the bastard will never be found! “You’re wasting your time. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He was caught off guard as the older man suddenly reached over and grasped him by his shirt collar, slamming him roughly against the wall of the stairwell.

“You insolent brat! Did I raise you to be a liar?!”

Cain struggled against the man’s iron grip, his voice rasping as a smirk tugged at his lips. “What can I say? I learned from the best.”

The smirk of satisfaction he held grew as the older man’s dark, piercing eyes narrowed once more. “I’m not in the mood for your games, Cain. Thanks to your ignorance, the emperor is summoning us both to Deinan for questioning. I’m sure you understand the gravity of the situation now, so I will ask you one last time: What did you do?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Cain retorted, gasping for breath as he was suddenly dropped to the floor.

“For your sake, boy, you better be telling the truth,” Vladsco sneered, whipping a hand through his thick, ebony hair. “Or you will rue the day you were born.”

Cain remained on the floor as the older general exited the stairwell, the heavy footsteps from his boots echoing after him in the small, hollow space.

Rue the day he was born, huh?

Too late for that, Old Man. About eighteen years too late…

****

Vincent sighed as he turned onto his back in the bed he rested upon. Glaring at the stoic, gray overhead lights that comprised his ceiling, the teen frowned. He couldn’t seem to shake the negative feeling that had plagued him since morning.

Sitting up, the teen resolved himself. I don’t care what Kurt says. I just got to know that she’s okay. She seemed so upset…

The brunette exited his room, wincing slightly at the audible ‘clang’ of the heavy door behind him. He wasn’t all that surprised to find the vacant hallway a little on the creepy side as he slowly made his way in the direction that would lead him to the mess hall. The subtle squeaking of his thick, black boots upon the hard tile of the floor only seemed to add to the feeling of unease.

Reaching the end of the hallway, Vincent eagerly pushed open the heavy door. A smile graced his lips as he took in the sparsely populated cafeteria. Glancing at the various, unfamiliar faces, he couldn’t help but wonder what they all must have felt the day they found out about the virus. Did they each have as crazy of a story as he now did?

He frowned. Had any of them been so shamelessly afraid?

“Seriously?! You’ve got to be the biggest prick alive!”

Vincent’s eyes darted to the right corner of the room, no doubt drawn by the sudden shout. Catching sight of the two, familiar figures sitting at a table in the corner, he slowly made his way over.

“You don’t have to rub it in, okay? I know I screwed up with her. I just gotta figure out how I’m going to fix it,” Seth muttered, rubbing the back of his neck in humiliated frustration.

Issac rolled his icy-blue eyes. “Well, ya better make it good. Calling her fat or something probably would’ve been less offensive.”

Seth glared. “How the hell was I supposed to know she’d take it the way she did? It’s not like I meant anything by it.”

Vincent’s brows furrowed as he took in the conversation. Were they talking about Alice? So she really was upset?

“Is something going on with Alice?”

Suddenly taking notice of the boy now standing behind them, Seth and Issac exchanged glances.

“Oh, uh, hi, there, Vincent. I didn’t see you.” Issac greeted sheepishly, sending a glare in Seth’s direction.

Seth pursed his lips, resisting the urge to return the gesture. What made Issac so high and mighty?

“Uh, right. So do you guys know where I can find Ali-er,” Vincent paused, quickly correcting himself, “Miss Lynheart?”

Issac spared a glance at Seth.

The brunette looked away, no doubt ashamed.

Issac shrugged. “She’s most likely in her office. What did you need her for?”

Vincent chewed his bottom lip. It was safe to say that he wasn’t the most trusting of the two strangers. Then again, it wasn’t as if he could just sit around in that room any longer.

“Well, I, uh, just wanted to check in with her. I’m not exactly sure what I should be doing right now. I haven’t been given any orders,” the teen murmured, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Seth and Issac exchanged glances before bursting into a gale of hearty laughter.

Vincent frowned. He was certain by now that he was being received as less than competent. The thought only seemed to further agitate him.

Honestly! Was it that amusing?

“Man, you can tell you’re new,” Seth snorted.

Issac gestured to the seat next to him, giving a reassuring smile. “Just relax, Vincent. Trust me, life around here gets pretty chaotic. You'll be so busy then that you won’t have time to worry.”

“I bet he doesn’t last a week with the lieutenant.”

“Seth,” Issac chided, rolling his eyes dramatically in a clear sign of his exasperation, “you make her sound absolutely terrible.”

