Chapter Ten: Difficult

For the next few days, Daisuke remained in the medical bay. We didn’t receive much word as to how he was doing. In fact, Hector kept it a secret entirely. Donald wasn’t even to dig up any information. I avoided wandering into the facility during the busy hours to evade the judgmental stares of the many researchers who were present at the experiment. Hector showed similar behavior towards me. The man stayed in his personal lab for most of the time. Abby, his right hand, was the only one he would allow to be in his presence. 

It was business as usual for the other savants. They knew that something had gone wrong in the experiment, but they were more understanding than the rest. Dahlia had deep concerns for both Daisuke and I. She was furious with Hector’s decision to use a dangerous experiment, which resulted in two of her friends nearly dying. I couldn’t begin to comprehend the things that could have happened. Donald showed an intrigued side to the events, wondering what Daisuke saw to make him freak out the way he did. Donald told me as much as the experiment was dangerous, they haven’t had anything bad happen since they started using Daisuke as the prober. I guess there was a first time for everything. 

As the last few days carried on, Demitry became more and more nervous about the approaching Visitation Day. He spent several hours out of every day cleaning his room and working on his manners for when his parents arrived. It had be entertaining at the start, but now his nervous energy was pouring out to everyone else. Donald informed me that Demitry’s parents were uptight, and his dad was a military general with connections to Eden. Demitry surprised us one morning when he came into the commons area with a neatly shaved head. 

Dame and I had our moments. There wasn’t a day that went by where we didn’t have some form of confrontation. However, it was mild conflict that mainly consisted of snotty remarks and even snottier looks we would give each other. I got to a point where I would leave to my room whenever she joined everyone in the commons. I didn’t want her eyes trained on me at all times. It was the same game she would play day-by-day. There were a few times I would catch her in the oddest of places during the night writing things down in a journal and making drawings that looked like something Donald would have his hand in. It was no wonder they got along so well. Her security escort gave me an array of suspicious looks as well. 

The night before visitation, I felt restless again. I woke up from another dream I had about a beach with red sand, the mysterious but oddly familiar voice calling my name behind me. As I rested on my back, I thought about telling Hector. I didn’t know who else to go to who could have possibly deciphered this dream for me. Sadly, tensions were too high to want to take his mind off of Daisuke. I didn’t want to stew over it all night, so I decided to get out of bed, slide my slippers on, and leave my room to watch something on the television for a couple hours. Shuffling down the corridor, I could feel Dahlia present in her room and Dame absent from hers, which didn’t surprise. Dame was about as restless as I was, someone who preferred her solitude at night. 

When I came to the commons area, I noticed that the television had already been turned on. I thought that maybe one of the boys couldn’t sleep. I came closer to the couch, expecting to see either Dorian or Demitry occupying a cushion. There was an older movie playing on the screen. It was a black and white film. To my surprise, it had been Dame who was watching the movie instead. I came to a full stop when I recognized her in the dim, night time scene from the movie. Dame was sitting at the far end of the couch, legs folded to her side and head resting dully in her hand on the armrest. From how she acted, I couldn’t tell if she didn’t notice me yet or if she was plainly ignoring me. Either way, I was nervous to sit down. At the same time, I had just as much right as she did to be able to freely watch a boring movie on the television. 

“Can’t sleep?” I broke silence when I sat down at the opposite end of the couch.

Dame didn’t say a word to me but only glanced at me with her green eyes. I had expected as much. I tried to make myself as comfortable as possible through little movement so as to not annoy the other savant. We sat in silence, but we might as well have been speaking considering the tension was enough to be distracted from the movie. I tried to keep my eyes on the screen, but I couldn’t help but discretely gaze at the girl frequently. What was she thinking about? What thoughts were going through her head right now? The man and the woman in the movie were going through the motions of a dramatic argument, which we both knew would end in a romantic musical number with a kiss at the end. The woman was stern and serious in her tone towards her love interest whereas the man was witty, unbothered by the woman’s harshness. It appeared to be working on her. All of the charm in the world couldn’t work on Dame. 

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look at me so much. It’s kinda creepy.” Dame lightly snapped at me. “Peasant.” 

I frowned. “Sorry, I was just thinking.” 

“Yeah? About what? Nothing too important, I would imagine.” Dame replied, her eyes not leaving the screen. 

I observed her for a second before I gave her an answer. “I was just thinking about why you’re so bitter towards me. Y’know? I haven’t done anything to you.” 

“Maybe it’s none of your concern.” 

“It’d have to be considering we live under the same roof. Can’t we talk this out or something?”

Dame sighed in annoyance. “Morgan, there’s nothing to talk about. Not everyone is going to kiss your a*s, so deal with it.”

