Free Web NovelChapter 98: Jar Of Hearts
A sliver of light peeked into the room. Kain groaned as the light caught his eyes. There wasn’t much he needed to do today. At most, it would be organizing the food for the people on the barge.
At seven in the morning, he was having breakfast with his family when the buzz from the intercom sounded.
Another of the many new changes in the Sanctuary. Although they didn’t use phones to contact each other, there were other options. The intercom existed not only on Kain’s floors, but also on the others. freewebnoveℓ.com
The call came from Floor Three. Everyone was already awake and looking forward to the day. Whatever that meant for them.
It turned out that everyone was already huddled on Floor Three.
The first message had come from Floor Two, who noticed they hadn’t seen the others. Then it reached Floor Four, who decided to help them look rather than disturb Kain.
Only after searching all the readily accessible rooms and not finding people did they decide it was time to disturb Kain.
Kain and Amelia made their way downstairs. They had asked the children if they wanted to go. Ashton decided he needed to check the mosquitoes, which he hadn’t done before. Avery decided she wanted to go back to training since it had been a while, and she wanted to hit something.
For once, Dominic decided he would be lazy.
Kain thought he had something on his mind; otherwise, he wouldn’t have decided to stay alone in the room. But he didn’t voice his opinion. Children should be given space, sometimes.
Other times, you need to kick the door down to catch them doing something bad. Not good parenting advice, but for children who could kill someone just to see how they work, it makes sense.
As soon as they stepped into the common area, all eyes turned to them.
"What seems to be the issue?" Kain asked, although he had already been briefed.
The anxious faces of the "normies" were almost a stark contrast to the Awakened. The worry in their eyes was there, but there was something else. It was like they had expected not to see them when they returned.
Dillon was unable to hold back. "We can’t find them. None of them are here. We don’t know if something happened to them."
Kain nodded democratically. He listened to the sequence of events, how they searched for them, and how they finally had to let them know.
"You already saw them yesterday...when we came in."
The statement confused them. They hadn’t seen anyone. No one walked past when they were exploring.
Seeing the confusion, Kain said, "Think about it." Then he leaned back, crossed his legs, and began playing with Amelia’s hair.
He didn’t have to wait long. Since they had followed, it meant they were smart people. Even if they weren’t entirely convinced by his leadership.
The first sign of recognition came from the widening eyes. Then the stiffening backs, and finally the open mouth.
Their eyes locked on Kain with the realization of what he had said.
"You mean..." Jaylin murmured.
"Exactly," Kain replied dryly.
"But, but..." Dillon tried to speak, but couldn’t find the right words.
"That was the price they paid for staying."
"There were children!" Hannah shouted. The pitch of her voice was so high it could break glass.
She jumped up from the seat, so high she almost touched the ceiling.
Kain watched her jump. He wondered how she managed to jump so high. He didn’t notice any wind element. Is this the determination of human beings?
"There were. They were told they could come with us," his voice indifferent.
"You..." she choked, her finger pointing at Kain.
Kain narrowed his eyes. Before he could do anything, a hand clamped Hannah’s arm, forcing it down.
She turned towards the person, and their gazes clashed.
"You don’t agree with my approach?" Kain said. "When I told everyone we needed to leave for 24 hours, did I not say they had a choice? They made their choice."
Hannah wasn’t happy; the fury in her eyes and the way her lips curled up like she was preparing to bite Kain made her look inhuman.
"Choice? You call that a choice? You didn’t even tell them what would happen? If they had known they would die, why would they refuse to leave?"
Kain laughed mockingly, "Why should I tell them anything?"
Amelia spoke before Hannah could continue. Her voice was calm, controlled. "I suggest you lower your voice. If you wish to be like them, I can make arrangements."
’Too kind again. Still can’t match our woman.’
He ignored the voice.
"Nightfall," Kain began, "you are all under the Faction Nightfall. As your leader, I gave a choice. I would not have suggested leaving if there was another way. Whether the choice came from fear or reluctance, they paid the price for it.
If you still feel for the children, I can give you a jar of hearts. Use it, if you wish, to have a funeral for the children."
The steady gaze stayed on Hannah, waiting for her answer.
Seeing the eyes devoid of guilt, Hannah could only slump back onto the sofa.
"The world is dangerous. Being too kind will get you nowhere." He turned to Jon, "Come with me. The things on the roof haven’t been tended to for a while."
Using his eyes, he asked Amelia if she wanted to come. She shook her head.
Jon and Kain went upstairs while Amelia stayed with the others.
Her eyes bore into Hannah, who was still slumped on the sofa. She wasn’t crying. She was staring blankly.
Amelia’s eyes swept over everyone present.
"Don’t pretend. You aren’t angry because of the children. Neither are you sad. Your heart didn’t jump in the slightest when you were acting righteous. If you want to put on an act for someone, don’t think no one knows."
Her gaze shifted from Hannah to Dillon. Whatever game they were planning, she wasn’t in the mood for it.
