Road to Arcadia: the Path East

Chapter Three: A Gaping Empty

There was an unsettled feeling in the pit of Kai's stomach through the entirety of next day's training.

It could have been the anticipation of whatever was bout to happen that evening or it could have just been the side effect of spending an entire day with even more first aid training scenarios, this time with disturbingly realistic simulated viscera.

Kai ended the day with his hands on his knees and white coveralls stained red. The group of trainees listened to the lecturings of their intrepid instructor as they recovered from the day's final activity--carrying injured persons to safety.

"--What I'm seeing out there is not where recruits at your level should be. End of training assessments are only in three days. Then, you're out of my hands. Do you expect me to ship you off all across the map with response times like these? Your squad leaders will page me questioning my techniques."

That sort of talk shook Kai to the core the first couple times he heard it, but at this point it was to be expected. Rawda Bakker never offered praise for the sake of positive reinforcement. She believed compliments were reserved for perfection, which was only attainable by humans in the rarest of moments or by ancient gods.

The instructor either thought her words were still landing with the disaffected crowd, or she was too stubborn to give up the ghost. "And that's just triage. We haven't even addressed the other subjects on the assessment. We haven't touched geography since the first week. Have you even remembered how to--"

Kai's eyes drifted as her words became quieter and quieter in his mind. They traveled beyond the confines of the sectioned off training area and past the public park. They traced its edges, following the walking paths paved with a material he had yet to identify. The streets weren't busy this time of day, only a handful of pedestrians taking their evening walks.

There was someone who was not walking, though. Someone who was hanging around, waiting. Kai recognized the figure instantly by the silhouette. She was staring in his direction, attention fixed on the training class.

Kai averted his gaze to avoid the awkward eye contact. He couldn't do anything until he was dismissed, anyway.

"--and you cannot accomplish that without a proper night's rest. If you're not at your best, how can you expect to do your best?" She paused for one long, dramatic moment. "We'll be meeting at the Southmayd building tomorrow. Don't show up here unless you're quitting the program and coming here for a nice stroll. Understood?"

"Yes," the group replied in unison.

She nodded once. "That's my piece. Rest up. See you all tomorrow."

The group of trainees scrambled to their feet with a newfound energy. As they dispersed, Kai stood still, his movement constricted. He straightened his spine and stared in the direction of the observer.

She was looking at him. She didn't mouth any words. She didn't gesture at all. She only stared back.

Somehow, even with the fake guts all cleaned up, his still felt tangled.

He made his way across the grass to the other side of the park. As he approached, he could see her details clearer. The sun hit her dark, curly hair first. It was bouncier now than when he first met her, these days hovering just above the shoulder. She wore teal blue scrubs, ID badge fixed to the collar. The light reflected off her glasses depending how she was angled. Even when he was close enough to make out her expression, he couldn't get a read on it. It was neutral. There was an emotion there, he was sure of it, but he didn't know which one.

When he was close enough to talk, he could finally see the name on her badge.

MIRIAM MINTZ.