I couldn’t think of an appropriate response to what Dame said that wouldn’t result in a fight. Honestly, a huge part of me wanted to lunge at her. Instead, I composed myself and returned to watching the movie. I summed her harshness up to the possibility that it was how Dame was. Everyone played a role to her, and this was mine. Takashi was her bag boy, Donald was her confidant, and I was her verbal punching bag. I never really saw her talk to Demitry or Dahlia much. At least she was kind to Dorian. Stern, but kind. The movie switched to a scene with the man and woman taking a drive in a car along a beach. Of course, they were singing. Dame stirred, and I felt her eyes on me again. I tried to breathe normally and act like it wasn’t bothering me despite how awkward it was making me feel. 

Dame sighed. “If you must know, I have a lot on my mind. It’s not your business though.”

I was surprised. I looked over at the girl. “Do you want to talk about it? I mean, I’m gonna be up for a good while.” 

“I just said it was none of your business, Morgan.” Dame snapped at me again. “You don’t seem to listen very well.” 

“I’m just trying to be helpful. There’s no reason why we can’t be friends or at least try to get along.” 

“I don’t need friends, Morgan.” Dame started getting up from the couch, agitated. “I definitely don’t need help from someone like you.” 

I watched Dame leave in a huff, and I was at a loss wondering what I said to offend her. It definitely didn’t go the route I had expected it to. For a second, I thought Dame was going to be civil with me for the first time. I really wanted her to be, and I realized then that a part of me was seeking her respect. Even if it was a little respect, that would have been good enough for me. After Dame disappeared down the corridor and back to her room, I slid over to the middle of the couch. I grabbed the remote off the table in front of the couch, and I flipped the channel to another movie. 

Hours later, the facility at the height of its busy hours, Donald stuck around in his study to work on his newest project, which was looking to becoming his greatest life achievement if he could design the equipment for it. In his personal lab, he managed to complete a prototype containment device, which looked similar to a glass, jar-like container. The genius decided to test out its capabilities by hooking it up to a previous design, which was a clunky device he invented that was able to produce natural weather changes. Donald spent the morning rigging his weather device to be compatible with his prototype, fitting it with the dispenser of a newer coffee maker. 

Donald had wires strung across his lab, running a cord from the weather device to a large battery he pulled out from the corner of his lab. The battery was another invention of his, and something he designed for Eden’s current project both he and Dame were part of. It contained the power of an entire lightning storm, which was something he needed to be careful with considering his device didn’t need that much power. So, he configured the battery settings to release a minimal charge once every fifteen seconds. The boy figured that would be enough to now blow any circuits. 

Next, Donald pressed a button on the side of the device, which revealed an empty reservoir. He left to a nearby sink and grabbed a glass, filling it up with just enough water to produce the results he was looking for. He brought the glass back to the weather device and filled the reservoir up before closing the side compartment. He stopped to adjust his glasses, taking a deep breath when he felt his heart flutter. Donald, at the steel table that held his devices and leftover scrap, reached for his prototype and locked it in place under the dispenser. 

“Well, here goes nothin’.” Donald smiled before pressing another button, which caused a smooth humming from the weather device. The first charge from the battery went through, and the device began to vibrate. Moisture slowly collected inside the glass, which gave Donald some confidence. However, that was only the start of it. The second charge made the device shake violently, causing the screws on the table to bounce and roll around. The lights in his lab flickered off and on, the humming turning into a blaring noise that sounded similar to a plane engine. 

The glass prototype began to fill with vapor, the condensation remaining around the outskirts. Donald watched intensely, ignoring the nasty noises coming from the device as the third charge kicked in. His initial worry of overloading the weather maker faded away as he watched what was taking place inside the container. He needed just a little more. He needed one more push for this to be successful. An electric shock escaped from the top of the device and struck a light fixture, Donald jumping back as sparks sprinkled down on him. Smoke began to rise from the machine. A fourth charge shocked through the cables and cords, a blinding light flashing in Donald’s face. The device blew, and the electrical discharge knocked out the lights in the lab, kicking Donald back on his rear against a cabinet behind him. 

In the darkness of the lab with little light coming from the other room, Donald sat on the floor and contemplated his life for a minute. His glasses hung off of one of his ears, and he felt no need to correct them at the time. Donald projected the plans he had drawn up to see if he had left out anything and to possibly make a correction. In all honesty, the genius was ready to scrap the design and start fresh. He slowly got to his feet as his projection faded back into his head. Donald rubbed his hands and dusted off his lab coat before fixing the glasses on his face. He glanced around to see if all of the electronics in the lab had been knocked out. 

