Gifted #Wattys2015

Chapter 16

Adult Tula

Next in line was May. Tula reached out to Jay as she walked out of the room.

Hey, I'm done talking to Lennor.

How was it?

Long. Anyway, where are you?

Room 36. End of the hallway.

On my way.

Five minutes later, she knocked on the door to room 36. "Is May up?"

"Yup. She just woke up. What do you want me to do?"

"Put Lennor under the same drug you put May, and I'll text you or something when I'm done talking to May."

"Sure, see you later."

Tula walked in and sat on the bench beside the bed, just like she'd done with Lennor, as Jay walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Hi," May said.

"Hey."

"I'm assuming you're confused. You've been exposed to a lot of information this past few days. I'd have been confused too."

"Yeah, I am. I have a lot of questions I'd like to ask, but first, tell me why you both have the same names."

"That's the only part I'm actually not sure about. I can tell you why I have those names, but I don't know why she does."

"I'd love to hear your side!"

"Okay. Are you familiar with the story of May Wentzell?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Well then, this is really simple. I was named after her. As for the other half, my mom's name was Lennor. I look quite a lot like her, and after she disappeared a couple months ago, I've been pretending to be her so I could gain access to information I couldn't get normally."

Tula was torn between wanting to know about her mom and wanting to know about the information she was looking for. May was really smart, and knew that Tula could only ask about one. This way, she wasn't lying, but she didn't have to reveal all her secrets. Finally deciding not to barge into matters that weren't her own and get sidetracked, Tula asked, "What happened to your mom?"

"She just disappeared. It was four months ago, and we've been looking for her ever since."

"Who's we?" Tula asked, catching the plural.

"Me and my sister, Lara."

"When did you last speak to her?"

"In the morning, when I left home with her."

"Okay. Is your mom one of us?"

"If you're asking if she was Gifted, most certainly yes. She was planning to start an organization similar to Mrs. Wentzell's, but she disappeared before she could."

"Have you found any leads?"

"One, that's why we're here right now. We sold everything after Mom left, and Lara and I have been travelling ever since, following every lead we could find, however faint."

"You guys sound really dedicated. Is there any way I could help."

"I'm not sure. Can I tell you after I talk to Lara?"

"Sure. Just one last thing. You said that Lennor was some kind of creation with no identity out to destroy you. What did you mean by that?"

"I'm not sure if I can tell you. She didn't react anyway, so it was a futile attempt."

"I don't understand what you're talking about, but I don't want to pry. Can you just give me your phone number so I can text you if anything happens?"

"Yeah. I'll type it in your phone," May said, taking Tula's phone and putting her number in.

"Thanks," Tula replied. "Get well soon."

"Thank you."

Tula walked out of the door, her mind reeling as she tried to process all the information Lennor and May had given her. 

Jay, I'm done. Where are you?

In Lennor's room.

On my way.

Tula reached Lennor's room, and found the door open. She went in and found a very tired looking Jay sitting on the bench. He looked up at her and smiled, and they left together. They took a walk again, and Tula began to tell Jay everything she had found. He was a good listener, exclaiming when was necessary, nodding and saying, "yeah." Once she was done, Jay said, "That's a lot of information. How about we sleep on it and discuss it tomorrow with a clear mind?"

"Yeah, I suppose it's a good idea. It's getting pretty late after all."

Jay dropped Tula back to school, where she took her car and went home. She fell into a fitful sleep, her dreams waking her again and again. Most of her dreams were mixed up versions of all the new information she had, and some of them were actually pretty interesting theories. Unfortunately for Tula though, she couldn't recollect any of her dreams when her alarm woke her in the morning.

She could taste something bitter in her mouth as she got ready. She wolfed down her toast and texted Jay, asking him what his plan was. After waiting five minutes for a response that never came, she guessed that Jay was probably asleep and decided to go to school. As she was putting on her coat, there was a knock on the door. 

"Hey," Jay said as she opened the door. "What plans for today?"

"I'm probably going to go to school for a while. I can't skip it any longer than I already have."

"Can I come?"

"It's pretty boring."

"All the more reason for me to come. I'll keep you company."

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Let's go in my car."

"Okay. I'm going to call May on the way there to find out what her plans are, and whether or not she can tell us everything."

"Good idea."

***

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in Tula's office making jokes. Suddenly, Tula realized that she should probably try to call May again, since she hadn't picked up the first time. The phone began ringing as Tula waited. This time, the voicemail box kicked in, and Tula left a simple message telling May to call her back as soon as she could. Then she and Jay began to sort out all the information they had found out the day before. 

The sharp sound of the bell rudely interrupted them. They had lost focus within minutes as the noise level of the students at brunch just got higher and higher. Tula decided to go out and talk to Lennor, just to give her something to do, as Jay had to get back to work. She walked around the school, but couldn't find Lennor. Glancing at her watch, she realized that the bell would ring in a minute and started walking back to her office. 

***

A/N

I tried not to leave this chapter on a cliffhanger. I know some people who have been really mad at my endings. Thank you all for still reading!