"What a strange young man..."

Our conversation replays itself over and over in mind. Even as I dry myself off after a relaxing bath, I'm unable to move on from it. The way he described Jeannine leads me to wonder about him. He's skeptical and paranoid, as well as pessimistic. 

Can't he recognize a good thing when he sees it? I simply don't understand how some people can obsess over 'maybes' and 'what-ifs'.

"When every day could be your last, live every moment to its fullest."

That is my mantra. 

My mind drifts back to the events leading up to those wretched days in the pet shop's locker. Compared to where I'd been prior, it was a monumental improvement. I close my eyes and recall the face of a woman. It's not difficult, her face is forever burned into my memory. How could I ever forget her sick, gleeful smile? That horrible expression... It always meant that someone was going to die today, the only question was who. 

I squint harder, feeling a sudden pain in my right arm. I clutch it tightly, my nails digging into the skin to the point of nearly piercing it. I remember a child, tiny and defenseless. She gored him slowly, starting with his arm. We were forced to witness it up close. By the end of it, he was in pieces. I've long since forgotten his name, but I will never forget his wails. The smell of blood is not easily forgotten. 

I start to feel cold as the memory becomes too painful to bear. 

"Those days are over. She's not like her. S-She can't be... Never. Her eyes weren't those of a monster."

I desperately try to focus on something else. I push the memory out of my mind and think about the young man from earlier. Perhaps I was a bit too hard on him? Honestly, he isn't wrong for being worried. I can tell he's been through a lot by his eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul, or so they say. One can gleam a lot from them if they know how. His eyes tell me that he's caught a glimpse of cruelty, but I doubt he's ever been the recipient. 

"Good. No one needs to go through what I have. He's fortunate, really he is."

His face just won't leave my mind. He looked so young, or at least younger than I am. Based on those flecks of hair on his chin I'd say he's around eighteen, probably. Younger, maybe, but not older. 

If I'm correct, he's at least six years younger than me. A legal adult, but no less a child. That's my impression, despite only interacting with him for a short time. The age of our big friend is currently unknown, but I would guess she's around twenty-one or twenty-two, probably. She seems mature.

"That's enough soaking for today. I don't want to catch a cold."

Once I'm dressed, I wander around the area for a time. I notice that the others have all dispersed now. None of us have any clue what time it is, but the room has become dark except for a lamp above us on her desk. Its dim light is about the same as the fading daylight from the window, to an extent. Beyond the illumination of our new home, I can't see much. The lights in the room are off, so it’s very dark. 

Not that I would dare to, but I wonder what it would be like to venture beyond our boundary. It's eerie, even though I know it's just the bedroom of a university student. Who knows what hostile things lurk in the dark out there? It unsettles me. Was this a calculated move? If so, she has got impecable foresight. I wouldn't put it past her. She seems to have thought of everything...

I yawn loudly, unconcerned with who hears me. I'm getting sleepy, but it will be difficult to get some rest until the lamp is turned off. Jeannine said lights out will be whenever she decides to sleep, so we will have to adjust to her schedule. I only hope that she isn't a night owl like most girls her age. Until then, I must find something to occupy myself with. I look around for anyone interesting. I don't see that boy from before anywhere. 

I should find someone new to talk to. 

Now then, who to pick...

I survey the area for anyone interesting looking. No one really piques my interest. The larger group from earlier has split up into a pair and a group of three. They're sitting around chatting. I turn on my heel to look behind me. Two of the men are standing near one of the materials piles. They're doing something over there, but I can't tell what from this distance. So I stroll over to them and make myself known. 

"Hello there. Pardon me, but may I ask what you're doing over here?" 

They both turn and greet me with a smile. The one on the left is a younger man with a large build. He's easily a head taller than me. The one on the right is much older, evident by his nearly completely grayed hair. They look alike, somehow. When I look into their eyes, I see the same essence. Given the age difference, could they be father and son?

"Hey. Nothing interesting, just checking out our resources. As you can see, we have a lot to keep track of." The younger one says.

"Count your blessings, boy. Remember when we were scraping by for just ten percent of this iron? Compared to that, this is like a dream." The older one tells him.

"Yeah, don't remind me." The younger guy ruffles his hair and grimaces." Say, miss, what did you do before you... Y'know?"

I look at him curiously.

"Sorry?"

"He means to ask you what your role in your settlement was, assuming you had one."

I furrow my brows. It's a fair question, though too personal for mere acquaintences. Nonetheless, I answer.

"I was a teacher, once. It was years ago, but I used to teach the kids in my settlement to read and write, among other things. Why do you ask?"

"We're planning on asking everyone here about their skills." The young one explains. "If we're going to build a settlement, then why live like we're in the bronze age? We have the resources, so all that's still needed is the know-how. We could establish a city with electricity and plumbing and all!"

"Exactly. We were hoping to find people with all kinds of skills. I was once an engineer, my son here was good with electronics. It's still just a dream, but an achievable one, I reckon."

I stare at them in disbelief. Electronics?! Plumbing?! Those are things that only the Brobs have. What are they talking about? Why do they sound like they're so familiar with these things?

"W-Wait! I'm so confused. How in the world did you both...?"

They look at each other in confusion but then suddenly seem to realize what I mean. 

