Subject R - ON HOLD

chapter 4

He'd released me the moment the sound had left my mouth, and I'd scrambled back an extra foot before I'd even finished it. I was almost in the crab-walk position, on the verge of hyperventilating and tears. What the hell?! What had he planned to do?

I calmed down enough to look at Subject R. He was sitting on his butt, knees bent, back ramrod straight and his hands up. The stunned look on his face could almost be funny except I was terrified. We stayed that way for maybe a minute. Eventually I relaxed a little, setting myself down on the padding and breathing slower.

I looked cautiously at him.

He looked back at me, his hands still held up, like a cartoon character at gunpoint.

 Ok, Cecily, enough dramatics. He wasn't going to hurt you. I told myself. If he had been, he probably wouldn't have stopped. But why had he grabbed me? I tried to remember what had happened before I'd delved into panic.

I'd just been lying there like a big baby because I didn't know how to do this. My eyes had been covered. I supposed he hadn't even really grabbed me, just touched my wrist actually. I felt myself color with shame. Good cripes, he'd been trying to freaking communicate and I blew it!

Subject R was still staring at me, in the same position. I sighed. He hardly looked dangerous now. Hell, he just looked like a big ginger haired person who was shocked. I grimaced at myself. Way to go, Cecily.

"It's ok...I'm sorry I freaked out..." I said, but he just looked at me obliviously. "Its ok..." I repeated, and this time he seemed to note my calmer tone of voice. His expression relaxed. But his back was still straight and his hands were still up.

I pointed to his hands. "You can, lower those..."

He didn't move. I sighed, but laughed to myself. He looked pretty comical. Again, we just sat there for a minute, unmoving. I couldn't suppress my chuckle at him, and I saw his eyebrows twitch.

Pursing my lips to keep from laughing, I mimicked him and slowly lowered my hands. "It's ok, you can lower your hands, I won't scream..." I did it a few times, and he finally did, resting his hands in his lap. 

He still eyed me warily, like he expected me to shriek at any second.

But again, I didn't have clue what to do now. He just sat across from me, maybe only two feet away now, blinking. I blinked back, racking my brain for something to say. But what could I say? He doesn't understand English. I doubt he'd understand sign language, not that I knew anything but a few letters and 'i love you'.

Sighing exasperately, I put my chin in my hands and waited to be taken out of here.

I saw movement and moved my eyes back to Subject R. His head was cocked to the side again, and he was studying me through his vividly light blue eyes. I stared back and gave him a pathetic, close-lipped smile in an attempt to seem friendly. He didn't react in anyway.

I sighed, tired.

Something behind him caught  my eye. In the far corner of the room, I saw a tiny flashing red light. What the hell? I squinted. It kept flashing. It reminded me of the light at the door, angrily prompting me into the room. Did this light mean the same thing? Do something?

I grimaced at it, but looked back to Subject R, who'd now even relaxed his back. I was hit again by how huge he was. Built like a professional athlete. Easily over six feet tall, broad shouldered and well built. It made me wonder what kind of world he was from. Something similar to ours? Or very different. Not too different, since he looked so much like us.

Urged by the angry red light, I straightened and pointed to myself again. "Cecily." I said, slowly and somewhat loudly, like I was talking to child.