Controlling the Narrative
Victor, who didn't wake up until almost lunchtime, took us to the cafeteria. People around us couldn't help but giggle when they saw him. And for good reason—his face was covered in colorful doodles. Looking exhausted, Victor still had no idea his face was currently a canvas. Seemingly oblivious to the stares, he looked down at us and asked, "What do you kids want to eat?"
"The same as Jeff," Shine said.
As always, Shine chose the exact same menu as me. I felt a tiny bit of pressure. Sitting at the table, I swung my short legs back and forth. In this very moment, the reality of my shortened legs sank in. I couldn't help but feel like something was off. Aren't we wasting our time too aimlessly? Don't you think so?
"Jeff."
Shine's voice scattered my stray thoughts. I went back to my serious contemplation. Deciding on a lunch menu was a highly critical task. All for a lunch with no regrets. I scanned the menu, agonizing over the choices.
"I'll go with the pork cutlet after all."
And so, the pork cutlet combo was chosen. A familiar taste, a familiar shape. But the sauce tasted a bit different. It wasn't the taste I remembered from the laboratory. It wasn't a matter of which one tasted better. It was a matter of familiarity. My busy fork came to a halt.
"Are you full?"
I turned my head. Shine was sitting right next to me, as she always did. Next to me. No, that's not right. I moved my fork again. The idle utensil stabbed a piece of pork cutlet and carried it to my mouth. It was delicious. It was delicious, but... it felt a little unsettling.
"Shine."
"Yeah?"
"You've always sat next to me, right?"
It was a silly question, but I just needed confirmation. I asked Shine while fidgeting with my trembling fingers. The girl reflected in Shine's eyes was looking at her sister with anxious eyes.
"Yes."
Shine's warm smile put me at ease. The anxiety melted away like snow. Maybe I only felt that way because this place was so unfamiliar. Once again, I reverted to being a carefree little girl.
"Hey, brats."
Victor's voice chimed in. He called out to us, his voice trembling slightly in sheer disbelief. I looked up, and Shine did the same. There stood Victor, examining his face in a small hand mirror. His face was covered in colorful doodles. Stars and moons. I had drawn a bunch of things I thought were pretty, and honestly, I thought it looked quite stylish.
"You two did this, didn't you?" he asked, pointing at his face.
I averted my eyes. "No..."
The lie slipped out naturally. I recalled a snippet I'd once seen on TV about how young children naturally lie to cover up their mistakes. I touched my lips. While I was busy reading Victor's expression, a sudden impact struck the top of my head.
"Ow!"
Thud! A dull ring echoed in my head. Clutching the stinging crown of my head, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. It really hurt. My sharp cry drew the attention of the surrounding diners. As I sat there whimpering and holding my head, Victor spoke.
"Don't do it again."
I nodded frantically. Victor did not look pleased. And neither did Shine. Her expression turned menacing, her eyes narrowing into a fierce glare directed straight at Victor. Shine's lips moved. A quiet whisper slipped from her mouth, rippling through the entire cafeteria. For a split second, all sound ceased. Or so I thought. The endless static buzzing in my head cut out, then reconnected.
With a static sound, the scene before me shifted. Victor, who had been sitting right in front of me, was gone.
"Victor?"
As I looked around searching for him, Shine grabbed my hand. Her small, soft hand gently intertwined with mine. I looked down as her fingers slipped between mine.
"Victor said he was tired," Shine said with an entirely blank expression.
If she said so, then it must be true. There was no need to question it. I nodded blankly.
"We should tell Amy everything when she gets back."
"We should."
Shine agreed with my dazed murmur and patted my head. A lingering sense of dissonance kept my expression tense. Was it because the pork cutlet I had been enjoying was suddenly gone? The tray that had been in front of me was nowhere to be seen.
"Let's go back and eat some snacks."
Shine tugged at my hand. Still feeling a lingering attachment, I patted the empty tabletop once before climbing down. Hopping down from our chairs, the two of us held hands and left the cafeteria.
"They said we won't see Amy for a few days."
"I know, Jeff."
"Then we can watch TV until late at night, right?"
"Mhm."
"I'm not going to brush my teeth either."
"If that's what you want."
My heart fluttered. Just the thought of staying up all night watching TV while chugging cola and munching on snacks made me giddy with excitement. My pace naturally quickened. Tap, patter, tap. My light, bouncy footsteps echoed down the hallway. Shine began to jog to keep up with me. As we dashed down the corridor, I took the opportunity to map out our surroundings more precisely. Yet, the exit leading outside was still nowhere to be found. After running happily for quite some time, I came to a sudden halt in the middle of the hallway.
"Jeff?"
"Shh."
I pressed a finger to my lips, signaling Shine to be quiet. Now that Amy was gone and there was no one to watch over us, this was our chance. I couldn't quite remember what kind of chance it was. Only that there was something incredibly important. That was all that mattered. Pressing my back flat against the wall like a stealthy spy in a movie, I began to explore every nook and cranny of the corridor.
"Jeff, what are you doing?"
"Quiet, Shine. This is highly classified."
At my solemn tone, Shine shut her mouth and fell in line behind me. Passersby began to chuckle as they watched us. Laugh all you want. We'll see how long those smiles last. Clutching my pounding chest, I roamed the hallways.
