She said that last part with terrible seriousness in her voice as she walked toward the door, took hold of the doorknob, and walked out slowly.
-In the morning, someone will knock on your door, and then you can open it.-
With that, she left the room.
I stared at the door for a while longer before sitting down on the bed. I didn't want to take off the suit because I knew that if I did, it would probably hurt again, so I just lay down on the bed with the suit on. Until that moment, I hadn't noticed, but a soft jazz melody similar to the kind played in elevators was playing.
I wonder if it's to calm the other monsters. I thought to myself.
After thinking about the word monster, a chill ran through my body. I know it's wrong to think that about people I don't know, but on the way to the house, all I could think about was that the residents of this place can't be people, or at least not mentally healthy people.
They say that dogs that live chained up become incredibly aggressive, and that the same thing happens to people who go to prison, which changes them, and not necessarily for the better. The whole time I was coming here, I couldn't get rid of a growing fear of whatever lives within these walls. Whether I like it or not, everyone here has a power, and if their powers are like mine, that means that in every room of this house there is a person who has been locked up for who knows how long with powers that, just by looking at them, would be capable of killing a human being and whose effects could be even more deadly.
And worst of all, from what Nanny said, I was probably right. Why couldn't I go out at night? The only thing I could think of was that one of the others was patrolling at night, ready to attack anyone they saw outside their room, perhaps someone with a power related to darkness.
What a useless power. I couldn't even get a cool power like controlling darkness or something similar. My power is literally the power of a monster, killing everything I touch, but it won't do me any good. what a bother. I wanted a power so badly, and it turned out to be the worst.
At least it will help me defend myself. If anyone wants to mess with me, maybe if I threaten to throw a poisoned object at them, they'll decide to leave me alone, but I still don't know what powers the others might have.
I spent a long time lying in that bed thinking about the different powers they might have and what I would do in those cases, but I didn't come up with anything. In the end, I couldn't sleep at all. Despite being exhausted, I couldn't fall asleep. There was no clock in the room, so I couldn't tell how much time had passed. Hours, perhaps? I couldn't be sure.
Finally, I decided to get out of bed and look out the window. The courtyard was dimly lit by the lights from the rooms, so I could only see the nearest trees.
I decided to explore the room a little. The lamps were working normally, and the music was still playing softly but constantly. Maybe that was why I couldn't sleep, or maybe it was because of the anxiety I was feeling at that moment. I glanced at the closet and was surprised to see multiple suits identical to the one I was wearing at the moment. That meant they had been preparing for my arrival.
I lay back down on the bed and after what seemed like an eternity trying to sleep, someone finally knocked on my door. I assumed it would be Nanny, but the person on the other side of the door was someone I had never seen before.
On the other side of the door was a boy of about 7 or 8 years old. He had blond hair like I had never seen before, that with a closer look, it seemed to shine. His clothes were like those of any other boy I had seen: he wore a light gray sweatshirt and jeans, and his sneakers were red and white. But despite all that, what stood out most was that his eyes were closed.
- Hi, you must be the new kid, - he said calmly, lifting his head toward me. - You can call me Sleepy. –
I was surprised that such a young child was the first one I saw, but does that mean most of them here are around the same age? Is this some kind of refuge for underage CP's?
- Nice to meet you, my name is... - I couldn't finish what I was about to say before he interrupted me.
- WAIT! - he shouted. -Don't tell me your name. I'm here as your guide. I'm going to explain a few things about this place and then show you around the house.-
- Okay, but aren't you too young for all that? -
- Don't worry, I've been in this house for as long as I can remember. I guarantee you there's no one better than me to explain these things, - he said, smiling at me and pointing to himself with his thumb.
- All right, then. - The truth is that the fact that he was such a small boy made me feel more at ease, so I decided not to argue.
I sat down in the chair and he decided to stand.
- First things first, I'm going to explain a few things to you, rookie. Your name. From now on, your name is "Rookie" until you are assigned a permanent name. -
- Wait, what do you mean by that? –
He must be kidding, right?
