Chapter 76 The Lab Rat

"Divide and conquer."

-Julius Caesar

Emma

I'm irritable when I wake up. I haven't slept well for three nights in a row. Every sound woke me up and I kept being afraid they would come for Burns.

No one came.

But now it's morning and we'll have to face them again.

I don't know what Blake will do. I know Nate is already aware of the truth an he hasn't said anything so far, but I'm not too sure about Bake.

He kissed me.

I shake off the memory and get to my feet. I need to use the toilet, but I don't want to leave Burns, especially now.

I peek around the corner to find Nate. He holds the sleeping space next to ours. Perhaps he can stay with Burns. But when I look, he's not there.

I sigh and turn back to Burns, who is still fast asleep. When I sit down on the mattress, Burns' eyes flutter open. "Morning."

"Hey," I mumble.

Burns yawns and looks at me. "What's wrong?"

"I need to pee," I say.

He smiles. "Then go." He sits up when I bite my lip. "Hey. Stop worrying. I'll be fine."

I nod. "Alright. Just... don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." I hurry towards the bathing areas. There are a few people in the tunnel and I try to recall their names. Milo and Kim. Marcus.

And Sophie.

She's waiting for me at the bathing area. When I reach her, she studies me carefully. I wonder what's wrong. Did I grow antennas during the night? 'Hi," I say carefully.

"Hi," she mutters, but she's still looking at me.

"What?" I ask. Her staring is making me nervous.

Sophie glances to the side where Marcus has just disappeared around the corner. Then she looks at me again. "I'm just trying to see it."

"See what?"

"Proof, that you and your friend are trying to deceive us. Because it can't be true. That you're human. Not with that scar in your neck."

I sigh. "Blake told you."

"Blake?" she looks surprised, "Bake knows?"

"So he didn't tell you." That only leaves Nate. Unless she has figured it out on her own.

"My father came to see me last night," Sophie says softly. She looks around before focusing on me again. "He said..." she hesitates. "He said you were caught by Seekers. He said Burns found a way to bring you back. That's why you travel together."

It's only partially true, but I don't correct her. "Who else did he tell?" I ask instead.

"Is it true?" Sophie asks, "can humans really be brought back once they're taken?"

"Who did he tell?" I insist.

Sophie swallows. "Logan. Philip. Kelsey. But he's going to tell the others today."

My urge to pee has vanished. "Why did he tell them first? Why not wait until he tells the rest?"

"Is it true?"

"No. Yes. Sometimes. I don't know. Why did he tell them?"

Sophie doesn't seem to hear my question. "What do you mean you don't know?"

I sigh. "If you want to know the details, you'll have to ask Burns. But I don't know if he'll want to talk about it. All I know is that when the Seekers took me and placed a Soul in my body, I didn't disappear like I was supposed to. I had no way of telling Burns. I wasn't in control of my body anymore. I was only a passenger. The Soul that wore my body knew, but she was afraid of me. She wanted to trade me in for a new body. But somehow Burns figured it out and he stopped her and brought me back."

Sophie lets the words sink in. "Why didn't you disappear?"

"I don't know," I answer.

"Why did he bring you back?"

I bite my lip. "I'm not sure," I say hesitantly, "he said... he said it was wrong that she was in my body while I was still there. That I wasn't me..."

A faint smile crosses Sophie's face. "He must care about you then."

A sigh escapes my lips. Maybe this won't be a complete disaster . Then I wince. I remember why I came this way. "I'll be right back," I say and hurry into the bathing area.

When I come out again, Sophie is still there and we walk towards the common room together. We pass our sleeping space and I pause to wait for Burns.

He smiles when he sees us. His hair sticks out in odd angles and he yawns, but he's dressed and ready to go. He smiles at Sophie. "Morning."

"Hi," she mutters cautiously. I suppose she doesn't really trust him yet.

But when we enter the common room, she does sit with us.

Others file into the room and give us wary looks. I'd like to say that I'm used to it by now, but I'm not. I hope Nate will wait with telling everyone about Burns' secret until after breakfast because I'm starving.

When Blake arrives, I bite my lip. His outburst from last night is still fresh in my mind and I'm not sure how to act around him.

Blake sits down across from me, a frown between his eyes. So he doesn't know how to act either.

I sigh.

The sound makes him look up and his smirk is back. It's a kinder one than the playful smirk he usually gives. It makes him look younger. "Worried, squirky?"

I stare at the table, unable to met his eyes.

His hand lands on my wrist, giving it an assuring squeeze. "It's gonna be fine." He pulls back his hand, leaving a tingling sensation. After all this time, he still has the power to unsettle me.

Breakfast consists of some porridge today. It doesn't really taste like anything, but according to Sophie it's very nutritious.

I suppose they need something to keep them going. There isn't a lot of sunlight and fresh air in here. I've been spoiled with Burns. I may have felt like a prisoner in the beginning, but at least I was well fed.

I glance around the room to get an idea of the atmosphere. Most people are in conversation with one another, but some steal glances in our direction. Some hostile, some curious. What had Sophie said again? Nate had told Kelsey. And Philip and Logan. I try to find their faces.

They are spread out across the room.

Logan is sitting at the far end of the room with Evan an Ellen.

Philip shares a bench with James, Milo, Mick and Carlos.

I know Kelsey is with Will. She seemed willing to give Burns the benefit of the doubt before. Nate must have told her because he hoped she could win over Will. He seemed the most hostile out of everyone.

Suddenly I know what Nate is trying to do. He informed a few of the most steady people first, so they could calm the others down. Even if they didn't believe his story, they must be tolerant enough to consider the possibility.

And Sophie, she is Nate's daughter. With her sitting with us, no one would dare take the risk of getting her harmed.

I shake my head in wonder. Nate is more shrewd than I gave him credit for. He knows what he's doing.

I think he's someone I can trust.

He catches my look when I glance his way and he gives me a smile. I answer it uncertain.

Blake draws my attention. "We have greenery duty today," he says.

"We?" I ask.

"You, me, Burns and Kim."

I look around to match the face with the name and find her next to Rachel 'This ought to be fun,' I think sarcastically.

But before I can think on it too much, Nate speaks up. And everything inside me freezes.

"Guys," Nate says, "before we head off to our chores, there is something we need to talk about." He looks in our direction and I expect him to call Burns.

But he doesn't.

He calls me.