Conundrum

Part 18

JessLainsley

Cameera stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was a large mirror, easily taking more than it needed to on the wall... but she knew why. There were people watching her on the other side. People who were holding her precious Robin in a cage. Who would hurt Robin just because she was different. Why weren't people more accepting of such gifts? Cameera spent hours-no. Years. On Robin. Robin was her special child. Her perfect child. She had so many gifts, many of which Cameera was sure that weren't even awakened yet. She stared at the mirror with her practiced smile. It made her a little unsettled to see her own face in such a way. Normally when she looked in a mirror, she looked focused or maybe even angry or determined, with a furrowed brow and a slight pout in her lips... but not this mirror. This mirror was special, so she had to look special too. Cameera had to use her own power of manipulation to make it seem like she was still the perfect little doctor everyone looked up to and praised.

The door finally opened and Cameera looked over to see the agent from earlier step in, her tight lips and straight back clearly expressed her practice. Cameera's plastic smile widened a little.

"Oh, thank goodness, I thought you left me here for good," her own sweet voice made her own skin crawl.

The agent scowled and sat down, "I should. I have reason to believe that you are not who you seem to be."

"Are any of us?"

"Pardon?" the agent's lip twitched and she tried to hide her lack of patience, Cameera's smile widened.

"Well, think about it... the you that you show at work is professional. The you that you show to your friends is more comfortable and the you that you show yourself, is an honest lie."

The agent lifted a brow, "An oxymoron? Care to explain?"

"Of course. Look in that mirror, what do you see?"

The agent did not turn around, but her gaze sharpened on Cameera, she could feel it seem to pierce her, looking for something. Robin. Looking for her little bird.

"Well," Cameera continued, "Your reflection is not actually you. You never actually see a truly raw version of yourself. It is all a... lie." She held out her hands and smiled.

The agent frowned slightly.

"But anyway, I am sure you did not drag me from my very important work of saving children's lives to just talk about reflections and lies."

"No. I did not. What do you know of magics?"

"Hmm... I know that they exist. That some pose a threat-"

"Most."

"Excuse me," Cameera blinked.

"Most magics pose threats. Actually, all of them do. They are dangerous savages that should be dealt with accordingly."

Cameera felt her nostrils flare. Her Robin was not a savage. Her Robin was a perfect angel. Her Robin would change the world. The agent just lifted a brow.

"You work with children, Dr. Abacus, I am sure you agree. How many children have you treated that were negatively affected by magics? How many have trauma or injuries resulting from a magic attack?"

Cameera tried to force her smile, but it suddenly seemed very hard despite the years of practice. Why was her muscle memory failing?

"I... I have treated plenty. Why?"

"You seem to care for them... just an observation, but if these children, who you treat, are hurt by magics, shouldn't they be stopped? Or, I guess, it is your job, so maybe you like seeing people hurt?"

Cameera slammed her hands on the table, the agent did not flinch.

"How dare you!? I care for all of my patients! And I have even cared for a few magics, so yes, I may seem sympathetic to them, but I do not enjoy others' pain."

The agent simply moved her fingers to fidget with her cuff button that came undone, no emotion was on her face. Cameera hated her. Hated her. She was just toying with her.

"Why are you asking me this!?" Cameera wanted to leave.

"We have reason to believe that you have rather close contact with an especially dangerous magic."

Cameera's eyes widened. Robin wasn't supposed to remember her. She wasn't supposed to know. What had she told them?

"And... where did you hear this?"

"From the magic themself. You might know them."

Her heartbeat skipped around and she gulped.

"A certain... Wilhelmina Urdane?"

Cameera let out a breath, "I have never heard that name before."

The agent nodded, "We had a feeling, but we had to check. But, if you have information, Miss Urdane seemed to think that you were somehow connected to the underworld of magics."

Cameera let out a dry laugh, "I am not sure how stable this Miss Urdane is, but I have no connection and have no idea who she is."

The agent finally gave a tight smile, "Thank you, Dr. Abacus. I am sorry to keep you here so long. Have a good day."

Cameera nodded politely and grabbed her coat and purse and tried to calmly leave, but her hand was shaking.

...

Hidsen walked to Vincent's office and knocked twice before entering. Vincent was staring at a stain on the ceiling. He did not look at her, but spoke.

"What do you think caused that?"

Hidsen looked up and straightened her glasses on her nose and shrugged, "I am not sure."

"Pity. I am not sure either."

Vincent straightened in his chair and looked at her, "What did you find out about your suspect?"

Hidsen stepped to his desk and handed him her findings that were written on a notepad. He grabbed them and flipped through, his brow lifting a little.

"Who is Urdane? I have never heard that name."

"She is my future mother-in-law. I simply used her maiden name. I asked her beforehand, but she didn't mind. I used it for research purposes."

Vincent looked at her, "Research?"

"I took a few classes in psychology in college. I was testing to see if Dr. Abacus had a reaction when I said things. As you will notice, she got suddenly defensive when I asked about magics. She also got aggressive when I mentioned that they were savages. She either is very sympathetic to them, or is trying to protect one. Dr. Abacus got nervous when I mentioned that a magic knew her. Of course, I did not want to actually disclose anything about Miss Smith, so I gave my fiance's mother's name. But case in point, she was acting very peculiarly, it was rather suspicious."

Vincent nodded and hummed a little as he read over the file, "That is suspicious indeed. You say here, her hands were shaking?"

Hidsen nodded sharply, "Yes. She seemed completely calm when I brought her down here, no panic shown at all. However, after I brought up a magic knowing her, she seemed to change. Her smile failed and as she went to leave, her hand was shaking as she reached for the door handle."

Vincent peered up at her, "So... what do you think?"

"She is clearly hiding something. I suspect that she is the one behind Miss Smith's amnesia if nothing else, or quite possibly her power. I have no solid proof, but Dr. Abacus should be held under tight observation. I don't trust her at all."

Vincent closed the file, "I will see what I can do. But, you do know that Dr. Abacus is a popular figure in the media? She has saved countless lives. If you want to put her under fire, you may just get repercussions back."

Hidsen straightened her back, "I am well aware, but I truly believe that she is an important person in this case. She is dangerous."

Vincent flashed a small smirk at her, "We're human, Against Hidsen. We're all dangerous."