- This is a rule. Once you enter the house, no, sorry, I think that once you are classified as CP, your name is removed and you are assigned another name. - He said it very seriously, his eyes still closed. - I've been here forever, so I have no problem with it, but it seems that newbies like you may take some time to get used to it. -
He paused briefly and continued,
- There are many rules in this place, and you must follow them all without exception, because for many here, those rules are indispensable. Some have special rules, but pay close attention... -
He spent about an hour explaining the rules of the place to me, and to be honest, there were too many. The first and most important is not to use your powers or encourage anyone else to use them. You cannot listen to songs, and if you watch a movie that has songs or a musical, you cannot watch it again for at least a month. It is also forbidden to think about songs. You must keep a distance of approximately 1.5 meters from others at all times until you are sure that being close to them poses no risk. It seems that you cannot touch anything that someone else has touched.
The music rule was specific, but there were other even more specific rules, such as not using the words "I need" or "I want" in a sentence, not entering other people's rooms unless invited, not leaving the house, and other similar things.
- You're not going to leave the house, but if something comes to you from outside, it must be purged, which means it will be replicated and the original will be destroyed. - He continued to speak calmly despite having been talking for almost an hour. - Finally, before you go on your tour of the house, if anyone asks you who you are, you must answer with your name, your new one of course, and what your powers are. -
- Those are too many rules. I don't think I can remember them all. But, Can I ask you then, who are you? -
He smiled as if he had been expecting me to ask this.
- If you're so curious, my name is Sleepy, and my power is to put people to sleep or wake them up, depending on whether I'm asleep or awake. - He continued to smile.
What a useless power. That means there are powers in this house even worse than mine. Besides, this guy isn't a threat to anyone. Why exactly is he locked up here?
- Tell me, are you ready to tour the house, Rookie? - He raised one eyebrow while lowering the other slightly.
- Yes, I think I'm ready. - If the others had powers like that, it meant I might not have to worry so much.
He opened the door and motioned for me to go in. The hallway looked much bigger when it was lit up. It was quite wide, probably to allow for the 1.5-meter distance between people, so that two people could pass each other on either side of the hallway. It was also quite tall. Outside the room, all the lights were on.
For a very old orphanage, this place was well maintained and didn't look as old as they said it was. As we walked, I could see other people moving through the hallways. The first place we came to was a living room. It was very spacious and had multiple chairs around a small table.
Then we came to the dining room, which was a huge room with an incredibly long table and dozens of chairs. There was only one person eating, which contrasted with the size of the room.
- This is the dining room, - Sleepy said when we arrived. - This is where we have dinner, all together, which is why it's so big. Remember that dinner is every day at 8 p.m. and we all have to be there. You'll probably meet most of the others there. –
-What's up, Sleepy? Are you giving the newbie the tour? - The guy who was eating got up from his seat and came over to greet us, keeping that distance of a few meters. His hair was pink and thin, his eyes were chocolate brown, and his teeth seemed to have no reflection. His skin was light brown. - So tell me, who are you?-
-My name is... - I had to pause briefly before answering according to the rules. -Rookie, my power is toxic. Everything I touch becomes a lethal poison, and my body has that poison too. -
- So that's what the suit is for, HA. - He smiled even more. He looked like he might be a few years younger than me, but he acted like he was older. - My name is Sweet, and I'm a delicious boy. My power is being incredibly irresistible. -
Another one with a mediocre power. Could it be that I'm the one with the best power here?
- Oh, you don't find it very impressive, do you? I can see it written all over your face, - he said, slightly annoyed. - But I guarantee you that I prefer my power 100 times more than yours, Toxzon. -
After saying that, he grabbed his plate and left. We continued on with the tour and finally arrived at the kitchen, which had tables for eating and was quite large. As we approached, the aroma of food whetted my appetite. It smelled like eggs with fried ham, one of my favorite breakfasts.
- This is the kitchen where we usually eat except for dinner. Nanny prepares the most delicious dishes, so I would never complain about the food, - Sleepy said.
- Hello darlings, I hope you're hungry, - saying this, Nanny arrived with a tray carrying 2 plates of eggs and 2 glasses of juice.
