It's been five minutes since we walked into Commander Affina's office, but it seems like an eternity. I still have no idea what I'm going to say. How do you explain that you are the long lost destroyer of a person's home planet? I have a feeling that no matter what I say, the fact that I'm forcing them to remember the Forgotten Girl isn't going to go down so well.
A tap on the shoulder brings me back from my own little world. I am soon escorted down a drab looking hallway; the only decoration in the cramped yet imposing corridor is the red colored door at the end of it. All I can think about is how much that red reminds me of blood. All too soon, I'm standing there, staring straight ahead as my hand automatically lifts up and lightly knocks on the wooden surface.
"Come in," a stern sounding voice commands. Hesitantly, I push the door open and step inside. I guess I was expecting a neat, orderly office, maybe even a flag or something in the corner. Instead I end up having to navigate my way through chairs with papers stacked on top, a few fallen maps and books, some jackets and even a muddy boot. Eventually I reach the corner of the room where a big, oak desk stands and sitting behind it is a stout, broad-shouldered woman with dark brown curly hair and an intense stare. At this moment, that stony gaze is focused on me, and even though I'm staring at the floorboards I can feel her eyes boring into my skin. "So, you think this is funny," she says, her voice practically freezing the air around us.
"What?" I ask.
"Don't play games. I don't have all day to deal with you; in fact I barely have a minute to deal with you. Just tell me why you think it’s funny to hide in government property and maybe I'll let you off the hook," She replies, obviously not in a good mood.
"I wasn't hiding...I thought you knew but...I was in the shuttle when it landed," I say, now really confused.
"I realize that you think you can trick me too. My students may have fallen for that act, but I'm not so easy. There was no one left on that planet when our species evacuated," her tone suggests that this is final,"
"But, there was one person left."
"I am not in the mood for-" she cuts off abruptly, finally realizing who I'm talking about. "That is a very serious thing to imply..." she says threateningly.
"I know."
"Fine. If you're sure, I will contact the Council. DO NOT leave this room while I am away, do you understand?" Her eyes take on an even more furious look as she waits for me to answer.
"Okay." I rub my hands nervously. She just stands up and begins to expertly navigate herself towards the door. Before I can stop myself, I blurt out,
"What do you think they're gonna do?"
"I honestly don't know..." she finally answers, then turns and walks out the door. I don't know how long I sit there. Just me and my thoughts, waiting. Eventually, I feel my eyes drooping and soon I can't hold on to consciousness any longer, so I drift off to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something sharp is digging into my side. Uncomfortable, I try to shift into a better position but instead I end up falling to the hard, wooden floor. My eyes pop open at the impact and I realize that it must be morning. I can hear muffled voices coming from outside. Quietly, I shuffle over to the doorway and lean in to press my ear against the door. Unfortunately, at that exact moment the door swings open and hits my head hard. Stumbling backwards, I trip over a textbook and fall to the ground for the second time in the course of five minutes.
"Get off the floor girl, we have a Council Member here," comes the rough voice of First Commander Affina. Slightly dazed, I peal myself from the floor and sit up. Renna. It’s Renna.
