Radioactive - Book 1: Birth 🪼

Fifty-Five

I stare at the picture as Matt waits patiently but fidgety.

"How did they get your number?"

"The hell I know. It's the government... You can't tell R about this."

"I won't... Why... your dad..."

Matt looks away angrily. "He wouldn't tell them where we were. Dad was holding a lot of secrets from us... our mom too but... My mom is dead..."

"I'm so sorry, Matt."

"She did it to protect me." He says, swallowing to hold back tears. "I don't know what to do, Nalak. I'm not going to hand my brother over but I don't know what they will do if they come and find everyone here. I mean, you're an albino, Cash is a vitiligo, Ramey's an RH- and I'm a flux. Sakina and Octavia will get pulled into it because she's harboring all of us. We need a plan and we need to leave."

I nod. "I agree but... we need to hear what's happened. Everyone is really worried about you guys and with how R is, I don't trust him to make good decisions. We need answers."

"I'll try and get him to talk."

Matt goes back into the room as I run my fingers through my hair. How was I going to keep all of this hidden from Ramey? I breathe in and shake my head. I've kept things from him before, I don't know why I'm acting like it's so hard now.

R

I wake up and my eyes are swollen and red. I must have cried myself to sleep last night. I turn over and find Matt sleeping on the pillow in his swan form, although he looks funny leaning his head on the headboard. I wonder if his long neck will have a crick in it because of that? How do swans sleep normally anyway? I get up and go into the kitchen to see if I can find something to eat. I find some more eggs and a few pieces of bacon but I don't want to take the rest of the food just in case that's all there is. I grab my phone and put it on the charger when a notification comes in. I look at it but I don't recognize the number. Thinking it's spam, I open the phone so that I can delete it when I see something that makes my heart sink. I gulp and look at the text a little more closely.

++++++++++++++++

-Ciao! You're Ramey, right?

+++++++++++++++

I swallow but I don't answer. Suddenly the three dots appear and I wait for the text.

+++++++++++++++++

-You opened it up and it showed that you read it. Silly boy, don't you know how phones work? You had better answer me or I will make your life a living hell.

+++++++++++++++++

I shakily grab the phone and text back to them.

++++++++++++++++

What do you mean 'make' it a living hell? It's already like that as it is. Who are you? What do you want from me?

Now, now, no need to be so angry, I was only doing my job. 😊

Fuck you and your job and leave me alone.

But don't you want to know?

Know what?

+++++++++++++++++

An image comes through and I make a face as I see my dad leaned over himself, blood dripping from his mouth and his hands still tied behind his back in the chair. It was just like we left him.

+++++++++++++++++++

This is your dear old papa, right? Don't you want to know if he's alive?