Written: Saturday. March 21, 2020.
Tom and the others arrived inside of the cafeteria. They looked and asked around if anybody had seen Toby enter awhile ago, and all they heard were answers saying that he went by and left. Tom saw Mara’s group and was about to approach, until Drew slapped a hand on his wrist and held him steady.
“We can’t risk letting others know of what’s happening within our circle.” Drew proclaimed towards his friend.
“Then what can we do?” Tom took back his hand from Drew. “We have no clue where Toby might be.”
“Maybe he went back up to class.” Amanda suggested. Drew continued as if she hadn’t.
“Look, we don’t know what went down here. He might’ve talked to Mara awhile ago.” Drew subtly pointed towards Mara’s group. Tom noticed that she kept looking down, and nodded passively whenever one of her friends were talking to her or asked her something.
“He might’ve spoken to the real one.” Tom said. “The real Mara, I mean. Just look at her. That’s why he isn’t here. Who knows what the dude’s dealing with right now in that head of his.”
“It’s almost thirty minutes.” June interrupted. “He’s not here. Which means he’s already left. Either back to the classroom, or… “ June looked to see if anybody was about to give out a suggestion. “well?”
“I’m thinking! I’m thinking!” Tom exclaimed.
“The bench!” Drew screamed.
“The bench?” June and Amanda asked in unison.
“You maybe right, pal.” Tom said to Drew. “No time to explain, ladies. Follow us.” Tom started for Gate A.
The gazebo was empty during Recess time. Not a lot of people would hang around that place until Lunchtime came. Which was why Toby decided to go there after his encounter with Mara. The real Mara. He thought to himself. It was the safest place he could go to whenever Tom and Drew weren’t around on schooldays. He rarely hung out with anybody anyway, and it’d just be disturbing to sit by himself on the stone bench… before it was taken away.
He paced inside of the gazebo. Washed his hands and face every two minutes with the faucet placed on one side of the gazebo, hoping that his mind spare him of this stress. Yet the memory was latched on to his brain as if it had happened merely moments ago. It did happen just moments ago. He thought, as he buried his face again on the puddle made with by two hands.
He heard a faint voice calling out to him. He looked up, and saw his friends. “Go away!” He yelled at them. But they barely even stopped moving towards the gazebo. He closed the faucet and rubbed the dripping water aggressively out of his face. His friends arrived inside of the gazebo. “What did I just say?”
“We heard.” Tom said to him.
“Doesn’t mean we’d listen.” Drew added.
Amanda sat down on one of the benches and settled Toby’s bag — which she brought with her just in case Omnius wanted to get out without their consent — revealing Omnius inside. He took a deep breath, which was ridiculous to look at, cause Omnius didn’t need to breath.
“Thought I was gonna suffocate inside that thing!” Omnius told no one in particular.
“You don’t need oxygen!” Toby yelled at the talking metal box.
“Exactly!” Toby planted a hand on his face so hard that the remaining water splashed across the area. Omnius laughed upon seeing him do this. Amanda immediately raised Omnius up and placed him back inside of the backpack, despite his constant yelling for help. She kept shushing him as she closed the bag’s zipper.
Macrodon apparently got out, but was barely any nuisance, so Amanda just placed him inside of his cookie jar and tuckered him in her arms. Amanda noticed that they were all looking at her. “What?”
Toby faced back towards Tom and Drew, “Where were you two this morning? Grabbing a few more hours of sleep because you three — “ he quickly pointed towards Amanda and the two of them. “spent the weekend together playing Defenders Online? What were you guys talking about in there? Hmm?”
June stepped forward and held Toby in his place as much as she could. Toby only continued.
“You’ve three have been talking behind my back, haven’t you?”
“It’s not like that, Toby.” Drew answered.
“So what if it is?” Tom asked Toby in a tone that got Drew holding him down just as June held Toby in place. Drew whispered for Tom to calm down, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. “So what if we were talking about you? We’re not backstabbing you, fucker! We’re trying to help your stupid ass!”