"We should have explained more. My bad there. Dad?" 

"Yeah. We aren't from a settlement exactly... At least not like the ones you know. Way out in the countryside, there are places where Brobs haven't settled. Our old home was a big city about the size of that bed."

The older man gestures beyond the boundaries of the square of land Jeannine made for us.

"Because it was left alone for so long, it eventually advanced enough to have infrastructure like that. It was unbelievable! You had to see it!" The son exclaims.

The older man suddenly looks grim. His son turns to him and puts an arm on his shoulder, pulling him in close.

"I know, Dad. I miss her too."

It doesn't take a genius to guess what happened. Someone must have found them and proceeded to destroy it. Why else would they be here now? At some point they were sold, just like the rest of us. The story rarely changes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up your past. It was insensitive of me."

"It's alright, miss. What's gone is gone. No point in dwelling, right? It's time to look to the future."

"Yes, absolutely." I say, smiling.

"In other news, we're quite fortunate. We already spoke with most of the others. It seems we have people with knowledge of woodwork, smithing and even refinery. It's amazing."

"Wow, I wouldn't have guessed."

"Not to mention that the girl plans to save more of us soon. Who knows what they'll bring to the table? This could be the start of something truly unprecedented."

Their expressions are so hopeful that I can't help but believe them. I'm sold. I only wish I had better skills. I don't want to be useless to our group.

"Is there anything I can do? I'm not a 'hands-on' type, but surely there's something?"

"Hmm. I'm not sure, to be frank. Maybe see if you can learn something? The folks here are very kind. I'm sure everyone would be willing to teach you if you asked."

He's right. I'll need to carefully consider who to ask. I want to do my part for our community.

"I'll do that. Thank you. Both of you."

"My pleasure, miss...?"

"Orina. Just Ori is fine."

"Call me Daedalus. This is my son Icarus.”

Their names strike me as odd, though I don't implore further. I hadn't expected any of this when I decided to approach them. I'm very glad that I did. I have a feeling that these two are going to do great things. The idea of a city is so interesting to me. I've never seen one, not a very modern one anyway. Yes, we all 'live' in a Brob-city but I don't think I can proudly say I've seen it, let alone enjoyed its sights.

"Dad, I think we have most of what we need. I could have it working in like a day, maybe?"

"Um, what are you making?" I blurt out. "I-If you don't mind me asking."

The son shoots me a proud smile. 

"Oh, are you interested? If all goes well, I should be able to make a-"

Just then the ground begins to shake. A moment later, we're all looking up at Jeannine once more. She's in her nightclothes now, looking very sleepy. She puts her hands on her knees and leans over us, inspecting our work. Little has changed, obviously. It's only been two hours since she last checked. She begins to speak, and we all listen carefully.

"Hey guys, it's getting late, so I think it's time for bed. I'm going to turn off this lamp now, but don't worry, I'm right here. I wish you all a good night. Sweet dreams!"

She reaches over and switches off the lamp. Immediately, the area becomes very dark. A few more tremors are felt before we hear the springs of her bed creaking. Off she goes, as if this were any other  ordinary day. For us, however, it's been...an experience. Thankfully her blinds are open, allowing the moonlight into her room. It makes the difference between not seeing anything and being able to get around with some difficulty.

"I suppose it's time I sleep too. It was nice meeting you both. Have a good rest."

I leave them, heading to an area far away from anyone else. I lay down on the ground and relax my body. I'm used to sleeping in the cold and on hard surfaces. This is nothing like that. Despite the bitter cold outside, this room is warm. The ground isn't soft, but it's so indescribably better than plastic. Most importantly, I don't have to worry about something attacking me in the night. 

I feel safe.

With heavy eyelids, fatigue catches up with me. Although my mind is overflowing with ideas, I manage to clear it rather quickly. Rest must come first. There will be plenty of time tomorrow. And the next day; And the next... 

It isn't long before I fall fast asleep.

The next morning, I wake up to the sound of movement. It's not due to any of the other Lillis being noisy. No, these strange sounds spreading through the room are undoubtedly coming from her bed. Jeannine must be waking up. I should do the same if I intend to adapt to her lifestyle. My eyes reluctantly flutter open, and I squint at the bright morning sun. It's a new day.

I sit up, groggily rubbing my eyes as they adjust to the brightness of the room. I stand up and stretch, shaking out my legs while I'm at it. I'm not as stiff as usual, which is a pleasant surprise. I recognize the noise as her mattress springs creaking in response to her stirring. She throws her covers off and swings her feet over the side of the bed. A stretch is followed by a loud yawn and then she sleepily walks over to us. Her feet stop right at the edge of our border. Her half-lidded eyes scan around for each of us. I think she might be counting heads?

I find myself staring at her again. She's so pretty, even with that mess of bedhead. Her hair looks silky smooth too. I find myself unconsciously running my fingers through my own, less well-kept locks. 

"Good morning, everyone..." She yawns again, "I hope everyone's first night here was alright. I've got class in about an hour so I'm going to go get ready. It's a short day. I'll be back before you know it. The food and water from yesterday should be enough, right? I'll bring more later. See you~"

The titanic university student turns and walks away, grabbing some clothes from her dresser on the way out. My gaze follows her until she disappears out of sight. 

"Have a nice day, Jeannine."