Yin's Story

43

For the past two days all, I've thought about is Shiro. His absence during my "surgery" make more sense to me now. I'm happy for him, I really am. I hope that wherever he is he's safe and happy. I'm sure everybody feels the same way. Speaking of Shiro, I've got an appointment with Cadence today.

That's just my luck, I've been sitting outside the infirmary for what feels like hours. I still need to finish the work that The Warden gave me and I'm pretty sure if I don't finish The Warden will be fucking pissed. I really don't want or need that at the moment. A pair of legs appear in front of me and as I look up I expect to see Shiro, even though I know that he's gone, but instead, a small child stands before me.

A small boy of about five or six years old with straight dark brown hair that completely covers eyes and pale skin stands awkwardly holding a clipboard in his small hands. He wears a filthy tan ripped short sleeved shirt, a pair of oversized tan pants being held up only by a belt, the end of the belt sticks out at an odd angle and very tattered brown shoes with the laces missing. How his shoes manage to stay on, I'll never know.

"Hello?"

He says nothing but instead motions for me to follow him. I oblige and he leads me through the infirmary and motions for me to sit on the large metal table. This boy must be Shiro's replacement, the new doctor's assistant. I do as I'm told lifting myself up onto the table and the table, of course, is fucking freezing.

I watch the boy closely as he places the clipboard down beside me and waits. In less than then five minutes, Dr.Cadence is at my side. I notice that his eyes are bloodshot and his hands shake as he gives me a normal checkup. That's right! It's a normal ass checkup!

"Follow the light with your eyes," Cadence says. I do as I'm told. I don't want to provoke him. Not this time at least. As he sets the small flashlight down he sighs.

"It'll need to be disinfected almost every day. Try not to touch it or rub it and we're done Ms.Dagenhart. Thank you." he says swiftly walking away from me.

I take a moment to look around the infirmary. In the back, there is large a large metal shelf with various supplies stacked onto it. I slip off the table and cautiously approach the shelf. The shelf is stocked with rolls of bandages, bottles of antiseptic and disinfectant, and various medicines.

I look around making sure Cadence isn't anywhere near me before shoving a single roll of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic into my pockets. I spin around to find the boy standing directly behind me. I stumble back hitting the shelf and almost knocking it over.

"Jesus Christ!" I gasp.

He stares at me apologetically his head darting back and forth from my face to my pockets. I give him a small smile putting a finger to my lips. After a moment he does the same. I walk past him getting back to The Warden's office as fast as I possibly can.

The Warden doesn't look up at me as I sit down and continue working. I work for what seems like hours before the dinner bell rings.

"You're all dismissed." says The Warden never looking up. I walk with my coworkers to dinner. I sit down at the usual table and wait patiently for my friends to arrive. Soon the entire Mess Hall is filled with people. I don't eat much. For once I'm not very angry. Spring places a metal cup in front of me. I can see my reflection in the glossy metal and I feel disgusted.

My face is smudged with dirt and blood. The hole where my eye once was is black and crimson. It's disgusting. My lips are chapped and bleeding. My hair is a tangled mess. I see my reflection and all I see is a freak. That's what the others see, don't they?

They must see what I see. They look at me and they see a disgusting freak. I push the cup away from me and stand up just as the bell rings. I watch Spring go on ahead as I take the long way back to my cell. When I reach it so find Spring in one corner and the boy from earlier in the middle of the room.

"Who's this?" I ask.

"I don't know. Kid wouldn't talk to me." Spring says rolling over resigning himself to sleep. I sigh sitting down in front of the boy. He follows suit sitting down across from me.

"Who are you?" I ask gently. He doesn't answer. He just stares.

"Can you speak?"

He shakes his head.

"Why not?" I ask. He opens his mouth wide for me to see. His tongue is missing.

"Did Cadence do that?"

He shakes his head.

"Who did?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of chalk. He leans down and writes:

"Dr.Williamson did."

"I've never met that doctor before. Where are you from?" I ask.

"Block D ma'am."

"Please, call me Yin. Now, I never got your name."

"I don't have one."

"Oh, why not?"

"My mama died before she could name me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What do others call you?"

"Boy, they call me boy,"

"That's not a proper name."

He shrugs his shoulders staring down at the stone floor. I'm not going to call him boy. Boy is not a proper name for a small child. If he doesn't have a name, I'll give him one. My first thought is to name him Tobias, after my biological brother. That names already taken though. The next name is Noah, after my father, but that'll just make me depressed. One last name jumps to mind and immediately I love it.

"Olliver." I say suddenly. He looks up at me surprised.

"Your name is Olliver Dagenhart."

He smiles.

"Do you like that name?"

He nods his head smiling.

"You got any family around here, Olliver?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"Well, you're a part of my family now."

He smiles again. His eyes are still hidden behind his bangs. I reach out to him slowly. He doesn't move as I gently push his bangs away from his eyes. His eyes are large and beautiful. He has extremely light blue eyes. I stare at them mesmerized. I let his hands fall back over his eyes once more. He points at my eye.

"My eyes?" I ask. He nods his head. I smile pushing my bangs away. He stares at my face for a long awhile, embarrassed I take my hand away but he stops me. He glances at my pockets and then back to my face.

I remove the disinfectant and bandages from my pockets and place them in front of me. He picks up the disinfectant, opens the bottle, and brings it up to the hole in my face. I know this is going to hurt like hell. I shove my fist into my mouth just as he starts pouring.

It stings really badly and I bite my fist to stop myself from screaming. He finishes quickly setting the bottle back down. My eye waters from the stinging sensation left by the disinfectant. Not because I'm crying. He picks up the roll of bandages, stands up and starts wrapping the bandages around my wound. When he finishes he sits back down in front of me.

"Is it noticeable?" I ask him pushing my bangs in front of the bandage trying to hide it as best I can. He shakes his head and I smile.

"Lights up!" Calls one of the guards. I sit down in my usual corner taking off my jacket. Olliver stays where he is staring. I reach out to him.

"C'mon Olliver, if you stay there you'll freeze to death, and I can't have that."

His eyes light up as he runs over to me and I swiftly wrap my arms around him. I spread the jacket around us, making sure he gets most of it.

"You good, Olliver?" I ask. He nods his head.

"We have to find a better way to speak to each other."

He nods again.

"Goodnight Olliver," I say.

Slowly but surely I let the darkness take me.