With his head turned, and out of the corner of his eye, Donald began to see tiny flashes coming from the weather device. Shortly after these flashes was a low vibration. Donald pulled a pen light from the pocket of his coat and shined it at the device. The weather maker itself was completely fried, but the container had remained unscathed in the dispenser aside from a few cracks in the inner layer of glass. He placed the pen light between his lips and immediately detached the container, holding it up to his face to see if the flashing had been coming from inside. The glass was warm to the touch, and it vibrated in his had. The vapor, from what he could see, was darker in color now. The inner layer of glass was drenched with condensation. Then little flashes blinked behind the glass, dimmed by the vapor. Donald smiled as a wave of excitement came over him. There were modifications he needed to make, but he was successful. 

Donald heard shuffling from the other room, which grabbed his attention. He placed the pen light back in his pocket and left the lab to investigate the noise. The tapping of his shoes became softer when they met with the wooden floor, slowly coming around the corner to see who had been invading his space. The first thing that had caught his attention was a row of books being in a slant on the wall opposite him, which meant a book had been missing. His ladder was out of place, so it had to be someone with no telekinesis. 

Dame was parked at Donald’s desk with her nose in a thick book, simultaneously jotting down information she found important in her journal. Donald observed her for a moment, waiting to see if she noticed him watching her. Dame couldn’t be bothered though. She scrolled her finger along several passages, her other hand taking notes at the same time. The girl flipped a page and repeated the process. 

“I should have guessed it was you.” Donald smiled. 

“Not now. I’m working.” Dame spoke immediately, her eyes glued to what she was reading.

Donald approached his desk and stood opposite from the girl. “On what? I thought they were done with their little project.” 

“They’re running diagnostics to make sure everything remains stable. They haven’t actually tested it yet.” Dame flipped another page. “And I’m triple checking everything, if you must know.” 

“Making you nervous, is it?”

“Well, it is nine years of my life. What do you think?”

Donald couldn’t tell what Dame was writing, but he knew it wasn’t everything to said she was doing by the pictures in the book and the drawings in her journal. He had made a similar design before but failed in its construction due to a flaw he couldn’t understand. Donald shifted around the desk to get a better look at what Dame had been doing. The boy squinted and loomed into her airspace, Dame pressing her lips together to sustain her agitation. 

“I don’t know, Dame. It looks like you’re doing a lot more than data checks.” Donald smiled again. 

“D****t, Donnie.” Dame huffed and slammed her journal shut. “You don’t need to snoop.”

“And you don’t need to hide stuff from me.” Donald replied. “I mean, what am I gonna do? Report you? I’m just as interested as you are with this, and you know that by now.” 

Dame looked at the genius and narrowed her eyes in suspicion at first. She leaned back in her chair, placing her pencil behind an ear. Donald took a seat on the edge of the desk and turned so that he was partially facing her, waiting for a response. Ignoring Donald would go over like a lead balloon, which was an inconvenient fact Dame was still learning to deal with. She couldn’t fool Donald. 

Dame sighed. “I’m making modifications.”

“What kind?”

“The impossible kind.” Dame rubbed her eyes from the lack of sleep she had been getting. “At least that’s what it’s seeming like.”

Donald looked at the page Dame was on and recalled the designs in her journal. “Temporal relocation? You know that’s impossible science, right?”

Dame cocked her head at Donald. “Donnie, I make wormholes appear at will. Do you honestly think this is beyond the realm of possibility for me?” 

“For you, no. For mankind and lack of technology, yeah.” 

“If I could do it myself, I would. However, I’ll reach plateau before I can even get to that point.” She rested her head in her hands. “So, I have no choice but to do it the hard way.”

“Are you doing this because of your folks?”

Dame twitched at the question, not willing to give him an answer. Her eyes became drawn to the container in Donald’s hand, the small flashes getting her attention. “What is that?”

Donald looked down at the invention in his hand and smiled. He set it down on the desk so Dame could get a better look at it. “My latest invention. A thunderstorm in a jar.”

Dame examined the contraption carefully, a look of suspicion coming to her face. She was fascinated by what Donald had created, but she knew him much better than that. The girl held the container in her hand so that she could feel the rumbling from the thunder inside. She had a mind to ask Donald for an explanation on how he managed to create a weather system in such a compact space, but other questions came to mind. Such minor inventions were uncommon to what Donald normally assembled from his brain. 

“Okay, so what did you really make? I know you didn’t do this for the hell of it. You already have one machine that does this.” Dame eyeballed the genius. 

Donald shrugged. “Just a side project I’m doing in my spare time. Something Eden might be very interested in later on.” Donald reached for the container. “This is just the prototype, too. It needs to be stronger, as you can see. More durable to intense energies.”

