Chapter 52.1-1

Chapter 52.1 – Kieran POV I sat with my back straight, tense waiting for Grant to show up for our… our session? I wasn’t really sure what to call them, but without fail every other day, sometimes two days in a row Grant would come to my room. At first I couldn’t seem to understand why he would continue to come back, and then Chelsea came to me, sharing her history with me. Shattering everything. Too much, all of it too much, because Grant had started to make me question my position, with very little effort, and few words, he had turned my belief upside down. And Chelsea? Her story backed me into a corner, made me stop hiding, ripped me apart. Standing abruptly I walk over to my desk, deciding to pass the time until Grant arrives with carving, letting myself get lost in my latest piece. Making sure my door is locked; I pull the pieces from under my bed, and beginning working on the front part of the chest I’m making for Grants’ baby. We didn’t use money here on the island, and there wasn’t much else I was good at, except this. Carving, wood working. With all the tools that Chelsea and Gabriel had gotten me, at first it was a bit much, since I had made the frames with a basic knife. Then, I couldn’t read the instruction manuals that came with the different tools. Along the list of things I couldn’t understand, that seemed so out of my normal, was the help that I was being given, the material things Chelsea and Gabriel had bought me. I suspected that they had the money for such things, but that wasn’t what baffled me at all. It was the faith – or the caring that they had for me, giving me something and not wanting anything back in return. At first I had been afraid that using the tools would lead to some type of trap, a deal that I would go into without even knowing it. A trick. That wasn’t the case. ‘I think that Chelsea and Gabriel just want you to have something to do, something that takes your mind from your past…’ Grant had told me but I wasn’t too sure. With my indecision, Grant like he took it upon himself to mess up my room took to opening the boxes of new tools. Luckily he was around when I realized that they all came with instructions. There was a bit of shame when I realized that I was once again falling short, and Grant was here to witness my lacking. Instead of pointing out my shortcomings, Grant just continued on, reading the instructions out loud as though it was for him, and not entirely for my benefit. Or maybe it was just how that family was, Oakley liked to read out loud too… she was very good at it too, she changed her voice to match certain people… To further confuse me, the next day Chelsea came to my room, with a device, laptop just like the one she brought in when she had me choose which tools I wanted. ‘Since we don’t have someone on the island to teach you how to do this – I figured you’d be able to use this?’ she placed the laptop on my desk. ‘You have Internet on this computer, but don’t let this computer leave your room, or let anyone on it Kieran,’ she said in a strict serious voice, leaving again. It was all particularly strange to me, but instead of using my new tools with a trial and error tactic I now had video examples. The first two things I made, one a jewelry type box and a beaded bracelet for Oakley, I gave to Grant to give to her. I wanted Oakley to be safe, but I just missed her so much. But most importantly I wanted to thank her. She was the one person that had tried to give me a chance, came looking for me on my mountain… it had taken some time but I was thankful that I wasn’t on the mountain, in my cave alone. Then why stay alone in your room? Nyx griped. Ignoring Nyx, I continued working on my project for Grant, when a knock finally sounded at my door, I knew it wasn’t Grant, the knock was different that his, softer. Opening and standing back, my sister, Tera is on the other side, ringing her hands in front of her, shuffling from foot to foot. I’m sure my face reflected my surprise. In the last month, no one – including my family – apart from Chelsea, Gabriel, Nona and Grant had really approached me. Unsure I waited silently until Tera said something, her heart racing, she seemed so uncomfortable it made me wonder just what she wanted. I mean why come to my door and not say anything? For a minute I thought possibly something was wrong with Oakley, however one sniff and I couldn’t really place her scent near Tera so that let me relax. Squaring her shoulders. Her eyes wide, “Are you staying away from Oakley because you don’t want to be around me?” I blinked a few times, processing her words. Cocking my head to the side, I listened to her heart racing, the anxiousness rolling off of her in waves. “No.” she sighs heavily, her shoulders deflate and she looks away, her eyes flicking from behind me to meet my eyes, widening, her mouth dropped open. “You – you had one just like that!” she points to the chest behind me. Again she leaves me speechless, “Can I?” she points indicating she wants to enter my room. Standing to the side I let her in. “You’re making this?” she asks me in awe, her eyes wide. “Do – did you remember you had one?” the next question out before I even answered the first. “I had one of these?” Nodding her head furiously, “Yeah, in your room in front of a twin bed. I remember it… you only had Legos and racecars in it…” Her hands stretch to touch it before she pulls back immediately, “can I?” asking permission to touch, I just shrug. “So cool.” I stood in the same place, not sure what to say, while I couldn’t remember life before the facility, her observation right now, was proof that Tera could recall life before I was age six. Only two years younger than me, she would have been four when I was taken. My eyes widened, and I looked away, staring down at my feet when something hit me off balance just as Chelsea’s story had. It was as though my mind was awakened to a truth that I just hadn’t seen before. ‘I’ve had my eye on you for a long time,’ white coat whispered in my ear. “Kieran? Are – are you okay?” Tera asked coming to stand in front of me. Pulling my face together I looked up, nodding. “Yes but I need to clean up,” I replied. “Oh – oh – okay, I’m going,” she stammered, exiting my room quickly, thankfully. Unfortunately I wouldn’t get time to think or process what I just realized because Tera was only replaced with Ben. Unlike Tera I couldn’t sense nervousness on Ben, his stature was stiff but no uneasiness. “I came to talk to you,” he said taking a step forward, I moved to the side to let him in. “About what?” I was fairly certain that it was going to be about Oakley.