Hidden Below

Chapter 8: Mouse

The current felt good against my legs as I swung them back and forth beneath the water. I was sitting on the shoreline, enjoying my last bit of peace for a while, following what the man that questioned me earlier advised. He left me here to wait for further instruction. After the odd screening, he told me his name was Shane. He was one of the current generals of the Protector's League. Shane was a little different, but I felt like we would get along pretty well.

I leaned back on my elbows, scraping them a bit. I didn't care. Admiring the breeze against my skin, I thought about how successful I had been so far. I didn't know what the future held in store for me, but I have made it this far unscathed. Rather proud of myself, I looked out at the ocean. If my plan goes accordingly, I'll be able to touch the far reaches of the sea. I reached my hand out and pretended to touch it.

The serenity of the moment was shattered as I heard footsteps behind me. I whipped my head around to see who they belonged to.

"I hope I am not interrupting anything," Shane mentioned, giving me a quizzical look.

"Not at all." I tried not to seem too embarrassed about being caught in the moment.

"Well then, it's time to get you induced. Welcome to the Protector's League." He said as he tossed me a folded set of clothes. "That's your uniform. I'll direct you to where you'll be staying for the next few days. You can change there."

I held the uniform against my chest and followed Shane, who had started walking off without a word again.

"Just so you know, Elder Tham has been informed of your induction, as well as your family and Finn. We wouldn't want them to worry about you and interfere with your training." He spoke with his back to me. "The Elder wanted me to pass on his congrats."

I had been staring at our feet until he finished his last sentence. My heart begged to be touched by the words of The Elder, but Finn's voice reverberated in my mind, urging the feeling away.

Shane guided me to the largest building, across from the building I was questioned in before. As we entered, I noticed the structure inside was much different than the last building. The entrance was the same as the rest; no door, just a walk-in-sized cutout in the metal wall. However, once inside, metal slabs were jutting out from the walls, leaving only a slim hall in front of them.

"These are the rooms." Shane pointed out.

I looked into the first two rooms. No walls or curtains were covering the rooms from the corridor. In the second room, I saw a man changing into a uniform. I looked away quickly and didn't look into any rooms after that. After walking a little further, we stopped.

"Here's your room. When you are done changing, head back out the way we came in. I'll be waiting for you at the entrance."

I nodded in response and made my way into the room he gestured towards. "Don't get cozy," he mentioned.

How could anyone get "cozy" here?

There was a thin tarp for a blanket on a plastic box. Better than sleeping on the floor, I guess. I set my clothes on the makeshift bed and realized how exposed I was. No way was I going to put myself on display like that. I glanced down at the debris that made up Portum. Quickly, I bent down and searched for a sharp piece. I tried pulling up a promising sliver of driftwood, but it was too large and interconnected. As I scanned my hands across the ground, my finger pricked on something sharp. I pulled my hand back and winced before looking for its assaulter. Finally, I found it. It was a big nail. I grab it and get up, looking for a good place to use it. I made my way to the edge of my room, ramming the nail into the metal slabs on either side. Tossing the nail back down on the ground, I grabbed my tarp and shoved the ends through the holes, tying them around the edges.