Noah

August 15th 2012

"Can I go now?" I sighed heavily, sitting up. The nurse glared at me.

"Of course not," she said. "You need to stay here for at least another hour. And you can't leave until a parent or guardian comes to pick you up."

"I'm eighteen." I said.

The nurse shrugged. "Well unless you tell us who you are, we can't confirm that." she said. "If you'd just give us your name..."

I shook my head uncomfortably. "Please. I just want to go home."

"Well I've already told you that you can't." she looked down at me. "We take suicide attempts very seriously, you know."

"It wasn't..." I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "It wasn't like that."

"Really?" the nurse said. "So you accidentally-"

"It doesn't matter." I said sharply. "Just let me go home."

She shook her head. "We have a couple of people coming here now to talk to you. Unless you want to talk to us now?"

I looked away, grinding my teeth. I'd been under twenty four seven surveillance since being brought into the hospital. I'd tried to get away twice but had been caught both times. I just wanted to get out of here.

"Fine." the nurse said. "You're only making this harder on yourself."

She left, but I knew there was someone standing outside my room in case I decided to leave again. I huffed in frustration, getting up and pacing my room.

It was half an hour before others arrived. Two people stood outside, talking to my nurse for a moment before heading into my room. They were a woman and a man, both dressed casually despite their body language telling me they'd probably served time in the military. I didn't recognise the badges that they were displaying on their belts, and wondered briefly who they worked for and what they were doing here.

"Take a seat." the man said, gesturing towards the bed. I reluctantly settled back down on the bed, leaning back against the pillows. "Do you know how easy it is to identify someone?" he asked. I shook my head, worried that I would say something that would get me even more tangled up with law enforcement. "It's easier than people would have you believe. Ninety nine percent of the people currently living in this country can be identified by name, face, digital footprint, dental record, fingerprint, something. So when someone surfaces that's completely unidentifiable, it raises questions. And we get sent in to ask them."

"I'm not answering anything." I said quickly. I had grown weary of law enforcement- it seemed like they never showed up when you needed them, just when it was most inconvenient to you.

He ignored me. "Now imagine our surprise when the local hospital tells us that we've got a Jane Doe- but not just any old completely unidentifiable person. It's a teenage girl who just tried to kill herself."

I clenched my jaw.

"The people we work for," he gestured to himself and the woman, who remained silent. "Want answers. If you don't give us answers, then we'll be inclined to put you in a cell. Most people who are completely unidentifiable to us tend to be criminals or terrorists, and with all the attacks lately, security is on high alert. So how about you stop fucking around and just tell us who you are?"

I clenched my fists to disguise the shake in my hands and pressed my lips firmly together.

The woman sat down on the edge of the bed, looking concerned. "We just want to help you." she said softly. "Obviously you're in some trouble. Whatever it is that's bothering you, we can help."