The Storm Inside

Chapter Eighteen: Marigold

I knew that Dove's decision to fake taking her pills had caused her worry and uncertainty, but I was excited. I knew what was going to happen, but I could only guess how it would play out. Finally, things were happening. Soon, I could get out of here back.

She'd  just skipped another vitamin as lunch grew to a close, and people started to leave, as I thought about what Mary had said to me a few mundane days ago. At least, I assumed a few days had passed. They all kind of bled into each other, and I never seemed to sleep. It was disorienting, and I felt like I had lost many hours.

I couldn't figure out what Mary's powers were, yet. At first I'd thought they were like Beatrix's, when she'd said she could feel everything. But apparently the pills suppressed emotion and energy as well. She'd mentioned feeling more connected to others, in a way that she couldn't quite describe. But nothing drastic had happened to her.

Then, I remembered what Mary had said to me, before I'd entered this memory. That Dove thought she was dead.

It was confusing, to say the least. There were a few options as to what had happened. She'd tried killed herself. Someone else had tried to kill her and it had failed. She'd faked her death. Grownup Mary had said she'd only been in the sub-sub-level basement for around five months, so she must have been out in the world for at least fifteen years, unless she'd been caught escaping the hospital and kept there until being transferred.

Most people had left the cafeteria, but just as Dove and Mary got up to put our plates away, Maeve hurried back inside the room, and over to us. I felt a wave of fondness for her, just by looking at her. I wished she didn't look like Olivia, it was messing with me. "Dove, you have to come with me," she said urgently. "Something weird is happening in your room."

"Okay," she said, obviously confused, and we followed her. "What happened?"

"You'll see," she said. "If we can get through everyone."

There were more then a dozen in the hallway, crowding in front of Dove's room. We managed to push through them, and I saw what they were all looking at, and whispering about. The soil, in the corner of my room. There was a plant growing out of it, a gorgeous orange flower, tall and healthy, that seemed to have just bloomed. A marigold.

Out of a handful of soil on a metal floor.

"I guess I was wrong about your dirt," Mary said. Dove turned around and looked into the confused faces of everyone watching. "What is it?" someone asked, as I squatted beside the flower and looked over it carefully. It definitely seemed real, though I wasn't a plant expert.

"It's a flower," a girl said.

A boy beside her shook his head. "Nope. Flowers are red."

I refrained from rolling my eyes, knowing that these kids had probably only ever seen a picture of a rose and didn't know anything about plants, which wasn't their fault.

"Yeah, but what else could it be?" another boy asked. "Maybe it mutated. And why is it growing? Mr. Garcia said they need water to-"

"I did water it," Dove interrupted quickly. I thought it was kind of cute how these kids talked about this Mr. Garcia like he knew everything. I hoped he didn't turn out to be too awful. "It's been growing for ages, and I've been taking care of it. But can you guys please not mention this to anyone? I don't think we're allowed flowers in our rooms."

"I didn't know you-" Mary started, but quickly cut herself off, and nodded. "She's telling the truth," she told the crowd. "We've been helping her grow it."

The majority nodded in agreement, which was a relief. But one person didn't, stepping forward. It was Valerie, no, Rhode or Rose or whatever I was supposed to call her. "Why should we keep your secret?" she asked, looking at the marigold with judgement. How the hell did you judge a plant?

"Because it's a nice thing to do?" Maeve suggested.

"And because there's no point in telling," Mary said. "It's just a flower, it's not hurting anyone."

"I don't like flowers," Rhode said coldly. "And that's unnatural. I don't believe you grew it for ages, if you did, then people would know about it. It's not like you leave your door closed."

"Why do you even care?" one boy in the group in front of me asked.

"Because it could be dangerous, we don't know what it is. Remember that picture of the flower we saw? It was red. This is orange. It could be mutated. What if it makes us more sick?" She couldn't really think that,. No one was this naive, this blind, and from the way they talked, they must have access to some movies and books. But apparently this group was, because I saw some of them nodding and looking uncertain she she turned to them. Rhode looked back at Dove, her eyes narrowing. "Get rid of it. Or I'll tell the doctors, and one of them will." She walked off, and the group dispersed, going their separate ways.

Sweet little Valerie, while rich and privileged, had never looked at me or anyone else, as far as I knew, with such disdain and judgement. This girl wearing her face was nothing like her.

"She's such a bitch," Mary said in disbelief. I really wondered where they'd even learned that word.  They'd definitely seen a few movies. "It's actually unbelievable. It's a flower."

"She has a point," Dove admitted. "It's weird. This thing wasn't here when I left my room this morning. I don't think they're supposed to grow that fast. And it didn't get any water!"

"Have you started feeling different, since... you know?" she asked, lowering her voice.

Dove shrugged. "Not really. My head's been clearer. I've felt a bit more awake, in a way. But nothing huge. How'r you doing?"

Mary sighed. "I don't like it. It's so distracting, overwhelming. It gets a bit better when I'm not around a lot of people, like when I'm in my room. But it's a lot to deal with."

"Maybe we should go back to taking the pills," Dove said. "I mean, if this happened because I stopped. Not taking them hasn't really had any positive sides."

"Oh no, it has," Mary said. "My head feels clearer too. Like stuff is starting to make sense. I feel more myself. But I also have even more questions."

"Like what?" Dove asked.

"Are the pills good or bad, is probably my main one," she said. "But now we know that the doctors have been hiding things from us."

I wished I could tell them everything, but it was impossible. I had to keep reminding myself that this was a memory, and I couldn't change the past. All I could do was watch.