Escaping Elysia

Chapter 11 - Glad You're Here (cont.)

Later that afternoon I lounge on a couch in the library. A small screen is mounted in one corner. The guards have control over what we watch and usually they have it set to the news, which can get boring. Today, however, staring mindlessly at the screen is exactly what I need to take my thoughts off of everything.

I can feel Brandt standing against the wall a few yards behind the couch, watching me. Thinking of him reminds me of my newly forming plan. The way to escape has been staring me in the face this whole time. I want to slap myself it's so simple. Steal a guard's badge, and just walk out the doors. Easy.

Except for the whole stealing a badge part, of course.

A segment about the new wind farm breaking ground east of the city comes on and I'm trying to think of ways to get my hands on a badge when Tasia pops up in front of me.

"Hey," she says, perching on the arm of the couch, "just wanted to check in. How're you feeling?"

I shift in my seat. "Oh, uh, fine." She waits like she thinks I'm going to say more, but I don't. I've never been much good at small talk.

"Good, I'm glad." She crosses her legs. "So. I've got a ton of weeding to do this afternoon. I totally skipped out on it this morning. Keep me company while I work?" She tilts her head and smiles.

I smile back. She's just being nice. I know how this works: I'll politely refuse, she might try again or ask if I'm sure, but eventually she'll give up. And we'll both be better off for it.

"Thanks for asking, but this book I found yesterday is calling my name." I hold up the paperback laying next to me. I wait for her to express her disappointment and leave. Instead she jumps up, shaking her head.

"Uh uh, last time I had to weed by myself I practically went insane from the quiet." She grabs my hands to pull me to my feet, and I'm too shocked to resist. Once we're standing she drags me along. "Besides, there's so much I still don't know about you."

"Uh." I stumble after her. "Okay sure." Not like she gave me much choice. We walk to the Solarium and Tasia leads me to a garden bed along the left wall. She grabs two small stools from a stack and sets one out for me, then sits on the other. I sit down and cross my legs under me.

She pulls her hair into a band, then starts plucking out the tiny green weeds. She tells me about her life in Elysia, and about her boyfriend, Victor. They've been together ever since Tasia got to Elysia three years ago. "I used to do cleaning around the facility," she says, "but I hated it, and Victor hated how I smelled like vinegar and baking soda. It took forever for the smell to go away once I switched jobs. He should be thanking you, you know. Usually it's him who has has to sit here and listen to me chattering away."

"Lucky him," I joke. Really though, I don't mind it. Her talking so much means I don't have to think of things to say.

She points to a weed that's out of her reach. "Can you grab that one?" I nod, tugging the weed out by it's roots. "Tell me about your job. You get to spend hours each day up close and personal with Dale." She waggles her eyebrows. "Must be nice."

I shake my head. "I'm not looking for...anything like that right now. Besides, he blames me for Trenton."

She nods. "So he says, but I've seen the change in him. He doesn't look like he wants to put his fist through a wall when you walk in the room anymore." She laughs, the sound like water bubbling over rocks. "It's a good thing, too. He's someone you want on your side."

I cross my arms but keep my expression even. "I do fine on my own."

She looks at me like a mother looks at a child who's claiming they're not ready for bed, even though their eyelids are drooping, and shrugs. "Sure. For me, though, after yet another procedure, it's nice to have Victor, or one of the girls here, to talk to. It makes everything a little bit better."

I nod, and the conversation lapses into silence. That's great for her, but I've gotten along on my own since I was 5-years-old and it hasn't let me down yet. I pluck at more of the weeds close to me, digging my fingers into the dirt.

"Plus," she grins, clasping her hands in her lap, "having someone to sneak around with at night is exciting in a place as dreadfully boring as this."

I look up. "Sneak around?"

She nods, that same grin still plastered on her face.

"But don't they guard the hallways at night?"

Her eyes glint and she leans forward, mischievous. "In theory." Then she leans back again, propping herself up on her hands. "That female guard from my wing, Ripley? She has Wednesday and Friday nights, and can usually be found behind the counter in the clinic, on top of Dr. Lee, the guy who dispenses our meds."

I laugh, imagining them together. Him, short and young. Her, older and stone faced. An unlikely match.

"And Brandt's always on duty on Saturdays and Sundays. Has he gotten close enough for you to smell his breath?"

I grimace and nod, remembering.

"Well, by 10 o' clock he's almost always passed out drunk." She shifts, rearranging her hands, and I pull the last few weeds from the garden bed. I move my pile onto her much smaller one.

What day is it? I calculate forward from the day I arrived, last Thursday. It's harder than I would expect. Already the days are blurring together, and it feels like I've been here months, not weeks.

Today is Sunday. Brandt is on duty tonight.

"Tasia, have you ever thought of trying to sneak out?" She tilts her head, confused, and I back track. "Not just out of your room. Out of Elysia."

She bursts out laughing. "Why would I do that? I have a life here. I have Victor."

I don't know how to respond. What kind of life is this? But I don't get a chance because she keeps talking.

"Anyway, let's not talk about that. I'm sure everything will work out the way it's supposed to." She dusts off her hands. "You know, you're a good listener. I'm glad you're here."

I'm not glad I'm here, and I can't understand why this girl isn't fighting to escape, but at her words heat radiates through me and I feel weightless. She may be my first real friend. It's too bad I'll probably never see her again after I escape tonight. 

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Author's note: Thank you for reading! Please don't forget to vote if you liked this chapter :).