The fresh wrapping on her arms made her skin feel better. After the shower earlier, 636 was feeling more refreshed than ever. Someone had laid out a gray sweatshirt for her to wear and it felt nice against her aching body. The inside was soft to the touch and it kept her nice and warm.
636 didn’t see Malcolm for a while or anyone else for the matter. Whoever the doctor was hadn’t even stopped by to check on her. She didn’t seem very good at her job.
Sitting on the edge of her hospital bed, 636 grew anxious very quickly. Why wasn’t anyone here? She could hear Malcolm sleeping in a room nearby but other than that there was no one here. The gray walls combined with the dent of disinfectant made 636 want to leave. She had finally made it inside Abrax only to get stuck in a small room. The space was starting to make her feel claustrophobic.
Having nothing else to do, she started exploring the room. Most of the cabinets were locked and the ones that weren’t were full of gauze and bandages. There were some papers scattered throughout the room but she didn’t bother to look at them. They wouldn’t be able to tell her anything since she was illiterate. She found her bag in the corner of the room, hidden in plain sight. Someone must have put it there for her to find.
Rummaging through the pack, she found that everything was still there. Even Zaiden’s jacket he had lent her the first night. She wasn’t cold but she slipped the windbreaker over the sweatshirt she was wearing. Hugging to herself, she felt even warmer. She tugged the sleeves up just enough to see the straw bracelet around her wrist.
636 ran her fingers over the gift she had received all those years. Her mind drifted back to the dream she had and she pulled the sleeve back over the bracelet.
Even after all these years it was still hard to get past what happened and the dream had only made things worse. It wasn’t that she wanted to forget Seth, it was that she wanted to forget what happened to him. Sometimes the guilt was too much to bear but when the guilt wasn’t there it was just replaced by sadness.
Behind her she could hear a set of light footsteps approaching her room. 636 pulled the backpack over her shoulder. It hit her back and for the first time she noticed the absence of her chakram. The bladed ring was nowhere to be found. Looking around again she noticed the lack of sharp objects. It wasn’t the first time she had been in a medical room so she knew they had hidden certain things out of her sight.
They were still afraid of her.
“Emryn,” a small female voice said from the doorway. Looking over her shoulder, 636 saw a short chubby woman staring at her. The woman looked to be in her thirties and had dark brown hair tied back into a long braid. She was nervous to be around 636. Her palms looked sweaty and she kept running them down her lab coat. This woman must have been the doctor.
No wonder 636 hadn’t seen her until now. The lady was too scared to be around her but alas, since it was her job, she didn’t have a choice.
“I’m Dr.Palai,” she finally said. “I came to see how you were holding up.”
“I’m fine.”
Dr.Palai whipped her hands on her coat again. “That may be but I still have to do some tests on you,” she stuttered. Her heart was beating too loud and 636 wanted to shut her out.
“You don’t need to run any tests,” she sheathed. “I said I was fine. I don’t need you poking and prying into me. I’m fine.”
Dr.Palai flinched at 636’s tone, taking a step back to put more space between them. It was clear the doctor didn’t want to be here so why wouldn’t she just leave.
“Emryn, please don’t make this difficult. I only need a few blood samples and check your vitals.”
“I don’t like it when people stab me with needles and act like they care when they clearly don’t,” 636 said sternly.
“Emryn, I’m only trying to do my job. It won’t hurt you.” Dr.Palai raised her hands up and took a tentative step towards her.
636 knew she was right but she didn’t like this. She hated being cooped up in a small room while a stranger tried to run tests on her. Being in the hospital was slowly making it hard for her to breathe. It was too familiar.
“I can do it Dr.Palai, don’t worry.” Simone appeared at the door. 636 was in too much panic to have noticed her approaching. Dr.Palai observed 636 sitting on the bed, then her eyes casted over to Simone, who gave her a reassuring smile. Once the doctor left Simone came over to 636 and gently grabbed her wrists.
“Take a deep breath,” she instructed. “You’re going to make yourself bleed like that.”
636 looked at her hands and noticed she had been digging her nails into her palms. Slowly, she unclenched her hands and took a shaky breath. There were a few markings on her palms but she hadn’t broken skin. How had she not felt it?
“There you go,” Simone smiled. “Just breathe for a second. No ones going to do anything.” She was kneeling down in front of 636 and rubbing her knee in an attempt to calm her down. Simone’s smile did little to reassure her but if she kept taking heavy breaths maybe it would look like she was okay. The sooner she looked calm the sooner she could leave this room.
