Mental (Slow updates)

Chapter 26

After everything that had occurred yesterday, Katrina was not surprised that she had not slept. All night she had alternated between grieving for Danny, replaying the cruel orderly's vicious attack on Ash, and pondering Ash's out of character behaviour. In the end she likened his behaviour to a Mr Jekyll in a novel she had been forced to read in English class. It was as she made this conclusion that the light in her room flickered to life. Katrina swore, already in a fowl mood from a lack of sleep. "I didn't think you hated me that much," a familiar voice replied with a chuckle. Katrina sat up abruptly, sure she was dreaming. Doc stood near the door with a smile on his face. "Doc," Katrina choked out, before bursting into tears. Doc rushed to her side. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. Gently Doc stroked her back, trying to soothe her. She was surprised she had tears left to shed. "Katrina, I do hate to do this but we must keep moving, I wouldn't want you to get in even more trouble," Doc coaxed as he pried her arms from him. Grabbing a handkerchief from his pocket he gently wiped the tears from her eyes. Once he was done, he began performing her morning tests as gently as he could. Just before he took her blood, Katrina broke the heavy silence that had descended on them. "It should have been me. I should have been the one that died, not Danny." Doc froze, needle poised above her arm. He put the needle down on the bed next to her and grabbed her hands. "Don't say that, please don't ever say that. It was not your fault, Katrina. Their deaths were an accident, no one is at fault," he reasoned. She knew he was right, but some part of her still felt guilty.

She had fell into a stupor within her own thoughts that she did not realise that Doc had finished her tests and was rising to leave. "Try to not do anything foolish today. The masters are on edge today after what happened yesterday and you're exhausted. I really worry about you, I swear between the three of you, you will be the death of me," Doc ended with a chuckle. Katrina was caught up on his last words, or more precisely one word, 'three.' Her mind spun on who the three were he referred to. Clearly it was her and Ash, but who was the third? Suddenly it clicked, "Alex," she gasped. Doc turned back to her. "He's okay. I checked on him this morning before I came here," Doc responded quietly. "And Ash?" Katrina asked, remembering last night when the orderly had so viciously attacked him, so vicious she could almost feel each punch. Doc's face contorted briefly into anger. "Like with you, I can only see him when something is drastically wrong. I haven't seen him since yesterday morning."
"What's wrong with me and Ash?" Katrina asked, reading between the lines. Doc chewed his lip, realising he had said too much. "Doc, please. What is wrong with me? Am I going insane, does neuroloig-whatever actually exist? Am I dying?" Katrina asked, working herself up. Doc quickly put her mind at ease. "You and Ash are not going insane, and as far as I know you aren't dying either. The masters are just concerned with how exhausted the pair of you are." Katrina thought about the few times she had seen Ash passed out and how Alex had given him what he had called an adrenaline shot. Then she thought of her own blackouts. "Well maybe they should stop experimenting on us all the time," she grumbled defensively. Doc nodded.
"That does factor into Ash's exhaustion, but not yours. Aside from one incident the other night you are tested the same amount as the others and they do not show your levels of exhaustion. I'm sorry Katrina, but I must go and so should you," Doc murmured before hastily leaving after checking his watch. Katrina just sat there dumbstruck. After a moment to compose herself she quickly threw on her uniform and headed towards breakfast.

She was not surprised that she was the last one there. However by now the others were used to her showing up late and paid her no heed as they continued to talk amongst themselves. Ash sat at the head of the table, his face not showing any bruising from the night before. Seeing his miraculous recovery, she made a bee line for him, but the doors opening stopped her in her tracks. Deciding it could wait until after she had eaten, she sat down, surprisingly next to Mitch, who seemed to be keeping a wide berth from Ash. He greeted her happily and once the masters had delivered their food, he spoke to her for the entirety of breakfast. Katrina was not paying attention to Mitch, but he did not seem to care as his ramblings seemed to be his way of coping with Ash's change in behaviour. Once breakfast dishes were cleared away, Katrina, no longer able to contain herself, stood and rushed over to where Ash was sitting. "Ash, are you alright? Where are your bruises?" Ash just looked at her coldly as he rose from his chair. "I've told you before, my name is Zero, and as you can see I'm perfectly fine. Now Thirty-six, sit back down. Ignoring his attitude, Katrina reached out and touched his cheek. Ash hissed in pain and grabbed her wrist. Bruised angry skin appeared where her fingers had touched his cheek. "They're hiding it," Katrina gasped putting the pieces together. "Katrina?" Ash spoke as if he had just awoken. The door opened revealing the evil doctor and his goons. Ash's eyes widened and he quickly sat down, pulling her into the seat beside him. Hastily he whispered to her, "please Katrina you have to help me. Give this to Alex, hopefully he'll understand." He fished a vial out of his pocket and pressed it into her hand.
"Well little Zero, I'm starting to think you're picking up bad habits." Katrina hid the vial in her own breast pocket at the sound of the doctor's voice. "You can't keep drugging me master," Ash hissed at the master, as another master grabbed Katrina's arm and yanked her away from the scene. Her mind reeling at Ash's behaviour as the master dragged her off to some torturous tests.