“What are you trying to do?” 

“Same thing as you. Trying to achieve the impossible.”

Dame stared at Donald for several seconds, trying to read his face and see if she could find an answer anywhere. She wished she could read his mind. Regardless, she had other work to do aside from toying around in Donald’s study. Dame dismissed Donald’s odd activity and grabbed her journal off the desk. She informed him that she was leaving to prepare herself for the visitation in a few hours, and Donald agreed that he was going to do the same after he cleaned up his lab and restored power to it. As Dame was walking towards the exit of his study, Donald had one thought that needed clarification. 

“Before you go, can I ask you something?” Donald asked. 

Dame turned part of the way around to acknowledge him. “What?”

“Why are you so harsh towards Desley?” Donald cocked his head. 

“Why do you care?”

“Because I’m interested to know. Saying it’s because she’s a useless subject is a straight out lie because I know you read her file, and I know you saw the footage. All of it. Desley is a unique venture for Eden. So, what’s the real reason?” Donald crossed his arms. 

Dame wasn’t able to say anything at first, caught off guard by Donald’s bluntness. Slowly, the words came to her. “If I were to be completely honest,” she started, “the similarities are very close, and I don’t like it.” 

“But they’re not the same person.” 

“Neither was 27 at the very start.”

Donald thumbed his lip in thought. “I had a feeling this was the reason why, but Desley isn’t anything like 27.”

“27 wasn’t like 27. You don’t start that way. You get to that point.” Dame paused. “I don’t want to talk about this.” 

“C’mon, we all knew 27 was a little batshit from the start. I know that’s what made him unique in Eden’s perspective, but the guy had a lot of problems.” 

“Did you know him? Did you ever know a single thing about him!?” Dame snapped. “You couldn’t possibly understand because you weren’t there when it happened.”

Donald eased up some before he had an angry teenager shoving him through a portal. The boy sighed. “Look, I know they have similarities. It’s a painful reminder, I know. Just, y’know, try to remember they’re not the same person. Would be nice to be able to walk around without all of that tension between you two.” Donald scratched behind his ear. “Desley’s a good person. You might actually like her if you gave her a chance.” 

Dame scoffed at the boy and rolled her eyes. She left Donald to be alone in his study, fuming down the hallway as the memories stirred through her head. The screaming. The glass flying through the air. The blood. The flat, packing sound the moment it was all over. This had been what traveled through Dame’s head, and it haunted her. 

Dorian had woken me up early for today’s visitation. The amount of energy the boy had was astounding, and it made me even more exhausted just witnessing him running around the commons as I carried my clothes to the bathroom for a shower. I had to shout at Dorian several times to get ready. This was another moment where I felt like a parent. Demitry was having Dahlia help him with his tie, Dorian running in circles around them. I could feel the nervousness oozing off of him as Dahlia worked her hands with his tie. Today was going to be a madhouse. I could feel it. 

I wasn’t ready for any of the emotional waves this day was going to bring. Thinking about everyone seeing their parents made me feel a little more lonely than usual. I was only looking forward to Dorian being able to see his mother. As bitter as I felt nowadays towards my mother abandoning me, I still missed her. I knew she wasn’t coming today, but deep in my heart, I wanted to see her more than anything. I needed to know she still thought about me. 

I stripped out of my pajamas before stepping into one of the shower stalls off to the side in the bathroom. I had let the water warm up before getting in, but it felt like heaven washing over me as soon as the warmth from it touched my skin. My own little space away from everyone and everything that was wrong. Showering was the only peace I could have without anyone bothering me. Peace. My mind drifted to the conversation I had with Donald about peace and harmony. If I had to give it my own definition, through Donald’s perspective, this was what peace was to me. I only wanted to slow down time so I could enjoy this more and delay the inevitable emotional rollercoaster I was getting ready to endure. 

The weirdest thing happened as I wished this.

I placed my head against the shower wall and let the water run over my head. As I thought about wanting to spend longer in the shower, I felt the water suddenly stop pattering my skin. Everything had gone silent in a matter of seconds. There was a tingling in the back of my head, and my body remained warm. It was another sensation I couldn’t put words to, but it felt like the parts of me that weren’t physical had spread out everywhere. When I looked up to see what was going on with the shower head, I was freaked out by seeing that the water had remained still mid-fall. I glanced around and found that the billows of steam had ceased floating about the shower stall. Was I doing this?

“What sorcery is this?” I asked myself as I touched the droplets, their form breaking against my fingertips. Then, just as quickly as it happened, the water began falling to the tile again. The shower head continued streaming over my head, and I was left in another pit of confusion. I didn’t know what I did this time. I wasn’t even positive if it had been me doing it. I spent another minute staring at my hand trying to figure it out. 

