Wanderlust

The next afternoon I was sitting on a stool wearing the same sweater as yesterday, hiding my scratched up wrist from the public eye. Jaden didn't mention any of the late night conversation when we had gotten up this morning, even when Millie accused that she had seen Jaden once when she had woken up and me another time talking to him. He acting as if it didn't happen and I was alright with that, it felt weird being personal with him after have the least personal relationship with him.

I had told, Marcus, this morning about my memory last night. I had also told him about my other memories, going into deeper detail about it all. He said that the doctor that performed the removal of my tracker was Kruger's top doctor. His name was, Klauser, he didn't have a first name that Marcus knew of. If that didn't raise any red flags, it would have probably been the experimental surgeries that he performed everyday on innocent people. I had also included the shock therapy that I believed to be used on me. Marcus said that the form of shock therapy that they use is different, it takes your memories away but you can remember then all the time. The thing that is different is that you only remember the memories that have caused the most turbulence in your life. Although it's a simple answer, why did I remember that memory of my Mother?

"Don't ask me why, " I heard Millie approaching me as I stopped pulling the seeds from the grain stems, "but my brother wants to talk to you."

I looked up at her more fully, seeing her already eying my suspiciously. "You don't know why?"

"Nope, wouldn't tell me," she popped, shifting her weight to her other foot. "Do you know?"

I shook my head automatically to avoid her narrowing eyes,"No, not the slightest clue."

"Well then I'd go and find out," she gestured past her.

I dropped the stalks of grain and got up to my feet, seeing her eye me some more as I walked past her. I tapped my fingers together as I walked back to the group quarters, the only thing that he would need to talk to me about would be him telling Marcus about who his father is. He didn't want my help on that though, he said it last night.

I reached the room door within a matter of a few minutes, turning the doorknob to let myself in. I entered the room, turning to see him sitting at the small table with Marcus. Marcus didn't look pleased and Jaden looked a little annoyed, I instantly knew I was about to be thrown into the middle of this.

"Millie said that you needed to talk to me?" I walked over to the table and took a seat, seeing Marcus turn his attention to me.

"I need you to tell your cousin that I'm not working with my father, he's under the impression that I am." Jaden crossed his arm tightly, throwing me a waiting look.

"He's not working with, Kruger." I told Marcus simply, almost lazily.

"You knew about this?" Marcus questioned surprised.

"Yeah, I've known for awhile now." I threw Marcus a fleeting glance as I started to feel the tension in the air.

"Dahlia, he's the son of the most hated man in the country! You aren't at least a little suspicious that he's working under him?" Marcus's outrage at this surprised me, I thought he would have taken it much better than this.

"No," I looked to Jaden. "I'm positive he's not. I trust him, you really should too."

Marcus looked a little lost, mostly confused. "You're okay with this?"

"Would I be here if I wasn't?" My rhetorical question made Marcus raise his brow at me, almost wondering if I really meant it.

"If we're housing you though, we might as well roll out a carpet for him. Are you sure he isn't tracking you?" Marcus turned his attention to Jaden.

"We don't think he is but who knows," he shrugged. "If he was, he would have done something by now."

Marcus sat in thought, looking from me to Jaden and too his tightly clenched hands in front of him. He seemed to relax a little as the air slowly deflated from his hunched shoulders. I knew he'd just have to either deal with it or throw us all out.

"Alright, I believe you." Marcus swallowed, getting up from the chair and passing over to the door. "I'll only be okay with you staying on one condition."

Jaden and I waited, even though his words were meant for Jaden only. "You tell me everything that is going on, no secrets like this one again."

"Sounds fair," Jaden tilted his head back a little as he stretched his arms out in front of him.

Marcus gave me a nod of acknowledgement as he left the room. It was quiet for a second before Jaden sighed loudly, running his hands over his hair.

"He wouldn't believe that I wasn't working with my father unless he heard it from you, even though he doesn't feel fully convinced."

"At least he's okay with it. He's being more accepting than most, who knows how others would react." My words seemed to add on the stress.

"You're right, there could be a riot to throw me out of here." The worry was evident on his face and a strange feeling rolled around in the pit of my stomach. I pushed it aside as I got up from the table, making my move to leave.

"Don't worry about it to much, no of us would tell anyone, Marcus included." I smiled assuringly to him as my hand rested on the doorknob.

I turned it but his voice stopped me from leaving just yet. "Thank you for having my back, even though there wasn't really a reason you wouldn't."

"Don't mention it, that's what friends do for each other." I didn't tease or take a jab, it was obvious that he wasn't in the mood for it.

I left the room, a few fleeting thoughts in my head as I walked back to my post. Surely, Millie, would want to know what Jaden wanted to talk to me about and why he would even want me to talk to about it. Another thought being that Jaden had thought of us as friends, someone close enough to do exactly what I said I would do, which is being dragged into something if I wanted to be. The thought of being friends brightened my mood but I wondered if it would grow or dissolve into what it once was; nothing.