“Uh…” said a woman’s voice, which echoed around the room. “Hey, kid.”
The voice was that of Cube, and she had tentatively poked her head into Ana’s living quarters. Not that she was normally a timid person—on the contrary, Denise, AKA “Cube” was known for her gung-ho personality. But after witnessing the spectacle of the child, anyone would be wary.
The child was sitting on the center of the mattress, with her legs crossed and arms drawn protectively around them. She stared over her knees at Cube with wide eyes, but she didn’t say a word. A shiver ran down the woman’s back as she stared back into those eyes. They just seemed a little…off.
“Mind if I come in?” Denise asked, grateful that the other Angels weren’t around. Cube was never this polite, and they would have given her hell for it.
Ana shifted in place and lowered her arms, settling into a more relaxed position but keeping her legs crossed. “Go ahead,” she said in a rather eerie, soft voice. Cube almost laughed at herself for expecting some kind of demonic voice instead. Powers or not, she’s just a scared kid, she thought.
Cube felt rather awkward as she realized there was no where to sit in the room, aside from the hard, flat mattress occupied by the child. After a quick glance at the unforgiving floor, she took a few baby steps toward the bed and perched on one of the corners. Unless Denise was imagining things, a small smile flashed across the child’s face.
“So…rough night, eh?” Cube said rather loudly. Ana inclined her head to the side but didn’t say anything.
“Heh…” said Cube, absentmindedly adjusting her tank top. “Tough crowd.”
The child’s amusement showed in an all-out grin upon her face, and while it lingered there she looked like a normal, happy girl. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you,” she said, grin vanishing a moment later. Her skin was ghostly pale, almost like porcelain, from being indoors for two years.
“Oh, yeah, of course not,” said Cube, trying to push her earlier visions of terror (such as, her head being prematurely separated from her body) out of her mind. Desperately searching for a topic of conversation, Denise finally said, “Hey, don’t worry about Livewire, if she’s the one making you want to escape. She’s…not usually like that. It’s just been a bad time for her lately is all.”
Ana nodded. “I see,” was all she said, breaking eye contact with Denise. “You’re the one known as Cube…?”
“Yeah, that’s what they call me,” she replied. “My real name’s Denise, as you…might…know.” Cube gave a nervous laugh. “Anyway, that’s kinda like you, right? Hardly anyone knows your real name, but you’re gonna be called Psyche now, right?” Denise felt like an absolute moron, but at least she was making an effort, and she hoped the girl appreciated it. Conversation had never been her forte—guns and machines were more her language.
The girl nodded in reply, and it was impossible to tell her feelings on the new name. “So you’re here as my baby-sitter…” Psyche said in more a statement than a question.
Denise nodded, and as there was really nothing more to say on the subject, all was quiet for a few minutes. Cube yawned once, again fixing her shirt, which was a nervous habit. At 25 years old, the young woman was exceedingly fit, which she liked to showcase in her rather sporty clothing. Growing up in an uncommonly well-preserved area of Washington, D.C, Denise’s mother had been a stickler for perfection, both physically and mentally. School hadn’t counted for much for a while, and neither had wealth, but her mother clung desperately to the illusion of The Perfect Family. And, she had expected her only child to play her role accordingly.
Cube’s mind wandered deeper into her memories, thinking about her father and how he had disappeared when she was very young, off to fight in yet another ill-conceived war. As a soldier for the U.S. Army, he’d had no choice, and when he didn’t come back Denise’s mother changed for the worse.
She’d always been a perfectionist, but it got so bad that she essentially lost hold on her sanity, driving Denise away. After a two-year stint in the army herself, Cube grew discontent with the Establishment and joined the Angels soon after.
“It’s good that you…at least remember your family,” said Ana abruptly, which brought Cube back from her reverie. Psyche’s brown-violet eyes shone brightly and contrasted with her skin, giving her a doll-like appearance. It was, in a word, creepy, and Cube wasn’t really sure how to respond.
“Yeah,” said Denise, shaken. “From what I hear, you’ve got amnesia or something, from being in that place. That must be rough…to not even know your roots, I mean. Do you even know how old you are…or where you come from?”
Ana looked almost confused, but she nodded. “I’m eleven, and I’m from Liberac, Czechoslovakia. You’re wondering how I know this? That’s the basic information that all the nurses, orderlies and such people knew. I don’t know any more about myself, other than my name.”
“How’s that?” asked Cube. She realized that she hadn’t been able to place Ana’s barely noticeable accent until now.
“None of them seemed to know either.” Ana shrugged. “Being aware of…my abilities, I’m sure very few people knew a lot about me. Because I guess they didn’t want me to know.” Ana remembered the man from the evaluation room, the one whom she could not detect a single thought or feeling from…and she suspected that he had been some kind of android, impossible to scan but probably full of secrets.
“Yeah, that makes sense,” said Cube, nodding. “Okay, be honest with me,” she said. “What do you think of this place? What do you think of all of us?” The girl was really a mystery to everyone, and although they all secretly wanted to ask her questions, most were too proud to admit it. “Because…well, just so you know, I don’t think you’re a stupid kid, or annoying for that matter. And I’ve let Dominique know that.”
Ana smiled shyly. “Thank you, Denise,” she said quietly, looking down at her hands. It was odd; Cube noticed…one minute, the child spoke in a serious, almost businesslike tone, very much like an adult. The next, she was behaving like a bashful little girl. Cube could only assume it must be very difficult to cope with, and much like being two ages all at once.
As Ana opened her mouth to reply, she sensed that someone was outside the doorway, and looked at Cube and then motioned over toward the blanket. Cube nodded. “Oi!” she called loudly. “Someone there?”
