The Fourteen

Chapter 17: Freed by the Bell

Our eyes bore into each other's. Whether we stood there for years, hours, or seconds I did not care. The entire universe was zoned out. He recognised me; I recognised him. Even if it had been a while, there was no denying who he was.

A face that used to hold a haunted and sullen look, now carried victory and a confident poise. And his hair was much longer, peeking out past his forehead.

But I noticed his eyes the most. Those cerulean gems didn't hold the coldness I had become accustomed to in the North, but a foreign warmness. Suddenly, horror wrought his face and he averted his gaze.

I could've broken away from my group. I could've marched up to him and fired question after question. I could've demanded he go home. But I didn't. As quickly as he was found, he was lost. He melted into the crowd of hooded figures, drifting away.

When he was gone, I tuned into Danny's speech, "-oam around the compound as your wish. Please be back at the Ligno Matre by 7:30pm. Make sure to also take time to eat in the Mess Hall, at your leisure.

If you get lost, feel free to ask anyone for directions. Here are some key cards, they should give you access to most of the rooms in the compound. We recommend you travel in pairs, and that you do not separate from your partner."

He paused to clip on some plastic cards to our shirts; I looked at my card and gasped. It had the appearance of a standard photo ID, with all of my credentials filled in. My birthday, height, and weight were correctly written on the card. This stirred uncomfortable feelings.

Danny directed his gaze at Brooke, Boe, and me. "But we have one condition, the three of you have to be separated. We might excuse it, if you happen to run into each other, but you can't pair up to explore together."

Boe muttered in Wolfish, "How unfortunate. It's obvious that they don't trust us."

I responded in the same language, "Agreed. But I like to think of it as quarantine. They're trying to stop future mutations. Or rather...mutinies. "

Brooke, Boe, and Soren laughed. Those that weren't wolves looked very confused. In the corner of my eye, I saw Hue's mouth quirk up.

To test my theory, I looked away from Hue as I addressed him in Wolfish, "You understand our tongue, pup?"

Hue rolled up his shirt's shoulder. My eyes honed onto his bicep, where a wolf paw print lay. Boe lit up like a candle.

The Imperials paired up according to the groups we assigned yesterday. Today, we would begin our mission of espionage. Moments later, after the pairs were approved by Danny, we split.

Boe squeezed my hand secretly. I projected to him and I heard his warning in my mind, "These key cards have trackers in them. Be careful, they know where you'll be at all times."

I nodded.

Everyone chose different routes, hoping to cover more ground. With Dexter beside me, we entered the rebel's maze.

We played the part of curious teenagers quite well. With giddy expressions on our faces, had an excuse to check every nook and cranny. It was predetermined that Dexter would take any rooms on the left side; I took any on the right. Mentally, we documented exits, room size, people, and any other notable facts.

After searching aimlessly for a while, my intuition sparked.

We had a tail.

Tapping Dexter's arm twice, I communicated the alert to him. His face went hard and we immediately darted down the corridor.