Cognitive Deviance

60. Psychotic Break

June 7, 2045 - 1:05 PM

Margo's entire body went against her as she took her seat at the table before her sister. The dryness in her throat persisted far after the Rabbit Hole mission, and she couldn't utter a single comprehensible syllable. Every muscle in her body was stiff as welded iron, her body maneuvering crookedly even when lowering herself into her seat. Even as she felt herself blink nearly six times every two seconds, she couldn't keep her eyes off Ellie, afraid to make any sudden moves.

A growing sense of danger only intensified within her as she watched Ellie take her seat with the grace, confidence, and comfort she could only dream of possessing. Those facets were distant memories to her, lost treasures she once knew very well. And the way her sister smiled? Beautiful, almost angelic. Margo had a smile like that once. She could hardly remember the last time she'd flaunted it, even for a momentary laugh at a joke.

"You alright, honey?" Ellie said. "You look scared."

"No," Margo croaked, her voice gargled and harsh.

"You want me to grab you a water or something?"

"I'm fine."

"Then why are you so scared?"

Margo coughed, half-expecting blood to spray from her mouth thanks to that missing tooth of hers. She tasted its familiar copper tang, resisting the urge to find a trashcan and spit into it. But she forced herself to swallow it and confronted her sister.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she said, still discomforted by her gravelly voice. "This is the first time I've seen you in forever. As far as I know, we're probably just two strangers meeting for the first time."

"Relax," Ellie groaned. "You're getting paranoid before I've even told you the things that will really make you freak out. You want me to prove we're related? Ask me anything!"

Another series of coughs made their way out of Margo's system, some of her anxiety departing with it. She did her best to invoke the mind of the ideal Psychwatch officer: calm, collected, vigilant, and curious. But frustration continued to eat away at her patience.

"Alright then," she said. "What's Mom's full name?"

"Karen Mavis Sandoval," Ellie replied. "She's also fifty-one years old, a nurse, and loves to volunteer at soup kitchens and fundraisers for mentally ill children and the homeless."

Margo raised her brow. "What's my middle name?"

"Olivia. Margo Olivia Sandoval."

"Damn, I didn't think I ever even told you it."

Ellie shot her hands up, offended. "You're my sister. That's something I'd know, dummy."

"How old am I?" Margo asked, finding some satisfaction in the rising frustration in her sister's expressions.

"Twenty-three," Ellie said. "I don't get it. Why are you questioning me now and not over the phone all those other times?"

"I don't know, Ellie. This job is breaking me physically and mentally. So either shut up or just answer my questions. Or get to that whole 'Psychwatch nonsense' thing you mentioned when I came in here."

A smirk crossed Ellie's face. "You sure?" she said. "I feel like what I'd say will really change your opinion of this place, especially since it's the reason I came after all."

Margo forced herself to chuckle. "What are you, a health inspector or something?"

"No, I'm just here to tell you that all of this is bullshit."