Unbecoming Humans

Chapter 14

It was a task to shove my way through the double set of doors into the lab while carrying Nima's inert body. As soon as I made it inside, a nurse was at my side, directing me to place Nima on the bed in the corner. I did as I was told. By the time I had put her down, there was a crowd of doctors and nurses gathering around the bed.

"I'm so sorry, Nima. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone," I babbled at her unconscious form.

"Aria, what happened?" an unidentified voice asked me, pulling me back to the present.

"I don't know," I told the crowd. "I just found her lying outside." I felt a pair of hands start to guide me away. I didn't resist at first, assuming they just wanted me out of the way. But then, whoever was pushing me kept going, guiding me straight to the door. I looked over my shoulder  to find that it was the newest lab assistant. I couldn't remember her name.

"Wait! Please!" I begged. "I told her I would stay with her." The assistant's expression was uncaring.

"She'll be fine, your highness. We'll take good care of her. Go back to your room and get some rest." The young woman's voice was kind but firm. She had used my title to try to butter me up. It had not worked. I tried to struggle against her, but she just kept pushing me steadily so that I couldn't get the upper hand. Once she had shoved me out the doors, she posted herself inside making it clear that she would not let me back in.

I stood there looking through the glass windows of the industrial steel doors. I was terrified for Nima. Why wouldn't they just let me wait inside? Nima would, no doubt, appreciate a friendly presence when she came to. I should have been that person.

I stood there for what felt like a long time, willing the lab assistant on the other side to move. She stood there resolutely, with her back to me and her arms folded, looking like a club bouncer. I couldn't see past her to know what was happening inside, but I stayed rooted to that spot all the same.

Eventually, a handler came by and saw me standing there. It was Ilya, a large Russian man with a heavy accent.

"Come away, your highness," he instructed me. "It is too beautiful a day to spend your time standing in front of a door." He grabbed my arm and began to steer me back up to the main level. There was a lot of that going around today.

"Fine! Fine." I was starting to lose my patience and my temper. "I'll go. Just let go of me." I wrenched my arm out of his grip.

I stormed out of the compound and burst into the bright morning sun, which had risen by now. I took off for my run, trying to rid myself of my fear and frustration. It hardly worked.

Breakfast was quiet. I could see everyone taking turns glancing in my direction, like I was a ticking time bomb ready to explode at any moment. I suppose I was, in a way. I was seething. They couldn't keep me from Nima forever, try as they might.

The small population of the compound made the place a rumor mill. Gossip spread like wildfire among the residents. I knew they were waiting to interrogate me about Nima's whereabouts, but I would not indulge them. The only person I had any desire to be around was Nima, and I would spend the rest of the weekend working toward that goal if I had to. Which is exactly what I did.

I lurked in the rooms and hallways around the lab, casing the area as if I were preparing to rob it. I clocked the movements and schedules of the staff. Whenever they would catch me off guard in the halls, they would escort me away, back to my room or outside. Every time, I would sneak back down. Saturday night, before they had caught on to what I was doing, I almost managed to get into the lab unnoticed after dinner.

I had wolfed down my meal, hoping I would beat everyone out of dinner. I had eaten so fast, I wasn't even sure what it was I had eaten. I casually strolled out of the dining room, but as soon as I was out of earshot I ran down to the lab. I peered around every corner to check that the cost was clear before proceeding. The halls were completely abandoned, and I felt a glimmer of hope that I might pull this off.