by Jodie Kobe
Chapter eleven
V I V I A N
Megan’s eyes are instantly filled with fear.
I swear, if she could move, she would run.
A needle is injected into her arm, and her eyes widen even more. When the needle is pulled out, the scientist and Rian walk over to a small table in the room. In hushed voices, they start discussing something.
Slowly, I move toward the girl. Did I look this scared?
Her arms are limp by her sides and I can see she has that tattoo on her right hand, just like Rian told me she does.
Once the girl spots me, her eyes start darting around, possibly looking for a way out.
I want comfort her, but I don’t think either of them want me talking to her. I give her a small wave before stepping away just as soon as the scientist and Rian finish with what they were doing.
The scientist mutters something as he walks back to her. Rian backs away until he's standing next to me.
“She’s freaking out,” Rian whispers.
“I see that,” I whisper back. “Doesn’t everyone freak out? Didn’t I?”
He shakes his head and I watch as the scientist leans over Megan, muttering words.
“You didn’t,” Rian answers. “I don’t know about the others.”
We watch Megan sit up. She has calmed down, but she still moves her head back and forth.
Rian chuckles quietly as the girl reaches out to pat her legs. Apparently she doesn’t feel anything in them yet.
“What?” I ask him silently.
“I’ve never seen anyone’s reaction to this. She looks so...lost.”
I snort softly. “And you weren’t?”
Rian holds his hands up in surrender. “I never said I wasn’t.”
The scientist instructs Rian to look after her as he leaves the room to run an errand.
Megan finally has her attention on me and Rian. Her silence makes me question her speaking ability. She hasn’t pulled her eyes away from us yet.
“Can you speak?” I ask her.
Rian shoots me a look, but I shrug at him. Talking to her won’t hurt.
She ponders over my question before nodding.
“Then say something.” I’m reminded of the time when Welds asked me the same thing.
She waits for a few seconds. “Hi.” The word barely makes it out of her lips and I have to strain to hear what she said.
Rian elbows me. “She talks.”
I elbow him back mockingly. “She does talk.” Although I get pinch of jealousy. She can talk, but I had to wait a while to get a feeling in my jaw.
“What is going on?” Megan’s voice is still barely above a whisper. “Why am I here?”
I take a deep breath and am about to jump right in to explain where she is when Rian holds up a hand to stop me.
“You’ll find out later,” he tells her.
Megan clears her throat, and with a loud voice, says, “I want some answers. Now. Wouldn’t you if you appeared in a place like this? Where are my sisters?”
While she is talking, the door opens and Welds enters. He listens to the rest of her questions before giving her a slight smile and saying, “Ah. I’m delighted to know you’re able to speak.” His attention turns to me. “And may I ask why you’re here?”
I don’t get to answer the question because Megan starts talking again. “Who are you? What is going on? You’ve got to tell me or I swear I’ll scream for help!”
Welds doesn’t seem to care. He just introduces himself casually. “I am Doctor Russell Welds.”
Megan slaps her leg a few times. “Why can’t I feel my legs? Was I in some car accident? Am I paralyzed? I don’t remember what happened.”
“Megan, please calm down,” Welds says, walking over to a table in the room. There are a few items neatly placed on it and Welds picks up an object that looks awfully familiar. It’s the clipboard with the cloth-like device. Janelle returned it? Or could it be a different one?
Welds jots a few notes down and turns back to Megan. “We have already done most of the hard work while you were dead. You have—”
“Dead?”
Welds ignores her and keeps talking, “—a few more things left to do before we set you free. Not literally of course. You won’t be able to leave this facility.”
Megan lets out a laugh which sounds more like a choked sob. “You’re telling me I’m in some kind of insane asylum?” She wipes at her face. “Please let me go.” Her voice cracks. “I want to go home. I promise you, I’m not crazy.”
Welds shakes his head and says, “You’re welcome to leave if you want to perish.”
“Huh?” She wipes her face.
“You’re underground. The Earth’s air isn’t very safe so we live below the surface,” Welds says plainly.
Megan stares at Welds.