Both of them tried to advance at each other. Drew held Tom in place, and Amanda stood up from the bench in order to tap June out of her hold on Toby. She pushed too hard, sending Toby backwards and onto the floor. He was never much for handling his own balance.
Amanda put her hand out to him. “I didn’t mean to — “ she started, as Toby slapped her hand away from him and slowly carried himself up from the floor.
He twitched as his left hand touched the ground. He looked at it, and saw a line of blood across his palm. June gasped, and looked at Toby’s bruised hand closely, before he angrily took it away and moved for the faucet. He let the blood flow down the drain as the water hit his hand. He tried touching the cut wound, and tensed as he did so.
June went by his side, “Let me help — “
“I said… go away.” He calmly said to her. But his expression said otherwise. June slowly nodded, and looked back to her friends. “Go.”
Toby grabbed her wrist. “What did I say?”
“I heard you.” June replied to him. She grabbed hold of his arm as firmly as he did so with hers, and just looked at him.
Toby slowly looked back down to the running water. June nodded towards Tom and the others. They got the queue, and went back up their building. When they were out of sight, she looked back at Toby, and noticed the tears falling down his face.
She walked along corridors, hallways of rooms filled with children. One adult in each of these rooms, facing the other direction, telling things to the children. Peculiar things. They all would just nod and listen. Some would raise their hands. Those who were chosen get to stand up and speak in front of the other children. She understood none of this, and at the same time, was very familiar with all of what was there. Somehow… somehow it’s as if she was one of these children. They all wore the same clothes. And she wore them too, for a reason she could not put a finger on. But the answer is there. It was just there, one moment. And there it went again. Gone.
Mara didn’t go inside any of the rooms. She hesitated to do so. And she didn’t know why she would. But it feels so natural. She thought to herself. That I would enter one of these rooms, sit down with all the others, and pay attention to the lady, or the man by the platformed stage. Writing down his or her scribbles which make no sense whatsoever. I understand of course. But how do I understand somethings I did not know in the first place? Where am I? She looked around the hall, and saw a man walking towards her.
He was perspiring, this man. Sweat trickled down his neck; his clothes wet. Who might he be? Mara asked within herself. She looked at the approaching man’s face. He looked familiar — this man.
“Hello.” She said to the man. The man stopped in front of her, and met her eye level.
“Where have you been?” The man said to her. She recognized his voice, but didn’t know why. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
She thought for a moment. Where have I been? “All over, is where I’ve been, sir.” She answered him. The man tilted his head at her. He sighed, and pressed a hand on his face.
“What’s the situation this time, Lady? Full-fledged Amnesia? With all the breaching you’ve been doing to that boy, I was sure you’d break eventually. Now look at you.” He ruffled the sides of her clothes. They were dirty, she realized.
But then again. She mused to herself. they’re not mine. So why do I wear them? “You know who I am, mister?”
“Ervagh.”
“Pardon?”
“My name is Ervagh, my Queen. Have you forgotten that as well? Or do you much prefer I be called by that human name you gave me. What was it again… John!”
“John?” Mara yelled out the name, as if she had just remembered. She looked at him, and the memory was gone again. “I’m sorry… I don’t think I know a John.” she paused. She felt her head floating as she attempted to sort out her thoughts. “Or was it that I did, but couldn’t remember… “
“Oh, dear.” the man said. “Look at me, my Lady.” Mara had been looking down. Tilting her head up made the world go slow. “What do you think your name is? Huh? Who are you? What is your name?”
“M-my… name… “ She felt the world turning. “my… name is… Mara.”
“So not just Amnesia, I see.” The man shook his head in disbelief. “False Identity as well.”
Toby and June got back in their classroom in time for the next period. June immediately went through her bag’s outside compartments, and shuffled the items that were inside. She was looking for something. A minute went by as she finally took the item she was looking for: an Bottle of Green Cross Alcohol. Toby just sat in his seat, not looking at anything but the board in front of him. Or was he looking into the void? June thought to herself. Probably the latter.