“Can I leave?” 636 whispered, closing her eyes to prevent any tears from falling. The space was starting to choke her. Why wasn’t there a window in here?
“That’s actually why I’m here,” she said, standing up. “I’m going to be your tour guide.”
“Tour guide?”
“I’ll be showing you around Abrax,” she clarified. “But first I do have to run at least a few of the tests. Then I promise I’ll get you out of here.”
636 swallowed the lump in her throat. If Simone was the one doing the tests maybe it would be easier. She had to remind herself that this wasn’t the labs. That she did make it out. No one was going to hurt her.
“Okay,” she whispered. Simone nodded, grabbing one of the clipboards off the table next to the bed. She began looking through the papers attached and then the monitors.
“Did you turn these off?” Simone scratched the side of her head, lost in thought. Something must have been wrong.
“No,” 636 answered. “Maybe Malcolm did.”
Simone’s eyes widened. “He’s supposed to be in bed. That idiot!” 636 was taken back by the sudden outburst. Having just thrown Malcolm under suspicion, she felt kind of guilty.
Simone was aggressive as she pulled tubes out of the monitor and brought them over to 636. “Hold these,” she said and then shoved them in 636’s open hands. Simone marched out of the room without an explanation. A few seconds later, 636 could hear her yelling and the distinctive sound of Malcolm throwing a pillow.
“What was that for!” Malcolm yelled out. 636 could hear them argue through the thin walls.
“Did you unhook the monitors?” Simone shouted back.
“What monitors?”
“The one in Emryn’s room. You know the thing that monitors her vitals. She could have died and no one would have known until they came here!” Simone argued.
636 eyed the monitor by her side and the tubes in her hands. Part of her was hurt Malcolm would potentially put her life in danger, and the other part of her felt relieved to not be hooked up to a machine.
“It’s not that big a deal,” Malcolm said. “I was in the room with her, if something was wrong I would know. Plus, in case you couldn’t tell, she doesn’t exactly like loud noises. The constant beeping of the monitor would have woken her up.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” Simone voiced.
“Whatever,” Malcolm replied. 636 could imagine him hiding under his bedsheets to block Simone out. Drowning her voice out until he eventually fell back asleep.
Simone cried out in frustration and then stomped back into 636’s room. She was smiling, very forcefully, and trying to act as if nothing happened. She was obviously still frustrated and was doing little to hide it. Stiffly, Simone walked up to her and began tampering with the monitor. She placed small patches atop of 636’s skin. The patches were similar to the ones she had grown up with. She knew what these kinds of things were used for. In and of themselves the patches were harmless but the tests they usually came with were pure torture.
“What are you doing?” 636 asked nervously.
Simone gave her an odd look, like the answer was obvious. “I'm just getting your vitals. Making sure you’re okay to get out of this room.”
636 let out a heavy breath, relieved at the possibility of getting out of the room that smelt of sanitation and medications. She was eager to get out as soon as possible, so she put up no resistance. She helped Simone place the devices on the different areas on her chest and neck, just like she had seen done for years.
“Have you done this before?” Simone asked as she scribbled some numbers down on a clipboard.
“You could say that.”
It didn’t take long for the tests to be finished. Simone never tried to stab or probe her with anything. It was a little strange to be inside a medical area and not walking away passed out or in pain.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Alright, it looks like everything’s in order so now I can take the liberty of showing you around Abrax,” Simone beamed. She held out an awaiting hand for 636 to grab. Hesitantly, 636 took it. She felt a little ashamed by how cautious and uncooperative she had been. To both Simone and Dr.Palai. 636 had been difficult enough for the doctor to leave. It hadn’t been her intention to snap at the people trying to help her.
Simone smiled at her before leading them out of the hospital room. The halls were more cramped but 636’s unease was counteracted by her curiosity. Turning the corner they were now in a bigger hallway that was supporting a few windows. They were darker than the ones from the trucks and were harder to see through. She hadn’t realized she stopped walking until Simone pulled on her arm.
“Come on, we got a lot more than just hallways to see.” 636 nodded her head, still looking at the windows.
Simone led her through the maze of hallways and down flights of stairs until they got to a louder area. 636 could hear people laughing and kids running around. The place felt much more alive than the hospital wing. They were still in the same building and yet it was so different here.
636 followed close behind Simone when they rounded yet another corner. Now she could see the source of all the noise. They had made it to a spacious room filled with people of all ages. Lights were hanging from the ceiling and multiple couches were littering the dark carpeted floor. Across the room, 636 could see openings that probably led to more hallways. To the left of her was a set of large metal doors, hanging above them was a string of lights. It must have been the exit.