Rian and I had been forgotten, but now Welds turns to us, “I will be heading out soon. Callum, you’ll be assigned to escort her around the same way you did with Ms. Clancy. Take Megan to Dr. Janelle. Once she’s done, you’ll show her to her room. Her last name is Alman. Don’t forget that.”
I already forgot it.
Rian asks, “Sir? Isn't there someone else willing to take my place?”
Welds points at me. “If she knows her way around, she can. But let me guess…” He trails off and stares at me, forcing me to finish the sentence.
“I don’t know my way around,” I say.
“Then it’s you, Callum.”
“Isn’t there someone other than me or Vivian? I mean, I already have one person to take care of. I don’t need two.”
“You’ll be fine.” He strolls over to a panel attached to the wall and enters a few numbers. After he’s done, he directs his attention to Megan, who’s silent. “You can walk now.”
Slowly, her bare toes starts wiggling back and forth and her face lights up. In a second, she has slid off the bed and has landed gracefully on the floor. Her toes curl up and she watches us.
And she can walk? I am slightly irritated. I couldn’t walk and talk my first time. Why can she?
Megan finally notices the mind-reading object attached to her ear. Her fingers reach out to poke it and the fear is back on her face. She must think she has been given a new ear.
“W-what?” Her voice is almost inaudible. I can tell she’s about to pull at the object, but Welds gets there first. Once he detaches it from her ear, she lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh good,” Megan says. “I didn’t—I didn’t know what that was.”
“It lets us receive your thoughts,” Welds says.
Megan freezes and her mouth barely opens as she repeats the word, “W-what?”
Welds doesn’t answer. He stashes the object away and gives Rian a hard pat on the back before leaving.
I shrug to no one in particular. “I guess there’s no wheelchair?”
Rian laughs and murmurs, “No, of course not. She’s not special enough.”
I almost laugh.
With his hand, Rian gestures for Megan to follow him. She does, slowly.
I reach the door first and pull it open for them.
Megan speaks first. “Where are you taking me?”
“Nowhere you will hate,” Rian says. “But I mean...Janelle—”
“If this isn’t an insane asylum, I’m expecting all of my questions answered,” Megan interrupts. She holds up her right hand and points to the tattoo. “And what exactly is this? I didn’t want to ask that old guy. He wouldn’t answer anyway. I figured you might.”
Rian starts shaking his head as I join into their conversation.
“It means they’re planning on eating you,” I say, meaning it as a joke. But Megan doesn’t seem to be listening. Before I can continue, her elbow rams into Rian's stomach. He stumbles backward.
I gasp and reach for her hair, about to snatch it in a death grip. But I'm too late because she bolts through the door I'm holding open.
“Hey!” The first thing I do is check on Rian. “Are y
ou okay?”
He waves me off and nearly shouts, “Just go get her!”
I nod and slip through the door. It doesn’t take me long to spot a sprinting girl. Everyone else is walking.
I shoot after her with Rian right behind me.
She’ll never get out of here. It’ll be easy to corner her.
Rian catches up to me and I ask him, “What’s she heading toward?”
Rian speeds up and I struggle to copy him. “The cafeteria or the bedrooms.”
We continue to sprint after her and I notice she falters as she tries to figure out the right way to go.
There is no right way.
She makes a sharp left turn and nearly topples someone over. Rian and I are there in a beat and again, I miss her flying hair by a centimeter. We have arrived at the bedroom corridor.
Stop running!
A boy is in Megan’s way. She starts zig-zagging through the hallway, trying to see if she can avoid him. Once she gets close to him, the boy’s shoulder collides with hers and that gives Rian and me enough time to reach her. Once I get the chance to pounce on her, I take it.
Soon she’s on the ground with me holding her wrists in place. She’s too tired to fight me. Rian is by my side in seconds.
“Just calm down!” I yell into her face.
“You leave me alone!” she spits back.
The boy that had struck her shoulder runs to us with a worried look on his face.
“What is going on?” he asks.
Megan starts squirming. A few people heading down the corridor turn to look at us, but I ignore them.
The boy pushes me off of her and I’m caught by surprise.