Seth smiled. “And she is…when you’re on her bad side.”

Vincent groaned, rolling his eyes at the boy’s antics. “Something tells me that you would know all about that,” he muttered under his breath.

“Yeah, well, you bring more than half of that crap on yourself,” Issac taunted, a rather leering smile tugging at his pale lips as his friend sent a mock glare in his direction.

Vincent blew out a sigh as he sat down. This place was definitely…lively.

****

Alice groaned lightly as she placed her favorite pen back onto the desk, shaking her dominant, right hand. It was a wonder she didn’t have carpel tunnel syndrome!

Pushing her chair out, the blonde collected some papers from the desk before making her way over to the cabinet in the corner of her small office. Opening the top drawer, she sighed. How on earth could there possibly be so much paperwork involved in her job?

Realizing she had forgotten her glasses in her dorm room again, she frowned. Focusing was not coming easily today.

How long had it been since she’d mourned her infertility anyway? Two years? Three?

The blonde was startled out of her thoughts by the loud ‘clang’ of the door. Whirling around to face her unannounced visitor, she was greeted with the sight of Leo casually sitting down in one of the chairs at her desk.

“Geez! Dad, you nearly gave me a heart attack! Don’t you know how to knock like a normal person?”

Leo quirked a smile. “Just thought I’d see for myself how things were going with the newbie.”

Alice sighed. Here we go… “What’s there to say? He’s new.”

Leo eyed the girl suspiciously. “You’re sure there’s not anything else you’d like to tell me?”

Much like a mouse cornered by a cat, the girl fidgeted, her sapphire eyes quickly darting to the floor.

I knew this would happen. Now he’s gonna get all weird and overprotective again. Deciding that neutrality would be her best course of action, the blonde made her way back over to her desk to sit down across from her father. “Anything else? Like what? He’s new. You have to give him a proper chance to learn. There’s really not much else to be said.”

Leo eyed her for a moment longer, before nodding slightly. He closed his eyes. “Glad to hear it. I don’t think it would be wise to become too attached at this point.”

Alice gave an exasperated sigh. “Don’t you think that’s a little paranoid? He hardly seems like the type to cause trouble, let alone be dangerous.”

The teen nearly laughed at the thought. The boy was an absolute lamb!

“That remains to be seen, Alice.”

Alice rolled her eyes. Now he was just being irrational. “Oh, come on. He’s a gunshot victim.” Because the boy with a hole torn into his chest is obviously going to go on a massive, killing rampage… She almost had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the dark, yet comical, thought.

“Precisely my point. He obviously pissed someone off… enough for them to want him dead,” Leo countered, his cool eyes narrowing slightly. “I’m not willing to take any chances.”

The girl shrugged. “Well, he passed the bio tests you had Kurt run on him, right? Knowing The Order, it was probably another execution.”

Leo nodded, appearing thoughtful. “Could be. You do have to admit that his circumstances are a bit…peculiar.”

Alice sighed. “I suppose, but I honestly think you’re worrying a whole lot over nothing. He’s as harmless as a puppy.”

The teen frowned. How long had it been since she’d even held a puppy? Though she tried not to dwell, the concept of returning to such a normal life, at times, seemed so foreign to her.

“For now anyway,” Leo muttered, jarring the girl from her thoughts.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she questioned, her tone incredulous.

The commander shrugged, seemingly indifferent. “Exactly as it implies.”

“Wha-”

“It’s dull in here. This room could really use a paint job,” Leo cut her off, “What color do you think?”

Taken aback by the sudden shift, Alice blinked a few times before a small smile formed on her knowing lips. “Well… I like blue.”

The blond nodded, humming in thought.

Turning her attention back to the pile of paperwork on her desk, the young lieutenant missed the loving smile aimed in her direction.

The commander allowed his eyes to linger for a moment longer. Despite her dazzling beauty and alluring personality, the girl seemed to remain unaware. His beautiful, perfect girl…

As if finally feeling the eyes gazing upon her, Alice glanced up at her father. She gave an expectant look. “Did you need anything else?”

Leo waved dismissively at her questioning as he pushed out his chair. “Nothing. I was simply checking in is all. Keep up the great work, Lieutenant.”

Alice smiled, watching as he turned then and went on his way, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

****

Leo closed the door behind him and sighed, reaching into the pocket of his jacket to retrieve his cigarettes and lighter. Lighting one, he leaned back against the wall and took a long pull. One day… One day, he would explain everything to her. She would understand. Everything he did was ultimately for her, after all.

