There was something about rushing down unfamiliar hallways with Zaiden that made 636’s heart race. It was oddly exhilarating. He had promised to show her the best and hidden places inside of Abrax and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t excited.

“I think I know what might become a favorite of yours,” Zaiden called out as he quickly walked down the gray passageway.

“What is it?”

He turned towards her and smirked. “You’ll see when we get there.” The mystery was only making 636 more anxious as they ascended more stairs. It wasn’t anywhere she’d been before but then again she hadn’t gotten to explore a majority of the fortress yet. Most was still foreign to her.

They went up more and more flights of stairs, seemingly with no destination in sight. 636 was growing impatient. What did he want to show her and why was it so far away? She was still exhausted from the amount of power she released yesterday. If someone were to touch her now, she’d probably fall over.

Zaiden suddenly stopped on one of the landings between steps. “Let’s stop here,” he breathed, also still tired from earlier it seemed. 636 knew he was an important figure here but she hadn’t seen the gravity of the position until now. The dark bags under his eyes and messy hair told her he hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Not that she was in any place to judge.

He rested his head against one of the tan walls inside the stairwell. Brown hair fell over his closed eyes as his chest moved with each breath. Was it normal to be this tired?

“Are you okay?” 636 asked worriedly. She hadn’t seen anyone this exhausted since Malcolm but he had the excuse of almost being crushed.

Zaiden moved his hands to hold onto the metal railing behind him. His grip so tight the veins in his arms were more prominent and defined.

“I’m fine,” he lied. “I just need to rest for a moment.” He used his smile like a mask. Hiding whatever he was feeling at that moment.

“Does talking with your father normally make you this tired?”

Zaiden tensed. Clearly the topic must have made him uncomfortable. Whatever conversation he had with his father had made him distant. The past mentions of Zaiden’s dad told 636 this wasn’t the first time.

“Let’s keep moving,” Zaiden directed. “It’s not far now.” He walked out of the stairwell and led her down a quiet hallway. Oddly neglected compared to the rest of Abrax.

She didn’t miss the way he avoided the topic but she let him ignore it. If it was hard for him to talk about she wouldn’t make him.

“Where are we going?”

Zaiden smiled at her again. This time it wasn’t fake. “You’ll see.” He gently took her hand to lead her more efficiently through the hall. A warm feeling engulfed her. She liked how comfortable it was to be held, even the tiniest bit, by someone who wasn’t afraid of her.

Eventually they came to a corridor much brighter than the rest. It was sunlight. 636 turned to Zaiden as if asking once more where they were going. He only answered her with a proud smile. As they approached the end of the hall, 636 could see a bridge connecting their building to another. Linking them together. The bridge was surrounded by glass and an iron frame. The morning light had just started to shine through the cracks in the glass.

Breaking away from Zaiden she quickly ran over to the clear barrier. Looking out at the skyline from so high up brought everything to a new perspective. The trees looked small and the sun somehow managed to be brighter. A large body of water 636 couldn’t see the end of was painted before her. Its waters reflected the sun’s rays in beautiful patterns. The vibrant blue and orange hues put the scene all together.

636 spotted a few birds flying high in the sky. Completely free. If she closed her eyes she could imagine what their wings cutting through the air sounded like.

“Congrats Emryn,” Zaiden voiced softly. “You have officially made it through your first day at Abrax.”

She smiled at him. The morning made his hair look a shade lighter than normal. His brown skin looked brighter and the smile he wore made their last conversation seem distant.

“Thank you,” she whispered. She couldn’t describe how it made her feel or what she was feeling but she liked it. Spending time with Zaiden made her forget about the harsh realities of the world. Even as they sat in silence, watching the sun rise, she was grateful for his company. A presence keeping her from being alone.

“Why isn’t there anyone else here?” 636 spoke up after a while. The place was so beautiful. It was strange not to see anyone here. Out of every place that she had seen in Abrax, this was by far the best.

“They’re not really allowed here. This skyway doesn’t have the iron coating the rest of the buildings have so it’s not safe to be here.” Zaiden pointed to the side of the structure, covered in dark metallic spikes. Looking around further, she saw almost the entire base was covered with the stuff.

“What’s it for?”

“It keeps wolf-spiders from climbing up the buildings. It’s just one of the precautions Abrax takes to keep everyone safe.”

636 looked at the jagged pieces of metal coating covering the entirety of the surrounding buildings and then the ground beneath them. It was almost completely void of life within the walls. Nothing but a few weeds cracking through the solid concrete and guards patrolling the length of the barrier.

“Is one of your precautions keeping everyone inside?”

“Sadly, yes,” Zaiden said, now at her side. “It's dangerous to have too many people outside making noises. If there’s too much noise it will attract wolf-spiders.”

“And if wolf-spiders show up anyway?”