She opened up the bottle and took Toby’s still-bleeding hand. Toby tensed, and she held on tighter. “We need to disinfect it, idiot.” She whispered to him, trying not to cause any commotion inside of the on going lecture. Some of the students near them noticed the cut in Toby’s hand, but dismissed it just as quickly. Toby let out a deep sigh before surrendering to June’s hospitality.
“… Sorry.” he whispered to her.
“Come again?” June asked. A mild smile formed on the side of her lips. “Didn’t quite catch that.”
“I’m not gonna repeat it.” Toby replied to her. June then doused his hand with the alcohol, a little bit too many, and a little bit too quick for Toby to have prepared for the incoming pain.
He let out a small yelp, and immediately bit his lips. June snickered at this, and Toby closed his eyes as he breathed heavily, hopefully to counter the accursed spell. “Damn you.”
“I can’t hear you-u.” She let another droplet of alcohol fall into his hand. Toby tried his best to keep his screams internally.
“Alright! Alright, I’m sorry for what happened awhile ago. Can you lay off the witchcraft already?”
“Almost done.” June answered him. She put the alcohol away, and took out another bottle. Toby tried taking his hand from her, but she never gave him a chance. Toby let out a deep sigh as he saw what the other bottle was.
“It’s just Betadine. Good God!”
“You still owe me another apology, though.” June said to him, as she squeezed some of the Betadine fluid on a small cotton ball.
“For what?” Toby asked her. “And why do you have the whole clinic inside of your bag? Don’t tell me you also have Nurse Anne in there.”
“I come prepared, dummy. And the apology is for awhile ago.”
“I already said I was — “
“No, not that!” June interrupted him. “I was right, you know. About this morning. And you said, ‘but June! She knew things!’.”
Toby’s expression fell from his face, and started breathing heavily again as he remembered what happened down at the cafeteria. June noticed this and quickly tried calming him down. “Okay, okay! Never mind! Just relax. Here comes the Betadine, ya Cry-Baby!”
Tom and the others arrived inside of the cafeteria. They looked and asked around if anybody had seen Toby enter awhile ago, and all they heard were answers saying that he went by and left. Tom saw Mara’s group and was about to approach, until Drew slapped a hand on his wrist and held him steady.
“We can’t risk letting others know of what’s happening within our circle.” Drew proclaimed towards his friend.
“Then what can we do?” Tom took back his hand from Drew. “We have no clue where Toby might be.”
“Maybe he went back up to class.” Amanda suggested. Drew continued as if she hadn’t.
“Look, we don’t know what went down here. He might’ve talked to Mara awhile ago.” Drew subtly pointed towards Mara’s group. Tom noticed that she kept looking down, and nodded passively whenever one of her friends were talking to her or asked her something.
“He might’ve spoken to the real one.” Tom said. “The real Mara, I mean. Just look at her. That’s why he isn’t here. Who knows what the dude’s dealing with right now in that head of his.”
“It’s almost thirty minutes.” June interrupted. “He’s not here. Which means he’s already left. Either back to the classroom, or… “ June looked to see if anybody was about to give out a suggestion. “well?”
“I’m thinking! I’m thinking!” Tom exclaimed.
“The bench!” Drew screamed.
“The bench?” June and Amanda asked in unison.
“You maybe right, pal.” Tom said to Drew. “No time to explain, ladies. Follow us.” Tom started for Gate A.
* * *
The gazebo was empty during Recess time. Not a lot of people would hang around that place until Lunchtime came. Which was why Toby decided to go there after his encounter with Mara. The real Mara. He thought to himself. It was the safest place he could go to whenever Tom and Drew weren’t around on schooldays. He rarely hung out with anybody anyway, and it’d just be disturbing to sit by himself on the stone bench… before it was taken away.
He paced inside of the gazebo. Washed his hands and face every two minutes with the faucet placed on one side of the gazebo, hoping that his mind spare him of this stress. Yet the memory was latched on to his brain as if it had happened merely moments ago. It did happen just moments ago. He thought, as he buried his face again on the puddle made with by two hands.
