Fallout: Born Unto Trouble

13. Born Unto Trouble

Elizabeth didn't know how this whole ordeal happened. She was tending to Stacy Cole, checking to see if she wasn't having a negative reaction to the Rad-Away, she went in the back to get some more medicine, catching the blonde girl trying to steal some Med-X.

She dropped the medicine and stared at Elizabeth with fear in her eyes, scared and desperate for a fix, and Elizabeth calmly told her that yes, she could have some, and that she wasn't going to hurt her.

While in her high, the girl told Elizabeth about her time in a Vault.

She was born in the Wasteland, her dad took her into Vault 101 after her mother died and she grew up thinking she was born there. She was the shortest of her age group, and the smartest. She aced all her tests and built numerous (illegal) inventions by the time she was sixteen.

She had a violent streak, picking fight with both the security and what she called a "tunnel snake", which Elizabeth didn't ask what that was. She was 15 she developed depression, anxiety, and an unidentified eating disorder. She mentioned a girl named Amata, her girlfriend, and showed the other a picture that she taped to her Pip-Boy. She told her that things were starting to get better, then her dad up and left the vault.

"Just like that, just... fuckin' left me. For a stupid fucking project that wouldn't have worked without... me. I... fucking saved that shit, and he could've saved himself but nope! Gotta fuckin' be the goddamn hero of the story. That asshole was... He... he died for fucking nothing. Nothing. He could've lived, he could've been happy and alive and... Shit," The girl wiped away her tears and laughed hollowly, "Fuck, why the hell am I crying? Goddamn it. I... I hate him. He... He was so damn selfish too. I hate him."

Elizabeth rubbed her back gently, "You turned to drugs to stop the pain."

"I fuckin... hate doctors. You all sound so fuckin' arrogant. I hate all of you."

Elizabeth guessed that the girl's dad was also a doctor, and his professionalism got in the way of fatherly love.

"And what about you, huh? What's your story?"

She smiled, placing her hands in her lap, "I'm a doctor and a repairwoman. Some things get in the way of others, but that's ok. Um... let's see. There's nothing too special about me! Just a regular girl in a regular town."

"No, no way. There's always something impressive about people." Gloria stared at the roof as she spoke, and Elizabeth sighed, "You're not the only one who thinks so."

"Oh? You got a boyfriend or something."

The thought of having a boyfriend made Elizabeth sick. "No."

"Good. Boys are the worst. Are you gay?"

"...No."

The other girl obviously didn't believe her. Elizabeth didn't believe herself, either. So she tried again, "I'm engaged to a man, Christopher Bayer, if you... wanted to know that. Our wedding is in three days."

"Gross."

Elizabeth giggled; finally, someone agreed with her.

Even with her attempts at dissuading Chris, he still pursued her. He was persistent, she'll give him that, but she did not want to be with him. She didn't want to be with any men, ever. She twisted the ring on her finger, hoping one day she'll be able to cast it off into the desert and never see it again. But that day wasn't coming anytime soon.

"Hey, how about you kill him?" The girl offered. Her speech was slurred, but Elizabeth heard her clearly. She gulped, shaking her head, "I'm not a murderer."

"I am."

"You don't look like one."

The girl sat up and stared at the floor, "Alright."