Chapter 20

                                    

                                          
            
                          
"Wait, wait, where are you going?"
                          
The girl I was running after didn't even spare me a glance as she continued zooming in and out of hallways like she had an innate knowledge of the whole place. However, no matter how much I tell her to stop and explain, she just giggled and continued trudging forward.
                          
"Camila!" I called out again, this time extending my arm to clutch hers but she nimbly dodged it and turned around, placing her hand to my mouth as if to silence me as she pressed her back against the wall.
                          
"Shh," she silenced me. "There are two guards roaming around in this hallway. We'll wait until they both turn around so we can run past."
                          
"But how can—" I was about to ask her how we can know when they've turned around when we can't see them, but then, I realized my mistake and rolled my eyes.
                          
Mind reader, Y/N. Duh.
                          
Camila giggled and I couldn't help but smile against her palm. I always envied her capacity to smile and laugh about everything. She makes it seem like living in this controlled environment wasn't a big deal. She made everything seem better somehow—especially for me.
                          
"I'm glad." My thoughts were interrupted by her soft voice against my ear. I turned my head slightly—just enough to get lost in her warm, brown eyes. "I'm glad I make you happy, Y/N. Because you're the one who makes me happy too."
                          
My heartbeat picked up at that moment. I wanted to revel in it—to just stay close to her like that, feeling my heart beat in tandem with hers. But it didn't last long because she was already running past the guards with me right on her heels.
                          
We seemed to go down an endless flight of stairs before she finally stopped long enough for me to catch my breath. I looked up and saw her looking around before she finally turned to me and smiled. "We're alone."
                          
I managed to smile back but it wasn't easy. The running made my heart beat fast—faster than even I knew was normal. My hands that were clutching my knees were now white as snow as I felt my fingernails dig into my skin. I willed the tears back as my whole body cried in pain.
                          
"Y/N?" Camila called out and I immediately saw the worry on her face.
                          
I took a deep breath and smiled at her—a genuine one this time. "I'm okay, Camila. Let's go."
                          
My body was still aching and I saw the hesitation on her face. But I stood steadfast and willed her to go on in my mind. After a few moments, she nodded and led me down a pure, white hallway.
                          
There were several doors around us and they were scary. Metal doors stood tall into the ceiling with only a small window on the upper center. The rooms seemed quiet enough but dread still crept up in my little seven year old heart.
                          
"Camila," I called out with a shaky voice. "What is this? Where are we?"
                          
"This is the place where..." she trailed off, seemingly trying to find the right word, "...powerful children live. Children with more destructive capabilities."
                          
"What? Then what are we doing here?"
                          
She looked back at me for a second and I swear I saw the sadness behind her smile. "They're not all dangerous."
                          
I didn't even manage to ask what she meant by that because she suddenly stopped at the door at the very far end of the hallway. For a while, we just looked at it, unmoving. But after a few seconds, Camila stepped forward and knocked three times. Soon after, the door opened with an echoing creak. I looked back, scared that someone could've heard that and we'd be in trouble.