He heard a faint voice calling out to him. He looked up, and saw his friends. “Go away!” He yelled at them. But they barely even stopped moving towards the gazebo. He closed the faucet and rubbed the dripping water aggressively out of his face. His friends arrived inside of the gazebo. “What did I just say?”
“We heard.” Tom said to him.
“Doesn’t mean we’d listen.” Drew added.
Amanda sat down on one of the benches and settled Toby’s bag — which she brought with her just in case Omnius wanted to get out without their consent — revealing Omnius inside. He took a deep breath, which was ridiculous to look at, cause Omnius didn’t need to breath.
“Thought I was gonna suffocate inside that thing!” Omnius told no one in particular.
“You don’t need oxygen!” Toby yelled at the talking metal box.
“Exactly!” Toby planted a hand on his face so hard that the remaining water splashed across the area. Omnius laughed upon seeing him do this. Amanda immediately raised Omnius up and placed him back inside of the backpack, despite his constant yelling for help. She kept shushing him as she closed the bag’s zipper.
Macrodon apparently got out, but was barely any nuisance, so Amanda just placed him inside of his cookie jar and tuckered him in her arms. Amanda noticed that they were all looking at her. “What?”
Toby faced back towards Tom and Drew, “Where were you two this morning? Grabbing a few more hours of sleep because you three — “ he quickly pointed towards Amanda and the two of them. “spent the weekend together playing Defenders Online? What were you guys talking about in there? Hmm?”
June stepped forward and held Toby in his place as much as she could. Toby only continued.
“You’ve three have been talking behind my back, haven’t you?”
“It’s not like that, Toby.” Drew answered.
“So what if it is?” Tom asked Toby in a tone that got Drew holding him down just as June held Toby in place. Drew whispered for Tom to calm down, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. “So what if we were talking about you? We’re not backstabbing you, fucker! We’re trying to help your stupid ass!”
Both of them tried to advance at each other. Drew held Tom in place, and Amanda stood up from the bench in order to tap June out of her hold on Toby. She pushed too hard, sending Toby backwards and onto the floor. He was never much for handling his own balance.
Amanda put her hand out to him. “I didn’t mean to — “ she started, as Toby slapped her hand away from him and slowly carried himself up from the floor.
He twitched as his left hand touched the ground. He looked at it, and saw a line of blood across his palm. June gasped, and looked at Toby’s bruised hand closely, before he angrily took it away and moved for the faucet. He let the blood flow down the drain as the water hit his hand. He tried touching the cut wound, and tensed as he did so.
June went by his side, “Let me help — “
“I said… go away.” He calmly said to her. But his expression said otherwise. June slowly nodded, and looked back to her friends. “Go.”
Toby grabbed her wrist. “What did I say?”
“I heard you.” June replied to him. She grabbed hold of his arm as firmly as he did so with hers, and just looked at him.
Toby slowly looked back down to the running water. June nodded towards Tom and the others. They got the queue, and went back up their building. When they were out of sight, she looked back at Toby, and noticed the tears falling down his face.
* * *
She walked along corridors, hallways of rooms filled with children. One adult in each of these rooms, facing the other direction, telling things to the children. Peculiar things. They all would just nod and listen. Some would raise their hands. Those who were chosen get to stand up and speak in front of the other children. She understood none of this, and at the same time, was very familiar with all of what was there. Somehow… somehow it’s as if she was one of these children. They all wore the same clothes. And she wore them too, for a reason she could not put a finger on. But the answer is there. It was just there, one moment. And there it went again. Gone.
Mara didn’t go inside any of the rooms. She hesitated to do so. And she didn’t know why she would. But it feels so natural. She thought to herself. That I would enter one of these rooms, sit down with all the others, and pay attention to the lady, or the man by the platformed stage. Writing down his or her scribbles which make no sense whatsoever. I understand of course. But how do I understand somethings I did not know in the first place? Where am I? She looked around the hall, and saw a man walking towards her.
