Chapter Thirteen

When people enter the tower, they come out with something that I couldn't place before. Feeling of loss, anger, relief, and disappointment. The concert world is so different from the one in the tower. The people waiting for us. 

"You're alive," Sargent Payton said with a smile. It wasn't a happy one but a small sad one. I looked at her, my face trembling. She lifted her arms and pulled me into a hug. "You did good," she whispered. My breath hiccuped as new tears fell from my face. I grabbed onto her. Holding her back like the world would fall away. The trial. Was over.

When I could finally breathe without crying, I moved back. "Sargent Payton, it's good to see you," I said, voice cracking from all the crying. 

With a pat to my shoulders, she let go of me. Her face fell as she spoke. "Uh kid. We're gonna walk you by the exit, but I have some bad news." I'm sure that my face fell when she said that. "We let family come pick up their loved ones that entered the tower… We called yours to let them know," she lead.

"They didn't show, did they?" I asked with a smile.

"No, they did…" She shifted her stance. "They showed up and threw the food for the families and then broke a few things. We restrained them. When we told them, they would have to pay back for all the damages… they said you would do it," she said frown on her face.

"Oh," I responded. What else could I say to that? My family showed up for the first time in years and all they want is to destroy me. Laughing at the mess I'm now in. "How much the damage is the damage?" I asked.

Sargent Payton looked at me, annoyed. "You're not thinking of paying it off for them, yeah, are you?" She accused.

"Yeah, with the stipulation that they can never come near me again," I said, smiling. Sargent Payton smiled back at me.

"I'll see if our lawyers can help draw up the contract. For now, go get some food. Your family can wait the night in a cell," she said, turning and walking away. I watched her go, smiling the whole time. I wanted their attention for so long, but after all that, it just didn't seem important. 

Walking down the way to the canteen, I found the rest of my group. Including Mathew. He sat at the end of a table with a group of people. Walking over to the serving table, I got a plate. 

"Hey, Noa" I heard behind me. I turned to see a girl that was in the other half of the group. "I heard about you being gay, and I wanted you to know I'm gay too," she said. Her determined face looked more like a hamster than anything scary. Nodding my head, I smiled at her and turned back to the food. She grabbed a plate and followed my lead. She then followed me to a table and sat with me. Her family and a few other people from the group joined me. We ate and laughed while talking about the things we're gonna do now that we had money. The small hamster girl was named Natalia. Natalia said that her partner and her are gonna buy a house. Her mom's excited to plan a wedding for the two of them. 

When Natalia and her family left, I stood there for a while. I don't have a home to go back to. My apartment was gone before I could enroll here. My car is still at the recruitment office. 

"Noa!" Sargent Payton called out. Turning to look at her, I saw a man in a suit walking up with her. "I'm glad we caught you before you left. This is Mr. Lawrence." she introduced.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." I said, holding out a hand. Mr. Lawrence shook my hand.

"Let's go talk about your options, Mr. Sanders," Mr. Lawrence said, turning back to the cafeteria. There, Mr. Lawrence told me about how we could go about this. He said that I could file for a restraining order. However, they take time and I would have to appear in court. A cease and desist order could work for a time being. That if my parents pushed it, I could get a restraining order on them later. He told me that cease and desist orders are usual for companies. 

After talking about it some more, I decided to not pay for the damages and just pretend I didn't know that they were here. It sounded like less hassle. Apologizing for wasting Mr. Lawrence's time. He waved it off, saying 'fighting for others is a passion of mine' before walking away. 

"That went well." Sargent Payton said, stretching. "Do you want to crash her for the night?" She asked. By this time it's 1 a.m. and I'm tired. Nodding my head, she smiled. "Good, I'll walk you to the barracks." She said. We talked a little on the way there. I think we were both tired. 

Opening the door to the barracks, I stopped. Turning around, with my hand still on the door handle "Thank you, and I'm sorry for the problems my family caused" I said.

"Be, you did nothing wrong" She walked away. Entering the barracks, I got into the closest bed. Too tired to change clothing, or even pull the covers up. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was gone to the world. It was the worst sleep I've ever gotten. The nightmares I couldn't escape from. By the time morning arrived, I felt more exhausted.

In the morning I got up and got dressed, into some clean clothes. Cleaning up after myself, I left the barracks. Walking back to the road. Therese is a bus stop just down the road. I had to stop by the office to get the points transferred into money, but that would be fine. It would give me the chance to say goodbye. 

It took a half an hour walk to get to the office. When I entered, on, the TV was on, giving a report of the newest batch to leave the tower. 88 of us lived in this group. After the 200 of us entered the tower. Giving us to run the highest survival rate. Above the one, the military's by one percent. Watching the TV with a slack jaw, I waiting for them to tell us more.

"Noa, why do you look so shocked? You were there," Sargent Payton said, placing a hand on my shoulder. Flinching at the sudden contact, I turned to look at her. 

"So many of us lived," I answered, dumbfounded. 

She smiled and nodded. They pulled me over to the table. "Lets go over your points and how to exchange them. The total points I got exceed what I thought there would be. Deciding to exchange half of my point. It's gonna take a few hours to transfer the money into my account. I had almost everything. Feeling good about the tower run, even if I didn't deserve any praise.

