Chapter 21: Shine’s Favorite Things

Amy spoke to me as I was looking down at Shine, who was fast asleep on the bed.

“Jeff”

“Yes?”

“Jeff, you want to go home, right?”

I mumbled at Amy’s sudden question. I wanted to go home. It was true that I wanted to go back if possible.

“But it’s dangerous outside.”

I had to get out of here to go home. A series of sentences came to mind one after another.

The outside is a dangerous place. It would be dangerous if I went out of here.

I didn’t even question the thoughts that came to me so naturally.

“Yeah, it’s dangerous.”

“And Shine doesn’t seem to want to go back.”

“Shine?”

“Yes.”

I turned around and stroked Shine’s head.

Her silky hair dug between my fingers.

A faint smile came to my face at the pleasant feeling of her softly tangled hair.

Her face, sleeping comfortably, a small smile came to her face, as if my touch was pleasing.

“Shine seems to like it here better.”

“What does Jeff think of it here?”

“It’s stuffy at times, but I don’t think it’s bad either.”

I covered Shine’s body with the blanket and turned around.

My gaze met Amy’s and became entangled in the air.

“What exactly is Amy doing?” I asked, shaking my short legs.

Amy seemed deep in thought at my question.

“Saving kids like you.”

“Kids like me?”

“Kids who were held captive at the lab.

I can’t just stand by and watch these kids being exploited their whole lives.”

I kept my mouth shut.

She seemed to have a deep story. Her dark eyes spoke volumes.

“Hey, Jeff”

“Could you tell me what you did at the lab?”

Amy began to speak cautiously.

Then she added urgently.

“If it’s hard for you to recall your memories, you don’t have to tell me.”

I started to organize what I wanted to say.

I didn’t really want to lie, but since I was here relying on her misunderstanding, I thought it would be okay to tell her about life at the lab from the perspective of the test subjects.

“The morning starts early.”

I began to speak slowly, searching through my memories.

The test subjects’ mornings start very quickly.

Since each employee comes to work at a different time, I don’t know about other people, but I also wake up quite early.

The vague memories began to come to mind one after another. The vague words gradually became more fleshed out.

“I get the same question every morning”

In my case, it would be right to say that I asked a question. But now, as a test subject, I have to answer. As a test subject who has been experimented on there my entire life.

After hearing my story, Amy came closer to me. Amy also sat down next to me on the soft bed. Slowly. An outstretched hand grabbed mine. I looked up at Amy, and she hugged me without saying anything. It felt a little stuffy, but I didn’t refuse.

“Just simple things like your health and whether you want to eat anything.”

“Did you give it to me if I asked for it?”

“Well.” She definitely couldn’t eat everything. I don’t know about the other subjects, but Shine was special.

“I don’t know about the other subjects”

“Jeff”

“Huh?”

“Don’t call me a subject.”

I kept my mouth shut. My body cringed as if I had made a mistake. Amy’s hand moved gently along my back as I moved.

“I’m not a test subject.”

“Yes.” I answered quietly. My mouth opened carefully, and I spoke of my daily life with Shine.

A story that was nothing special, just so-so.

A story with nothing happening, no conversation, no interaction.

Amy listened attentively even though it was clearly a boring story.

“Then, was Shine the same?”

I hesitated to answer.

What I said was, what Shine looked like from my perspective.

I reconstructed it once more, pretending to explain it from Shine’s perspective.

It would be bad to talk too much.

I hardened my expression and shut my mouth.

Amy noticed that my gaze was not good, so she carefully touched my cheek.

I felt a slight discomfort at her touch.

I pulled away from Amy’s hand and spoke.

“I don’t know because we’re apart from Shine.”

In fact, there was a large glass wall between her and me, so it wasn’t wrong.

Amy quietly took a deep breath at my answer.

“Thank you, Jeff.”

I looked away from Amy.

I wasn’t the kind of person who would hear her say thank you.

“We’re the Resistance.”

When I finished speaking, Amy quietly opened her mouth.

“Resistance?”

“Yeah, it’s too cruel to be dragged to the lab and live your whole life just because you have a special ability.”

I nodded.

Because I agree with her to some extent.

But it’s because of the sacrifices of those people that other people can enjoy their rights.

I didn’t necessarily say my thoughts out loud.

“Our goal is to save them.”

I could tell that even terrorist groups have a belief.

That’s why one question arises.

“But it’s illegal.”

“The law doesn’t matter.”

“The police will chase you.”

“I’m not afraid of the police.”

I kept my mouth shut and touched the entrance.

