When Ashton had taken me to his car, the fluffy, bear-like dog had been waiting patiently on the passenger side. Before my vision cut out for a short moment while getting in the car, I had read the German Shepard's tag as the name Captain.

On the drive to Ashton's house, black and white hues decorated the landscape. Fur under my palm told me my hand rested on a dog's back, but I couldn't see him. Just moments ago, I had claimed to be blind, but now, I didn't know what to think. I wished to understand, to have some clue as to how my vision worked. Turning up empty on the subject, I decided to let the quiet wash over me. With how little I knew, I needed a short break from the questions.

Captain huffed, drawing my attention. I stroked his back, trying to calm myself. With each touch, my vision glitched in and out again. I paused, my hand hovering in thought. A theory formed itself in my mind. Now worked as good a time as any to test it. I let go of Captain, and everything became pitch black. Returning my hand on his back, the room returned in black and white.

            It all clicked.

            I could see.

Just not through my own eyes.

Ashton remained quiet throughout the drive, his eyes occasionally peeking a glance at the backseat. His head stretched a mere inch away from the roof of the car due to his height. An armored suit hung to his form, and he wore a backward cap on his head of curly hair. A nervous smile had been permanently glued to his face.

            The city rested on a slope. At the bottom of the hill, the hospital we'd come from, shopping centers, restaurants, and the like resided cozily. Upward the slope, homes watched the town below from rows of their own neighborhoods. The dried leaves of fall drifted past the windows, all in blurred mute. Glitches across the horizon caught my attention beyond the leaves. The bright pigments of the sky divided into panels, complete with a false sun. I squinted for a better view at the artificial vault, following the cracks in the panels up to the top of the dome shape. What was wrong with the real sky?

"We're here!" came Ashton's voice.

A house sat in the middle of the row, two stories with all the windows I could see on the bottom floor. The front door waited at the end of a sidewalk path. A tall oak seasoned its leaves across the yard.

Ashton came around the side and popped open my door. Captain jumped from my lap, and my world suffocated in darkness.

Waving my hand around, I eventually caught my brother's grip. Like a light switch, color filled my sight. Painted a welcoming green, the house smiled with its white trim. We stepped up to the unfamiliar home. A welcome mat brushed our feet. It read, Doorbell broken, yell DING DONG really loud. That earned a smile.

            Ashton shut the door behind us. "Here, let me take a look at your arm." He walked me to the couch and sat me down.

While my brother tended to my scratch, I took in the house. Captain rest his face in my lap, my cold knees warmed by his fur. The couch resided to the left, the dining area and kitchen to the right. A narrow walkway led to a set of open stairs, decked like horizontal dominoes. Atop the stairs on the second floor, three rooms hid behind closed doors.

            "Her first day and she's already almost gotten herself killed," Ashton muttered. His voice seemed to be the only familiar thing I could grasp to, but for all I knew, I had fabricated the vague memory. My vision once again blacked out as Ashton's hands came off me. "Let me go grab something to clean that up, and then I'll be right back." His brisk footsteps slipped away.

            With the momentary quiet setting in, I grew less tense. I started with steadying my breath. My past, present, and future lay a mystery to me. A mystery imperative to unravel. But for now, my only responsibility was to breathe. That would be enough.

            "Okay, I'm back. This might sting a little." Carpet shuffled under Ashton's weight as he knelt in from of me. He took me by the wrist. A sharp sting bit into my arm, cold with alcohol. I winced, yanking back by reflex.

            "Sorry, I warned you," Ashton said, giving a light, sympathetic laugh. "Can I keep going?"

I nodded, scrunching my nose and breathing in the pain. I felt for his hand. He took it, rubbing my wrist with his thumb. A smile crept on my face. It still hurt, but I could handle it now.

            "Thank you, Ashton."

            "No problem."

            "No, I mean, for saving my life, taking me in, explaining stuff to me." I sighed tiredly, rubbing at my cheek with my free hand. That last part hadn't happened yet, but I could hope. "I guess you're my brother, so you sort of have to, but... It still means lot to me."

            He sat quiet for a while, his hand rubbing up against his nose. "T-thanks."

            "I have so many questions..." I let out a heavy breath, a yawn following.

            "We can answer those in the morning." He let my arm go and stood up. "We're both tired, and it's getting late. I'll show you your room. Or, you can't see, but I guess I can show you to your room. And I have some clothes for you to change into."

            I liked the sleep idea. Nudging Captain off me, I got to my feet. Ashton took my hand. The world came in color. I stumbled up the stairs in my awkward perspective, but Ashton guided me the best he could.

            "Careful, there's a few steps."

            We came to stand in the doorway of my room, the one on the left of the hall. Sunset filled the room with firey warmth. An empty desk rested below the window, and opposite ends of the room, the closet and bed resided. An old, oversized space-themed T-shirt and loose shorts rested at the end of the bed, folded asymmetrically. When was the last time someone had used the room?

            "I set some of my old clothes at the end of the bed for you to use as pajamas. Kind of just what I had laying around, but it'll work." He cleared his throat, taking me towards the bed. Taking my hand in his, he set it on the pile of clothes to make sure I knew where it was. I couldn't tell him I could see yet. That would start a whole new conversation that would be perfectly fine waiting until morning for. My bones ached with exhaustion.

