Mirror Image (Under MAJOR editing)

Chapter 13

Nan walked into the medical wing after spending her afternoon with Marley to find the lights off, not having anything moved from the last night. Nan walked in and set her bag down onto her desk and set up her files. All of a sudden, she heard a disruption in the room. She went to turn around when she was picked up from behind.

"Let me go!" Nan kicked out to try to get out of the strong arms wrapped around her.

"Whoa. Nan, its me." Nan was set down as she turned around and saw Harry.

"Oh. Sorry." Nan straightened her shirt out and then turned around to set her desk up.

Harry touched her shoulder. "What's up Nan? You have been jumpy and not yourself for the past week. You want to talk?"

Nan turned around and looked up at Harry. "No. Well... I mean..."

Harry ran his fingers through her ponytail. "Nan, what is on your mind?"

"It's Marley." Harry dropped his hand, the warmth of his eyes fading away. "No, please. It has been a week since I gave her the sleeping drink and now she hasn't been talking to me. We finally started talking today but there was something wrong. She was limping and favoring one of her arms. That isn't it though. She hasn't slept in 160 hours. She hasn't eaten in five days. She has lost ten pounds and for a girl at that proportion, that is dangerous. At this rate, she won't be alive in three days. I am worried."

"I know you are but you are more focused on her than..."

"I am worried. She is my best friend Harry..."

"You need to pick."

Nan took a step back. "Pick?"

"Marley or me. You need to..."

"Marley. I pick Marley." Nan said without hesitation.

"Then that's that." Harry nodded and then turned and walked out.

Nan leaned against her desk as he walked out. "No..." Nan fell to the ground. "Harry." Nan covered her face in her hands. "Please... no..." Nan cried.

Marley stood in the doorway as Nan explained her worries to Harry. She saw when Harry made her pick between him and herself. She saw that Nan picked her without even a pause of doubt and now she is seeing her friend cry for her first crush.

How do you deal with stuff like this?

I don't know. All of this is stupid.

Should I go talk to her?

No. It is a waste of time.

I'm going to talk to her.

Marley walked quietly into the room quietly towards Nan who was sitting on the white floor. She had stopped crying and now was sniffling.

"It's okay Nan." Marley knelt down beside Nan. Marley didn't know what to do. She awkwardly put an arm around Nan's shoulders. "He is just a twit."

"No he isn't." Nan sniffled. "I... I..."

"Shh. Come on Nan. Let's get some hot cocoa. I have some in my office. Let's go." Marley helped Nan up, her arm screaming in pain because of the knife wound, and they walked down the hallway.

Nan sat in Marley's chair as Marley walked up with two cups of hot cocoa. "Here you go."

"You have one too?"

"I can't even say no to this." Marley sat down on her desk and sipped her cocoa. She had ground up a morphine pill and put it in her cocoa as well to kill the pain in her back, but Nan didn't need to know that. "I know I don't understand any of this... boy stuff... but he isn't worth you Nan. You are...special. Trust me."

Nan looked up from her mug. "Thank you Marley." She smiled. "Why are you all cut up on your face?"

"That isn't important. The thing that is important is us. We are a team and nothing can break us up. Nothing."

"Marley. I should be getting back to work." Nan stood up and handed Marley the empty mug.

"I should start pretending to work as well..." Marley smiled and laughed as Nan shook her head.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Marley looked at her computer. "It is around twelve. I get off around eleven tonight. How about you?"

"Midnight. But then again, you do start earlier than me."

"Yeah. It is so boring! We need to do something." Marley smiled.

"No no no... I know that look. I don't like that look. This means your thinking and whenever you think, I get involved and then we get in trouble. No."

"Oh come on Nan. We need to do something. It won't be bad. It will be like a prank. Come on..."

"I'm leaving now..." Nan turned to walk out of the room.

"We can talk tomorrow. I'll set something up tonight!" Marley gracefully sat into her black chair and spun around, facing her desk, starting to open up the multiple files necessary for today's work.

"See ya!" Nan shut the door behind her, knowing what Marley was talking about. It definitely wasnt' a prank... It was an escape plan.

Nan walked into the medical wing to find it quiet as usual. Nan knew that that sign was good but she was helplessly bored. Marley was right. Nan went to her desk when she heard a little boy's voice.

"Nan, I need help again."

Nan turned around and saw that the boy had a cut on his upper arm. "Nigel, I told you to be more careful." She picked him up and set him on the examining table. "It isn't too bad. A couple of stitches and you will be as good as new."

Nan heard footsteps walking into the wing. "Nan..."

She recognized the voice and chose to ignore it. She finished the last stitch and helped the boy off. "Now go back to class."

"Okay. I am going to be just like you when I grow up." Nigel ran out of the wing and towards his medical class. He was going to become a medical specialist like Nan. He was top of his class... pretty impressive for a six year old.

"Nan, can we talk?"

Nan turned around. "Aren't we right now?"

"I made a..."

"Harry, I don't have time for your stammering. You did make a mistake, but it was one that you can't fix. I know how you are and I am not dealing with it. Now get to work." Nan turned back around and cleaned up her tools. She then went back to her desk to type Nigel's report.

Marley looked at the clock on her computer... 10:49. Marley rubbed her eyes and spun in her chair. Marley turned off the computer and stood up, looking around her dark office. The S2 already left two hours before her. Marley walked out of her office and closed the door. She then walked to her room. As she got there, the guard walked around the corner.

"You are early." He muttered.

"You are late. It is 11:01. Hurry up." Marley ordered.

The guard opened up the door and shoved her inside, having her fall to the ground.. "Fast enough for you?" Then he slammed the door.

"Idiot!" Marley got up and went to her little locker. She pulled out her pajamas and slipped them on quickly. Then, she went to the sink located on the wall across from her room. She brushed her teeth and then walked back to her bed. She wasn't tired at all but she didn't have anything to do. She went under the covers and closed her eyes, quickly going to sleep and falling into yet another one of her nightmares.