The sound of the door at the end of the hall closing and loud chattering interrupted the man’s pleasant thoughts. He frowned as he recognized the voices.

“And back here is where we store most of the training equipment. The locker room is at the end of that hall there to the right,” Issac proclaimed happily.

“God, Issac, you are the most boring tour guide ever,” Seth muttered.

Issac glared. “I didn’t hear any suggestions from you. Besides, I thought we were supposed to be showing him around.”

“He already got the tour yesterday from Alice,” Seth retorted, his brown eyes rolling in a dramatic show of his mild annoyance.

Leo rolled his eyes as he observed the spectacle. Morons…

“Speaking of Miss Lynheart, didn’t you say she was in her office?” Vincent questioned.

“Well, yes, but she’s probably pretty busy.”

“Oh, come on, Issac. She won’t care if we drop in for just a second.”

Issac, once again, found himself rolling his eyes at the brunette’s actions. “You only think that, Seth, because you purposely harass her all the time.”

“And she loves every second of it,” Seth winked, earning an exaggerated gag from Issac and a frown from Vincent.

Leo couldn’t help but glare at the boy as he watched him. Perhaps the boy had a bit too much time on his hands? He would have to correct that.

“She’s going to end up barbequing you one day,” Issac muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. “But I guess it wouldn’t hurt if it’s only for a minute.” Relenting, he turned on his heels to lead the way down the hall.

The three boys hadn’t taken more than four steps when they caught sight of the commander watching them closely from the end of the hall.

“U-Um, hello, Sir,” Issac greeted hesitantly.

“Sup?” Seth mock saluted, earning a sigh of irritation from the older man.

“Now, you fine gentlemen wouldn’t be planning on distracting my daughter when she has work to do, would you?”

“Of course not, Sir. We-We were just showing Vincent where her office is for future reference,” Issac quickly assured, no doubt fearful of the commander’s ire.

Leo smiled. “Is that right? Well, carry on, Men.”

Tuning out his companions’ chattering, Issac watched as the blond silently made his way down the hallway. Another private meeting with Alice? He couldn’t help but notice that it had become a rather frequent occurrence as of late. Then again, with him being her father, it wasn’t necessarily something to be considered abnormal, he supposed.

The teen frowned. Though, he would be lying if he were to say that the looks he sometimes caught aimed in her direction failed to make his stomach churn.

A sigh escaped his lips, unbidden. The lieutenant seemed to remain oblivious to the matter.

“Hey, Issac, you coming or what?”

Seth’s mildly annoyed tone snapped the young soldier from his thoughts.

“Yeah, yeah.”

****

Alice failed to stifle a yawn as she applied her signature to what had to have been the twenty-fifth page she’d signed that morning. Alas, a commanding officer’s work was never done. Feeling tired, hungry, and rather agitated, she muttered indignantly under her breath. Sometimes, she was certain that Leo pawned off some of his own paperwork off on her just to give himself more free time.

The blonde was startled from her thoughts as her door suddenly flew open once more.

“Yo, Lieutenant!” Seth greeted noisily.

Issac and Vincent trailed behind him, both rolling their eyes.

Alice scowled, her sapphire eyes rolling in her obvious displeasure. “Ugh! Do you mind, Seth? Some of us actually have REAL work to do.”

“W-We’re really sorry, Ali-er-Miss Lynheart. It’s, uh, kinda my fault,” Vincent murmured, a bashful smile tugging at his lips.

The blonde’s gaze softened; her fair skin tinged the slightest shade of pink. “I-It’s fine, Vincent.”

Seth smiled. “That sure was an awfully quick change of heart, Lieutenant.”

Issac snickered under his breath.

Alice cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks burn. Why did the boy take such delight in embarrassing her? “Well, unlike you, Vincent has manners,” she quipped.

“Is that what it is? I see…”

“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean?”

The lighting in the room brightened considerably as the lieutenant’s cheeks darkened.

Issac bit his lip to stifle his sudden bout of laughter. It seemed that Seth always knew just what to say to get a rise out of her.

Vincent couldn’t help but smile. There go the lights again…

“Oh, nothing,” remarked Seth, a suggestive smile etched onto his lips.

Alice rolled her eyes. Now she was positive he was toying with her. Drawing in a breath, she relaxed, the lighting gradually returning to normal levels. “Anyway, as much as I would love to chat, I kinda have a lot of work to do.”