A young man with dark brown hair and nicely sculpted features stepped into the room, a bashful grin on his face. “I was just about to say something,” said Seth, reaching up to touch a small, bleeding cut on his forehead. “Just, uh…wanted to say hi to our guest.” He smiled at the girl, thinking, She looks pretty normal, but if her eyes start glowing or something, I’m out of here…
“What happened to you?” asked Cube, eyes narrowing. “Get in Dom’s way or something?”
“Nah, not this time,” said the young man, scratching the back of his neck absentmindedly. He wandered a bit closer and leaned against the wall. “Icarus.”
“What’s his problem?” asked Cube, looking over at Psyche so she wouldn’t feel ignored. The girl had a blank look on her face, but she was gazing at Seth.
“He seems to think I was somehow responsible for the crash.” He sighed dejectedly. “We kinda…got in a fight, but Sphinx broke it up.”
“Damn Seth, cut that shit out,” Denise chided, but she was smiling now. “You know he just wants to fight, and he’ll look for any stupid reason. Stop taking the bait.”
“Duly noted,” he replied, looking over at Psyche. “So um…hi there.”
“H…hello,” the girl replied, looking away. Cube and Gryphon exchanged a look, and he cleared his throat.
“Are you doing all right?” he asked, not wanting to ask anything too personal. He’d had all sorts of questions lined up in his mind, but now that he’d met her they all seemed too sudden.
She nodded quickly but didn’t look up.
“Well that’s good, then,” Seth said, and he could sense the tension in the room rising very quickly. “I’m going to get to bed now, but uh…I’ll talk to you again sometime, all right…uh…”
“Psyche,” Cube interjected.
“Psyche,” he added with a quick smile. “See you around. G’night.” He turned and walked out of the room.
There was an awkward silence, and Denise started digging around in her pockets. “Oh hey, Psyche…do ya like chocolate?”
Ana raised her eyebrows and shrugged. Incredulous, Cube held out a small, thick chunk of some kind of consumable, wrapped in tinfoil. Ana shook her head to say she didn’t recognize it.
“Damn, girl,” Cube said with a chortle, breaking the chocolate in half and offering some to Ana. “Kids are supposed to love this stuff, they really deprived you in that place, didn’t they?”
Psyche took the offering and examined it before popping it in her mouth. “It’s…really good,” she said. “Everything we ate at Dynatech was mushy or stale. Do you…have any more?”
Cube grinned at her. “Sure,” she said. “I keep some around for when my blood sugar gets low. It helps when I’m jogging in the mornings.”
“Okay then,” said Ana uncomfortably, forcing a smile. No one had ever been nice to her up until today, and she didn’t know how to respond. Ana desperately wanted to trust this woman, as she could sense she had good intentions, but it was still difficult for her. Her motto had always been: Never Trust Anyone, Especially An Adult, and it wasn’t about to change overnight. The various needle marks and scars on her body served as a reminder.
Still, it was impossible for her not to feel good about their interaction, and about Dom’s strange form of kindness, and about the young man who had just paid her a visit. Even with Livewire’s hostility, Ana’s mistrust toward these people was lessened a great deal.
Cube couldn’t know this, so she merely smiled back and checked her watch, commenting, “Oh, it’s two AM…You should try and sleep, huh kid? I mean, Psyche?”
Ana’s eyelids were indeed starting to droop, so she yawned in reply and lay down on the bed. Cube noticed how she curled into the fetal position and immediately shut her eyes, as if she were playing dead. Shaking her head, Cube covered the child with the wool blanket and observed her for a few minutes. She didn’t care that, in all likelihood, her mind was being scanned as she sat there. Everything she thought was kind, and the kid certainly needed some positive feedback, to say the least.
“I’ll find you a pillow soon,” Cube whispered. She would have to remain here until the girl fell asleep, though she doubted seriously that Psyche would try to escape again.
As Denise went to shut off the light, something caught her eye, and she noticed that Psyche was still holding the candy wrapper in her hand. Well, she thought with a smirk, I guess baby-sitting isn’t so bad after all.
**
Ana dreamt that night.
Somebody was holding her close, and talking quietly. It was in a language that seemed familiar yet alien all at once, and the girl listened more closely but was unable to decipher the words.
She felt completely at peace, and warm, with these arms wrapped around her and someone’s heart thudding softly nearby. Where she was, she couldn’t see. She could smell coffee and cooking eggs…the voice faded out…
Someone had slapped her so hard it felt as if her brains might go spilling out of her head, and there was shouting…A tiny little voice screamed out, but it was unrecognizable, and surely not her own…a moment of blackness…
She felt scared, but she did not feel alone, because there was someone nearby who would protect her. She felt small and insignificant but never alone. As she slept there was familiar warmth next to her, which meant that she was safe and sound…then more blackness and the feeling of fear…
There were so many voices all at once, but the faces all blurred; unrecognizable. There was a loud noise, and then that strange little shrieking voice filled the air as her arms felt like they might be torn from her body…
She was cold and utterly alone…
Fragments of memories were beginning to surface. When Ana awoke, the realization of her dream hit in a wave of nausea, and in a panic she temporarily forgot where she was. She was not terrified of monsters lurking in the dark, but of nameless, faceless people with their arms outstretched…taking her away from all that she knew of happiness. She suspected that without the medication, there would be no holding back the past, whether she wanted to know or not. She could not sleep for quite some time, shivering and staring into nothingness.
-------
------- [Previous entry: "The City that Never Sleeps"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "They Will Follow"]
