The Cost of Having Anything (With A Single Word)

Angela #2: First Interview

The first thing Angela noticed, as she slowly came to her senses, was that it was too white.

The second thing was that she was lying down in an unfamiliar bed, which was in an unfamiliar room. Naturally, an unfamiliar feeling of panic began to settle on her.

Angela squirmed and kicked out her legs until she was free of the unfamiliar blanket's weight. Rolling over, the sudden loss of bed sent her tumbling to the too white floor, sending a sharp pain through her noggin' as she crashed in an unceremonious heap. "Ow..."

A box of plain bandaids popped into existence in an instant, dropping next to her as Angela clumsily stood. She appreciated it, but she didn't think that bandaids could fix a blooming bruise on her forehead. Looking about, she seemed to be in a painfully white room, empty of anything except for a bed, a bathroom, and a wiiiiide window looking into a smaller, but no less white room. There was a door that probably led to that other room she could see, but when she tried to push it open, it refused to budge.

'Should I use my... No, no, no!' Angela shook her head in self-disgust. 'That's how I made that whole mess with... Uh...'

Come to think of it, she still didn't know Ping-Pong Boy's name.

'Am I dreaming?' Angela wondered. She was still wearing her flower-patterned dress, but just to be sure, she gave herself a quick pinch. And yelped. 'Nope, not dreaming! Ow...'

Did those policemen take her, she wondered as she stepped away from the door. Were they even policemen? Kidnapping wasn't what they were supposed to do... Well, she hoped not. It wasn't like she really knew what police did. But kidnapping probably wasn't one of them.

'What do I do?' Hands plucked anxiously at the hem of her dress. 'Does Papa even know that I'm here? Maybe... Maybe I should use my powers one more time and bring myself back ho—'

"Step away from the door!"

The sudden shout garnered a scream of her own. Her body twisted on its heels, bolting towards the bed like the Devil itself was on her heels. Only when she was safely ensconced within the safety of the blanket did she dare to peek at the one who yelled so fiercely at her.

It was a man dressed in an outfit she'd vaguely describe as "military", if only because her papa had shown her a picture once. The man was glaring at her, like he was trying to poke holes through her head through sheer will alone, and he had one hand resting on his hip. Angela wasn't sure what that meant, but it gave her a bad feeling all the same.

He wasn't alone, though. "Enough," another man said firmly. This one had shockingly blond hair atop his head, and he wore a lab coat over his regular clothes, as well as a pair of rounded glasses. "She's already scared out of her mind, I don't need you adding to it before the interview even starts."

'Interview?' Wasn't that something people did before they got jobs?

However, Angela didn't dare ask. She instead watched in silence as the military-looking man grumbled and stepped aside, entering a rigid pose close to the door alongside a similarly dressed woman. Mr. Lab Coat watched them for a moment longer before he turned to— Oh no, he was looking at her now.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" His voice had a weird echo to it, but other than that, it rang surprisingly clear throughout the white-walled room, ensuring no chance of Angela blocking it out. She let out a low whine, burrowing deeper into the hard mattress. There was absolutely, absolutely no way she was gonna talk to this stranger! Not when talking to strangers was the whole reason she ended up in this place!

"I understand that you're frightened, but I promise you that you're safe here. I just need you to answer a few questions, okay?" Mr. Lab Coat said. Angela hunkered further down, determined not to come out. Even if he was being really nice about it... No. No! She wasn't gonna fall for it!