“This is the commons room. People hang out here the most. So if you ever want to meet anyone this is the place to go,” Simone spoke from beside her.
Looking out at the crowd, numerous amounts of eyes were set on 636. Some were curious while others held caution and weariness. 636 recognized some of them from the group that went out to help fight the wolf-spiders. The looks that they gave her were ones of hatred, likely steaming from fear.
“Monster,” 636 thought, remembering the last thing she heard before passing out. Ducking her head down, she preoccupied herself with looking at the brown carpet.
“Emryn?” Simone grabbed her arm again.
“They’re all looking at me,” she whispered.
“They’re just excited to see a new face,” Simone reassured. “And it’s a good face to look at too,” she added, making 636 look confused.
“It was a compliment.” Simone rolled her eyes and started to pull her to one of the empty couches. They both took a seat, sinking slightly into the cushions. It was so comfortable. Way different from the hard hospital beds and concrete floor she had grown up on.
“I’m tired so we’re taking a break,” Simone sighed, resting her head back.
They had only been to one room and she was already tired. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, 636 stayed quiet. She kept her eyes forward, with her hands folded on her lap. She could wait. It would give her more time to memorize faces.
She watched as everyone went about their day. There were so many people. They all looked different from each other. They had different skin tones, heights, sizes. Both old and young. Everyone at one point, would glance over at 636. They tried to be discreet but she could always feel their eyes.
Two little kids were hiding behind the couch across from 636 and Simone. They hadn’t figured out that they had been spotted yet. With bright eyes, they kept their sights on 636. They would whisper to each other but she didn’t listen. Instead, she tried to make them comfortable around her by smiling. The small girl that had been whispering froze and then hesitantly walked up to her.
636 was surprised. She hadn’t expected the kid to approach her.
The little boy stayed behind the couch, watching cautiously. He wasn’t as brave as she was.
The little girl stood in front of 636, chewing on her thumb and shamelessly looking at her. She tilted her head to the side, dark hair falling over her shoulder.
“Oh Maki!” Simone exclaimed, gaining the girl’s attention. “Did you come over to meet Emryn?” Maki started at 636. Looking straight into her eyes. The little girl had likely never seen someone with a golden iris before.
“Maki,” Simone said, trying to get her attention.
Maki finally turned to look at Simone, confused but still cognizant. Simone raised her brows, urging the little girl to answer her earlier question. When Maki still looked confused, Simone asked her again.
Maki went back to staring at 636 and slowly nodded. The girl was quite strange. 636 felt a little unsettled by the stares. Maki smiled at her and turned back to the small boy hiding behind the couch. She motioned him forward and he hesitantly crept out and hid behind Maki. His eyes also starred 636 down.
“Braun! I didn’t know you were here either!” Simone explained loudly, making the small boy jump. His form had been hard to miss and 636 highly doubted Simone hadn’t seen him. “Did you come to say hi to me?” Simone was still talking loud. Braun lifted one finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. Simone narrowed her eyes at the boy’s reprimand and Braun giggled.
“Come here you idiot,” Simone laughed.
Braun ran out from behind Maki and jumped on Simone’s lap. He was smiling and laughing as Simone hugged him close.
“What are you doing down here?” Simone asked while he giggled.
“Zai,” he answered.
“Ah, you were looking for the commander. Well he’s out working right now, maybe you can see him later.”
Braun frowned. Noticing his sad expression, Simone started planting small kisses on his cheek and he was back to giggling. He kept trying to get out of her hold as Simone tickled him.
636 smiled at the exchange. It was cute. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Maki take a step forwards in her direction. When she turned her attention back on the little girl, she saw a big smile painting her expression. Taken back by the girl’s ease, 636 froze in place. Maki continued to take small steps towards her.
What was she doing?
Her smile combined with the attempt at sneaking around, made 636 smile some more. When Maki reached her knees she was distracted by the people around them. Their worried and judgmental glances made her feel as though she was doing something wrong. This little girl was not supposed to be close to her.
636 gently moved her legs away from Maki. The smile was replaced with confusion and hurt. 636 didn’t want to look at anyone anymore. She kept her head down and instead focused on her hands resting in front of her.
Closing her eyes caused the voices around her to muffle together. It was calming. To not hear. To not see.
A small heat started to cover one of her hands. It was tiny and very faint. 636 opened her eyes to see Maki holding her hand. She was gripping a few of 636’s fingers and looking up at her, smiling when their eyes met.
