Mirror Image (Under MAJOR editing)

Chapter 12

"Next time, watch where you are walking." Nan helped the teenage boy off the table and to the door. Nan sat down in her chair and noted what happened. It seemed as though she couldn't get Marley out of her mind. She missed her. One day without Marley in the room and she felt empty. Sure, Marley always had something to say even if it didn't really help the situation at the end and sure she barely slept and kept Nan up most times but Nan missed that. Her new roommate wasn't as bad as Marley said, nothing truly is, but she was just so... boring. She tried to make conversation and Nan talked back but she just didn't care. She was nice and kind but everything she talked about was the same. What happened during mechanics:

"And guess what?" Heidi bounced on Marley's bed. Yes, Nan still called everything Marley's. It was not Heidi's. It was Marley's.

"What?" Nan asked with her monotone voice.

"We had another car break down."

"No way. That is crazy." Nan rolled her eyes. Get me out of here Marley. Get me out of here!

"I know right! It is really unpredictable." Heidi said matter-of-factly.

"You don't say." Nan never used sarcasm but this was just bad. BAD.

Nan leaned back in her chair. She hadn't seen Marley all day. It was killing her. She didn't even say goodbye.

"I'm not going to be here tomorrow. Changing rooms. Good night." She was so frank. I mean, I guess that is her way of saying goodbye.

Nan looked at the clock. 12:39. It was time for lunch. Nan stood up and looked around. "Harry, I am going to go to lunch. Will you stay here until I am done. It won't be long."

"Sure thing Nan." Harry smiled and then went back to whatever he was doing. What was he doing? Nan went to ask but decided against it. She walked out of the medical wing, deciding what to do. She turned left and walked at a quickened pace. Along the way, she met up with a large group of Intels going to lunch.

Nan just nodded. "How are you?" They all looked at her and then looked ahead, not talking at all. "Intels. What are you to do?"

Nan kept walking when she found where she was looking for... Office 1. Nan walked to the door and looked through, not finding anyone in there. "I thought that Marley never got lunch." Nan whispered to herself.

"I don't." Nan snapped around and faced Marley.

"Bloody Hell Marley. You scared me." Nan leaned against the door, pushing it open and falling to the ground.

Marley just stepped over Nan, heading for the desk. "You were going to lunch at this time?" Marley knew that Nan didn't get lunch until 1:30, so this was unusual. She had checked the medical wing only to find Harry there, being repulsive like usual.

Why do you know Nan's schedual by heart?

Because...

"Don't 'because' me. Why?

Because I just want to know where she is, just in case...

"Yes." Nan stood up and looked at the door, then back at Marley.

"The door does say push on it Nan." Marley said, without looking away from her computer.

"Yes, well..." Nan straightened out her shirt and walked over. "I was just..."

"Well, spit it out!"

"What is wrong with you today? You are acting like such a twit."

"Nothing is wrong with me. Why are you here?" Truthfully, Marley was shutting Nan out. She didn't need to hear about her leaving. She was used to being alone and then she met Nan. Now that she is alone again, there was this horrible feeling like there was a hole in her heart. She did not like it at all.

"I was here to talk and ask how you were doing but now I frankly don't care." Nan turned around and went to walk out when she heard something.

"Stop." Nan turned around and saw Marley looking at her.

"What? Another insult?"

"No." Marley paused, unsure of what to say. "I will join you for lunch." Marley smiled and stood up, logging out of her computer. They walked out of the room and down to the lunch room. She hurt so much, but she didn't want to show Nan. She would go and nag her for information that she couldn't and wouldn't tell her. 

"How is this new Office 1 treating you now? I know you have had it a little bit but..." Nan stuttered.

"It is fine." Marley smirked and walked in line to grab food.

"So, people have stopped... you know... getting revenge so to speak." Nan grabbed a tray of food and looked at Marley.

Marley grabbed the next tray of food. She looked down and a look of distate flashed across her face. "You eat this?"

"Yes. I eat this because I need food to survive."

"This is not helping you survive." Marley and Nan walked towards an empty table and sat down. "I mean look at it. It is... what is that?" Marley pointed to the grey mound of slime that sat on her plate. "Of course I know what it is" she whispered to herself, "but that is repulsive."

"Some days are better than others." Nan said. "This is a bad day." Marley and Nan looked at each other, laughing. "This 'fish caserole' pretty bad isn't it?"

"Very. Now you know why I don't eat." Marley pushed her tray away. "That was worse than that horse burger the other day. This one is winking at me."

"Yes. I think it fancies you." Nan and Marley couldn't stop laughing. Marley elbowed Nan in the gut as a guard walked by. They shut up and looked forward, pretending to eat. Once he walked away, they looked at back at each other.

"I have some actual food in my office. Come?" Marley stood up and looked both ways, walking towards the trash. She quickly threw it away and looked at Nan.

"You have food in your office?" Nan asked.

"Yes. I do eat, just not a lot. Just what I need to survive and I get this food from the idiots..." Nan gave her that look she gives when Marley talked about people as idiots. "Well, they are..."

"That doesn't matter..."

"Well, they always have food on them... power bars, energy packets, I have a lot in the office."

Nan smiled and walked over to the trash, throwing the lunch away.

"What are you doing?" Nan snapped around, looking up at a guard. "You know the rules..."

"Um... well, I ate breakfast late and..." Nan stuttered.

"No excuse." The guard grabbed the front of Nan's scrubs and lifted her off the ground, having her feet literally leave the ground.

The Guard: 6'5", pretty built, dark brown hair as a buzz cut, broad shoulders, looked like a linebacker for a professional American football team.

Nan grabbed onto his beefy hands, trying to get a little leverage when a small hand tapped on the guard's shoulder.

"Pardon me, but you need to let her down." Marley said rather politely.

"You can't tell me what to do, girl. I am a guard and you are a pathetic little girl."

Nan's eyes widened. "You probably shouldn't go down that road with her. Just warning you."

The guard's squinty eyes looked at Nan. "Shut up."

Nan shrugged her shoulders. "Just trying to help."

The guard looked back at Marley. "You don't know who you are messing with..."

"Don't say the word." Nan warned.

"Obviously." The guard finished.

Marley smirked a little and in an instant, she had Nan on the ground and the guard's arm twisted behind his back and pressed against the wall. "Obviously, you don't know who you are dealing with." Marley whispered into his ear. She pushed him into the wall and let go.

Nan walked over as Marley started out the door. "I warned you." Nan said to the guard as they walked out.