Chapter 3: CHAPTER THREE: BEING BROKE BITES
I lie back on a bright pink bean back chair, cramming another handful of off-brand fruit snacks into my mouth and mapping the ridges of drywall on Doctor Summers' office ceiling. I glance at the time on my cybernetic. An hour has passed since the evaluation with no sign of Doctor Summers. I toss the empty box of fruit snacks in the general direction of the trash bin a few feet away. It misses and lands on the floor along with the empty bag of chips, candy wrappers, and a box of cereal. Too lazy to get up from my seat, I use my telekinesis to place the trash into the bin. I check my inbox and re-read the last message Keith sent me forty-five minutes ago for the umpteenth time.
"Please call me as soon as you are done with Ms. Sunshine," it reads.
I begin to type a response but I hear the office door open behind me and I quickly toggle my cybernetic off.
"Sorry about that long wait," giggles Doctor Summers. "The Prime Minister is one talkative and curious fellow."
I watch as she drapes her white lab coat on a giraffe-shaped metal coat rack.
"So, how've you been, Mr. O'Hara?" she asks while she settles into her desk chair.
"I've been fine," I reply vaguely as possible. She purses her rosy red lips together then adjusts her round glasses.
"Are you sure you've been fine?" she asks again, her voice growing sterner.
I raise an eyebrow. "Yeah, I've been swell."
Doctor Summers slumps her shoulders with a huff then tosses a holo-tablet onto the middle her desk.
"I beg to differ," she drawls, pointing to the display. "The file before you is a summary recorded by Doctor Everett of your experience with a recurring nightmare that has been plaguing you for a while..."
I take the tablet from her desk and skim through the lengthy document.
"He also comments that you admit these nightmares manifested after taking Serodyx."
I carelessly toss the tablet back onto the desk and cross my arms over my chest. "Okay, what is your point?"
Doctor Summers takes a deep breath.
"Let's get one thing straight, my pet peeve is being lied to. Especially when I have the truth in arms reach…"
She takes her tablet back and checks the corners for any scuffs.
"I want to help you, Mr O'Hara," she continues. "Serodyx is a powerful drug specially formulated to treat Kinetics who suffer from serotonin imbalances. There's a lot of side effects to this drug, and everyone is affected differently. I feel we should wean you of Serodyx until we can learn more about how it affects you."
"Certainly not going to learn anything weaning me off the drug. Besides, this drug as much as I hate to admit it, has helped me more than anything else!" I argue.
"I understand that, but I also noticed you're reluctant to try any sort of psychiatric therapy or support groups. You weren't the only victim of Red August, there're a lot of survivors out there who also lost loved ones. This recurring dream could be rooted with unresolved grief you feel for your mother's unjust death."
I shoot Doctor Summers the evil eye. "You. Don't. Know. Shit! I hardly knew her! The only thing I have to remember her by is the headstone with her name carved on it!"
"This is exactly what I am referring to, Mr. O'Hara. You're clearly showing signs of repressed remorse. You must regret not having an equal opportunity to know your mother like any normal child."
"My only regret is engaging in this pointless conversation!" I growl. Doctor Summers pouts her lips.
"Well, why don't we come to an agreement. I'll have you try one session with a therapist for one hour. If you feel like it doesn't help, I won't harass you about this again. But you must go or this deal is off."
I'm willing to agree with anything she is saying to get out of verbal hostage, so I agree with a quick shrug.
"Sure, whatever, I'll do one session."
Her face lights up with glee. "Oh splendid! I can set you up with our best therapist—"
There's a sudden knock at the door. Before Doctor Summers can invite the guest in, the door violently swings open presenting Doctor Hsu.
"Are you really harassing this poor boy? Was it not enough ridicule from the Prime fucking Minister?" she exclaims. Doctor Summers fumbles to find her words.
"Oh no, Jennifer. It is not like that at all. I'm trying to convince—"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever, I don't need to hear your spiel. Ayden, up and at 'em. We're going on a walk."
She snaps her fingers and spins around one hundred eighty degrees in one fluid motion. I wiggle out of the beanbag and then follow Doctor Hsu without a second thought.
"Thanks for bailing me out," I say. "Where are we going?"
"Far away from Doctor Irish coffee…" she replies without missing a beat. She takes me to a secluded patio area walled off from the rest of the gardens. In the center of the patio is a tall cypress tree, providing shade for picnic tables below. In front of the tree is a bronze bust of Doctor Carrington. The two of us take a seat underneath the shade.