"Can you change by yourself?"

I looked over the clothes thinking it over and nodded.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone then. In between our rooms is the bathroom, and on the other side is my room.  Knock if you need help or anything." He left along with my vision.

Captain's collar jingled, and the bed shook as he jumped onto it. I grabbed the clothes before he could sit on them. "Do you mind if the dog sleeps with you? I think he likes you," came Ashton's voice.

I reached out for the dog, finding his head and ruffling his fur. "Well, I think he's neat too." I turned back to the clothes.

"Good night, Ally-gator." I heard the click of the light switch. But it didn't matter. I couldn't see anything anyways. "Love ya."

"Night, Ashton."

***

            The smack of keys against keyboard woke me. I kept my eyes shut, trying to fall back asleep, but the noise proved too distracting. Rolling over, I felt Captain's warmth in the bed. I sat up, my hand on his back. He shifted at my movement. The world came into view, the muted version. The only light came from the outside moon. What time is it? I rubbed the sleep from the roof of my mouth with my tongue

The tap tap tap of the keys drew my attention again. I climbed off the bed to investigate the clatter. Captain pressed up against my leg, providing me sight. Creaking the door open, I looked over the sleeping house. The faint light of a computer filled the space.

Even though I could see through Captain's eyes, it would still be awkward to navigate the stairsteps. Nonetheless, I put one foot forward, trying to find my footing. I moved quietly, not wanting to disrupt Ashton in whatever he was doing. Captain nudged his face into my palm. We continued onward.

The typing stopped. Through the railing, I could see Ashton. His figure sat at a small desk towards the back of the dining room. A laptop monitor emitted faint blue light. Ashton glanced around, hesitating. I held my breath, hoping he couldn't hear me. Letting out a yawn, he got up from his chair and walked past the staircase. He kept going, heading towards the downstairs bathroom.

With the shield of night, I made a quick move to the computer. Curiosity tugged me to see what he had been working on. Stepping up to the desk, I loosely gripped the nape of Captain's neck for sight. An open email presented itself on the screen.

Well, it took some digging and time, but I finally got the reports on M1. Unfortunately, it seems like they've kept tight knit on anything concerning the HDE. Anything new on your end? Communication is still safe, right?

-Marksman

The reply email said:

Thanks. I've got A2 and C1's, so only 3 left to get. And, to answer your question, yes, I believe we're still in the clear. But things might get a little rough with Ally here. I don't know how much I can keep from her, or for how long. For now, communication via email will be few and far between, just to avoid suspicion. I can't tell her until we find a way to save her. All of them. Pass the message to Mother. I will look over these reports, then see if there's anything we can do about them. We can discuss at the office.

-Scientist

Context clues proved no help in understanding the emails. A file hung at the bottom of the email, labeled M1. I hovered the mouse over the file, considering clicking it. If Ashton was Scientist, what was he hiding from me? What was he saving me from?

I didn't like being left in the dark.

With a deep breath, I went for it and clicked.

A dark, dungy lab viewed from a staticky security camera lit up the screen. Captain tugged at my shirt, but I ignored him. Two figures lay on operation tables in the middle of the room. The scene stood still. A few doctors were discussing something in the back, too mumbled for me to pick out any words. The fuzzy computer light hurt to look at for too long after still being half awake. Narrowing my eyes (or rather Captain's), I waited for something to happen.

A loud snap erupted from the video. I flinched, hoping Ashton didn't hear. I didn't know how he would react if he saw me watching the video he specifically tried to hide from me. The room in the video went dark. It took a moment, but eventually everything lit up again.

"What was that?"

"Some sort of power outage, I think."

            The figure on right table let out a loud scream. The doctors rushed to him. Their shadows flickered strangely, making wild shapes and forming almost another figure. The boy on the other table started to convulse. A chill ran up my back, feeling the sudden urge to run back to my room before I got caught.

The scene continued. "Quick, go get Dr. Cleo!" a doctor said in a strained tone.

A bark startled me. I glanced down at Captain. Ashton definitely heard that. I moved quickly to the escape button. The video disappeared with a click, returning the screen to the way I had found it.

I raced on my tiptoes. Captain didn't follow, stranding me in the dark sea. Grabbing the railing, I swung myself up the stairs. I could only hope my footfalls kept quiet and my steps correct. I made it to the top of the stairs when I heard Ashton's voice.

"Hey, Captain," he said in an immature yet hushed voice. I put a hand over my mouth to keep my breathing quiet. "Who's a good boy..." No one spoke for a while. I heard Ashton's shuffling. Does he know?

I told my thoughts to shut up, as if Ashton might hear my internal panicking. If I went back to bed now, I could fall asleep, wake up in the morning, and call it all a dream.

Only, it wasn't a dream. Ashton was hiding something from me. Something bigger than the things I had wanted answers to before.

Until I knew what he was hiding, I couldn't trust Ashton.

            I had been here one day, and already, the cracks began toshow.