He was perspiring, this man. Sweat trickled down his neck; his clothes wet. Who might he be? Mara asked within herself. She looked at the approaching man’s face. He looked familiar — this man.
“Hello.” She said to the man. The man stopped in front of her, and met her eye level.
“Where have you been?” The man said to her. She recognized his voice, but didn’t know why. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
She thought for a moment. Where have I been? “All over, is where I’ve been, sir.” She answered him. The man tilted his head at her. He sighed, and pressed a hand on his face.
“What’s the situation this time, Lady? Full-fledged Amnesia? With all the breaching you’ve been doing to that boy, I was sure you’d break eventually. Now look at you.” He ruffled the sides of her clothes. They were dirty, she realized.
But then again. She mused to herself. they’re not mine. So why do I wear them? “You know who I am, mister?”
“Ervagh.”
“Pardon?”
“My name is Ervagh, my Queen. Have you forgotten that as well? Or do you much prefer I be called by that human name you gave me. What was it again… John!”
“John?” Mara yelled out the name, as if she had just remembered. She looked at him, and the memory was gone again. “I’m sorry… I don’t think I know a John.” she paused. She felt her head floating as she attempted to sort out her thoughts. “Or was it that I did, but couldn’t remember… “
“Oh, dear.” the man said. “Look at me, my Lady.” Mara had been looking down. Tilting her head up made the world go slow. “What do you think your name is? Huh? Who are you? What is your name?”
“M-my… name… “ She felt the world turning. “my… name is… Mara.”
“So not just Amnesia, I see.” The man shook his head in disbelief. “False Identity as well.”
* * *
Toby and June got back in their classroom in time for the next period. June immediately went through her bag’s outside compartments, and shuffled the items that were inside. She was looking for something. A minute went by as she finally took the item she was looking for: an Bottle of Green Cross Alcohol. Toby just sat in his seat, not looking at anything but the board in front of him. Or was he looking into the void? June thought to herself. Probably the latter.
She opened up the bottle and took Toby’s still-bleeding hand. Toby tensed, and she held on tighter. “We need to disinfect it, idiot.” She whispered to him, trying not to cause any commotion inside of the on going lecture. Some of the students near them noticed the cut in Toby’s hand, but dismissed it just as quickly. Toby let out a deep sigh before surrendering to June’s hospitality.
“… Sorry.” he whispered to her.
“Come again?” June asked. A mild smile formed on the side of her lips. “Didn’t quite catch that.”
“I’m not gonna repeat it.” Toby replied to her. June then doused his hand with the alcohol, a little bit too many, and a little bit too quick for Toby to have prepared for the incoming pain.
He let out a small yelp, and immediately bit his lips. June snickered at this, and Toby closed his eyes as he breathed heavily, hopefully to counter the accursed spell. “Damn you.”
“I can’t hear you-u.” She let another droplet of alcohol fall into his hand. Toby tried his best to keep his screams internally.
“Alright! Alright, I’m sorry for what happened awhile ago. Can you lay off the witchcraft already?”
“Almost done.” June answered him. She put the alcohol away, and took out another bottle. Toby tried taking his hand from her, but she never gave him a chance. Toby let out a deep sigh as he saw what the other bottle was.
“It’s just Betadine. Good God!”
“You still owe me another apology, though.” June said to him, as she squeezed some of the Betadine fluid on a small cotton ball.
“For what?” Toby asked her. “And why do you have the whole clinic inside of your bag? Don’t tell me you also have Nurse Anne in there.”
“I come prepared, dummy. And the apology is for awhile ago.”
“I already said I was — “
“No, not that!” June interrupted him. “I was right, you know. About this morning. And you said, ‘but June! She knew things!’.”
Toby’s expression fell from his face, and started breathing heavily again as he remembered what happened down at the cafeteria. June noticed this and quickly tried calming him down. “Okay, okay! Never mind! Just relax. Here comes the Betadine, ya Cry-Baby!”
End of Chapter.
* * *
* * *
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