Nevercity

A silent lunch

I entered in the improvised kitchen, which had a long table in the middle of the place. There was a microwave which was poured in the ground, conected in a power plug. 

I sat one seat of distance from everyone, still uncomfortable to be near around a bunch of strangers. It wasn't like I was shy or anything close to that, just to think everytime I felt embarrassed in public spaces, with the biggest audience, singing and dancing with my friends, all product of my own initiative. 

But this time I had no friends to go along with me, there wasn't anyone really close to my age, all that I had was a brat, a crazy woman who believed she was a cupid, Jim (I don't even have to mention the problem about him) and other people that seemed old enough to be my parents, no one that I could trust.

I know I don't have much choice but believing them, yet I couldn't stop thinking there was a possibility of they being the real bad guys.

"Here." Jim gave me a tin of beans, with a spoon inside it.

I stared at the canister for a few seconds, moving the cutlery.

"It's only that?"

"We also have mango and blackberry as a snack." Replied the kid.

"But for lunch we have one can of beans, Mia?"

"It's Bia, with a B!" She didn't look happy with my mistake.

"Right, sorry for not remember the your name, who I just had met."

"You don't have to apologize, it all must be really exhausting and confusing for you. It's understandable you get wrong our names." Said the man who I didn't really remembered his name.

In fact, the only people that I memorized how they are called was Jim, Georgia and Marian (not counting Bia who just told me her name again).

"And answering your question, it would be smarter to only eat half of the can, since you only have one per day, it's better you save for dinner." Continued the guy.

Great! I don't even like beans that much and it'll be my only lunch and dinner until I leave this place.

The rest of the 'feast' passed with almost complete silence, with just a few whispers. Sometimes I noticed a person looking at me out of the corner of their eye, making me feel like I was a intruder in their home. Not that I really cared, of course. Why would I worry about what they thought about me.

Georgia showed me the way back to my room, where I stayed the whole day, until dinner, that didn't diverge of what happened in lunch.

I was trying to sleep again, but I didn't suceed. Maybe it was a good thing, I didn't know what they could do to me while I was unconscious.

"Hey, are you busy?" Jim came in my room.

"Yeah, I'm busy talking with my friend in my imaginary phone, while I'm getting ready to a party."

"I'll take that as a no." He said, sitting in my... Bed? Stretcher would be more accurate.

"What do you want?"

"Just trying to socialize with you. So, you were living with someone else, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"There were two beds in your room, besides half of the wardrobe was a mess and half was reasonably in order."

"Wait a minute, you were snooping into my bedroom!" Just thinking about the ginger in my room made me mad and embarrassed at the same time. Mad because it was bad enough having him breaking into my apartment, but messing with my stuff was too much. Embarrassed for the reason that I didn't was that much careful in keeping my... Women thing. I always thought I would have time enough to clean up my room before someone came to visit me, or I would simply lock my room.

"Your wardrobe was open and I saw it. Wasn't a proposital thing."

"Better." I spoke, still suspicious.

"So, do you have a roomate or not?" He said, getting back to the first subject.

"Yes, her name was Ann."

"Were you friends?"

"If I live with... Lived with her." I corrected myself, remembering my current situation.

"You must miss her." I'm just a day without seeing her, I hope I can leave this place before getting to this point. "It is a good thing actually. It means you have a reason to go back, a reason to fight."

"Fight?" He wanted me to fight, I barely can handle have to walk everyday to the bus stop, imagine fighting with someone. I would end up dead in the same time.

"Know what? It's your first day in here and I don't want to make you freak out." Obviously it didn't work. "We talk about that tomorrow, or whenever  you ready to accept reality." How about never. "Anyways, take that." Jim gave me a paper, with confusing scribbles.

"What is that?"

"A map of the facility."

"It wasn't just my impression, this place really is a maze."

"Can't deny it. So, if you have to go to the bathroom you won't have to wake up anyone"

"I knew you had second intentions to giving me the map, you wouldn't just be nice to me."

"Saving someone's life doesn't count as being nice?" He laughed.

The ginger got up and left me alone in the room.

Nothing in my life was making sense anymore, all this story about another reality, scientists was really confusing. I didn't know what was happening, what I was feeling, who I should trust. I never asked for a adventure, I was fine with my normal and simple life, but I didn't have another choice except accept this.

Why me? Of all the people in that city, why me? Even Ann was a better choice than me, she would be less lost in all this than me. I just want to scream with the world, to talk to someone I could trust. Great, now I'm speaking with myself, that's what happen when you don't sleep when you're supposed to, you become a philosopher.

Lying down here, thinking about nothing good, won't be useful. Perhaps I should meet this place better, when nobody will be able to stop me.

I left my room, trying to avoid do some kind of noise. I looked at the map with one goal in my mind, Marian's Office.