PING PING

"Congratulations!! 10% of eligible people have completed the tutorial!! Once you hit 25% complete, you will gain a level of the tutorial to claim as your land."

I barely had enough time to leave the office when the message popped into existence. Blinking at the message floating in front of me. There was a slam behind me in the office. Flinching as I turned to the sound, the office door swing open. 

"Noa," Sargent Payton said. "Go find a place to live and lie low." Her voice was hard as she spoke. She was scared.

"I plan on buying a house with land," I said back. She nodded, but that look on her face didn't ease. Turning around, the bus was almost at the stop. Jogging over, I caught it. Not once looking back to see what Sargent Payton and the others were doing. For the first time in months, I turned on my phone. Notifications from different apps telling me I was losing points or that my heart refilled. As promised, I looked into getting a realtor. Having money to spend and fast. Making an appointment with the next available one tomorrow from now. I would stay on the bus almost that whole time. With stopping, to sleep at a motel.

While waiting for the bus to get to my destination, I started making a list of all the things I want in a house. At first I made this grand list of a big house with lots of rooms and space. Then I changed it, taking out a few rooms because I would have no need for them. In the end I found that what I wanted was land more than anything. I wanted to grow food again, but would the plants obey me? Or would they kill those around me? Could I trust the plants on this side of the tower? Shaking the thoughts away, I tried to think of ways around this. If I didn't have full control here, then I could just be out in the woods or something. With no one around, no one would get hurt. 

It took less time to figure out what I wanted, then I thought it would. The trees rushed past me. There's still a long way to the city and to where I plan to live. Should I move to another state? I have the money and all my belongings with me. Therese had no reason not to. I didn't know where to go. Looking at all the options only weighed only weighed on me. I already have the appointment to look at homes here. I should just stay. With nothing left to do, I downloaded a few audio books for the ride. 

Stepping off the bus, I wanted to hug the ground. Tired and hungry, I looked at my phone. I was meeting with the Realtor in a few moments here. Surely there was something to eat around here that he might not mind if I stop to eat. However, seeing the man I scheduled an appointment with waiting for me on his phone, I sighed. He had a nice car. 

"Mr. Clemince?" I asked, walking up. The balding man looked up at me. He smiled as he slid his phone into his pocket. 

"Mr. Sanders, it's good to see you" He stretched out his hand. Smiling back, I took his hand. 

"You said you're interested in finding a home fast that doesn't have much maintenance on land, right?" He clarified. 

"Yeah, I wanna get into a home before…" I waved my hand around. The smile fell from his face for a moment.

"Understandable. I have a few homes you can look at today. If you aren't interesting in them, well try again tomorrow," He said, recovering that smile from earlier. I nodded and followed him into his car. I just had to survive a few more hours than I could rest.

The first house he showed me was a post-war home. The pitched roof and the white outside made it look out of a movie. It's cute and fits into the area well. They cut the trees and brush around the house back so much that the plant looked angry. It was a little close to the city.

The next two houses he showed me were the same. Cute tiny houses that didn't quite fit what I wanted. There were always just one or two things that I didn't want or need. The house was magnificent, but the yard backed into a cemetery or the house was in the dip between two hills. Mr Clemence drove me to a hotel. We made a deal to meet again at noon the next morning to go over more houses. Checking into the hotel took no time at all. Before I knew it, I was in my room, showered and laying in bed. 

"After the potential of new land being to be claimed. China room, and Japan have now claimed the tower entrance to them as theirs. South Korea is in talks to keep the tower as they state 'It's in South Korean waters.' There have been no statements from Japan or China." The reporter said, looking at the thru the screen. The news this morning has all been bleak. It hasn't even been a full day, yet people can feel the tension. The energy that was barely contained because of the appearance of the towers caught light. 

Meeting with Mr Clemince after that we looked at two homes. Neither working. One was even deep in the city center. Tired from all the walking and what felt like no progress. Mr. Clemince stared at his phone for a moment.

"Mr Sanders, I have one place I would like you to look at. It's out of the way, and hasn't been lived in for a few years." He said, "But it's a beautiful view and has everything you're looking for," He smiled.

"Well, if it's the right home for me, then I'll take it." I answered. I have the money to make it my home. With the tension building over time, there's no saying how long I have to make it a home, though. I would have to work fast and do my best.

Mr. Clemince drove for an hour from the city. Driving up the driveway, the house looked like a pyramid. A large pine wood one. The confusion must have shown on my face as Mr. Clemince comments on it.

"It's called a frame. It's a strange construction for the area."

"The wood is pretty," I said, looking at how light it looked. 

With a chuckle Mr. Clemince says "Wait until you see inside". He then opened the front door. The dark and light streaks in the floors, wood leading my eyes to the large wall of windows. The entire wall from floor to roof was large windows. Mr. Clemince patted my back forward. Once inside, I tore my eyes away from the windows. Looking to the left of the front door was a wall. I followed it into the kitchen, where there was a door. Opening it, I found a small half bath. It matched the dark green kitchen with the pine counter tops. The toilet being white, but the sink and cabinet under it was the same. 