After I finished showering and put on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, creme colored shirt, I left the bathroom to join the others out in the commons. I was still drying my hair with a towel when Demitry zoomed by me, marching down the corridor to Dahlia’s room.. It was odd to see Demitry without a mohawk. The boy was dressed formally with a white dress shirt and black slacks. He had a tie clutched in his hand, I noticed. My only assumption was that he was having trouble with it. A few seconds later, I saw Takashi coming up the stairs with a man and a woman, both Japanese. They were probably his and Daisuke’s parents. Takashi led them down the boy’s corridor, and I didn’t see them after that. Takashi only glanced at me once, and he gave me an odd look before turning away from me. I knew what that was about.

Demitry and Dahlia reentered the commons area minutes later. Dahlia was dressed nicer than usual, trading in her ripped jeans and edgy shirts for a black dress with a red bow at the waist. She wore her boots with her dress though. Demitry had his tie on right thanks to Dahlia, but his sharp appearance didn’t mask how nervous he was. The boy walked frigidly as the two made their way down the stairs. I saw Donald standing to the side of the staircase, leaning against the marble railing as looked over the guests who were waiting below for their children. Leaving the towel around my shoulders, I silently joined Donald at his side to take a look for myself. 

I saw Dahlia cheerfully hug both of her parents down below. There was a smaller boy with them who bared no resemblance to either of them, so I assumed he was adopted. Dahlia was relaxed, joyous. She spoke well of the institute and the others she was working with, praising Hector for all of his help in finding her a position in the facility. There was smiling. There was more smiling I had ever seen in a family. The smaller boy spent most of the time seemingly attached to Dahlia’s hip, so I knew they were close. Her parents briefly looked to Donald and I, Dahlia following their eye line then proceeding to discuss us individually. She turned to us again and waved, and I could only smile back at her. Eventually, Dahlia offered her family a tour of the facility, and they left towards the elevator. 

“I didn’t think she was allowed to do that.” I mentioned to Donald. 

“Dahlia’s parents are part of Eden on behalf of her wellbeing.” Donald leaned more against the railing. “They’re involved with everything she does, so they’re aware of most of everything that goes on here.” 

“Most of everything?”

“Do you want to be the one to tell them about Daryl?” 

Donald made a decent point. I figured it was best to not know everything from a parental perspective. Dahlia was building her future through Eden, and knowing the bad things might take that away from her. I looked to see how Demitry was doing, his family reunion resembling quite the opposite of Dahlia’s. He was further to the other side of the lobby, a woman and an older man dressed in a military uniform standing in front of him. Demitry kept his head down for most of the time, occasionally nodding and giving answers to the man’s questions in such a way that you’d think he was informing the president. The woman appeared to be bored and disinterested. A neglecting mother and a stern father. Demitry’s parents. My heart ached for the boy, and I could see why he acted out so much through his own self expression. 

“Demitry’s father is the head of the security units for Eden.” Donald informed me. 

“He looks military.” I said. 

“Did you expect a mall cop? He’s that typical branch of military that everyone is aware of but has to act like it doesn’t exist. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be such a secret.” 

“He looks like he could squeeze a diamond out of his a*s.” 

“He’s not too impressed with his job. It’d be bad news for us if it was anything fulfilling.” Donald said. “His job is to contain and eliminate threats, basically.” 

I looked at Donald. “Well, that doesn’t sound very pleasant.”

“I’m glad he ain’t my daddy.” Donald snickered. “Still, I do feel bad for Demitry.”

I nodded my head. “No doubt. They don’t look pleased with him.”

“Commander Morello had a gifted son, but the gifts he had didn’t impress him none.” Donald rhymed. “Guy was expecting something out of the Bible and got a kid who could feel too much. So, embarrassed, Morello shipped his son to Eden in hopes they could develop something useful for him.”

“Whereas I scare the hell out of my mother.” 

Donald glanced at me. “Is she gonna be coming today?”

“Probably not.” I shook my head.

The lobby doors opened, and another group came in. There was an older boy who appeared to be around Takashi’s age, if not older. With him were two children, a boy and a girl, who looked to be between six or eight-years-old. At first, I thought they had been here for Donald, but Donald did not move from his spot to go meet them. They weren’t with Demitry. They weren’t there for Dahlia. Dorian had come to mind, but he only ever mentioned his mother, and his mother was the only family I knew he had. Perhaps, they were Hector’s family. Niece and nephews, I thought. So, I was greatly surprised when I saw Dame appear below us from the kitchen area and make a straight line to the group. The two children ran to her, and she scooped them both up in her arms. She hugged each one of them tightly, finally hugging the older boy last. 

