"Hey, Lavi"

"What's wrong, Allen?"

The two of them were standing in front of large oak double-doors that had designs of nature like trees and flowers carved into every inch of it. It stood out like a sore thumb touching the bleach white walls and floor of the inside of the building. It stretched all the way up to the high ceiling. Allen was staring at the heavily locked door handles. They were made of pure steel. Guards stood at either side of it, occasionally glancing at the pair standing in front of them.

"Nothing. It's just, have you ever wondered what the out side's like?

"..."

"Lavi?" Allen questioned from the lack of a response. Frowning, he turned his attention from the door over to his red-headed friend.

He was taller and older than Allen, and he had a black eye patch over his right eye. No matter how much Allen had asked him about it, Lavi would never tell him why he wore it.

Lavi himself was looking at the door, frowning to himself as if trying to come up with the best answer for Allen. Finally, he answered in an almost whisper, still focusing on the door,

"You'll see the outside someday, Allen."

***

Allen woke with a start.

The obnoxiously loud alarm clock going off like a siren blaring right in his ear. Slightly irritated, he hit the top of it with his palm to turn it off and looked at the time.

It was nine in the morning. The same time he woke up every morning. Normally, he would've gotten up just like it was any other day, however, it was not. When he threw the covers off of his body, a sudden chill hit him like a slap in the face. This made him rethink getting up too quickly as he pulled his sheets back around his body. He slipped his white slippers on and moved over to his closet to change into something warmer than his night clothes.

When he opened his closet, all of his clothes in there were black. These were the day clothes. Night clothes were white. The day clothes had been changed to winter clothes now that it was nearing the end of November. The shirt sleeves were long. Too long for Allen, and when he put it on they hung over his hands and he constantly had to pull them up. It was much warmer than his night clothes, though.

Finally finished dressing, Allen looked into the mirror next to his closet. He sighed as he looked at his reflection with very tired eyes.

It's still there he whispered to himself in dismay. The shadow was still there. Not his shadow, it was another one. One that hung behind him all the time. It's been there for as long a he could remember being at this place.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he would wake up with his left eye searing with pain and somebody would be talking to him in his mind. He lifted his left hand and gingerly touched the star-shaped scar on his head but staring at his red hand. He always thought it was the shadow behind him talking to him at night. Always smiling, like he was laughing.

He let his hand limply fall to his side again and looked away from the mirror, not wanting to look at it anymore. He grabbed his black gloves from on top of his newly made bed and walked out his bedroom door.

While making his way through the winding corridors to the cafeteria, his red-headed friend popped out of nowhere behind Allen, placing his hand on his head and ruffling his silky-white hair.

"Yo, Allen!"

"Wha-? Jeez stop that, Lavi!" Allen said obviously annoyed. He never really liked it when people touched his hair. It made him feel short.

"Aww, what's wrong? You're grumpy today" Lavi asked retracting his hand and placing them both carelessly behind his head.

Allen looked down to his feet and focused on them for a while before glancing at Lavi's and back again. He finally said "Nothing" in a not-so confident voice.

"Hmm, really?" Lavi said, keeping his eyes on Allen and examining every twitch and fidget like it held the keys to the world. But he knew already the thing that must have been bothering him.

"Allen" he said in a more serious tone, making Allen pick his head up some in surprise, but still refusing to look at Lavi.

"If it's that thing again, you have to go talk to him."

"Um, no, th-that's not it. I had just, remembered something this morning."

"What was it?" Lavi asked, still focusing on Allen as if he was the most fascinating thing he's ever laid his eyes on. Taking in every movement and taking a mental note of the suspicious ones.

"Do you remember that day a while ago when we were at the front doors and I was talking to you about going outside?" Allen said suddenly looking up to meet Lavi's stare.

Surprised by the sudden question, he looked away and just stuttered an answer "Y-yeah, why?"

"That's what I dreamed about last night "Allen replied in a lower voice. "And well, I wanted to ask you if..." he trailed off, not knowing whether he should really ask this or not.

They turned a corner and moved down the corridor to go down the stairs to where the cafeteria was on the first floor.

"Huh? I couldn't hear you."

"Lavi...Have you ever been outside?"

He stopped.

Lavi, at the top of the stairs, while Allen had moved down a few more before he noticed he was by himself. He looked back up to the top of the steps. Lavi was standing there staring at him completely dumbfounded by the unexpected question. His left arm fell down to his side where he nervously fiddled with his belt. He looked away from Allen, frowning but smiling at the same time while rubbing the back of his neck.

"What are you saying, Allen? Of course not."

"Then does that mean you've been here your whole life?"

"No. That's not, I mean-"

"Then you've been outside, right?"

'No, I haven't."

"But you haven't been here your whole life have you?'

"Of course I have. Look, it's just a little complicated, my situation here. So just relax with the questions for now, alright?"

Lavi said, walking down the steps and passed Allen patting him on his head on the way by.

"I'm going to the cafeteria, I'm starved" Lavi said rubbing his stomach and continuing on his way and waving a hand behind him at Allen.

Seeming to snap back to reality all of a sudden, Allen stumbled down the rest of the stairs and tried to catch up to Lavi.

"Hey, wait up! Don't leave me like that."

***

Lavi couldn't do it. It was too hard to lie to Allen's face. While looking directly at him, anyways. His face was so innocent, that something like telling him a little white lie seemed like the worst sin you could ever commit. It was like lying to the face of an angel, and Allen seemed so pained and hurt at the time, the truth was almost forced right out of Lavi. He wanted to tell Allen everything, but knew if he did that would be the end of both of them and he was hardly able to skin by with what he had told him.

"I have to be more careful from now on."