"Drink this," Dr Aris handed her a paper cup. It was warm water, but it tasted amazing.
Suddenly, a loud noise broke out near the front doors.
"Open the gate! Hurry!" someone shouted.
"Incoming!"
Jace reached out for his bat. "Hollows?" he asked.
"No," a voice yelled back from the entrance."More survivors! A search team found someone near the Engineering building.
Aurora's heart stopped. The heavy doors groaned open again. A sudden, cold, purple wind rushed into the hall, making the lamps flicker. Two searchers in the temporary armour stumbled in, pulling someone between them. The person was limp, with their feet dragging on the floor.
"Close it! Close it!"
The doors slammed shut. The searchers then lowered the person onto a pile of blankets near the entrance. Aurora stood up, ignoring the doctor's worried sound, and the pain in her hips, walking towards the group of people gathered by the door. She had to see for herself.
The person on the floor groaned and rolled over. He was wearing a flannel shirt, but it was ripped off at the shoulder. His jeans were covered in grey mud. He had messy brown hair which was matted with sweat. He sat up slowly holding his head
He looked terrified and.... human.
"Aurora?" be whispered.
Aurora made a half crying, half laughing sound.
She ran, pushing past Jace and the searchers, and threw herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. He felt real and warm. He smelled like cinnamon and sweat, the most comforting scent in the world.
"You're alive," she cried into his shoulder. "I... I thought... I saw something at the fountain... It looked like you..."
Ben tensed. His arms came up slowly, unsurely, and then he hugged her back. He squeezed her tight, hiding his face in her hair.
"I saw it too..." Ben whispered with a shaky voice. "I was hiding behind the status. I saw you run, and tried to follow, but the shadows... they were everywhere."
Aurora pulled back to look at him. She held his face in her hands. He looked perfect, and had the same small scar on his face. His eyes were warm, and full of tears, and he was shaking, just like her."
"Are you hurt?" she asked, checking him for any injuries.
"Just scratches..." Ben said. He then held up his hands, they were shaking. "I don't know what this place is, Aurora. I woke up in the fog. I've been running for hours."
Jace stepped forward at that point. The crowd made way for him. He didn't look happy, he looked suspicious. Ben's words had too many loopholes. No matter how scared he was, he would have called out to them, if he was really at the fountain at that time. Jace held his bat loosely at his side, his eyes narrowed.
"Check him." Jace ordered the searchers.
"Hey!" Aurora snapped, turning to face Jace. "Leave him alone, he's my friend."
"It's our rules, Architect." Jace said coldly. We check everyone. Especially people who survived out there alone without being killed."
One of the searchers stepped forward, with a flashlight which shone in Ben's eyes. Ben blinked at the sudden light. He blinked and turned away, covering his face.
"His pupils reacted to light," the searcher said.
"Check the shadow." Jace ordered.
The searcher lowered the light to the floor. Ben's shadow stretched out behind him. It was dark and clear, and it moved perfectly with him. When Ben shifted his weight, the shadow shifted.
"Shadow is real," the searcher confirmed.
"Temperature?..." Jace asked.
Dr. Aris stepped in. She placed a hand on Ben's forehead. She held it there for a moment, then nodded.
"He's warm. Pulses are fast, which is normal for a panic. He's human, Jace."
Jace stared at Ben for a long time. He looked for any signs of flaws or for the slightest twitch of a mimic. Ben looked back at him, his eyes wide and scared. He looks like a frightened college student who has just been through something terrible.
He swallowed hard, and gripped Aurora's wrist tighter.
"Please," Ben said softly. "I'm not... I'm not part of them."
Chesh, the cat trotted over. The crowd became silent, they all knew that cats could sense monsters. The car walked around Ben. Its two tails moved back and forth. It sniffed Ben's shoe, and his hand. Aurora held her breath.
'Please don't hiss. Please don't hiss.' she prayed inwardly.
Chesh stopped. The cat looked up at Ben with its blue eyes. It tilted its head, then simply sat down and began to clean its paw. A collective sigh of relief went through the room.
"He's safe," Elias announced into the circle as he smiled kindly at Be. "Welcome to the Sanctuary, son. You're lucky to be alive."
Aurora leans against Ben, the relief making her dizzy again.
"I told you," she quietly said to Jace.
Jace didn't apologize. He just nodded once, looking unconvinced but not wanting to argue with the cat. "Fine. Get him water, and a bed."
Ben looked at Aurora and squeezed her hands again. "I thought I lost you." he whispered. "When the car crashed... I woke up, and you were gone."
I'm here," Aurora promised. She laced her fingers through his. "We're together now. I'm not leaving you again."
Ben smiled. It was a weak, tired smile of a boy who was just happy to see his best friend.
"Okay," he said. "We're together."
He leaned his head against hers. Aurora closed her eyes, enjoying his warmth. And for the first time since the lights went out in the lecture hall, she felt truly safe.
She did not see the way Jace was still watching them from the shadows, nor did she see the way Chesh stopped cleaning its paw to stare at Ben's back. The cat's eyes narrowed. It didn't hiss, but its fur along its spine stood up in a stiff, silent line.
Ben shifted, getting comfortable. He pulled Aurora closer.
"So," Ben whispered, his voice soft and calming. "What is this place? And what is that mark on your arm?"
"I'll tell you everything," Aurora said. "We have time."
"Good," Ben said. "I want to know everything."
Outside, the wind howled against the blue shields. The fort was strong, the magic walls were tight. But inside, it was full of people who all had hopes of going back home.