Gerard barely slept a wink all night. He kept rolling around replaying everything that he could remember in his mind over and over again. He was surprised that Frank didn’t attack him with a pillow, because personally he would have been annoyed as hell by a restless soul like him in the dead of night.
He woke up the next morning feeling even worse than the day before – if that was possible. Light barely started entering through the room’s window when he quietly got up and made his way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, he had to admit to himself that he looked like shit run over twice. His short black hair was a mess and his hazel eyes were dull and surrounded by blue circles. Maybe he really was dead, though he’s already been told that a million times. After washing his face, he was surprised to see Nana already up and in the kitchen.
“Good morning, Gerard. Sleep well?” she asked, startling him, because he was still standing quietly outside the kitchen door. “Come in and help yourself to some coffee.”
Despite the fact that she was the nicest person he’s met since coming here, the old lady baffled him. She was completely unreadable.
“So did you sleep well?” she asked again since he didn’t answer the first time.
Gerard was already tired of people looking at him like he was some sad person who could do something unpredictable at any moment like jump off a cliff. The questions grew tiresome and right now sympathy wasn’t helping at all.
“Surprisingly, yes,” he lied convincingly.
“Good. That’s very good,” she smiled. “I hope you feel better than yesterday?”
“I do,” he nodded in response. “I thought deeply about everything I was told yesterday and I think I’m coming to terms with it. I don’t have any reason to doubt you.”
She nodded, still smiling, “Of course not. And if you’re already starting to come to terms with it all, that’s great progress. You’re obviously very special, Gerard; exceptional compared to previous persons. Normally they’re still a little freaked out for the first week or so.”
Gerard gulped, because in all honesty, he was lying through his teeth the whole time. How on earth would he ever come to terms with everything?
“Breakfast smells good,” Frank announced, coming into the kitchen, his hair sticking up in all ends.
“You’re just in time,” Nana informed him ruffling his hair as she walked past him. “Sit down while I dish up.”
He grinned at her, still looking sleepy, but sat down at the table. Just then Rae entered the kitchen looking like she had been awake for hours. Her red hair was perfectly in place, her make-up neatly applied and she was ready for the day.
“Good morning,” she greeted everyone sweetly, even Gerard, to his utter surprise.
After a good night’s rest, Rae had decided not to stay mad at Gerard. After all, he wasn’t the only one who ran. They always ran as soon as they heard the truth.
“I hope you’re ready for the day, because we have a lot to do,” she told him.
“Rae, do you mind if I tag along?” Frank asked her before Gerard could reply.
“Sure, it’s not like you have school or anything today,” she shrugged.
“Exactly,” he grinned.
“What are you going to do?” Nana asked Rae.
“I thought I could show him around a bit and tell him some things of what it’s like around here,” she replied, looking at Nana.
“That’s a good place to start,” Nana nodded in agreement.
“Good,” Rae smiled, turning to look at Gerard. “Eat up; you’ll need your strength.”
Gerard was still confused by Rae’s sudden change in attitude towards him. He was sure she would still hate him, but he wasn’t going to complain. If they were going to be living together and spending time together, it would be nice if they actually got along and didn’t have an angry atmosphere between them.
As soon as they were finished with breakfast, the threesome set off. Gerard made sure to pay close attention as Frank and Rae showed him around. There wasn’t a lot of greenery to be seen and he didn’t notice any animal life either. All the buildings, like the ones he saw the day before, were all simple brick buildings. It’s like these people have never heard of paint. He asked them about it and they answered by telling him that it was easier that way. Paint on the outside of the buildings just never lasted. It just always rotted away for some reason.
“Some people never really accustom to Una,” Rae informed him. “That’s why it sometimes looks like the streets are filled with zombies.”
“And why a lot of buildings’ windows are darkly tinted. It keeps both people and daylight away,” Frank added.
“It all comes down to will power,” the red head continued to explain. “Most people come to terms with their new lives until they start remembering their old lives.”
“That’s why the Rebellions came into existence,” Frank stated excitedly.
“The Rebellions?” Gerard asked amused.
“They’re people who rebel against this world and our existence in it.” Rae explained.
“You’ll notice that the sun isn’t exactly as bright as the one on earth,” Frank told him. “You can stay on the beach all day without the worry of getting sunburnt.”
Only then did he look up and realize exactly that. This sun wasn’t nearly as bright as the one on earth and had only about half of the intensity. It was pretty amazing.
“Una doesn’t have a moon or stars either,” Rae asserted. “It’s impossible to see at night. Forget about your eyes becoming accustomed to the darkness. That’s why you never see anyone outside after dark; at least one of the reasons.”
There was so much information to process, but he believed everything they told him. By the end of the day he was exhausted. Dinner was already served when they arrived home and after that he retired to bed. Hopefully he’d get more sleep tonight.
“Why did you lie to Nana this morning?” Frank asked Gerard, while sitting on his bed and removing his shoes.
“What?” Gerard asked both confused and surprised at his question.
“You didn’t sleep at all last night,” he explained.
“Why didn’t you say something?” Gerard wanted to know. “I would’ve tried to be less disturbing.”
“No, it’s okay,” the dark-haired teen assured him. “Don’t worry about it. I know what you’re going through. After all, I was in your position not so long ago.”
Gerard looked at the hazel-eyed boy in surprise. It only now dawned on him that everyone here had gone through the same situation he was at some point or another.
“I remember what it was like. I couldn’t sleep for weeks and everything they told me and everything I experienced tormented me to the depths of my soul,” Frank told him. “How old are you?”
“I’m twenty one,” Gerard replied.
“You’re freaking out. Well, imagine how a confused sixteen year old boy feels and reacts. And people on earth think puberty’s bad,” he snorted lightly. “You ran away once. I ran away at least ten times. I refused to accept what they told me. I rebelled against it all. I ran away whenever I got the chance even if it meant sneaking out at night. It’s needless to say that Rae hated my guts,” he finished, chuckling lightly.
“What happened to you?” Gerard asked quietly.
Frank grew silent and his eyes clouded over with something Gerard couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“I was stabbed to death,” came his quiet reply. “But I guess that’s what happens when you sneak out in the dead of night. It’s not like I didn’t know that Jersey is not exactly the safest place at night,” he tried to sound lighter, but failed.
“I can’t remember where I’m from…”
Frank didn’t respond immediately and crawled into bed.
“It’ll all come back to you eventually. You’ll remember your friends, your family, girlfriend or boyfriend, whichever you had and everything else of your life on earth.” A short silence followed during which both males were caught up in their own thoughts. “You should try to get some sleep,” Frank told Gerard after a while.
The latter nodded and turned off the light, getting into bed as well.
“Gerard?” Frank whispered quietly.
“Yeah, Frank?”
“You should let Nana help you. Be honest with her. She can really help make this a lot easier,” he said.
“I know,” he sighed. “And she already has made this a lot easier.”
“Good night, Gerard,” Frank said.
“Night,” Gerard replied, turning around to face the wall.
He just got comfortable when he finally drifted off to sleep.