just a copy Ch 2

Chapter 2: number 71

Eight was back in his cell, gasping for breath. Six lay beside him. She was silent but awake. Every few seconds he could feel small tremors going through her. 2

He clenched his eyes, painfully rolling over to meet her face. He almost wished he hadn’t. Her right eye was swollen, her lip was busted and there was a deep cut on her cheek3

"Six." He gasped, his first spoken word. She opened her eyes and gave him a wane smile. 4

He reached out his hand to meet hers. "You okay?" He whispered.5

"Yea." she said with another small smile. "You?" He nodded, carefully pulling her battered body closer to him. 6

She closed her eyes, taking a small comfort in the warmth he gave off and within seconds she was fast asleep.7

"Uh." Six whimpered, awakening at the touch of someone’s hands on her body. She was too exhausted to open her eyes. Instead she lay perfectly still as she felt something cold being smeared over a cut on her forearm.8

"Yur awake, aren’t you six?" Caric's scotish-acaented voice asked.9

"Yea." she wispered. She wanted to ask what he was doing but she didn't. It hurt to talk and besides, she knew Caric wouldn't hurt her the way Galen would.10

"This stuff shuld help ya heal better." He explained. "Galen created it a few days ago." He smiled, patting her affectionately on the head. "At least he'll leave you guys alone 'till your all healed up.11

A while later she woke up better all ready. Eight was sitting against the wall, staring in to space.12

"Hello." she said as she got to her feet and sat next to him.13

"How long you have been here?" He asked, glad he could finally get his words out properly. He’d been going through every word he’d herd since he was created as well as the ones he “knew” in his head.14

"How long have I been here?″ she echoed, sub-concisely correcting his grammar. "I don’t know. Longer then you. Less time than Seven was." she looked down at her hands. 15

"You mean the one you said I looked like?"16

She nodded sadly, still not looking up.17

"Do me act like him?"18

" 'do I act like him' and the answers no, at least not that I've seen. He was strong and brave. He tried to protect me and tried to teach me stuff. He tried to find us a way out."19

She was silent, staring down at her hands folded in her lap. Eight waited for her to say something else but she didn't.20

Finally he spoke again. “What happened to him?"21

"Galen killed him. And I helped." She looked down at her hands. Silence fell between them and when she spoke again tears filled up those beautiful almond eyes again. “He said there was a world out side of here, said he just “knew” it in his head. And he wanted to take me there. so one day when Blanc came in he stabbed him with his fork and we ran.”22

She bit her lip continuing in a low voice.23

“You don’t know Blanc yet but he’s bad like Galen, only he dose different stuff.” She was once again quiet and than “So we ran. We didn’t know the way but Seven held my hand, rushing along the hallways. But Blanc caught us. Him and Jaune dragged us back to the our cell and hurt us really bad. They did the bad thing to us until Galen came in, furious, yelling and screaming. He gave us knives and made us cut each other.” She sobbed out loud and he pulled her close, rubbing her back until she spoke again. Eight had no idea why he did this. He just “knew” he should the same way he “knew” so many words.24

“Than he made me cut 7 here.” She traced a shaking finger over her wrist and up her fore arm. “But Galen pushed me. It went too deep and-and.” She buried her face against his chest. He was unsure if she was done talking or not. When she did speak it was barley a whisper. “The whole floor was covered with red, I was covered! He kissed me and told me ‘find a way out’ than he wasn’t awake anymore ” her speech gradually sped up till it was nearly at the point of hysteria. “They left him here! He got cold and stiff and they came back-they made me touch him in bad ways and and then the made me take his-” She broke off, she couldn’t say it. Instead she just smothered her cry’s against Eights as he did his best to comfort her. 25

As he held the girl close he thought. Maybe number 7 was right. Maybe there is a way out. 26