Beneath the Blind Sky

Chapter 5

When I wake up, the air pushes against my hair and makes my skin crawl with goosebumps. Sitting  up I begin to  pat the area around me in search of something familiar; my blanket, my walking stick, anything. All my hand seems capable of finding is the cold metal bar on the side of the bed; a metal bar I know for sure was not there last night. Straining, I attempt to recall the events that led me to this room. I give a small whistle but it doesn't echo back like it does in my bedroom; the air is still and silent.

Orchid. She's not in the room with me; what if she's not safe? All of a sudden, memories  of running down the hallway and Orchids screams flood into my mind, and I become panicked. I'm in the Medical Room. I'm in the room where Uselesses are sent to die. And Orchid has been taken away.

    The sound of a hatch popping open and a hiss of air comes from my left. I scream and throw my pillow, not ready to die. Not when I haven't lived. "Not until I see the stars!" I yell at the newcomer. A chuckle comes from the person climbing into the hatch, leading me to realize that the person approaching me is a boy. "So you're awake," the boy says. I pause, not knowing how to respond. I've never been around boys before, and I have no idea how to act normal.

    Shaking off my nervousness I ask him his name in hopes I'll have heard something about him, whether it be from the 'Daily Tab' or a Pod member. To my dismay, the name he gives me is as unfamiliar as seeing the moon. "Caddy. And you are?"

"Charlotte," I say stiffly. Not only am I disappointed by his response, I'm also annoyed that he seems so in control. So put-together. I hear the bedside table scrape across the floor and Caddy plops down on it, allowing the table one small creak before he pulls out what I assume is a clipboard from the noise it makes as he slides a paper into the slot.

"Well Charlotte, it looks like you're here because a Podmate -Mina- broke your nose?"

I shake my head, then nod, then shake my head again. I can't sell Mina out, not to a complete stranger. Even if she did deserve it. "I slipped on my way to the bathroom and broke my nose. That's all," I say. I can feel Caddy looking at me unconvinced, and I squirm in the hospital bed. An awkward silence lingers in the air as I wait for Caddy to say something, but it appears that he's waiting on me. Finally he gives up and pushes the table back against the wall. "Your Nanny will bring food around 14:00. It's 13:00 right now, so not too much longer," he says as he walks out the door.

    For the next hour my stomach grumbles and I sit in bed, wishing with all my heart that Mina and Orchid would visit me. At the same time, I hope Mina stays far away from me, and I hope Orchid stays safe.