The Belly of Bygone Days

The Sleeping Truth

Day 36

It was only her second session but Doris was already beginning to question the professionalism of the counsellor. She knew she had no right to judge, of course—what did she know about counselling?—but she did find it rather off putting when the counsellor put her feet up on the desk and lit a cigarette halfway through their session.

"You've stopped talking," the counsellor, Helga, remarked, inspecting her nails with an air of boredom.

Doris coughed. "Well, yes. I don't mean to be rude, but I assumed you lost interest in what I was saying. That's ok, though. I'm used to people losing interest in me. I lose interest in myself too, sometimes."

The counsellor tossed her long, flawlessly straight hair over her shoulder. "Honestly? I lost interest the moment you opened your mouth, but this is what I get paid for. You talk, I write notes, and the higher ups give me money for it." She flicked ash from the end of her cigarette. "So how are you finding the other subjects?"

"They're not that hard to find," Doris answered. "They're usually in the common room."

Helga smirked, smoke curling from the corners of her lips. "Funny."

Too late, Doris realized her mistake. "Oh, I didn't mean... I wasn't trying to make a joke. Sorry."

Helga shrugged, put out the cigarette and picked up a pen from the desk. "Don't apologise, it's annoying, but do answer the question properly. I'm supposed to take notes."

"Oh." Doris cleared her throat. "Well, there's my brother, Ollie. I'm glad he's in here with me. And then there's Hans. He... He seems nice. A bit awkward. We haven't really spoken much. I think he gets a bit nervous around girls. Elias is nice too, but in a different sort of way. He's quiet, but kind. Really smart, too."

Helga tapped the pen impatiently against a notebook. "Losing interest again."

"Oh, sorry," Doris spluttered, earning herself an annoyed look from the counsellor. What should she talk about? What would Helga find interesting? "Actually, I'm a little worried about Elias. He doesn't seem to be acting quite like himself at the moment."

At this, Helga looked up. "Tell me more."

Glad to have at last stumbled across something Helga seemed to think was interesting, Doris told the counsellor all she could. "He seems quieter than usual. More withdrawn. He doesn't seem to eat much and he's always rubbing at his eyes. That's when he's not sleeping, of course. He sleeps a lot, now. In the common room, I mean."

"Has he told you anything about his training?" Helga asked, looking at Doris from beneath her perfectly arched eyebrows. "How he's feeling about it?"

"He says he doesn't like the flashing lights."

"Anything else?"

Doris shook her head. "Not really."

Helga gave a heavy sigh. "Shame. And what about the other one? Subject..." she glanced at the notes on her desk. "Subject A001? Anything you'd like to share about him?"

"Yakov?" Doris could already feel the warmth rising in her cheeks. "He's really... really nice. We're becoming good friends."

Helga took one look at Doris' expression and shook her head. "And there goes my interest again. Moving on." She consulted the papers on the desk. "So what about you, Subject C001? How are you finding the training?"

Doris gave her a weak smile. "The scientists usually escort me there," she joked.

Helga didn't seem impressed.

Doris swallowed nervously. "The training is... it's fine. I guess."

"You guess?"

"I mean, it's difficult. I'm not sure I'm really cut out for it. Oh, but I'm trying my best! I really am! I'm trying to exercise more when they take me to the gymnasium. And sometimes it's fun, you know?"

Doris watched as Helga jotted something down on a notepad. She arched her neck, trying to see what the counsellor was writing, but the words were scratchy and hard to make out, not to mention upside down from where Doris was sitting.

Reaching out, Helga picked up a typed report and held it loosely between her long, slender fingers. "It says here your appetite has decreased. Care to explain why?"

Doris winced, remembering the comments the grizzled scientist had made. It had been two weeks ago, but still his words stung. "I'm just... not hungry."

The session came to an end and a couple of scientists led her back to the common room.

"Subject D001," a voice intoned. "Subject D001 please report for your counselling session."

A gangling tangle of limbs almost bowled Doris over.

"Whoops!" Hans grinned, showing bucked teeth. "Sorry about that. It's Doris, isn't it?"

Doris smiled, flattered he'd remembered her name, and dipped her head.

A faint blush crept over his cheeks. His fingers fidgeted with the collar of his grey, pyjama-like uniform. "Does my hair look all right? Have I got anything on my face? Is it just me or is it a tad warm in here?"

Doris hadn't noticed a change in the temperature. She ran an eye across Han's curly hair and studied the twitching, freckle flecked face in front of her. "Nope!" she told him cheerfully. "You're all good to go."

His whole face seemed to light up. "Thanks, Doris! Well, uh... Wish me luck!"

"Good luck, Hans," Doris chirped, not quite sure what she was supposed to be wishing him luck for, but wishing it all the same.

He gave her one last shaky smile before marching over to the scientists who were waiting for him.

"I... I'm ready for my session with Helga, now."