Thirteen

The Thirteenth

Azel could have found us a forgotten ward where the cleaning stuff is hold so that nobody would be able to see us. Since Eva is the one who has a different role-play, we need to reach our goal as fast as we can and return to TieQueen. All of the teenagers must leave the town and get away from the doctors.

Lore 'Where are Klaus and Andy, Melissa?'
Melissa 'I have no idea, no one wants to say anything. I have been stucked in this room since the day they brought me back.'
Lore 'If you are alive, so are they. We need to find and get them out of here. While I look for information about the thirteenth teenager, Stephanie, you should go with Aiden and see how we could all leave the hospital.' Stephanie is touching my arm and is whispering only to me.
Stephanie 'What about Jo? I don't leave her behind!' The look in her eyes is so sharping.
Lore 'Don't worry! I got this, trust me!'

I asked Azel for a way in to the main place where all the doctors always meet and hold the documents. Because she is just a nurse, it wasn't possible, but I start walking near that room and waiting hidden between two small walls. I eventually see that the access is approved by identity cards owned only by the doctors in their upper coat's pocket.
I go back to Azel in order to make a new plan. Melissa is feeling bad, so two people come to check on her. Meanwhile, Azel joins them pushing the first one above the girl's bed 'by accident'.

First doctor 'Watch out!' saying this a bit angry.
Second doctor 'It looks everything is fine, Melissa! You've got a little temperature, but it's not serious.'

They leave.

Azel 'Did you take it?' she's asking impathiently.

Melissa is giving the stolen card to Azel. When the doctor fell over her, she put her hands on his chest to take it out, but it all seemed like she was trying to defend herself.
Now that I own the card, I go inside the main room and start digging among the infinite rows of documents.
Papers. Papers. Papers. None makes sense to me.
I have been here for one hour already and all I can see is files with illegible handwriting. There are two boxes in the corner which I hadn't seen before. I put them on a chair and as far as I can see they are labeled: 'The beginning', 'Thirteen'.
   All the documents from the first box are about the people who used to live in Ailime. Name, group blood, compatibility, age, weight, height, birthday details, eye colour, hair, sensitivity, everything about us. I have never heard them mentioning, while we were in those tubs, about the fact that we were chosen. I really believed it was a disease which destroyed our hometown.
   The second one contains information about thirteen teenagers. Each one of us has an own file, but the strangest part is that 'such a conclusion had already been drawn' on some of them. Jo, Klaus, Aiden, Andy, Melissa have 'FAILURE' as a mark, Stephanie, Lyvia and I have 'SUCCESS', but despite their date, mine was written fifteen years ago with one little extra sentence added two months ago: 'She is able of more than she pretend to.'
I can't waste time thinking about it too much at the moment since any doctor could come in. I'm looking for a new name, but I am interrupted by a text message from Azel: 'Some of the doctors are coming. Get out of there right now!'
NO, NO, NO!!! The risk we all have taken shouldn't be in vain, so even I couldn't have found out the file of the thirteen teenager, I take photos of all the documents I've read and leave.

Lore 'Did you see Klaus and Andy?' I'm asking Stephanie.
Stephanie 'Yea... ' she looks like it would have been better if they hadn't.'
Lore 'What happened?' I start getting worried.
Stephanie 'They are almost dead. We can't take them out of here... '

When she says that to me, I can't hold my mind bringing the picture out saying 'failure' on their files. Including Melissa's. Including Jo's.

Stephanie 'Did you find out who is the thirteenth?'
Lore 'Not really. I am close to it. Give me ten more minutes while you get Melissa ready to go.'

I can't leave the hospital without seeing the place which had actually provided my home for fifteen years. I use the card to get in a huge room, similar to a lab surrounded by thirteen tubs. I walk among them, carrefully watching on every detail. They got our names on it. Mine is the last one. Strange feelings are bringing back to life and walking inside my whole body. A tear is creating its own way down on my face leaving traces behind.
I need to leave if I don't want to be discovered, but as I was heading to the exit, something unexpected came up in my sight. The name written on the first tub is... Elsa. Elsa Tekbell. .
I'm calling Stephanie to meet her and the rest in the yard ready to go back to TieQueen.

Lore 'I know who is the teenager who is missing! It's my cousin, Elsa.' I'm saying with no emotion.
Stephanie 'Really? This is great! Do you know where she is?'
Lore 'Amm, yes... In the ground. Last thing I knew about her is that she died when I was four.'

Everyone keeps the silence alive until Azel comes to us.

Azel 'What are you going to do when you arrive to town?'
Lore 'I'm gonna say everything I am aware of including the experiment to the rest of us and leave far away from the doctors.'
Azel 'Could you do me a favour, please?'
Lore 'Of course!'
Azel 'Let's meet tomorrow in the forest, by the river. I can't stay here anymore!'
Lore 'Why would you leave?' I seem confused.

It's time for the guardians to leave their shift and be replaced by others, so the gate is free now.

Azel 'We'll talk tomorrow! Take care! Bye!'
Lore 'Thank you, Azel!' We give each other a warm hug.

On the road.

Aiden 'Are you feeling ok? he's asking Melissa because she looks pale.
Melissa 'I think so. Don't worry!'
Stephanie 'Lore, have you found out something about Jo?'
Lore 'She isn't in the hospital, but Azel said she would tell me more tomorrow ' I prefer not to say about what I've read on Jo's file for now. Our friend is missing and the doctors have nothing to do with it. Azel never told me anything about Jo, but one way or another I have no strength anymore to face the truth right now.

  I can't take my thoughts away from what I've discovered. Where is Elsa? How did she survive if everyone had seen her dead? Actually, being aware of all these, I realise that she never had a funeral. Maybe the doctors did the same thing on her as they did on Melissa and the boys?