S a l e t é I I

XII - Oreilles - Six

"What's on your mind?" Monet asked Cassia as they stepped into the storeroom together, the girl in red setting about putting away the bottles she'd collected - both full and empty - by the light of her torch.

"Um, can you..."

Monet allowed her the time she needed to think, simply continuing with her organising in the meantime. Being in the storeroom, out of sight, away from the others, was quite helpful in a way, but...

"Can you explain some things to me?"

Monet finished her arrangements now,  turning to Cassia afterwards, leaning back against the wall as she held the torch up between them. Falling specs of dust were visible in the beam, tiny and silent, slowly trailing down to the ground from where they'd been disturbed.

"I can. What would you like to know about?"

Knowing that Monet was older than her was something Cassia could take solace in. Having someone around to look up to - literally - was something that took some of the remaining weight off.

"You, um... You said that Honey was..."

"A cleaning agent. It keeps the components of your body functional, and it doubles as a lubricant."

"So... Without it, we...?"

"We lock up, like I said. A person grows weak if they don't get their nutrition. It's a similar thing for us."

Cassia paused.

Components... Lubricants... Staying functional... Was that the reason why it gave her a kick, whenever she drank it? A buzz?

"S-sorry, I just... I'm still getting my head around things." Cassia said, giving an apologetic smile.

"Don't apologise. I don't expect you to be able to process everything at once, and you're doing incredibly well."

"Still..."

"Cassia. Don't worry. Take your time."

Monet's statements were reassuring to hear, and yet at the same time, she felt as if no amount of reassurance would shift the feelings that were now dwelling within the recesses of her mind.

Would anything? Was this going to be life from now on? Persisting through confusion...?

The other girls, and Monet... They all seemed happy. They'd accepted their truths. Had they all gone through something similar to her...? Discovering the true nature of their lives? Having those... Chip things, taken out? Seeing the little black lines for the first time?

Was that what made Monet so good at explaining things? Had she been through it all?

She recalled what arriving at Deering House had been like; the apprehension, the uncertainty, feeling out of place, feeling as if she would never be able to accept it as normal... All of those things had changed over time, as she'd settled, and as she'd adapted. Would the feelings swirling in her head behave like that? Would she be able to go from day to day, knowing all that she now knew, as if it was nothing?

It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since she'd gotten lost yet, and so much had happened... Or, no, "so much" wasn't a strong enough way of putting it; her entire life had essentially been framed in a new light, and yet...

Some things hadn't changed. Adeline, Esmund, Roslindis and the others... They loved her. They'd accepted her. Remembering that was the best thing that she could do, and the one thing that dispelled her discomfort more than anything else. She was glad that Monet had gotten her to view things in such a light.