Looking up from the kitchen, I could see the glass railing. The stairs were a right side of the front door. The landing was rectangle is shape. Leading back towards the front of the house. A window sat with built-in shelves. I looked toward the door. Opening it, I found myself in the bedroom. The glass railing continued, making the wall between the door and stairs feel a little silly. One door lead to the main bathroom, the other to a closet. It wasn't a large closet, but more than enough for me.

When I turned my attention over the railing to the glass wall, I saw the view again. The property lined with large pine trees kept the unusual A frame hidden away. Though all the wood and light made it feel warm and safe. The green yard stretched out for a while. Looking at it, I could imagine three rows of eight raised beds. Which would be more food than I would need to grow.

"Mr. Clemince?" I called over the railing. Leaning over, I could see him standing on his phone, waiting. He looked up at me. "How much is it?"

Well, with the surrounding land, its asking price is 1.5 million," He answered. He looked a little sheepish at the price.

"That's more than I wanted to spend…" I said, looking back out at the garden. Thinking of how I could use the space and how I would decorate the house. Looking back at him "I'll take it" I said. He smiled up at me.

"Perfect, I'll give them an offer. We'll see if they take it in a few days," He said. 

"I'll take that long?" I asked, walking back down the stairs.

"It would take longer if you needed to go through a bank for a loan to get the deed. Lucky for you, you're paying outright for it," He said with a smile. A small 'oh' left my lips. That this would take longer than I wanted would push the timeline of things back. I wonder if I should even do this. "Don't worry, I'll have you moved in before…" He trailed off. His reassuring smile helped me feel better about this.

When I returned to the hotel, I thought of ways to distract myself from the wait on the house. I asked the resection desk what they thought. They mentioned a pool in the building, as wells as the shopping district. Thanking her, I walked to my room. I could spend tomorrow swimming, then go shopping the next. See if I could find anything that I really wanted. I would have to wait on furniture until I got the okay on the house. Shopping might be fun with money to blow. I had more than enough to get anything I wanted. For tonight I took a long hot bath and googled different places I could go. 

The morning news talked about China's and Japan's response. Both said that the tower entered their waters of another. They claim they had rights to the tower and that as it's not on South Korea's land, they can't claim it internally. There has now been a call for a worldwide meeting to disgust the tower's message. That meeting will be held in a week's time. Until the meeting's end, they requested all three countries to not make any large movements against each other. 

I'm no longer really watching the news, but listening to it. I didn't want to be caught unawares to what's happening. Even though I know it was looking more like war every day, I hoped it wasn't. Now I just tried to distract myself by playing gamed while listening. Mr. Clemence called me before and said that he made an offer of 1.4 million. He said it would give me a little wiggle room. I thanked him. The balls in their court now, all we have to do is wait to see what happens.

Swimming was fun and relaxing. Though I felt more naked than ever before without my bag. I hadn't realized how much I got used to carrying it around in the tower. After a moment, I got to relax and just have fun. When the next day arrived without news about the house, I went shopping. I walked around downtown before finding a book store. I spent most of my time there. Looking at all the unique books. I thought about buying a few home improvement books, as well as gardening ones. I hadn't heard the plants talk seance I left the tower, nor have they moved. It made me feel safer to know that it's only in the tower that I have no control over them. Thinking about the impending war, I figured it would be good to have a few books on things I didn't know how to do. Which is how I ended up leaving the bookstore with 20 new books. Most of which had to do with living off the land and fixing up your house. There was still no news in the house.

The news the next morning was all about theories of what the tower is/wants. Some people did the math to figure out how many years it would take to complete the tower tutorial trials. With no new eligible people, it would take 30-plus years to finish.

When day three arrived, so did the worry. Spending my time bouncing my attention between watching the new, reading, and compulsively checking if Mr. Clemence has messaged me. Reading became more difficult as time passed. 

Ring

Diving for my phone, I answered. Mr Clemence said, "Mr. Sanders, I have good news. They took the offer. Now I just need you to sign the paperwork and you'll be getting keys to your new home." 

"Of course!! Where do you want me?" The moment of silences allowed my brain to catch up. "Tor sign the paperwork I mean," "

Laughing Mr. Clemence said "just make an appointment with a notoriety. I'll email the paperwork to you." Making an appointment as quickly as I could.

The notoriety man was grumpy the whole time. He made brief comments about moving into the tower and why a person would buy a house right now. I imagined telling him the tower was hell, and he was stupid for wanting to live in it. Instead, I focused on being able to move into my new home within 2 days until the world meeting.

"This morning, it leaked a recording of President Miller and Vice President Hempler disguising the upcoming meeting. In this recording, President Miller told Vice President Hempler that 'It's funny that China and Japan are fighting over the tower as the USA will take the first floor. We just have the resources and manpower to claim it'. During this conversation, Vice President Hempler also mentioned that 'the three countries fighting over the tower entrance was like three children fighting over a toy'. As of now, both China and Japan have pulled from the meeting."

My jaw met the floor as the new reporter talked. Each word out of her mouth felt more and more like a sick joke. When they moved on, a small "Oh fuck." fell from my lips.