I stopped when I reached a section of the hallway we had never been allowed to enter because of Amy. The lights in this corridor were completely off. There was barely any sign of life. If we just crossed this specific stretch, we would reach another crowded hallway. The distant figures visible beyond the dark zone were proof of that.
"That's enough for today..."
I turned right back around. Shine stared at my back in confusion and asked, "Jeff, what were you trying to do?"
"I was looking for the exit."
"What are you going to do once you find it?"
"Go back. To our home."
Shine fell silent at my response. Without another word, we returned to our room. Once inside, I scurried over and grabbed a bag of snacks. My tiny, rapid footsteps made a loud pitter-patter on the floor.
"Jeff."
My brief moment of joy at the prospect of eating snacks evaporated. At Shine's serious tone, I slowly set the bag down.
"Yeah?"
"Have you been trying to escape this whole time?"
"Yeah. I was mapping out the layout of the hallways."
I didn't feel flustered by how easily my true intentions had slipped out. After all, I had to give her the answer she wanted. Faint, hidden memories began to flood back into my mind.
"Why did you turn back at the dark hallway?"
"Because I hate the dark."
I recalled my memories of the dark. District 23—back before I had awakened my abilities. Most of those memories were horrific. I had always been shoved into the pitch-black, begging for scraps of food. Because those memories had crystallized into deep-seated trauma, I loathed the dark with a passion.
"Isn't it because you're scared?"
"Maybe..."
My mind grew increasingly hazy. It wasn't that I hated it... I think I was terrified of it...
"Jeff. The outside world is a scary place."
A scary place. Scary. Darkness. The outside is full of darkness. So, I shouldn't leave. Those thoughts sank deep into the recesses of my mind. Shine slid over and sat beside me. Cupping my cheek as I sat there dazed, she spoke with a soft smile.
"Jeff, you are my family."
It was an obvious truth. I nodded blankly. Shine. My precious family.
"So... I will protect you."
What exactly was a family? This was the very first family I had ever had in my entire life.
"Is family something you protect?"
Shine nodded at my question. A smile spread across my face. My mind cleared.
"I'll protect you too."
Shine beamed at my reply, her smile radiant enough to match her name. The moment she threw her arms around me, I snapped out of it.
"Whoa..."
I tumbled backward under Shine's sudden embrace. Fortunately, I was sitting on a plush character cushion, so it didn't hurt. Tangled among the cushions, we looked at each other, laughed, and sat back up.
The television remained on for hours. There was no one around to tell us to turn it off. Amy had supposedly asked Victor to look after us, but he was nowhere to be found. Even as dinner time approached, Victor didn't show up.
"Shine."
"Yeah?"
Shine, who was watching TV, turned to look at me. Since my favorite cartoon wasn't on, she had taken control of the remote. She was watching some boring news broadcast.
"Victor isn't coming back." I said, pausing my drawing in my sketchbook.
"Hmm..."
Shine turned down the TV volume. The rapid chatter of the news anchor faded into a quiet murmur. "He probably won't come."
"Really...?"
Shine stood up and stretched, letting out a cute little groan. She checked the clock and held her hand out to me. "Let's go get some food."
Maybe because we had played so hard all day, my hunger was no joke. I had eaten plenty of snacks, but I was still starving. If I keep eating like this, am I going to turn into a pig like Dr. Hebrum? I put down my crayons and stood up. I noticed my hands were covered in colorful wax.
"I'm going to wash my hands."
I scurried into the bathroom. My short stature made it impossible to reach the sink on my own. Stepping onto the stool Amy had brought for us, I began to wash my hands. The reflection of a little girl stared back at me from the mirror. The unfamiliar, awkward face of the child contorted into a frown.
"It's definitely weird."
After rinsing off the soapy lather, I patted my face. I kneaded my small, soft cheeks like dough. "So weird. So weird."
"What's weird?"
"Oh... Shine."
"Jeff, if you're done washing your hands, we should go eat."
I hopped down from the stool. I remembered Amy telling us never to jump because the bathroom floor was slippery. But since Amy wasn't here, I didn't have to listen.
"Just the two of us?"
I grabbed Shine's hand with my freshly cleaned fingers. Shine nodded. She flung the door open with confidence and led the way to the cafeteria. By now, the path was familiar.
Upon arriving, we didn't sit down immediately. Instead, we headed straight to the ordering kiosk, just like Amy always did. Because of our shrunken heights, we had to jump just to touch the screen. Shine and I took turns leaping. The sensation of our palms slapping against the screen was oddly fun. Grabbing our printed tickets, we headed to the pickup counter. The food trays were resting high up on the counter. Our orders were already waiting.
Shine and I stared at them in dismay. This was not a height we could reach with a simple jump. In the end, we had to flag down a passing beanpole of an adult and ask him to lower the trays for us.
"Excuse me, could you please hand us our trays?"
At my polite request, the man scratched his cheek and lowered the trays for us. Holding the heavy trays with both hands, Shine and I found our hands effectively sealed. I bowed politely to show my gratitude.
"Thank you very much."
Carrying the trays back to a table was no easy feat. We had to watch every single step. Walking with extreme caution, we managed to reach a table safely. A sudden wave of gratitude washed over me for Amy, who did this difficult chore for us every single day.
"I wish Amy would come back soon."
After all, I hated being inconvenienced. It was a day that made me miss Amy dearly.