The two children were talking a mile a minute. Dame listened to them carefully, nodding occasionally to let the two know she was keeping up with their stories. The other boy had his arms crossed, smiling as he watched them. I didn’t see any much older adults follow behind them, so I had wondered where her parents could have been. I was curious to see what adults raised the rude individual I had to put up with on a daily basis. Still, seeing Dame smile so much placed her in a different light. I wasn’t going to admit to this though. I had never seen her smile until now. 

“What’s up with that?” I asked Donald. 

“Those are her two brothers and her sister. Victor’s the eldest. I forget the name’s of the other two.” He rested his head in his hand. 

“Where are her parents?” I sneered. “Fed up with dealing with her attitude? Can’t say I would blame them.”

Donald sighed and shook his head. “You really are a dense one, Desley.”

I shrugged my shoulders at him. “I mean, if she’s so perfect, I would think her perfect parents would be praising what a perfect daughter they have.”

“Desley,” Donald started, “Dame’s parents aren’t here because they’ve cut off communication with her entirely. Her only family are those three down there.” Donald pointed. “And she’s lucky she has them. Victor has the little ones every so often, and he sneaks them here on visitation without the parents knowing.”

“Why?” I asked, feeling somewhat bad about my statement.

“Well, I think you should know by now that there are only two ways you get picked up by Eden.” Donald held up two fingers. “One way is if you’re like me or Dahlia. Your abilities are that impressive or unique in some way that they could benefit Eden. Way two, you do something bad enough to get noticed. I think you can relate.”

I was confused for a moment. “So, you’re saying Dame did something bad to get here?”

Donald nodded to me.

“Like what?”

“I’m not sure. She’s never felt the need to share it with anyone. However, I imagine it must be bad enough for her parents to have nothing to do with her. Her name isn’t even real either. I don’t even know it. Anything that happened in the past she avoids completely. That includes people who resemble it, Desley. Her whole life is Eden, and unless you’re one of the three down below, that’s all she’ll ever care about.” Donald started to leave my side. “Just shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, y’know?”

I pondered everything Donald had said to me as he left. I wanted to ask him more, but I felt as if I was a question away from striking the wrong nerve. Donald understood Dame better than anyone, and that was made clear. My outlook towards Dame was lighter now. The thought of her annoyed me to my core, but seeing her with her family made me think differently. I was looking at someone else who wasn’t the bitter girl I knew. Apart from what Dame stated, it was possible we were more alike than she believed. 

I was ready to take a seat on the couch, but Dorian appeared from the boy’s corridor with the flowers he had picked out for his mother. Like everyone else who had visitors today, he was dressed nicely in khaki pants and a navy sweater vest. The flowers were neatly wrapped as if he had just bought them. Just the same, they looked as healthy, too. It had been a few days since we picked them out, and I was surprised to see that they were still lively and bright with color. Maybe Donald had something to do with keeping the flowers healthy. 

Dorian approached me with a smile on his face that showed he was more than excited to see his mother. I had to admit that I was excited myself. I didn’t think she was here yet, but I didn’t mind the thought of waiting for her to show up. Whatever amount of waiting was worth it even though it pained me to see everyone else with their family compared to my lack of one. I was even a little jealous. I tried not to let it get to me. 

The small boy motioned for me to follow him. 

“Your mom’s already here?” I questioned. 

Dorian nodded, the flowers held comfortably between his hands.

“She’s been here? For how long?” I was confused. 

Dorian shrugged his shoulders and suggested he didn’t have anymore patience to wait. With or without me, he was going to see his mother. I wasn’t going to question further as Dorian already began to make his way down the staircase. I followed after him to see where he would go. Dorian led us around the side of the staircase opposite the kitchen area. Dame and I shared a brief glance to each other, but there were no harsh faces. No negative energy. It was a single moment where we shared a neutral regard for one another. Passing by Demitry, I could hear the cold scolding from his father over his lack of progress with advancing his abilities. He was disappointed that he didn’t have a son who couldn’t blow things up with his mind. I don’t think he understood what a blessing it was that Demitry didn’t have such power. 

The section of the building Dorian had led us through was a type of storage space. None of us usually came back here, but it also served as a backdoor entry. Clothes we outgrew would be stored in this part of the building for Hector’s people to ship off to a charity as a donation. Unneeded possessions were placed back here as well. It was dark with little lighting. Dorian didn’t have trouble navigating through the clutter, but I occasionally ran my shin into a box that sat obscured from its place with the rest of the boxes stacked up. I moved in shuffles out of fear of stepping on something that would make me fall. There was a door at the very back of this section that Dorian was walking towards. It led to the outside behind the building, and I was curious as to why we were going there. 