“What are you doing?” he yells at me. “Can’t you see you’re hurting her?”
I watch as he pulls Megan to her feet and starts brushing her arms off. She jumps away from him and waves her hands, wanting him to keep his distance.
“Are you done yet?” I snarl at her.
While rubbing her shoulder, she turns to me. “I’m done, I’m done.”
Without caring, I snatch her arm and start marching her toward the same way we had come from. I stop suddenly, remembering I have no idea where we’re supposed to be going.
“Rian?” I spin around to face him, only to find him talking to that boy.
Both of their heads snap up as I call Rian’s name.
I say, “Lead the way.”
Rian seems to understand. He jogs over to me, and surprisingly, that boy follows. I point a finger at him.
“Whoa, dude. You aren’t coming along.”
He just scoffs. “Who says? I’m interested in what’s going on.”
I shake my head and continue to drag Megan along as I trail behind Rian. The boy still follows and I can’t help but let out a frustrate sigh.
“Don’t you have other things to do?” I try. He still doesn’t seem to want to give up.
“Of course not. You do know how boring life in here is? Basically all you do is wake up, eat, work, sleep. And repeat.”
Megan tries tugging her arm out of my grip. I don’t let go.
Scoffing, I say, “Are you uncomfortable yet?”
She brings her bare foot down on my knee, but I jerk away from her before she can hurt me too much. My hand slips from her arm, and she takes off running again.
“Are you kidding me?” I want to pull my hair out. Can’t she just stop running?
The boy following us seems to finally comprehend what is going on because he says, “Oh, okay. Stay here. I’ll get her.” He darts after her. I don’t obey his orders. I dash after her as well. The more people chasing after her, the better.
Rian gives a complained grunt and follows.
The strange boy runs fast. He’s already closing in on her.
People jump out of the way to let us pass. A few have started running with us as well but I ignore them. To my surprise, the boy closes the distance between Megan and pounces on her the way I had. I skid to a stop when I reach them. It takes me a minute to catch my breath.
Megan has started crying.
“Oh, come on!” I exclaim, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “If you would have cooperated, none of this would have ever happened.”
Her words are choked by the sobs and she tries wiping her eyes. The boy who had tackled her picks himself up and this time, he doesn’t bother to help Megan.
“I don’t—d-don’t want to be h-here!” she wails, curling her legs toward her chest with her back on the ground. She takes a gulp of air. “I don’t know w-where I am a-and I don’t l-like th-this place and i-it’s s-scary and I wanna go h-home.”
The boy laughs and kicks the air a little. “What? Are you new here? ‘Cause I don’t know if you’ve heard, but no one gets out. You’re gonna live here for the rest of your life.” He shrugs like it's no big deal.
Megan wipes her red eyes one more time before letting out a loud sniffle. She looks up at the boy.
“What?” Her voice is soft, confused. “I...what are you talking about?”
When she finally has the strength to stand up, she does. She brushes invisible dirt off her arms and legs and uses her white tank top to wipe her running nose.
The boy leans away in disgust. “Exactly what I’m talking about,” he says.
Megan runs her hand across her tear-stained face. “What?”
“Uh, Megan?” Rian starts. “Do you need a tissue?”
Megan looks at Rian and freezes mid-wipe. “You have tissues?”
Rian shakes his head. “Not here. Somewhere else.”
“Are they where you’re expected to send me?”
“Yes.”
Megan stays silent and her eyes switch back and forth to the boy, me, and then Rian. She finally says in a tiny voice. “Okay.”
We have to force the boy to leave us alone. He insists on following us to where we're headed, but in the end he just walks in another direction.
Rian and I watch Megan meet Janelle for few seconds. Megan won’t stop fidgeting and I’m wondering if she’s thinking of yet another escape.
After Janelle and Megan disappear behind the interrogation room door, Rian plops down onto Janelle’s desk chair and relaxes. I am left standing.
“How old is Megan?” I ask, trying to get comfortable. I lean against the wall by Janelle’s desk and cross my arms.
Rian shrugs. “She looks younger than you. You’ll have to ask Welds if you’re really curious.”
