Dust

Six: (Not) Radiation

A few days pass, with no sign of Lockman or Kyros anywhere. I return to work two days after being freed, and Titus spends a lot of his time with either Thea or his old friends. My mother and father, tension high between the two of them, have a full screaming match a day before he has to leave, when both Titus and I were supposed to be out of the house. After getting home early from dinner with Callista, I could hear them yelling from the hallway. I didn't go home that night, but rather slept over at Thea's house. On the morning of the day my father is to leave, after I return from breakfast with Titus and his girlfriend, I find Lockman casually chatting with my mother in the living room.

"Ah! Ariadne, your friend is cleared. Our questions and medical tests have been completed. He's in your hands now, since you seem so keen on showing him kindness." he says, his tone kind but a hidden bite behind his words. He's angry. Very angry.

I look down the hallway, where Kyros emerges from the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. He waves quickly, a grin on his face, and then walks into Titus' room. I stand there frozen for a few minutes. He's actually really good-looking. Without the blood covering his face, he bears a strong resemblance to the Greek gods of the stories. Tall, well-muscled, and athletic, with a radiant smile. I glance over at my mother, who merely stares at me in disapproval. She doesn't want another mouth to feed, nor another person to have to take care of. Understandably so.

"Very well. I will leave you to it. Best of luck, Athena." Lockman tells my mother, and then exits without another word.
"Where's Titus?" my mother questions, and I gesture behind me nonchalantly.

"He's with Thea. They'll be back in time for lunch." I say, pushing past her to get to my room. I sit down on my bed, glancing towards the window quickly for no reason other than the light pouring from it. I run a few fingers through my hair, looking up at the ceiling before glancing towards the door. Kyros walks in, wearing a t-shirt and some sweatpants. Most likely Titus's clothes.

"Hey," he greets, knocking on the edge of the doorframe. I motion for him to come in, and he sits at the foot of my bed.

"I know your family can't really afford to keep me here. Lockman refused to let me go with anyone else." he says, looking apologetic but not necessarily regretful.

"You're my punishment. For going into the airlock," I say, forcing a smile anyway. Kyros immediately sets me on edge, if only because I can't read his thoughts as easily as I can with my other friends. Looking him over, he's a lot stronger than he seemed before. Without the blood and wounds covering his body, he seems like he could probably take more than a few people out in a fight. On the ridge of muscle connecting his neck and shoulder, I can still see a scar from the sores the radiation burns left, and a few similar marks are on his arms as well. The last one I see is closest to healed, resting right on his cheekbone. He offers a boyish grin at me, attempting to appease my uneasiness. It doesn't work.

"So what do you all do for fun around here?"

"Slow down, Ghost. You've got a few questions to answer before we move on to fun," I tell him, feeling my face grow stern. He merely raises an eyebrow, staring me down as he waits for my questions.

"Where did you come from?" I ask, but he merely shrugs.

"You tell me," he says, grinning nonchalantly.

"Help me out here. How'd you survive the Outside?" I press, but he merely stares back at me, his gaze unwavering.

"Come on, Ghost! You need to tell me something. Anything! I'm dying for answers!" I beg, and he purses his lips before replying.

"I can't answer you, Ariadne, because it's not anything you need to know. Yet."

With an irritated sigh, I stand and leave the room before I snap at him. My mother questions me about my destination, but I merely pull my jacket off the coat hanger and step outside. Athena Simon is merciful and does not follow. With my boots stomping against the concrete ground beneath, I storm past the people in the streets. Try as I may, I cannot ignore the gazes and stares that follow me.