We stepped out into the light and mildly chilly air. I could tell that the season was beginning to change, and it would be getting colder soon. I was partially glad for this because most of my wardrobe had consisted of long sleeves and a numerous amount of hoodies. I basically wore the same t-shirts over and over again for the warmer weather. So, I had hoped we weren’t going to be outside for long once we found his mother. 

Immediately, Dorian took off towards the lonely cemetery the institute had in the back of its building, sealed off from the public by a large, stone wall with a tiny gate in the back. I followed Dorian down the main aisle. He passed by row upon row without a second glance, so he obviously knew where he was going. I found it out that he would meet his mother in a cemetery though. Since he only mentioned his mother, I figured maybe his father was buried here. Maybe this was where they chose to meet up every year. No doubt, there was a stream of happiness flowing from the little boy. My little buddy. 

Dorian squeaked when he turned down an aisle, so I knew he must have found her. I walked at a casual pace so that I wouldn’t startle her when we met. I felt Dorian talking about his past year at the institute to her. Most of his conversation consisted of his misadventures with me and how good I had been to him while she’s away. I paused for a second before I turned down the row of grave stones to let him continue with my interruption. This was the happiest Dorian had been, and I didn’t want to shift his focus. He rambled on about every minor event that had happened. He proclaimed his love for his mother after a brief stop between stories.

I decided to make my appearance after a couple minutes. I turned down the row expecting to see Dorian and another woman but only found the little boy instead. I approached him, keeping my eye out for his mother in case she had moved somewhere I couldn’t see. Dorian watched me the whole time, a smile on his face that carried from ear-to-ear. Dorian was sitting on his knees in front of a grave stone when I finally joined him. I didn’t find another lady there with us. A moment before asking Dorian where his mother ran off to, I noticed he had set the flowers in front of the grave stone. I stood behind Dorian as I read the name on the stone. Theresa Fletcher was the name inscribed. The feeling that came over me was indescribable when I made the connection. It bothered me in ways I didn’t know how to deal with. Even with Dorian officially introducing me to his mother, I had difficulty keeping a cheerful composure. I had remorseful feelings for Dorian to the point I could have sworn I was mourning a woman I had known as well as I knew the child. 

It was difficult to describe the reasons why. 

As usual, I couldn’t sleep that night. I had turned in earlier than normal, my presence among the others not being as joyous. I didn’t want to hear about them talk about their parents. Their families. I didn’t want to hear it. I felt displaced in my emotions because of it. I could hardly pinpoint what emotion I was feeling or if it was an entire spectrum of feelings. Items were falling off my desk as well, which also kept me awake. It sucked. One second, I felt so depressed that I could hardly move. The following second, I had so much agitation built up in me that I had bad thoughts towards everyone who had someone they could call their mother and father. Not Dorian though. Oddly enough, not Dame either. Tonight was difficult. 

I left my room and sneaked down the corridor to the commons area. The television was turned off, so I knew there was no one present nor did I feel a presence. However, I did feel a life form a level below me. I shuffled to the staircase and quietly made my way down, the guard posted by the door asleep with a magazine draped over his face. I took a right at the stairs and headed back towards the kitchen area. My slippers met the white, matte tile, and I reached to turn on some of the lights. The overhead lights from the cooking area was all that I had to guide me. A steal row of cabinets separated the cooking area from the dining. There was a long countertop to my left, and a voice halted me from turning on another light. 

I was genuinely surprised because it was normally Dame who would startle me with her habit of appearing at random places during the night. This time though, as I approached the voice sitting in the dark behind the counter, I realized it was Hector. The head psychologist had planted himself on a stool in the dimness of the kitchen with a bottle of alcohol for who knows how long. He convinced me to leave the other lights off because they hurt his eyes. I stood across from him on the other side of the counter. There was an odd feeling I was getting from him. Hector wasn’t his normal self at this time. He wasn’t in a bad way, but I could tell I wasn’t the only one who had difficulties during visitation. 

“Hector, what are you doing down here?” I asked. 

“Just getting some alone time with myself. Lord knows I don’t get much of it. Then again, I get plenty of it, too.” Hector’s words didn’t quite slur yet. “You come down here for a cookie? You hungry?”

I shook my head. “Actually, I couldn’t sleep. Today was very, very draining.” 

“Trust me, I know what you mean exactly.” Hector chuckled for a second before his smile faded. “If it makes you feel any better, Daisuke is doing a lot better now.”

I folded my arms on the counter. “That’s good. I’m glad to hear he’s okay.” 

