System Reboot || DC

Chapter Sixteen

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Feeling Overwhelmed

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I spent the rest of my meal feeling nauseous. Their eyes and words were directed toward me, expectations hanging on each syllable and lingering touch. It was suffocating and gave me indigestion. I had to swallow each mouthful thickly to force it down. The once mouth-watering blend of spices and herbs tasted bland against my tongue. Soon, my appetite was gone.

"Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom," I cut into whatever one-sided conversation Dick was having with me. He smiled back with a grimace and stood up, pulling back my chair effortlessly. With all eyes honed on my body, I couldn't tell if I disliked the attention or if I was merely unused to it. Of course, back on Yllora I was stalked and adored every second of my life. But this wasn't Yllora, and I wasn't the same person as I was then. So why did they look at me the same way my people did?

Like I was a God needing to be worshipped.

I lost myself in the dark halls and stumbled into a random room to my right. A window left open for ventilation passed cool air against my flushed skin. I took a few shaky steps and then flopped onto a large bed. With a stiff mattress and silk sheets, it felt like I was laying on marble. Prickling my skin and forming goose flesh.

It was a bedroom with a dark academic meets industrial kind of theme. With tall metal bookshelves, dark grey walls, wooden floors, minimalistic furniture, a telescope, and a couple of posters. On these posters were a range of things that busied my mind. Constellations, noir films, botany. One was framed and centered among the rest, a colorful and worn sheet with a charming depiction of a family in leotards.

The Flying Graysons

This is Dick's room. I wish there was more color. Other than the poster, everything else looked like a marketing ad.

My hands found themselves wandering over to a dresser drawer within reach. It had two small drawers which held different clothes. A light blue pajama shirt and an oversized black sweater. I pushed it shut and pulled out the next. Of course, it felt wrong to snoop around his stuff. But when I lived here, I caught him looking through my things heaps of time. He started it.

There was more clothing, mostly briefs, and some socks. I went to close it when something jammed in the back. Thinking it was some fallen clothes, I reached out and felt around. Surprisingly there was a large gap under the button drawer, a secret cubby hole. Feeling that it was important I tried to push it down and out of sight, but the box shape was too full and the lid refused to settle down.

I pulled out the drawer and the box. A shoe box, to be specific. Immediately, the lid fell off and pieces of paper came tumbling out. I cursed under my breath. I quickly gathered all that fell and tried to neatly organize things so that they would actually fit. But the overturned papers were too eye-catching, and quickly I came to acknowledge what they were.

Photos of me in different places. At home, on the street, at the toy store, grocery shopping, sleeping, eating. There were numbers on them, no doubt the dates they were taken and stapled together in weeks. One photo per day for who knows how long.

Though I was parsley dressed in some, at least they were flattering angles. And as someone who was very unphotogenic, it was a nice surprise.

(A/N: Are you expecting Jocelyn to freak out? Remember that she's seen a lot of shit and has dealt with stalkers and fans before. This is mild compared to the things she's dealt with before.)