Londen led them through the rundown neighborhood, green vines climbed up the brick buildings, and metal barrels were lit with fire. But, it also seemed... empty. Like nobody lived here - like it was dead.

Londen stepped onto the sidewalk and stopped in front of a red-painted restaurant. The large glow-wire sign was off and it looked closed. He walked up to the door and rapped on it three times, loudly.

He leaned towards the window, putting his hand over his eyes to see inside.

"I'm gonna check the back." He said, walking around the back of the building.

They followed him into an alleyway, garbage and rusty dumpsters surrounding them. They trudged a long way down until they came to a rusted metal door. Londen walked up to it and rapped on it obnoxiously. They waited for a minute before he started to knock again.

It opened a crack, a chain lock visible.

"What do you want?" A small voice said. It was a teenage girl's voice, and she must've been hiding behind the door.

Londen leaned closer, speaking quietly.

"Does... Nahveet Rajkumari live here?" Londen asked, he sounded a little confused.

The girl hesitated before answering.

"He used to." She still didn't show herself.

Londen frowned.

"Where is he now?"

The girl didn't answer.

Londen continued talking hurriedly.

"Because I used to be very good friends with him.I-I was wondering if he could help me."

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you." The girls' voice said and she began to close the door.

"Wait!" Londen jumped forward and shoved his foot in the doorway, stopping it from closing.

"Wait, just wait. Please." Londen said.

"Can you please get your foot out of my door." The girl said.

The sudden sound an older woman's voice came from inside.

Londen pulled his foot out of the door the same time it was opened by a woman who looked to be in her mid thirties to early forties with a tight blonde ponytail and a scowl. She placed her hand on her waist and as her face turned more sour as she said, "Not anymore."

Londen frowned. He knew this woman.

"It's Ona, right? I don't know if you remember me, but I used to live not far from here." Londen said, he sounded nervous.

She looked to be in her mid thirties to early forties with a tight blonde ponytail and a scowl.

"Yes, Londen, I remember you."

"Where he is now?" Londen asked.

"He's dead."

Jeen almost didn't catch the words because the woman said with such a hard and emotionless face.

"Oh. I-I didn't know." Londen looked disturbed, and shocked, but Jeen could tell he was trying hard to hide it. "What happened?"

Ona paused a moment. "Come inside." She pulled the door open wide for them to enter. They into a back room filled with metal racks stocked with beverages and non-perishable foods, and through a narrow doorway was a much larger emptier room.

As they walked in Jeen saw the girl who answered the door before. She had her arms crossed and her face was half hidden behind her black hair, but Jeen guessed she was somewhere in her late teens.

"Hey, where are your shoes, girl?" Ona asked Jeen, the immediate look of motherly worry appearing on her face.

"Um - I lost them." Jeen said, knowing perfectly well she didn't lose them.

"C'mon. I have an extra pair somewhere around here." She said, taking Jeen by the arm and leading past the entry way and into the bar, Roman following them.

Londen hesitated in the doorway, he couldn't get the thought of Naveet's death off his mind. As he walked in he bumped in to a shelf with his elbow, a vase slipping off and smashing.

"Sorry!" He said as he scrambled to pick it up.

Jeen turned around at the sound, but was still too cold and incoherent feeling to have any reaction, so instead she just stared at the mess with a slightly disappointed face as Ona led her away.

As Londen attempted to pick up the shards, the girl came over and helped. She calmly swept up the shattered pieces and avoided eye contact with everyone else in the room. The girl still hadn't looked at Londen as he tried to collect the shards.

"It's okay. Just leave it." She said

"Uh, I-I'm sorry." Londen stammered.

He looked at her from his crouching position, still holding the fragmented china in his hands.

She was striking, with an elegantly sloped nose, full lips and naturally straight hair that seemed to always cast a shadow in her face.

"Let me take those." She had a quiet and soft voice.

She held out a dustbin, her eyes still cast downward. He put the shards in the pan as they stood up from the floor.

She finally looked at him, and they stared at each other for a moment too long

Her eyes were blacker than any he'd ever seen.

He realised her face was familiar, and it only took him a few seconds before it clicked and he immediately remembered.

She glanced away.

"My name's Londen." He said, awkwardly trying to fix the mess he made, and completely unsure if she remembered him.

"I'm Saule." She mumbled the words, glancing quickly at his eyes with something Londen almost thought was recognition, then she looked at his ruined and wet clothing.

"You should go with see your friends. My mom will make you some food." She said, looking down before she abruptly walked away, leaving Londen standing there, unsure of what to say.

Ona woman gave Jeen a pair of flats, not as fancy as her grey slinkers - the pair she loved and wore every day - but they were still amazing after being barefoot.

"Would you like some water?" Ona asked.

"Yes please, and food." Jeen said immediately as she looked around the room.

Ona walked into the kitchen area and filled up the glasses with water, she came back and slammed them on the counter.