"Thanks again for getting me out of there," I say. "I really just want this day to end and go back home."
"Cheers to that. Damn meeting cut right into my breakfast break," replies Doctor Hsu, pulling a small baggie of hard-boiled eggs from the side pocket of her lab coat. She offers one to me.
"No thanks," I reply. "I ate a lot of junk food earlier."
With a slight shrug Doctor Hsu opens the bag and savagely bites into an egg.
"So how are you?" she asks mid chew.
"I'm alright," I reply.
"Cut the bullshit, please. I've lived in this galaxy long enough to know when someone is lying to me. I can see it in your eyes now, and I saw it earlier during the meeting."
"Well, you got me there," I admit. "This whole evaluation thing with the Prime Minister set me off. I'm just accustomed confiding to the only person who gets paid to listen to me, that's all."
"I know, I'm so sorry about that. Doctor Carrington and the Prime Minister's behavior this morning was beyond unacceptable. You didn't deserve to be harassed or put in the spotlight like that," she apologizes.
"I signed the disclosure waiver," I shrug. "I would have never thought meeting the Prime Minister for the first time would be so lousy. There wasn't even a formal introduction. He just shrugged off Keith like nothing, then he has the audacity to pass judgment like he knows me. I'm just thankful Keith was there to simmer me down," I say, raking my fingers through my hair. Doctor Hsu smiles warmly.
"I saw that, you seem to respond very positively around him…" she pauses for a moment, looking down at her hands in deep thought. "This is a little forward but are you two by chance… seeing each other?"
My heart skips a beat and I instinctively play coy.
"What makes you say that?" I ask, forcing a chuckle.
"Little things. I noticed Keith isn't afraid to get close to you," she replies. "During the evaluation, you were frequently glancing over to him. When you do look at him, your face glows with infatuation."
I frantically brainstorm a lie to deny her claims but my prolonged silence only confirms her suspicions. I timidly sink into the seat.
"Please don't tell anyone. I-I couldn't live with myself knowing Keith lost his job over me," I plead.
"You can trust me," she replies. "I'm not here to lecture. I know Keith personally. He's a good kid with a big heart. Be wary of how you handle yourself around him. It's the small things we tend to overlook that get us exposed."
"Thank you very much. You don't know how much that means to me knowing I can trust someone," I say, feeling a sense of relief.
"Don't mention it. But please try to refrain from giving him any more grief. No more throwing cars into the marshlands. Capeesh?" she teases.
"Capeesh," I reply. Doctor Hsu smiles warmly.
"Good. I like the boy. I want him to be successful. He's ambitious, and reminds me of myself in my hay-day."
"Yeah, I read a lot about you in grade school. History was my favorite subject and I was particularly fond of learning about the Gifted war heroes who served during the Extinction War. Both you and the Saviors are idols to me." I comment. Doctor Hsu humbly bows her head and chuckles.
"You're too kind. Did the history books ever tell you I served under the Saviors?"
The thought of my childhood inspirations working together sends my jaw to the floor.
"Historians tend to overlook that crucial detail. Without them, I may not have been able to formulate the cure for the Riot virus. I developed a good relationship with them during the war. Of course they weren't known as the Saviors of Arcathia then, they earned that title after defending this planet from Hauteclaire Steel. Come to think of it, I'm one of the few people who knows them by their actual names…"
"Well, who are they?" I ask, coaxing a response. I lean forward in my seat, eager to hear more.
"I'm not at liberty to say," she replies with a shake of her head. "Shortly after the war they lived in seclusion to live a normal life. They fell in love, raised a child together then disappeared off the radar."
I frown with disappointment. "Do you still talk to them?" I ask.
"Of course," she replies confidently. "We meet for lunch every other weekend."
She then pats the surface of the picnic table with both of her hands.
"Well I have to get back. It was a pleasure chatting with you, Ayden. If you need to talk in private again, just give me a call."
She takes out her holo-phone and airdrops her contact onto my cybernetic. The two of us shake hands then go our separate ways. I leave the patio through a gate leading into the public area of the gardens. I wonder if the credits deposited by now, so I gather the courage to look at the balance of my mobile banking application.
Negative four credits.
I feel the disappointment course through my veins. I cock my head back with an annoyed groan. I activate my cybernetic arm to call Keith to borrow money but I stop myself. I don't want to ask him for money, he'll ask why I don't have any, and I don't want to explain I spent most of my income this month on StarForge. I think of other ways to get the money I need to catch the train to Liberty. Realistically, my only options are to wait for the money to deposit or ask Petyr, my father. He isn't my biological father, but he's treated me as his own since I met him four years ago. I'll have to ask him in person however, since reaching him by holo-phone is almost an impossibility on workdays.