I thought I’d slip up if I continued talking.

A small silence fell between us.

Both she and I realized that we’d said too much to each other.

I gathered my thoughts.

Anyway, it seemed best to maintain the current situation.

“I like it here.”

I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t like it either.

I just said the same thing as Shine.

Thinking from Shine’s perspective, she definitely wouldn’t want to go back to the lab.

But we’re family, so maybe I’ve been thinking too much about myself all this time?

I turned around and stroked Shine’s cheek.

The soft, squashed cheek touches my fingertips.

“Shine’s nice too.”

Still, it’s suffocating.

If I have to live in this facility for the rest of my life, I’ll do whatever it takes to escape.

While I was stroking Shine’s cheek, I heard a small laugh from behind me, and at the same time, Amy hugged my body.

Without being able to resist the hand digging between my armpits, I was dragged by her and held tightly between my legs.

A hand reached out from behind me and rested on my stomach.

Amy’s chin, which rested on my crown, pressed down heavily.

The warmth I felt from my entire body made my face heat up.

I couldn’t move, and just exhaled quietly.

The unfamiliar warmth and affection I felt for the first time crushed my consciousness.

As I was moving my eyes here and there without coming to my senses, Amy’s hand began to move.

The right hand resting on her stomach disappears.

She rummaged through her pockets and handed me a small card.

“This is…”

“Citizenship.”

I touch the small card in my hand.

Citizenship is not a card that is issued easily.

The grade written on the card is Grade 5.

It is a high-grade card that allows you to pass through District 5 without any problems.

On the front of the citizenship is a picture of my face, my age, and my name.

“Hand it to Shine when she wakes up.”

Amy hands me Shine’s.

Two small cards are placed in her hand.

Two identical cards with different names.

The serial numbers on the back are different, but they look the same when you look at the front.

I now have two citizenships.

One is the 7th grade card that I used to use.

And the new 5th grade card that I recently acquired.

I have mixed feelings.

I touch the card with a complicated gaze.

I think back to the days when I tried to get a higher grade.

The citizenship that I acquired without any compensation as a small girl boasts a higher grade than the citizenship that I had worked hard for my entire life.

“I wanted to set it to a higher grade, but I couldn’t right now. There are still people who are looking for you.”

“A…higher grade?”

The fluorescent light shines down on the shiny card.

It’s so dazzling that I cover my hand with the card.

“Yeah. I’ll change it to a higher grade once this is over.”

I felt a cold sweat run down my back.

I’ll raise your citizenship grade.

What exactly is Amy’s true identity that she can say this so easily?

My mind is spinning.

I touch the card, and ask carefully.

“What rank is Amy?”

“Me?”

The voice above my head contained a small laugh.

She hugged me tightly and answered.

“Secret”

“What’s a secret?”

As soon as Amy finished speaking, a familiar voice was heard.

Shine seemed to have woken up.

Shine approached with a rustling noise and pushed Amy’s arm away.

As she did so, Amy’s body tilted back as she dug into my gap.

“Shine”

“Huh?”

“It seems like Amy has a lot of secrets.”

I said and handed Shine the card.

She began to look over the card I had given her.

“What is this?”

“Citizenship.”

“Citizenship?”

Shine seemed to have no idea what citizenship was.

Shine, who had been fiddling with the card in her hand, seemed to have lost interest and threw it onto the bed.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

Amy, who had been holding us in her arms, quickly got up and picked up the card.

She put me down in her arms and hugged Shine.

Holding the card in one hand and Shine in the other, she began to preach.

About how important citizenship is.

But Shine just avoided my gaze with an uninterested expression.

“I’m hungry.”

Leaving Shine and Amy’s conversation behind, she picked up the card.

The shiny card, the name Jeff written on it.

And a picture of a little girl.

I thought for a moment and placed the card on a nearby table.

Amy, who noticed me like that, sat Shine and me down on a nearby chair and began talking about citizenship.

Shine grumbled that he was hungry, but he listened to her until the end.

Ignored Amy’s words.

As I already knew, it was a citizenship that I couldn’t use if I returned to my original body anyway.

If I couldn’t return, it would be the opposite.

Amy, who looked at Shine and me with an uninterested look, sighed and took the card back.

“I’d better give it to you when you’re older. If you forget it somewhere, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“Amy, I’m hungry.”

Amy replied with a small smile, as if she couldn’t help it at Shine’s nagging.

“Then, it’s a little early, but shall we go eat?”

Shine and I exchanged glances and jumped down from our chairs.

The small sound of footsteps echoed through the room several times.