Vision Zero

Chapter 4

  The next day, Quinn awakes to find herself surrounded by Delphia, Eva, and Nurse Lunar. Her eyes dart back and forth as she waits for one of them to speak. They stay silent, watching as Quinn digs her nails into the mattress, her knees pulled into her chest. She lets her hair fall in front of her eyes and peeks through. Suddenly, she jolts up.

"Stop it! Stop looking at me!" Quinn shrieks, averting her eyes from theirs.

She doesn't look, but feels their eyes still watching.

"Where am I? What is this room?"

Quinn looks around, but all she sees is a wooden desk and matching chair sitting in the corner.

"I'm Nurse Lunar."

"I don't care who you are. Where is everyone else? Why am I the only one here?"

"You had a panic attack yesterday," Nurse Lunar says, feeling Quinn's forehead.

"Get away from me. I'm fine!" Quinn says, pushing her hand away.

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Why am I here?" Quinn asks again.

"I just told you. You had a panic attack. Do you take any medication for your condition?"

"Condition? You think I have a condition? I'm perfectly fine. I just want to get out of here and go home," Quinn says.

"The only place you are going is to join the others in the auditorium. You will be pleased to know we waited for you. After your little...episode yesterday, we stopped so you would not miss a thing. We will pick up exactly where we left off. As soon as Nurse Lunar gives you the all clear, Dr. Hale and myself will escort you to the auditorium personally," Eva says.

"Lucky me," Quinn mumbles under her breath.

"She seems to be okay now. If she has any other issues, we'll address them together. She's free to go," Nurse Lunar says.

"You heard the nurse. You are fine now. Come."

Eva and Delphia escort Quinn into the auditorium where Cole is making an announcement.

"After the completion of the introductions, we will begin the first treatment session. You will receive individual treatment first, then progress to group sessions as the program moves forward. Are there any questions? No? Good. I'm going to turn the microphone over to Dr. Hale now," Cole says, placing the microphone in the stand and stepping off the stage.

"Thank you, Dr. Sinnott. Let's continue the introductions."

"Yes. I am certain we will have no interruptions today. Right, Miss Tansy?" Eva says.

Everyone looks over at Hope, sitting in her seat, still smirking with defiance.

"It's gonna take more than a night of isolation to break me," Hope whispers to Jonah.

"How are you still okay? You must have been boiling out there in that box," Jonah whispers back.

"I've been in worse. I'll tell you later," Hope says.

"The next person to speak is Quinn Ryder. Miss Ryder, please take your place on the stage," Delphia says.

Quinn fidgets in her seat, the heat radiating off her face as her heart pounds. She knows she can't avoid speaking forever. Eventually, she will have to follow the rules or leave. Dreading the alternative, she gulps down a burst of air as she stands up. Her feet, like lead in cement shoes, drag across the floor and up the three steps leading to the stage. She trudges to the center, reaches for the microphone and swallows hard. The eyes of her audience burn through her. The room silent, she stands there, trembling, waiting for the perfect moment to begin.

"It's now or never," she whispers to herself.

"Please begin, Miss Ryder. We're all waiting," Delphia says.

"I'm...Quinn Ryder. I...hate...public speaking," she says, her voice shaky and cracking.

Muffled laughter fills Quinn's ears. She looks out into their faces.

"Why are they... Can't they see how hard this is?" she whispers, pulling the microphone away from her face.

"She should be a comedienne," Hope says to Jonah.

"Yeah, she's a real cutup," Jonah says, snickering as he reclines in the hard wooden seat.

"There will be no talking in the audience!" Eva says.

"Please continue, Miss Ryder," Delphia says.

"I'm...sixteen. I...ditched school."

"How many days were you truant, Miss Ryder?" Delphia asks.

"Twenty seven."

"Twenty seven days in a row?"

"Umm, yeah," Quinn says, her head down, holding the microphone far from her face.

"Why were you truant, Miss Ryder?"

"I...I was supposed to...give a speech. I couldn't. I...couldn't do it."

"Not to worry, Miss Ryder. When you finish the program, you won't have any trouble with public speaking. It will come very naturally to you," Delphia says.

"Am I finished?" Quinn asks, voice quivering, legs trembling.

"Yes, you may step down."

Quinn hurries back to her seat, drops her head and lets a curtain of hair hide her embarrassment.

"The next person to speak will be Xander Stone. Please take your place on the stage, Mr. Stone.

Xander struts onto the stage, his muscular physique commanding attention as he lifts the microphone from its stand.

"Xander Stone. Sixteen. Busted for assault."

"Would you care to elaborate, Mr. Stone?" Delphia says, jotting down notes next to Xander's name in a small memo book.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Let me rephrase, Mr. Stone. Please elaborate. What led up to the assault you committed?"

"Wasn't my fault. Just defending myself."

"What happened, Mr. Stone?"

"Friendly game of pool turned not so friendly. Sticks swinging. Chalk dust flying. Both got real bloody, but I'm second degree black belt so they slapped the cuffs on me. The rest...history."

"Thank you, Mr. Stone. You may return to your seat. We will hear from Tess Hunter next."

Tess tightens the ponytail that kisses the back of her neck, then takes her place center stage. She averts her eyes from the spotlight and looks out into the audience. A sea of familiar faces catch her gaze. Then, she looks to the side and sees Eva, glaring at her. Tess holds the microphone to her mouth and blocks out everything but the sound of her own voice.

"I'm Tess Hunter. I'm seventeen. Been living on the streets for about two years. I was hungry. No food. No money. I got caught swiping some rolls from a bakery. The guy's back was turned, but the camera got me. Security grabbed me before I could leave."

Without waiting for a response, Tess puts the microphone back on the stand and walks off the stage.

"Lastly, we will hear from Ender Gray."

Ender takes his place in the spotlight. He stands tall, but relaxed.

"My name's Ender Gray. I'm seventeen. I got caught changing some grades at my school. Just a little free enterprise. I needed some cash. Some seniors needed a passing grade. I was just procuring them a place at graduation. The principal didn't see it that way. Now I'm stuck here."

"You may return to your seat, Mr. Gray. Everyone has successfully completed the first step of the program. You'll be escorted back to your rooms and I'll see all of you in the cafeteria. Six o' clock sharp."