“We certainly didn’t mean to bother you, Miss,” Vincent assured.

Alice smiled. The boy was so sweet. “It’s fine.”

Issac frowned. The poor girl never seemed to be able to relax.

“We were just wanting to show Vincent around a bit. Thought we’d show him where your office is,” Seth informed, drawing the blonde’s attention once again.

“Well, that’s certainly nice of you.”

Seth nodded, his lips pulling into a satisfied smile as he crossed his arms. “I did do good, didn’t I?”

Issac resisted the urge to scowl. It was no secret that Seth, in his relentless efforts to woo the lieutenant, had a tendency to lay it on a bit thick.

Vincent rolled his eyes. God, could the boy possibly be any more nauseating?!

“No need to get cocky,” the blonde returned, rolling her sapphire eyes.

Seth gasped, feigning shock. “Oh, my, Lieutenant, language.”

Alice’s brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, causing the brunette to snicker under his breath.

Issac and Vincent exchanged disgusted glances. Did the boy have no off button?

Suddenly realizing how the statement sounded, the blonde sucked in a breath. Her mortification caused her cheeks to burn as the lighting brightened once more. “Seth, you pervert! Don’t you have anything better to do?”

The brunette in question gained a thoughtful look, tapping his finger to his chin before fixing her with a flirtatious smile. “Well, now that you mention it, yes,” he responded with a wink.

Why, oh, why, did he so delight in doing this to her? The girl felt the heat travel up her spine, unbidden. “Since you seem to like things so hot and wet, Seth, I have a special job just for you.”

“Oh, my, Lieutenant, do tell,” he replied, his eyebrows curving suggestively.

Alice rolled her eyes at the display. “Yes. I know of some showers that could use your attention.”

Seth glared as Issac burst into a fit of laughter. “Don’t we have a maintenance crew for that?” he grumbled.

The blonde smiled sweetly. “As a matter of fact, we do. However, I think they would benefit from an expert’s touch. Get going.”

Issac let out another gale of laughter, causing Vincent to smile in spite of himself.

“Well, I can’t promise that I won’t be thinking of you the entire time,” Seth winked, causing the girl to flush red once more.

“Out, you degenerate!”

All three boys jumped, hurrying to the door as she stood up. Upon reaching the door, Seth turned around to flash the lieutenant one last grin.

“We love you, Lieutenant.”

****

“Did you have to go and get her all riled up like that?” Vincent grumbled as Seth closed the door behind him, leaning against it. “I only just met her. I’d prefer she didn’t start off hating me.”

Seth glared at the new cadet. “Shut up! What do you know anyway? You don’t know a single thing about her, so don’t talk to me about-”

“Enough, Seth!” Issac shouted, bringing an end to the brunette’s tirade.

Vincent watched as Seth scowled, turning his back to him as he faced the wall.

“Vincent, there’s something you need to know now about the lieutenant,” he murmured, “No matter what happens, you have to keep her smiling. I don’t care if your arm is hanging by a blood vessel, you do whatever it takes. Hear me?”

Vincent swallowed hard as the teen suddenly turned to him, his deep, brown eyes seemingly attempting to melt holes into his very skin. He nodded.

This seemed to pacify the teen soldier as he let out a weary sigh, running a hand through his jet-black hair.

“You see, Vincent, Seth does what he does on purpose. He does those things…to distract the lieutenant, or make her smile,” Issac informed.

Vincent nodded again, though he didn’t quite understand. The thought caused him to frown. After all, he was an outsider. That much had been made painfully obvious.

“Alice has to be distracted now and then,” Seth finally continued, snapping the boy from his thoughts. “You see, if she’s not distracted, she remembers. And when she remembers…she cries.”

“Not that she really ever lets anyone see her like that, mind you,” Issac added, giving a sigh of his own.

Vincent’s brows furrowed. “Remembers?”

Issac shook his head. “It’s not our place, Vincent.”

Seth scowled, rolling his eyes. “Right, Issac, because we all know that you’re much too good for gossip.”

The brown-haired teen glared. “That’s not the point! It’s not our business.” Heaving a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. “But I suppose you have a point. This isn’t the best place for a conversation, though.”

With that, the teen waved the two after him as he led the way down the hall to the right.

Vincent bit his lip as he hesitantly followed, unable to shake the foreboding feeling that had settled deep within his chest. After all, some things truly were better left to the unknown.