I set out for First Nation Bank of Capitala, a good six block walk from EvGeni. The early afternoon crowd swarms the sidewalk, but they are the least of my worries. I continue down the street until I reach the three-way junction opening into Circle Park and the Grand Metro Station. The station is massive, with railways connecting throughout the structure like arteries to a beating heart. Rivaling alongside the transportational marvel is a hundred foot brilliant copper statue of the goddess Fortuna, Arcathia's seal, raising a horseshoe high above her head. Following the Park west leads to Central, the seat of power for the Prime Minister.
A sudden rush sweeps through my body, followed by a cold, hollow sensation in my chest. I remember very little after the bombing, except for maybe brief glimpses of the blue sky above as first responders carried me out of the station. I remember paramedics commenting on how lucky I was to survive, claiming Fortuna had a greater plan for me in the future.
As I walk through the park, I gaze upon her expressionless face and wonder.
"What plan does the goddess of fate have for someone like me?"
I continue through the park, and spot the royal blue dome roof of FNBC peaking above the surrounding office buildings. The bank is a significant historical landmark to Capitala. It was built shortly after the city was first founded and was one of the few remaining structures that survived the in the aftermath of the invasion. Story has it the bank's longevity is explained by a blessing the goddess Fortuna bestowed on the foundation during its construction. This folklore is so well known, the President of FNBC erected a shrine in her name located in the bank's lobby. Once a month he offers a bowl a fresh fruit and burns lavender scented incense as appeasement for her blessing.
I stop at the curb across the street from the bank to scope front entrance for Petyr. I spot him patrolling at the top of the front steps. He's not a hard man to find. Petyr Myers is a walking tank, towering over others at an astounding six foot six inches. He was Chief of the Capitala Police Department, and retired from the force after the unfortunate loss of his wife and son in the Red August bombing. He soon spiraled into a deep depression and sought comfort at the bottom of the bottle until his recovery some five years ago. It wouldn't be until a year later we would meet in the Eastern Fringes after he caught me stealing food. Rather than turn me in, he opened up his home to me and took me off the streets. Since then, Petyr and I have been very close. He helped me turn my life around and for that I'm forever in his debt.
I can see his big, goofy grin as I cross the street.
"As I live and breath! It's about time you came to visit your old man!" he shouts.
"I know, I know," I reply. Petyr bear hugs me, lifting me a good few inches off the ground.
"Holy—sh—it!" I say as his muscular forearms crush my torso. He drops me back on my feet so I may catch my breath.
"Phew… you haven't skipped a day at the gym, have you?"
"Of course not," he replies, stroking his salt and pepper beard. "... but it looks like you lost a little mass since I last saw you."
He squeezes my bicep which looks tiny in contrast to his. "So what you brings you here? Making a deposit?"
"Sorta?" I reply, scratching my head. "I'm expecting a deposit from EvGeni, but I know for a fact I won't see the credits until later. I was wondering if I could bum some from you so I can take the train home. I'll pay you back."
Petyr crosses his arms over his chest then scowls with disapproval.
"Aren't you still getting assistance from the grow up plan your mother applied for?"
"Yes, but that goes real fast with the cost of living, my cellular bill and other things!"
Petyr pinches the bridge of his nose. "Have you been applying for jobs? What about the ice cream joint you said you applied for?"
"That was two months ago, Petyr. I never heard back from them. I told you no one wants to hire an adult with only a high school education and no job experience."
"Maybe you should apply to work security here with me at the bank," he suggests. "We have a part time position available. All you need to do in pass a physical exam then after that it's just a month of training."
"I'd love to work but are you sure security would be okay for me? I mean—what if I hurt somebody with my powers?" I ask.
"If I had any doubt, I wouldn't have made the offer," he replies, raising his bushy brows. "Besides, you're still on that medication, right? Something-dyx? I remember it has dyx in it."
I shield my face from a passerby as Petyr continues to repeat the word 'dyx' out loud.
"It's Se-ro-dyx, Petyr," I remind him.
"Lousy name in my opinion," he snickers. "Oh, off topic but what are your plans for the festival? It's in a few days. I know how it tends to make you uneasy and I'd hate for you to spend it alone."
I check the date on my cybernetic briefly. August twentieth… just two more days until the Red August festival. I somehow completely forgotten about it.
