What’s happening here? If I didn’t know better, I’d swear this was a strange nightmare. “I just want to talk to my mom.”
He slides forward in his chair. “Your mom?” There is a waver to his words. He chews the inside of his cheek before continuing, “Keir how old are you?”
What is with these questions? Do I have brain damage? “I’m fifteen.”
His eyebrows rise and he closes his eyes before quickly reopening them. “I’m going to find Dr. Vargas for you, okay? You’re going to be… you’re going to be, okay, alright?” The way he spouted that makes me feel the opposite. No one is telling me what’s happening and acting like the things I’m saying are bad. Wait until I tell them about the compound and what’s been going on there.
The next person into the room is a woman with dark skin and a pink dress with a short-sleeved blue and pink polka dotted jacket. “Hi, Keir. I’m Dr. Vargas.” She holds her hand out for me to shake.
I shake her hand and she remains standing by the bed. “A lot of people have been waiting for you to come back to us. It’s been almost a week. Do you know what happened?” I pick the cup back up and drain the water.
“No, ma’am. I was in the compound gardens with my mom. We were weeding… maybe, something happened with… I don’t know.” I don’t. Knowing Louis’s temper he could have hauled off and hit me with a shovel in the head.
“I see.” She gives me a big smile. “Are you hungry?” Now that she mentions it, I do feel like I need to eat. I nod only a little, afraid to set my head pounding even more. “What’s your pain level with your head?” She points to my head.
“Pain level?”
“On a scale of one to ten. Ten being the most. How badly is your head hurting?” I like her voice. It’s gentle and nice.
Even though I routinely get hurt, this is bad. “Nine?” Maybe ten. I don’t tell her that though.
“I’m going to let Dr. Hardin know that and we’ll get you something to eat. Thank you for letting me come in and talk to you. Would it be okay for me to stop back again later?”
“Okay.” I want to tell her that the only person I really need to see is mom.
I go back over weeding in the garden with mom. I went to the shed and got the buckets and spades. Mom wore that stupid looking tennis visor that I drew on as a kid. I teased her about the way she was singing to herself. Then what?
Dr. Hardin and the police officer enter the room minutes after the other doctor left. Dr. Hardin tells me that he’ll give me something for the pain, but it will likely make me sleepy. I try to argue that I don’t want to fall asleep and lose more time. He reassures me that won’t happen. The police officer, he said his name is Matt, tells me that I should listen to the doctor because he knows what he’s talking about.
I start to drift before they even leave the room. I try to hold onto being awake. My eyes feel heavy and my thoughts a bit jumbled. Mom. When I wake up, I need to see her. Then I’ll tell the police everything about XIX and Louis. We’ll be free.
15. X/HUTTON
Give them enough to pacify their hunches, but not enough to figure out your plans. I learned that from her. She was a master of disguises and secrets. I touch the computer drive in my pocket and smile to myself. The laptops are wiped clean, the phones, too. They can have the guns and knives. I don’t need them where I’m going.
“You’re quiet,” I say to Rick. Knowing that he found what I wanted them to during the meeting I had with the doctor yesterday. He’s scared to death of me. Which is what I wanted. I smirk to myself. “I like you when you don’t talk.” I think he pales slightly before grumbling to himself.
Eden has been in the hospital for several days and I know she won’t be coming back here. I poked around and heard that she’s going to stay with Superhero agent. My next plan is to ensure I’m there, too. That’s going to be a fun little challenge since he’s not on my protective detail anymore. I could string him along with information about Camp Carroll, but he’s smart enough he’d never fall for that. I could just tell him the truth. Trust him finally. Except that could backfire entirely. He could be the one working with them.
I have another doctor meeting today and my supposed grandmother is joining. I agreed to a lot of pointless things when I met with Dr. Xiong because her explanations were dragging the time on beautifully. I had to give the agents ample time to unearth it all. Each carefully placed item.
As I round the corner to walk down the hall to the doctor’s office, Mrs. Lassiter brightens and calls out, “Oh, there you are. You’re almost late. We’ll have to go over how important timeliness is, among some other things…” She straightens one of her hundreds of blazers. This one orange with a star pin on the lapel. I’m becoming a project for her and it’s bothering me. I paint a smile on my face.
“Mrs. Lassiter, how good to see you.” She tuts at the use of her name. She keeps telling me to call her grandmother or even grandma. I’ll pass.
“Have you chosen a name yet?” she asks as she almost touches my arm. She just won’t stop with this. When she saw the x on the paperwork she made me sign, I had to listen to her rant for almost a half an hour about the ‘seriousness of the situation’.
“Yes, Hutton,” I tell her. Her lips thin, but she doesn’t say anything. Just shakes her perfectly coiffed head.
Dr. Wallen steps into his open doorway and waves us in. “Things have been unusually active around here lately. How have you been fairing?” he asks me.
Now that I’m certain of a few things. It’s given me a razor-sharp focus, and I’m doing great. “I’ve been worried about the other residents.” Half a lie. I’ve been worried about only one resident. Eden.
He grimaces and nods. “Your grandmother wants me to convince you that staying with her is in your best interest. I’d still be able to do video appointments with you for therapy. If you’d like.” I wouldn’t.
“I’d rather not leave.” It’s getting more difficult to plaster this smile on my face.
“Dr. Wallen and I discussed this at length. Now… you don’t have any real world experience, it’s hindering your perceptions I think. It’s time to move on. I’m sure you’re upset about the loss of… well, the community? Yes, the community of people you had at Camp Carroll, but it’s time to make a way for yourself.” She’s practical, I guess. She doesn’t know me in the slightest though and it’s laughable she thinks I’m hindered in any way. I have secrets worth dying for.