They each took a glass gratefully. Jeen drank hers in one long chug.

"Thanks." Roman said a little breathlessly as he set his cup down.
"What's your names?" Ona asked, looking between Roman and Jeen.

"I'm Roman Starc."
"Jeen."

Ona made a 'hmm' sound, her voice seemed to match her purple ringed - and overly mascaraed - eyes; weary with a troubled undertone.

A few minutes later, Saule walked into the room, disappearing into the kitchen.

"Do you guys like ham sandwiches?" Ona asked as she walked back into the kitchen.

Jeen busted out laughing, a bit hysterically maybe, but she didn't care.

"Who doesn't?" She couldn't hold back another crazy giggle as she said it, but it just seemed so funny that someone would ask that.

As Londen walked in, he looked over at Jeen with a concerned expression as he sat down at the bar.

"I suddenly just realised you're not very normal."

Roman looked over at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course I don't really know what normal is so..." He added when he noticed Roman's questioning look.

It turned out Ona made the most escuisite ham sandwiches Jeen had ever had. She basically inhaled hers, Ona warned her to eat it slow because her stomach might not be used to it, but she didn't really care and did it anyway.

After one more - or two, or three or more - rounds of sandwiches, of which Londen ate just as much as Roman and Jeen, Ona told them that they had some spare rooms.
"You guys tired? We got some beds." Ona asked with her slow and weary voice.
"Oh, yeah, that'd be great!" Londen answered quickly.

"What about Sunny?" Roman asked with a frown.

"He won't care, and there's not enough room to sleep at his place anyway.
"Saule, show 'em to the rooms." Ona jerked her chin at the dark haired girl, Suale. The girl nodded, who was sitting alone at a table in the kitchen, Jeen assumed she was hiding again.

Saule got up from the table and began to walk into the back of the restaurant, where a cluster of tables and chairs turned upside down on the table top. Jeen guessed she should follow her, and the three of them got up. Saule opened a door in the very back of the cafe, Jeen looked in the doorway and saw it was a staircase.
The upstairs looked like a warehouse - there were stacks of crates and barrels against all four walls. Suale didn't say anything as she led them over to a set of two doors at the end of the room.

"There's four cots, two in each room." Suale said quietly, she began to walk away but

They stood and watch her leave, not really sure why they were still standing there.
"Well, I think it's only fair I get my own room. You boys can share. See you later." Jeen finally said as she walked in the room on the right, shutting the door behind her. It was a simple room with two cots with boring gray blankets. The only interesting thing in the room was a pile of books and handgun on the nightstand. One bed had the blankets all messed up like someone had been sleeping it for a while. Jeen walked over to the bed that was made and collapsed. She pulled the blankets around her as her eyes couldn't stay open any longer.

She heard the sound of rustling and of a spoon clinking against fine china. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Suale setting down a small tray on the nightstand. The tray was holding a teapot, cup, and plate of toast and eggs. Suale noticed Jeen was awake and smiled shyly.
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." She apologized meekly.
"S'okay." Jeen mumbled.
"Ona thought you might like some breakfast."
"... Breakfast..." Jeen mumbled, confused. Wasn't it still the afternoon?
"Uh, yeah. It's ten in the morning." Suale explained.
"Ten... AM?"
Suale nodded to confirm.
"I've been asleep all this time? Wow, didn't know I had it in me to sleep in." Jeen mumbled to herself as she sat up.
"If you need anything else I'll be downstairs." Suale said as she left the room.

Jeen poured herself some hot tea - steam pooling into the air - and grabbed some toast. The toast was whole wheat and very buttery, the way Jeen liked it. She took bite after bite until she polished off two pieces of toast, the third piece with two eggs on top. She put her plate back on the tray and stood up, trying to stretch her stiff body.

She made her way downstairs to the cafe. Londen and Roman were sitting at the counter, talking to Ona.

She sat down next to Roman, taking a hot cup of tea Ona offered. She waited until Ona left, then she looked over at Londen as she set her cup down.

"Londen, can I ask you some questions?"

He shrugged.

"Were we taken because of what me and Bosma recorded?"

"Who?" He asked, genuinely confused.

"Bosma. She filmed the Swarm, I knew she shouldn't of, but the next day, that's when were taken."

Londen looked like he wanted to laugh.

"Thousands of people know about the Swarm. It's not even a concern for them." Londen explained, still looking confused.

But now Jeen was as well.

"So, us being taken, that had nothing to do with Bosma?"

Londen shook his head slowly.

Roman frowned. "If that's not why they took us, then why they did they?"

Londen glanced between the two of them.

"You don't know?"

Roman and Jeen shared a look, she slowly shook her head and Roman said, "know what?"

"It's you." He pointed at Roman. "You're what they want." 

(Saule is pronounced like Swa-Lay :) If you liked this chapter, don't forget to vote!)