“We try to shoot them down with guns but if they were attacking from underground the different platforms would crush them.” 636 looked puzzled by his answer. Noticing her confusion, Zaiden went on. “The ground that this city was built on is made up of thirteen different levels of platforms and tunnels. If we were to notice fluctuations in seismic activity, the platforms would be activated. The constant movements they would make would make it too hard for wolf-spiders to dig through and then would eventually crush them. The room that we were in earlier with Alex was one of the monitor rooms. Seismic activity is measured and if something seems off the person on duty will turn the platforms on to kill any wolf-spiders that may be down there. Does that make sense?”

636 looked at the ground more closely. In some areas it was easy to spot cracks where the floor could potentially open. If there were more like it underneath, she could see how it would be hard to dig through. Even for the wolf-spiders.

“You guys have everything figured out,” she contemplated, voice full of envy. This was what protection was supposed to look like. People watching each other's backs. Harver and Dr.Willow’s idea of what protection meant was far from what she was seeing here. If they had it their way, she would have been the only one fighting.

“Do you like it here Zaiden?”

He thought about this for a while before answering. 636 could see the different thoughts cycling in his mind through the small changes his face would make. “It’s the only place I would ever consider a home,” he finally answered. “Abrax means everything to me.”

636 crossed her arms over the railing and rested her head as she thought about his answer. A home sounded nice. If it meant having the relationships Zaiden had here, then it didn’t sound half bad. Maybe she could belong here too. Looking up at the sky, they could see the sun high above the horizon. The sun had risen and a new day had begun. For 636, she hoped this day marked the first day she too could consider Abrax a home.

“Follow me,” Zaiden said, breaking through the silence. 636 perked her head up, arms numb from laying on them, and knitted her brows. “Where are we going this time?” she asked.

“Trust me, you’re going to like this next place. Maybe even more than this skyway.”

The skyway hadn’t been disappointing, in fact there wasn’t much that could top it. But 636 once again followed Zaiden through a maze of hallways and stairwells, trusting that this next place was going to be just as good. With each step she took, the building was slowly becoming more familiar to her.

It wasn’t long before they came to a spacious room made of green tinted glass with a ceiling so high it could have passed for the sky. Inside were rows and rows of different plants. In between each row of vegetation was a small stream of water. The air smelled fresh and had a bunch of moisture. It reminded her of the forest she had slept in before running into Zaiden. Workers were coming in and out with different crates of colored plants.

All the bushes and trees were so green. Their leaves spread out into some of the cobblestone walkways. On the sides of the room were wooden tables full of potted plants and gardening tools. 636 took hesitant steps into the large greenhouse, head darting in every direction to see everything.

“This is where we grow all of our food. The gardens are full of all kinds of plants,” Zaiden said. “Figured it would be a great place to go if someone likes nature.”

“You grow all of this? That’s amazing,” she beamed. A few orange flowers situated on a table nearby caught her eye. Their beauty and vibrant colors made them somehow more captivating than the rest. Carefully, 636 cradled them in her hand. The petals felt so smooth, for a second she thought they were fake. She hadn’t gotten the chance to see very many flowers yet, but this kind was by far her favorite. She would have picked one out of the pot if it wasn’t for the sound of footsteps approaching her.

“I see the tiger lillies have caught your eye,” a sweet looking old lady voiced. Her white hair was pinned back under a bonnet and her eyes were wrinkled from years of smiling. “They’re one of my favorites.” The lady smiled at her and held out an arm. “My name is Dede. What’s your name child?”

“I-” 636 hesitated, almost reaching out her hand to shake Dede’s. It felt wrong.

Promise me something. When you do find out your name, I’ll be the first to know.

If you promise to tell me about the outside world, I’ll promise to tell you my name. You’ll be the first person I ever tell.

636 retracted her hand and looked away, ashamed. She still couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to break the promise she had made, even if it was impossible to keep.

A comforting hand rested on her shoulder. Zaiden was standing beside her. He gave her a reassuring smile and then faced Dede.

“This is Emryn, the newest member of Abrax,” he answered.

Dede smiled and took 636’s hand in hers. If she was offended, she didn’t show it. Dede’s smile never left her face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Emryn.” Dede pulled a pair of scissors out of her dirt covered apron. 636 recoiled, backing into Zaiden. His hand went to her waist immediately to discreetly calm her down. The hand holding her made it impossible to forget his presence. It was like she became hyper aware of his every move. However, she only calmed down completely once she saw Dede cut the tiger lily off of the rest of the plant and hand it to her.

636 tried to hide her previous discomfort with a smile but it ended up looking awkward and out of place. She held the flower in her hand and dipped her head down, whispering a quiet thank you.She should have known the sweet old lady meant no harm. When Dede finally put the scissors away, she exchanged it for a small packet of herbs. “Put it in the water with this and it will last longer.” She winked. “Tiger lillies are stubborn so you have to always keep a third eye on them.” Dede ran her eyes over the two, no doubt curious about why they were so close. “Well, I should get back to work now. You two have fun.”

