Thirteen

Questions

Lore 'What happened? Why did she faint?'

Jo 'I have no idea. We were talking and the next minute I saw her falling down.'

Lore 'We need to call a doctor!'

Jo 'I'm scared. Maybe they won't allow her to leave the hospital if they find out about this. Stephanie's biggest wish is to leave.'

Lore 'Look, she will be able to go wherever she wants to as long as she is fine. Your doctor, January, just left my ward, go find and bring her.'

   January comes together with another four doctors (Maison, Liam, Kevin, Primer), takes Stephanie in her ward and try to wake her up.

   -

  Next day.

   A loud voice is heard through speakers calling us all together in the yard. As usual, Maison takes the floor:

Maison 'Alright. This time we are here to tell you something more important than the rest. If we  told you about the past the other days, right now it is about the future. So, I feel the need to tell you that silence is very important in these moments because we don't want missunderstandings. ... In three days, you will leave the hospital.'

Happiness and smiles are all over the place after this sentence.

Maison: 'But, as you know, your city is destroyed, families...(he doesn't continue), you're vulnerable etc, you already know the speech(smiles a little bit), so we are coming with you along this interesting journey. We're going to a town full of things you'll fall in love with and feel like home.'

Lyvia 'Why did you choose the place for us?'

Maison 'Lyvia, right? Not every place on this planet is benefical for you and you have to understand that eventually. I hope it's the last time I say this: you're not normal anymore, you need special things, special places, special attention. We are doctors and it happens to know what those "special" stuff mean.'
Lyvia 'I just asked..'

Maison 'Everyone will pass through a test with simple questions and even easier answers. This will help us to figure your personality out faster . Please be honest with us and with yourselves. After that quick test, right here some people will give you new clothes, shoes and everything you'll probably need for living. Take all of them, don't refuse anything. You don't know what world could do yet.'

Everybody is surprised, whispers are heard in each corner.
Maison 'Any questions? Lyvia? No? OK then. It seems you understood, so you should go in your wards, take your medicine and soon your doctors will pass to give you the test. Have a nice day!'
Nick 'It seems we are going to a holiday!'

What a holiday. I think it is the first holiday I am not excited for. Everybody is talking with everybody, everybody is happy. I wish I were everybody in moments like these. I see Steph and Jo and I want to know what happened with her yesterday.

Lore 'Are you OK?'
Steph 'I am now. Thanks for asking!'
Lore 'Did the doctors tell you why did you faint?'
Steph 'Not yet. But they didn't seem worried; so I don't think it is serious.'
Lore 'I'm glad to hear that.'

All of us are going in our wards waiting for the doctors to come with those questions. Luckily for me, Kevin has already been there, so there was no time to wait.

Kv 'Hm, are you ready?'
Lore 'Ready to get an A.'
(Laughs)
Kv 'That's the attitudine, Lore!'
He passes me a pencil and a blank paper.
Lore 'Uhm, I think you forgot the questions. Or are you going to tell me aloud?'
Kv 'No. The test is simple because there are no questions in. Ask yourself 5 curiousities about yourself that you consider we should know, write them down and, at the same time, answer to them. Remember: these things will help us to make our "living" together easier with no big difficulties.'
Lore 'That A has to wait a little bit.'
Kv 'Go ahead. Good luck!'

I definitely didn't expect that, but I already know what I'm going to write. Do I really want to help them? NO. So, I won't "ask myself" the ordinary stuff everybody asks and I am going to do something a litttttle bit different.

After four minutes.

Lore 'I'm done.'
Kv 'Already? I'm surprised.'
Lore 'Well, I know myself enough to solve this test.'
Kv 'Since you finished that fast, would you mind if I asked you a few more?'
Lore 'What do 'a few more' mean?'
Kv 'Two or three....'
Lore 'Make them well.'
Kv 'Do you think our supervising is necessarly?'
Lore 'To be honest, no.'
Kv 'Why?'
Lore 'We have stayed long enough in the hospital. If there had been some complications, it would have appeared so far. We deserve to live as WE want to, freely.'
Kv 'Who says you won't? We are only there to make sure you'll live. We will not interfere in your life's course. But, tell me, do your remember Steph's incident?'
Lore 'Of course.'
Kv 'That faint wasn't normal and it shouldn't have happened. But, fortunately, we have been close and we could have saved her. Time makes diffrences.'
Lore 'I quess her strength had something to do with it too.'
Kv 'What?Why can't you accept the truth? That it's us who helped her. Why are you so cold, reserved and don't let us get closer to you?'

Lore (Maybe because you did this only for your own goodness; because you need her alive and your scientific experiment is more important than the other's feelings and you'll do anything which it's up to you to keep us around only to control our movements! I can't be friend with someone who hurts me by his actions.)

I say all of that in my head and I make a huggge effort to hold it there.

Lore 'You have already used your questions.'
-I answer.

He looks desperate, confused. I think he starts realizing he's losing control.

Kv 'Okay, Okay. One day you'll want to ask me to answer about random i-m-p-o-r-t-a-n-t things. Guess what? You'll get the same answer. Go get your clothes and the rest for the journey.'

He leaves. No "Have a nice day!'', no smile, no hope in his voice for my improvement. Not anymore. But there was anger, saddness, incapability, fear of losing control without realising he never had it. I'm not saying anything. I want to say "Bye", but I can't. I am angry too. I am sad too. I think I have the right to feel those emotions because I am (or I suppose to be) the pion which gets moved, not him.

Not paying attention for a second, he forgets his pencil here. I take and hide it in my poket. Now, i have to go for my stuff and maybe to talk for a few minutes with Steph and Jo.

Main room.

Kv 'This is imposible! I can't talk with her two minutes before she starts with her arrogance.'
Maison 'She has a strong personality, doesn't she? I had already told you that..'
Kv 'Are you actually enjoying it?'
Maison 'No, but I am happy I was right. Just try to find her secrets, weak points and use them in your favour. You're a smart man, take advange of that!'
Kv 'Secrets? How am I supposed to find her hidden mysteries if I can't even say "Hi" without getting a huge wall from her between us?'
Maison 'You're holding in your hands her five ones. No one said there have to be big. Small steps for an infinite goal.'

In the yard.

Jo&Steph 'Hi, Lore!'
Lore 'Hello, girls! Oh, have you taken the new stuff already?'
Jo 'Yeah, January talked with the lady over there (shows with her look to the place where clothes are) and Voilà!
Lore 'Cool! I'm going to take them too and talk to you later!'
Jo 'Okay!'
-
-
Lore 'Hi, can I have a blue sweater?'
Lady 'I'm afraid not. White for girls, blue for boys.'
Lore 'Rules are rules after all..'
Lady 'Don't get upset, Lore. You'll get used to it.'
Lore 'How do you know my name?'

She doesn't answer; she's trying to look for something related to my identity on my shirt, but there's none.

Lore 'So? Why aren't you answering? How do you know my name?'