"Have they said anything about us?" I asked Sebastian, after a particularly bad day.
He frowned and shook his head. "No, actually, they've been strangely silent."
"So that's good, right?"
"I guess," he replied, although he didn't sound convinced.
Most of the others didn't seem to know how to react to me, so they simply ignored my presence. And Joe, the only one I assumed might have talked to me, had gone overseas to attend to some family problem. I felt a little like a ghost, floating unseen and unacknowledged, around that buzzing house.
After several days, my boredom got the better of me and I went in search of a computer. I figured that if I had to kill time, I could at least do it laughing at cats with hilarious facial expressions. Sebastian had a laptop, but he carried it with him during the day. I'd seen a few desktops scattered around the building, and nobody ever seemed to be using them, so I didn't think anyone would mind.
Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as just sitting down and turning the system on. The PC lit up when I hit the power button, but the screen only got as far as displaying a blinking cursor on a black background, and no amount of resetting or playing with the cables would fix it.
I'd seen Sebastian power up his laptop before, and at some point during the process he always swiped his thumb across the little biometric scanner that hung off the side. This PC had one too, sitting on the desk next to the keyboard. Perhaps the system wouldn't start without the right person in the chair.
Part of me wanted to swipe it myself just to see what would happen. I even got as far as poising my thumb over the pad, but then a voice from the doorway interrupted me.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."
I jolted back in my chair. It was Trey. I hadn't seen him since the night I arrived. Apparently he wasn't part of the inner council, so he wasn't holed up here with the rest of them.
"Sorry," I said.
"It's alright. No harm done. You're just lucky I found you when I did. A word of warning, though. Anything that needs a thumbprint you should probably stay away from."
In spite of my embarrassment, my curiosity was now peaked. "Why?"
He smiled. "If you don't have the right authentication, the whole system will shut down until someone comes and checks it out. I figure you could probably do without that attention."
Well, that answered that question. "Right. Thanks for the warning."
He stared at me for a few seconds, and I felt my skin begin to prickle. It was another of those awkward moments where we were both aware I knew something I shouldn't, but we weren't discussing it. He didn't look concerned at all, but it still made me uncomfortable.
"So, what brings you here anyway? I didn't expect to see you around these parts," I said, trying desperately to fill the silence.
He shrugged and gave a conspiratorial eye roll. "Thomas needed something. You know how it is; the bosses call and we come a-running. Any idea where he is?"
"Actually yeah, I think I saw him chatting to Marcus in the kitchen, before."
Trey's expression darkened a little. Perhaps he and Marcus weren't on the best terms. "Alright, thanks." His smile returned. "Stay out of trouble, hey?"
I gave a little laugh. "I'll do my best."
In spite of how awkward I'd felt, it was nice to have an interaction with Sebastian's colleague that didn't involve any death stares. It made me feel like perhaps there was hope yet on that front.
But, the next day, Sebastian came to me with some news, and that theory promptly went to shit.
"We're leaving," he said.
I rocked back in surprise. "We are? Does that mean it's all over?"
He grimaced. "Unfortunately, no. Several of the council members simply feel like it would be better if you stayed elsewhere until we finish sorting this out." The words came out through gritted teeth. I got the sense it had been another long and bitter argument.
So, I was being exiled. On one hand, it was actually a bit of a relief. I was sick of being trapped here, constantly feeling like the awkward relative nobody actually wants around. But, on the other hand, the danger outside these walls was very real.
"I thought it wasn't safe out there," I said carefully.
He sighed. "It's not. But don't worry, they're not sending you home. I talked them into a compromise. This isn't the only secure facility Alpha owns. We've got several other places, scattered around the city, so we're going to move to one of the empty ones. It won't be as heavily guarded as this place, but it has all the same security measures. We'll be just as safe as we are now."
"Okay," I said, although there was a slight tremble in my voice. What other response could I give? There didn't seem to be any point arguing.
He gazed at me for a few seconds before lowering himself onto the bed next to me and taking my hand in his. "Hey, it'll be okay. Trust me. I'm coming too, and I'd die before I let anything happen to you."
I nodded. "I know. I just hate feeling so damn powerless, you know? I'm just a pawn, being shuffled around the board; only it's not a game, it's my bloody life."
"I know," he replied, offering me a sad little smile. "I know."
The next day, we left. There was no fanfare. Nobody even said goodbye. I guess that was to be expected.
We were met outside by two hulking rent-a-suits, who Sebastian introduced as Tony and Aaron. They were apparently going to be our daytime security team.
He was coming with me now to help me settle in, but he'd have to commute back to the main house every day to continue working on the crisis.
After about thirty minutes, we pulled up in front of a small but modern looking house on a quiet, leafy street. At first glance it appeared utterly normal, but the biometric scanner on the front door and the bars over the windows hinted that this was something more than an average residence.
"They're bulletproof," he said, following my gaze. "The doors too." Reaching out, he thumbed the touch pad by the front door, and the lock clicked open. "Nobody is getting in here without the proper authorisation. And to even try, they have to deal with Tony and Aaron first. The whole house will be under round the clock surveillance."
Some of the tension I'd been carrying around inside me dissipated. The place certainly seemed as secure as he'd claimed.