The Normals | ✓

T H R E E

I turn around to Arden's window, wanting to see the city for myself. Just like he said, on the other side of the glass is indeed a city. The glistening towers of before stand tall in the background, and in front of me and a little below, are people. More people than I have ever seen at once all going about their business. Some of them carry bags while others have their hands free. I see a few of them standing on strange contraptions that float above the ground and speed past the people walking. Some of them have children accompanying them. Some of them don't.

I turn away, my head spinning. "Yes, but where? Where am I?"

"Cordillera. Sector 3," he replies coolly. "Just off the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Why, where else would we be?"

I try to remember something, anything, from before I found myself in this room. From before things went horribly wrong. From before Sniper died. I put my head in my hands and squeeze. Maybe I'm dreaming. Maybe I'll wake up back in the bed in the abandoned building with Sniper next to me and he'll hold me and tell me this was all a dream.

I squeeze my head harder, grit my teeth. Arden leans forward in his chair, looking a little worried and irritated at the same time. "Can I at least know your name?"

Even just that simple question sends masses of loose ends into my brain. I don't know what to think anymore. All I can think about is every single bad thing that has happened in my life, and how they could've all combined together and thrown me up here, in this room, days away from everything and everyone I've ever known, with only a stranger to tell me what to do, who knows even less about me than I do.

My vision focuses on a person in front of me. It's Arden, squatting on the floor and saying something. I uncover my ears, realizing how hard I had been squeezing the sides of my head.

"I can't help you if I know nothing about you," he is saying. "And right now I know neither how to help or who you are. Believe me -- I am choosing to be here. I don't have to be. I could have left you on that train to fend for yourself, but what did I do? I brought you home. I carried you all the way from the train station to my backyard, where I had to call up my girlfriend to get her to distract my mom so I could bring you inside. And I didn't have to stay, either. I could've left you here with no one to ask for answers when you wake up, but I didn't. So the least you could do is pay attention to me and pull your head out of whatever traumatic memories you have for a second and answer my question. It's not even a complicated question. You could probably answer it in two sentences, maybe three."

I pull my knees up to my chest and nod. Whatever his question is, I will try to answer it as best as I can. It's only fair, after all he has done.

Arden gets up and sits on the edge of his chair. Resting his arms on his knees, he stares at me. "Who are you? And why are you here?"