Ruth Silver - Moirai

“She helped forge my papers?” I guessed.

Douglas shook his head no. “There were doctors who were involved in the papers and ‘The Day of the Chosen’ aspect of it. Rebecca was important, because she made sure your match in the system was to Joshua.” I didn't quite understand the severity of what was being said and what had been done.

“Why did they need us to be matched together?” I asked, confused and glancing at Joshua.

“In time you would learn the truth,” Douglas reminded me. “You needed someone strong and loyal by your side. The Governor would not take lightly to the news and betrayal within his system.”

Slowly it began to make sense. I wondered if all the times we'd played together, if it had been to ensure we would become friends. I couldn't ask that. His hand had dropped from mine. I didn't blame him.

“Is there anything else?” I asked uncomfortably.

“We appreciate you coming here. Stay safe,” Douglas answered curtly.

Chloe opened the doors, and the three of us followed behind her, back outside and down the street with an armed guard in tow. It felt odd to be followed. I tried to pretend he wasn't behind us, but I couldn’t ignore the sound of his heavy boots.

“Where's dinner?” I ask half-heartedly. I didn't feel hungry but I knew we needed to eat. It was dark, late, and we hadn't eaten much since arriving in Torv.

“Floor twenty-two in our building,” Chloe explained as she led us once again into the foyer, and then the elevator. I didn't know what to say. Joshua hadn't said much. He'd been wrapped up in this for far longer than he'd realized. I wondered if he was angry with me, though I didn't feel it was my fault.

We all crammed into the elevator, and Joshua pushed the button for floor twenty-two. I reached for his hand, glad he didn’t pull away. Already so much was going on. I couldn't lose his support right now. The doors opened, and Joshua and I stepped out together, glancing around and wondering precisely where to go. Chloe stepped out behind us, and I moved to the side, letting her lead us into the cafeteria. Elsa stood behind us, and I glanced back to see our armed bodyguard still following us. I wondered what it would take to lose him.

This was definitely going to be awkward. If I didn't feel like we'd stand out from not being known around here, I was certain everyone would notice the six-foot man carrying a gun in to dinner.

Stepping out, I saw a rush of commotion through clear glass panels. Opposite us was a cafeteria with hundreds of people sitting down, eating, and talking candidly. “Come on,” Chloe insisted, leading us through the open archway. I felt Joshua fall just a few steps behind. Upon walking through the open door, the sound seemed to increase tenfold. It was rather overwhelming. “Grab a tray,” Chloe instructed as she maneuvered us through the crowd towards the line for food.

The three of us each grabbed a tray, and I glanced at him silently. This is pure chaos . I couldn't believe how many people were in the cafeteria. How were there so many people unaccounted for in Cabal? Had they all left, escaped at some point? We stood in line with Chloe, grabbing our food as we followed her to a table, where Jaxon already sat.

“Hey.” I smiled, grateful for one more face I recognized.

“I see you found the food,” Jaxon teased, noting the heaping pile of beef and mashed potatoes on my tray. I pulled up alongside Jaxon and Joshua, having a seat on the bench. Elsa sat beside Joshua as the table seemed to extend on forever. The cafeteria was huge! Chloe sat across from me and as I grabbed a roll, my eyes landed on the guard. He hadn't budged an inch. I could feel his shadow towering over me.

“You can sit down,” I offered, hoping he would oblige. He made me nervous.

“Have to do my job, ma'am,” he insisted.

I felt eyes surrounding us as whispers erupted even through the loud chaos of the cafeteria. “I'm sure you do, and you are, but you must be hungry.” I gestured. “Get yourself something to eat. I won't send you home.” I knew he just tried to do as he was told. “You can keep an eye on me while you eat,” I insisted.

The guard gave me a relieved smile and headed to the line, cutting in front of other people. I imagined having a gun on him kept people from complaining. “So does this place feed the entire town?” I still couldn't believe how large the cafeteria was in Torv. Where did all these people come from?

“Just the residents who live here,” Chloe answered. She didn't seem to think it was any big deal. All of Shadow had a population of maybe fifty people. I knew the other cities nearby were larger, but I never imagined Torv being so densely populated. “I suppose it takes some getting used to.” She gestured over to a young girl who couldn't have been any older than I was. “Zarrah, have a seat.” She made room at the table. “This is my daughter, Zarrah. Zarrah, this is Jaxon, Olivia, Joshua, and Elsa.”

Zarrah smiled faintly, giving us a weak nod. She had the same dark hair and eyes as her mother. “Glad you're back, Mom.” She kissed her cheek. “Dad wants to know if you're planning on leaving for Shadow again.”

Chloe glanced at me before returning her attention to Zarrah. “Tell him, he can ask me himself.”

Zarrah sighed, “He said he couldn't do that right now, since you've got company.” She gestured towards us.

“It's okay. If you need to go speak with your husband,” I said, “we can wait here or he can come over. We'll make room,” I offered, trying my best to be polite. I didn't quite feel it appropriate to ask any personal questions, certainly not with her daughter at the table.

Joshua nudged me under the table, his knee intentionally brushing mine.

What? I asked without moving my lips.

I don't want you to panic but I think I see your father . Joshua hadn't stopped staring towards the right, in the direction Zarrah had come from. I shifted, catching where Joshua's gaze was, and looked over, seeing an older gentleman with the blackest hair and the brownest eyes staring over at us. Even more than a decade later, he'd barely changed.

I shook my head no, in denial. It couldn't be him. He was dead. I was certain he was dead. My mother had buried him, at least I thought she had. I could still remember the funeral as though it were yesterday. Could he have another brother? I sat frozen as he slowly walked closer, and the room seemed to spin with his movements. As he approached I saw how tall he was, just as my father had been, slightly over six-foot. The resemblance was more than uncanny. I didn't want it to be my father; knowing he was alive meant the worst thing possible. He wasn't the man I believed in all those years. One hand held my fork, the other reached down, gripping Joshua's thigh as I tried not to tremble. I was not ready for this.

I'm not going anywhere . I was thankful that I could hear his thoughts, know he spoke the truth and that it was something only we shared together. I gave the faintest of nods and quickly averted my eyes, but it was too late. He now stood to the right of Zarrah and fast approached us.

My breath caught in my throat, and I dropped my fork. It would have clashed loudly had the room not been pure chaos. Each moment seemed to last a lifetime and all I could think was what I would say to a man I thought had died more than a decade ago.

His eyes never left mine and even as I tried to look away, I could feel his intense gaze. He stopped and paused as he reached Chloe, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. She turned around surprised and then relieved. “Oh good, you're here.” Chloe turned back towards us. “This is my husband, Gavin.” Staring up at him, I felt a chill course through my body as I stared into his eyes. They were darker than I remembered.