Saving Annabel

Chapter 14

         

Dr. Shields —

I was successful in following the officers and figuring out that the top in the know officers are Tyler, Raven, and Jet. They meet in a locked room on the -4th floor daily and occasionally bring other officers. Yesterday I discovered that they have a boss (whose name I do not know) who they have been reporting to. All I know about their discussions is that there's an investigation of some sort. They might know something which really worries me.

— Raegan

I hesitate a moment before adding

PS. Annabel's condition continues to worsen and I really hope that you can heal her as soon as possible.

I read over my letter a few times and then stuff it into my pocket. I'll stick it to my mirror when I get home so that Dr. Shields can get it.

I finish dressing the baby and then carry her out of the changing room. I can hear the crinkle of the paper in my pocket as she pushes against my chest so I reposition her away from the letter.

Placing her in the baby container that's labeled 23a, I smile down at her. She looks around her surroundings very excitedly until her eyes hone in on one place to her right. I follow her gaze and see that she's staring at an officer with his back turned to us.

I notice with alarm that he's talking to Sophia. What could an officer possibly want with her?

I study his shaggy blonde hair and erect stance and recognize that it's Tyler. Nervous goosebumps form on my arms and my mind immediately travels back to the last time I saw him in the nursery. That was almost a month ago. What's he doing here again? Talking to Sophia?

The baby starts to scream and my attention is directed down to her. I glance up for a moment to see that Tyler has turned around and is staring at the screaming baby. I pick her up and bounce her up and down, shushing her.

When I look up again, Tyler's gone. Sophia is giving me and the baby an annoyed look.

She crosses her arms and walks over to me. "Really Raegan. Do you even care that we were in the middle of a really nice conversation?"

I widen my eyes at her accusing tone. "You can't be serious."

"Your baby's crying made him walk away! She's your responsibility Raegan, and she shouldn't be crying. Ever."

My chest becomes full as I fight the urge to explode on her.

"Why would you be mad about the baby accidentally stopping your conversation anyways? That guy is an officer!" I wave my free arm to emphasize my point. Because she still doesn't get it, I add, "They're bad people Sophia!"

Sophia avoids eye contact with me and instead stares sideways at the wall for several seconds. Then, looking back at me she says, "I know that."

"Then WHY?"

She swallows nervously and looks away from me, the tips of her exposed ears becoming red.

"Tyler's different from the other officers. He talks to me. He notices me."

She peeks up at me again to see my reaction.

"Wha—?" My jaw becomes slack as I think about what she just said. Why would Tyler all of a sudden show an interest in Sophia? Of course she's very pretty, but officers never pursue commoners and Tyler doesn't seem like the romantic type anyways. The only reasonable explanation is that he wants something. And that scares me. That scares me a lot.

In the middle of my confusion, I burst out, "But WHY would he talk to you?" The second my words leave my mouth, I wish that I could take them back.

Sophia clenches her jaw. "Why not?" Her words slice through the air like knives.

"I—I'm sorry. That's not what I meant, you know that's not what I mean't."

"Then what did you mean?" Her arms are folded across her chest and she wears a guarded expression. I can see hurt brimming in her eyes. My chest tightens.

"Tyler isn't..." I press my tongue to the top of my mouth, hesitating. Her icy cold glare meets me head on and I stutter. "who y-you...think he is."

She narrows her eyes at me and then, coming to an understanding, widens them.

"You're jealous." Her words are said with disturbing confidence—like she's stating a fact. "Because you like him."

I stare at her incredulously. "Okay, no...that's not it at all."

She raises an eyebrow.

"It's that..." I look away from her and instead see my reflection in the mirror behind her. I sigh, giving up. "Never mind. It's nothing. Just be careful. That's all."

"Mmhm. Sure." Sophia whips around and disappears into the closest patient's room.

I sigh. I hate not being able to tell her things. We used to be so close.

After finishing my shifts, I clean up the changing room. Each nurse has a stack of baby clothes specifically for the babies that she or he is taking care of. By splitting up the resources, it provides a way for the overseers to make sure everyone is keeping up with their duties. If not, it is reported to the upper ranking officers which can be a scary ordeal. In the worst cases, slackers are deemed useless and receive a death sentence.

I put my stack of baby clothes away in the closet, making sure that they're nice and neat. As I'm smoothing the pile, I hear a small crinkle and immediately my heart jumps into my throat. It must be Dr. Shields writing to me again.

I look around for any possible onlookers and set the clothes down. I have to remind myself several times that I don't have to worry about the mirror because Dr. Shields has taken care of it. I don't like trusting someone that much, but for some reason, I know I can trust her. I can feel it in my very core. Dr. Shields calls it my "ability" but that's crazy to me. I just think I have good instincts that don't want me to die.

I may not think that I have an ability, but I do trust my instincts and my instincts trust Dr. Shields.

I unfold the top onesie carefully, then the second, and finally the third. On the third try, I find a note folded into the right sleeve.

Raegan--

It took you longer than I expected but at least you were able to do it. I already knew who was in command, but I wanted to see if you could follow officers without looking suspicious. You made me nervous a few times, but no one from the outside seemed to notice. They seem to think you don't know anything still.

I don't like that the officers are suspicious of something though. Someone must have given them a tip or a clue. Just be careful and don't reveal anything to anyone. I'll try to take care of it from my end.

For your next assignment, I want you to follow Tyler. He's in charge of finding people with abilities because he is able to sense them somewhat. Find out who he follows or talks to or stares at then report it back to me.

Your sister will be healed in a month as long as you have followed my orders adequately.

--Dr. Shields

I stare at the last sentence for several seconds, reading it over and over again. One month. Just one month. After three years, it only seems like a day away.

I can't stop smiling while I think about getting my sister back. She could live a normal life with a new identity.

After losing my parents, I am grateful to have Annabel's company, but I'm still lonely. It's hard to have a conversation with her when I know that she'll forget what we're talking about in the next five minutes.

I read over the letter again and scrutinize what Dr. Shields calls 'my next assignment'. I expect chills or a cold sweat when I see Tyler's name, but neither happens. I'm calm and fearless, which in itself makes me nervous. Tyler is bad. I know that. But I trust him, in a weird, untrusting way.