Silence came over us as the light buzzing from the overhead lights filled the lonely void of the kitchen. I kept my eyes to the counter, contemplating if there were really cookies somewhere in the kitchen and if I should have one. Hector had looked less professional than normal. His shirt was ruffled. His tie was loose. The man was out of his lab coat, and maybe that was why I thought he looked a touch rough. It made me realize that Hector was more than his lab coat. He was human with his own problems, too. The rest of us were use to seeing Hector the psychologist. Right now, I was looking at Hector the human.

“She’s not his real mother, if you’re feeling bad about that.” Hector spoke. 

Confusion struck me. “What? What do you mean?”

Hector leaned back. “I mean, she really isn’t his mother. Not his real one, anyhow.” He took another drink from the glass he poured sometime ago. “Daniel brought Dorian here was he was a baby. A newborn, maybe. He said he found Dorian, and he showed abilities he had never thought were possible.”

“Isn’t that with all of us though?”

“Yes and no. See, Dorian is capable of doing things no savant has ever done before. Not even close. He shouldn’t even be able to do it because it throws off the entire balance of nature. He will be quite a wonder when he gets older.” Hector smiled to himself. 

“What can Dorian do, Hector?” I was curious, hoping he had been drinking enough to slip me a hint.

Hector stared at me, his face scrunching with suspicion before sticking the glass to his lips and saying, “That’s classified.” 

“Why is it so classified? I mean, you have a savant who creates portals out of nowhere and a super genius in your basement who could probably construct a warhead from a paperclip.” I cringed at saying paperclip. 

“If it got out what Dorian could do, it could place everyone in danger. All of Eden would be in jeopardy. Daniel brought Dorian here because he would be safer. A child needs a mother, so one of Daniel’s assistance, Theresa Fletcher, was appointed to be the replacement.” Hector said. 

“Hector, what did my dad do here? Like, why was he part of Eden?” I asked him. 

Hector smiled again and rested on his arms. “Ol’ Danny.” Memories were swimming through his eyes. “I guess it would have to start with when your dad personally encountered the savant who brought about the rise of Eden. Darcy August. Very powerful savant. The world’s first known proxy, which is a term your dad coined for savants whose abilities could be considered godlike. Darcy wasn’t necessarily a good proxy, but she did save your dad from being abducted as a child. She was put to death after saving a whole city, and your father was obsessed after that. Eden was forged to further study children who were born with savant abilities. At first, it was a prevention program. When Daniel joined, he changed the game. He saw savants as being able to better the world with their evolved state. He made Eden what it is now.” Hector chuckled. “In fact, your dad was a savant himself. He understood better than anyone else what a savant was, and I think that’s what made him so brilliant. His next project was being able to activate savant abilities in normal people, but he never finished it.” 

Hector’s recollection of my father astounded me with all of the stories I never imagined were true. My father was a compassionate human being, and he transformed the face of Eden with his work. He had accomplished so much. Hector shared with me a story about how he managed to have telepathy for an hour because of my dad’s experiments. It failed, and his brain had been mildly damaged from the experiment, but it was a step closer to creating everyone as equal. My father had believed such abilities distributed across the globe would bring the human race closer together. It would set everyone on an equal scale to where we could build and rebuild together. The abilities would distract from the petty differences and bring about an evolution. A revolution from what we know now. As good as this all seemed, I couldn’t get past how he left my mother and I alone for this. 

“Hector, be honest with me.” I cut him off. “What happened to my father?”

Hector grew quiet, a look of mourning coming over his face. Every time the man looked at me, I could tell he didn’t want to say anything. I wasn’t going to simply let it go though. I wanted to know. I needed to know. He disappeared from my life seven years ago without a reason why, and I needed that closure. 

“What happened to Daniel was the same thing that happened to Theresa. It was the same thing that happened to my wife and child.” Hector started. “Subject 27 had taken everyone away that day in the lab. Your father included. It was an experiment he had been conducting for quite sometime. He thought he had it perfected. Scientists are wrong sometimes.”

I briefly remembered the story Hector told me my first day of being at Eden. The savant who lost control of his power and obliterated nearly everyone in the room. 

“Did he die?” I was nervous to ask him, not prepared for the answer.

Hector took a deep breath. He stared at me for a long time as if he was looking through my face. “Honestly, I don’t know. He was just gone. Daniel could be anywhere, but he’s not here. There wasn’t any trace of him left in the lab, and I try to take comfort in that.” Hector brought his arms into himself. “He was my best friend. If it hadn’t been for the other savant, Dorian and I wouldn’t be here either.”

“Who was the savant? Is she still here?” I asked, hoping I could ask more about my father from another person. 

“She’s definitely still here.” Hector nodded. 

“Who is it?”

“Dame.”