“We should get going,” Simone said. “I still need to show you a lot. Abrax is a big place and I’d like to be done by dinner.”
636 followed close behind Simone as they exited the commons room. They left Maki and Braun behind. A part of her wished the children would sneak out and follow them but it was probably best they didn’t.
The next room Simone showed her was even bigger than the commons room. It was well lit with white lights littering the ceiling. Long metal tables sat in rows in the middle of the room. Just like every other part of the building, windows were scarce. Counters and tables were off to the side in front of a somewhat hidden room filled with food and a few people busy cooking. It smelled good here.
“This is the dining hall, we eat all our meals here,” Simone informed. “Behind those counters is the kitchen. I doubt you’ll spend much time there.” She scratched her chin in thought. “There's not much to see in here when there isn’t food so we’re gonna move on.”
They went down another maze of carpeted halls. They would pass by people every now and then. They would only speak to Simone though. 636 was fine with that.
There were so many rooms. Simone would tell her the names and right after 636 would forget them. Abrax was bigger than it looked.
They descended another set of stairs and walked through a more concrete hall, absent of colors. Their steps echoed as they moved, reminding 636 of her time in the labs. Her mind wouldn’t stop going back there. To that wretched place.
“Alex should be in here,” Simone mumbled to herself. 636 looked up to the room they had stopped at. They stood in front of a gray metal door with a small window in the middle. Simone peaked through, showed 636 a brief smile, and then walked in.
The room was darker than the hall with the only things providing light being computer screens and a few blue lamps. Papers and files littered the table. Boxes covered the corners of the room and in front of one of the computer screens sat Alex. His eyes were trained on the green wave lengths being measured by the monitor. Simone crept up behind him and squeezed his shoulders. Alex jumped up with a yelp, frantically turning around.
“What- Simone!” Ignoring his annoyance, Simone crushed Alex with a hug, making the glasses he was wearing a bit crooked. He hadn’t been wearing them the last time 636 had seen him.
Without thinking, 636 walked up to the embracing couple and took Alex’s glasses. Observing them curiously.
“Emryn, I need those to see,” Alex criticized.
636 held them up to one of the lights and knitted her brows. She then placed them over her eyes but they made things blurry.
“How do you see out of these?” She held her hands out in front of her and tried taking a step. Alex shuffled out of Simone’s hold, who was busy laughing, and motioned for 636 to give the glasses back.
“They’re not going to work for you because they were prescribed to me,” he informed.
636 ignored him and kept experimenting with the glasses. Closing her eyes one at a time.
“Emryn I already told you-”
“Oh now I see.” 636 had her blue eye closed and her gold one open. The sallice-affected eye adjusted to the lens, making everything easy for her to see. She turned to Alex, smiling at his confused expression. He stood there dumbfounded and she eventually gave his glasses back.
The screens in the room were displaying many things that caught 636’s attention. She didn’t know what most of them meant but she could recognize the layouts of a few rooms being displayed. The tour had made her recognize a couple of the rooms but her attention focused on the ones she couldn’t place.
A sudden door slam drew everyone’s eyes to Zaiden standing in the doorway. He looked tired and hadn’t noticed everyone watching him yet.
“You okay?” Simone asked.
Zaiden’s eyes snapped up to the group on the other side of the room. The look of discomfort and unease was quickly masked as he plastered a smile on his face.
“I’m fine,” he said, voice not as firm as it usually was. “Just tired. I was talking to my father. You know how that gets.”
Simone made a face that said she didn’t actually ‘know how that gets’ but brushed it off nonetheless. “Braun was looking for you. Seemed really disappointed that you weren’t with us.”
Zaiden blinked back a curious expression. “Guess I’ll have to stop by his room later.”
It got quiet after that and Alex went back to work, which was much harder now that Simone was hanging on his shoulder. She must have forgotten about dinner. 636 didn’t mind. She was already eating more than usual. It’s not like she was going to need food anytime soon. Although the lack of sleep was getting to her. Simone’s tour had taken hours and 636’s feet hurt from all the walking.
“How was the tour?” Zaiden asked from beside 636. She hugged his black windbreaker closer. She didn’t want to tell him how out of place she felt so she told him it was fine.
“What did Simone end up showing you?”
“Rooms.”
He laughed quietly. Then, he leaned over close to her and with a brief glance at Simone and Alex, he whispered, lips barely brushing her ear, “Let’s leave the lovebirds alone. I can show you all the cool places Simone doesn’t have access to.”
That piqued her interest and they both silently slipped out of the room without another word.