"Probably just chill at Keith's, maybe watch some cheesy movies," I reply. "Did you… want to join us or something?"
"I wouldn't want to impose if you had plans already with your boyfriend… but if you want, you and Keith can come over instead! I can grill us some juicy steaks for dinner! How about that, son?"
I chuckle wholeheartedly at his invitation. "That sounds great, Petyr. Let me talk to Keith…"
I pause mid sentence as I suddenly remember what I was supposed to do.
"Sonofabitch! I forgot to call Keith back! Hang on for a sec, Petyr."
Petyr nods his head then resumes his patrol of the front entrance. I step aside and call Keith on my cybernetic. He answers instantly.
"About time you called me. I was convinced Doctor Summers talked you to death."
"It's going to take a lot more than some words to kill me," I reply.
"How'd it go? What'd she have to say?" he asks.
"Some crap about the side effects of Serodyx. Then some crap about support groups. Then she took it an extra step further and brought up crap about my mom. I sort of ignored everything else after that," I sigh.
"Ugh, I'm sorry. I don't know why she did that," he apologizes. "Are you okay?"
"It stung a little, I snapped, but I was lucky Doctor Hsu came to bail me out before it escalated further," I reply.
"Jennifer bailed you out? Why?" He asks, sounding quite surprised.
"She felt bad for me I guess. She thought it was unfair how I was treated during the evaluation."
"Did she say anything to you?"
"Yeah," I reply, thinking back to our conversation about Keith and I. "... but it's something we should talk about face to face."
"Should I worry?" he asks.
"I don't think so," I reply. "... but there's something I need to ask you. I'm with Petyr right now and he is inviting us to dinner on Red August."
"That sounds like fun! I haven't seen Petyr in a while. How is he doing?"
Petyr holds open the door for a young woman entering the bank. He winks charmingly and the woman chuckles bashfully.
"He's doing good," I reply. "I think he just misses me."
As Petyr releases the door two men dressed in navy blue coveralls and matching caps step out to hold the door open. The men are humming in harmony an oddly familiar melody. Chills crawl down my arm and back. The men stop, allowing a third member join their song. The pregnant woman steps out from behind them while graciously humming the rest of the melody. She winks suggestively with icy blue eyes, insinuating something sinister. The two men follow her, tipping their caps in unison. On their wrists are matching tribal tattoos of what look like a wolf head.
"Babe...?" I hear Keith call from the other line. "... you still there?"
Keith's words barely penetrate my eardrums. I continue to watch the trio strut down the steps in perfect unison. It's suspiciously unnatural.
"Yeah, I'm still here. Remember that creepy pregnant lady from the station? I just saw her again."
BOOM!
A violent eruption bellows from within the bank followed by an intense wave of heat. The ground quakes from the powerful explosion. Debris and thick smoke disorient me. I fall forward and tumble down the marble steps into the metal handrail head first. My whole body aches but I force myself to roll onto my back. I quickly grasp the side of my head, and feel the warmth of thick blood seeping between my fingers. I apply as much pressure as I can tolerate with my palm. Plumes of black smoke smother the clear blue skies above. Witnesses call for help while some spring to action and aid the injured closest to them. I want to call for help but a sharp pain in my ribs made even the slightest breath hurt. A human-shaped shadow looms over me. They crouch beside my body and stare into my soul with their icy blue eyes.
"It hurts doesn't it, little lamb?" says the pregnant woman softly, her voice almost a whisper. "It'll all be over soon..."
Her intense gaze paralyzes my fight or flight responses. I find myself helpless to her will. She gently cups her hand beneath my chin until our eyes lock onto one another. I begin to hear faint, unintelligible whispers of the same voice overlapping itself. The whispers are coming from her but her lips aren't moving. The whispers drown out the city's clamor, reaching peak volume until... silence. The world around me becomes void of all sound. I hear nothing, not even my own thoughts. The silence is agonizing, through the pain I manage to cry for help but I hear nothing. Tears roll down the sides of my face. I yell again, praying someone would hear me, even if I couldn't hear myself.
"Sleep, my little lamb," whispers the pregnant woman through the void. "This is all but a bad dream... and when you wake up, you'll remember nothing but the blackness."
Her words are impossible to resist. My eyelids become heavy, and my muscles become stricken with exhaustion. I blink once, and my consciousness fades into a deep slumber.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
felixwritez
felixwritez Hello readers! Sorry this chapter took a while. Editing was killer and I kept re-writing it until I felt confident. Feel free to leave comments and let me know how you feel about the story so far! Thanks for reading!
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