“You okay?” Zaiden whispered into her ear once Dede was gone. 636 nodded her head. She knew no one would hurt her but she didn’t want to wander too far away from Zaiden’s hold. “We should get going too. I don’t think Simone showed you to your room yet and we have to get that into some water,” he said, pointing to the flower.

They went back the way they came. Moving quickly through the dim hallways, Zaiden led her through the same dining hall and set of common rooms Simone had shown her. Eventually, they came to a hallway quieter than the others. Sitting by one of the doors was the little boy from earlier, Braun. He was asleep with his locks of brown hair falling over his face. Zaiden chuckled before picking the boy up and letting him rest against his shoulder.

“He must have fallen asleep waiting for me,” he whispered, smiling at the boy in his arms.

“Is this your room?”

“Yeah, Simone’s is right across and Alex’s is down the hall.” Zaiden pointed to the door belonging to Alex and then to the one next to his own. “This is Malcolm’s room and across from him will be yours.” 636 internally frowned knowing that Macolm would be so close to her. Perfect distance away for killing her in her sleep.

“Let me put him in my room. Your door should be open.” He went into his room and 636 was left in the hall alone. She gently turned the handle and entered what would be her room.

Just like any other room in Abrax, the window was dim and the walls bare. There was a bed in the center of the room and 636 immediately went over to run her hand along covers. They were light and soft to the touch. When she sat down on the bed she sunk down. Growing hot, 636 took off the layers of coats she had been wearing. She had always had a problem with the cold but here it was warm. She was back to just a tank top and sweatpants.

“He’s in bed now, so I thought I’d check on you,” Zaiden said as he walked into the room. He was no longer wearing his uniform, the jacket discarded when he was putting Braun to bed. The shirt he was wearing now was fitted to his frame and highlighted the muscles underneath. “Everything to your liking?” he asked, motioning to the room. 636 brought her eyes back to his face.

“Everything’s fine.” The bed dipped beside her as Zaiden sat down. Her chakram was in his hand. He gently set it onto her lap. 636 didn’t say anything as she ran her fingers along the circular blade. The gold and silver designs had faded over the years. “You dropped this during the fight. Thought I’d bring it back to you.” There was another moment of silence between them. Oddly enough, 636 didn’t mind the silence when she was around him.

“Why didn’t you want to talk to Dede? She’s a nice woman.” The question froze her movements. She kept her eyes downcast. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to talk to the lady, she just couldn’t introduce herself.

“It’s complicated,” she whispered. “You’ll think it’s dumb and maybe it is but I can’t bring myself to tell anyone my name.”

“Enlighten me,” he said softly. “I promise not to judge.”

636 let out a sigh. “When I was in the labs and going through the testing, the only thing keeping me going was a boy named Seth. A long time ago I made a promise to him. If I even found out what my name was, I’d tell him first, before anyone else.” Melancholy laced her voice. She didn’t know how to put the next part into words. Or more accurately, she didn't want to.

“What happened to him?” Zaiden asked cautiously.

“He-” 636 took a breath. “He died and I wasn’t able to tell him my name. I know it’s dumb to still keep this promise I can never fulfill but it’s one of the few things I have left of him.”

Zaiden grabbed her hand. “It’s not dumb,” he reassured. “There is nothing wrong with keeping your promises Emryn.”

“But won’t it make it hard to talk to people?” If she couldn’t even tell people her own name how could she expect them to trust her.

“Maybe,” Zaiden pondered. After a moment he pulled out a pocket knife. 636’s grip on the chakram tightened slightly but she just as quickly released it. “I think I might have something to help.” He took the blade out of her hand and onto his lap. “Is it okay if I put marks in this?” She nodded.

Zaiden began carving letters into the chakram with his knife. She leaned closer to see the familiar assortment of letters. She had stared at them for hours in order to memorize their arrangement. Her name was the one word she could read.

“There,” he exclaimed once he was finished. “Now all you need to do is show someone this and they’ll know your name.”

She smiled down at the marking. “I think people will be put off by me shoving a weapon in their faces.” Zaiden looked up in thought and then back down at the chakram.

“You’re probably right but if they do end up staying you’ll know right away if they have a strong resolve. Not many people can keep their cool with a blade in front of them.”

She snorted at his reasoning. The markings may not have been the best way to introduce herself but it had been a nice sentiment. She did like the idea of having her name on something.

“I gotta go get Braun some breakfast, since he slept through it. You can come with me if you want.”

“I’m okay,” she said, still admiring the blade. “I’ll just stay here for a while.”

Zaiden left her again, although this time she didn’t mind it. She glanced around her room and smiled. It was all hers. She’d have to go back and get her bag from the hospital wing, then everything she owned would be situated in one room. Glancing at the chakram once more, her heart filled with joy. There was something beautiful about belonging, and it finally didn’t feel weird to have a name. She was Emryn and no one would take that away from her.