Page 58 of House of Kallan
No one answered, but there were a few shaking their heads.
“Okay, then the second thing I want to do is ask a question. The nurse tells me that one of you had a story that they shared about why maybe you’re not in worse condition than you are if you’d mind sharing again?”
Silence met my question until one movement on the top left of the room caught my attention. Just where the nurse said I’d find it. A little boy, maybe three but perhaps older, leaned forward in his cage.
“She asked why we don’t have more visible injuries,” he said, and I once again marveled at his level of language. “After they were done with the daily trials, we were placed in a tube with bright light. It heated our bodies and healed the injuries until we could almost not feel them at all. If it weren’t for the memories, it could all just be in our heads. When we hurt the worst, the light was brightest, and we had to shut our eyes.”
“That kind of sounds like how a Nephilim heals,” Toby said, and I nodded because that had been my thought too.
“Did you see anything while you were in the tube?” I asked.
The boy shook his eyes. “It was just a white tube that opened on each end. We went in one end and came out the other.”
“What color was the light?” Toby asked.
“White. Like the white tube glowed.”
I looked at Toby and he shook his head, just as confused as I was. Looking back at the boy, I nodded. “Thank you for sharing.”
He gave me a little smile and sat back. Disturbing. I was reminded of Cobalt’s story about his experience. One day, they stopped the tests on him entirely and used him to heal their prey after each abusive session.
Maybe they’d already gotten what they needed from the Nephilim, but they sure as hell weren’t going to let him go.
Taking a breath, I moved back into the middle of the room. “If there are any moments you’d like to tell us, please know that you can. We’re working hard to find all the places like the one you were kept in and rescue the women and children being held there. Our long-term goal is to dismantle the Division of Silence entirely, but I’m sorry to say that’s a while in the future. I’d like to start with names today. My name is Tatum, and that’s what people call me. Do you have names? Did they refer to you in any way that specifically belonged to you?”
There wasn’t an answer for a while until a little girl said, “One-three-one.”
Another girl followed with “Seventy-six.”
After another half a dozen gave me numbers, I closed my eyes. They weren’t people. They were numbers.
“Okay, thank you,” I said. “I’d rather not call you that. You’re not anonymous anymore. Does anyone have a name that they’d like to be called?”
Silence. The silence carried on until someone asked, “Like what?”
“I’m Toby,” Toby said. “My full name is Tobiael, but it’s kind of long and difficult to say. It means angel. My parents were very creative, obviously. Calling me a name based on my species.” He smiled.
No one responded.
I opened the book to the first page. Number sixty-three. I flipped the page, and the next was seventy-six. Flipping to the last page, it ended at 341. It was more than a little obvious that there weren’t 300 children here. That meant there were more. Many more.
“Who is sixty-three?” I asked.
A boy leaned forward. The one I’d been speaking to about the Nephilim tunnel. I opened the door to his den, and he poked his head out to look around.
“Are you the oldest one here?” I asked.
He nodded.
The boy was bright, like the sun’s rays shone out from his fingers. His eyes were bright yellow too. Looking into them too long gave me the impression that I was staring at the sun.
“How do you feel about the name Solana?” Toby asked. “It means sunshine and you shine as if you’re your very own star.”
The boy smiled. “Solana,” he said. “Okay.”
Toby leaned forward, peeking into the den. “Hold on.” I watched him open a door in the room and then disappear inside. The rest of the room watched with me, listening to him rustle about. When he came out, he had his hands filled with different pieces of fabric.
“Here,” Toby said, holding up clothes. Solana studied them for a minute before taking them into the den. We watched as he put them on and then smiled at Toby. It was the first big smile I’d seen on any of the kids. “I brought you more blankets too.” He offered Solana the two blankets, and together we watched as he made himself a little nest in the back.