Sleepy immediately hugged her, just leaving the plates on one of the tables, and she hugged him back. Then she turned to look at me, smiled slightly, and said,
- How's the tour going? Are you liking the house? -
- Yes, it's nothing like I imagined, this place is incredible,- I said with the most honesty I can, but deep down it still felt like a prison.
-Go ahead, eat whatever you need, because soon you'll have to see the doctor. – She said
- What doctor? - I asked.
- Sorry, I forgot, - Sleepy said quickly. - Usually, newcomers get an appointment with 'the doctor.' We don't know his name, only that he takes care of all the bad... ailments we might have. -
He hesitated and looked a bit nervous. It seemed he acted slightly differently with Nanny around—more childish, less serious, and less controlled.
- Hey, can I ask you something? - I said to Sleepy.
- Ah, sure, I, I have almost all the answers, - he said, clearly more nervous with Nanny present.
- How can you move with your eyes closed? -
- Ah, that... let's just say I'm going to keep that secret for a little longer. -
- Sleepy, don't be like that, you told him you'd answer, so now deliver, - Nanny scolded him a bit and then got up to return to the kitchen.
-Yes, mo… Nanny, - he messed up again. -The truth is I can see by the power of another CP, so it's not like I'm blind. -
We kept eating a little longer and then continued the tour. We reached the living room of the ground floor, where there was a big TV, a computer, someone was using, a large sofa facing the TV, and a single-person armchair.
- This is entertainment room number 1. It has the best TV, the best sofa, and even a massage chair, although thanks to someone it doesn't work anymore. If you want to get the TV, you have to arrive before the others, but there are two other entertainment rooms that aren't so bad. -
A man rose from one of the sofa. His skin was tanned, his beard was unkempt, and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed for some time. It was hard to guess his age, but he was definitely not a minor.
- What's up, Sleepy? How's the rookie? - the man said in a tone as if he had just woken up, which was likely true.
- Everything's fine, Vagabonds, we're almost done, just have to show him the stairs, the gym, and the patio, - Sleepy replied as if it wasn't strange that the guy was sleeping in the middle of the living room at noon.
I decided to keep my comments to myself.
- You better not go into the gym, - he said while yawning. - It's being used. -
- Thanks for the tip, here. - Saying this, Sleepy handed him a dollar.
He took the money and covered himself again with the blankets.
- Hey Strong, come greet the new guy, - said a voice behind us.
I turned and saw a black-haired girl coming down the front hallway and descending large stairs. Her eyes shone intensely as if the light reflected especially in them. From her eyes, I could see that something was brewing; her smile only confirmed my impression, as if she laughed at a joke not yet told. She was tall, taller than me, but that's not hard since I'm about 1.77 meters, though I think she crossed 1.80, and walked with great confidence. She seemed about my age.
- I'm doing the math, - replied the boy at the computer without even turning around.
- You must be the new one, - she said. -The toxic one who poisons everything it touch, and that's why we mustn't touch anything another CP has recently touched."
She said it condescendingly.
Sleepy sighed, bowed his head, seemingly resigned to what was coming next.
- She's Eye, one of the worst in the house and loves to bother newcomers, - he said with a sigh of acceptance.
- Strong! You can do that later, come now! - Eye shouted.
- I'm coming,- said the guy at the computer, getting up desperately.
No sooner had he begun to rise, than the vagabond lying on the couch jumped up.
- Hey, at least wait till I get out of the room, - saying this, he got up and left, adding, - I'm going to call 88 in case anything happens. -
The guy who stood up was much taller than I expected, I'd say close to 2 meters, though I wasn't sure. His body was slim, but every vein was marked as if he were an athlete. His pupils were smaller than expected, and his hair was dark brown with a reddish tint. He approached the girl slowly, maintaining a certain distance from us and her, as if circling us. Sleepy took a small step back while approaching, and when he did, the tall man stopped moving, a few meters from the girl.
This guy, although he made no threatening moves, radiated an intense aura of danger. I could tell when he got closer; he definitely has an imposing power.
I had felt this presence before; when someone with powers lets their power flow, they can make others sense it, which is usually useful to compare strength.
This dangerous guy seems like the type of person I expected to find. His eyes showed no emotion except anger; he seemed upset with this girl, with Sleepy, and what worried me most with me.