MF1.0 - 39 - Breaks and Meetings

Stef made a quick mental calculation and supposed that it had been about fifteen minutes. She wondered how long a bathroom break could stretch until Ryan invaded the ladies’ room looking for her. For the thirty-eighth time, she looked at the window, somehow, she couldn’t convince herself that dropping six stories was better than human interaction. Besides, she’d been doing human interaction over the last week. Sort of. Not really. She pouted and required another cookie – the bathroom was so sparkly and clean that she felt safe eating. There were definite upsides to being a genie – star shaped cookies were hard to come by and there wasn’t a decent place to get churros anywhere in the city. This is bull… Come on Spyder, you knew this part was coming. What part? The part where they rip out your brain, dye your hair blonde and turn you into a useful member of society. I really would jump if they try and do that. Be a team-player and all that… Might not be like that. You gonna chance that? She stared at her cookie, then placed it on the sink. Yeah, why not? She walked to the door, wondering if her expression was that of a person going to the gallows. She swung open the door, he was leaning against the wall. This surprised her, she hadn’t expected to see him in such a relaxed pose. ‘Recruit,’ he said, ‘I have read your file, I am quite aware you are not used to social situations. However…’ She felt a real smile tug at her lips. ‘If I promise I won’t maim them with knives, will you promise that I can run away if I want?’ ‘You still have to retrieve your computer from Jones if you need a valid reason to leave.’ ‘Hiding in that closet was the best thing I ever did.’ She turned and walked down the hall. He cleared his throat and she spun on her heel. ‘Of course it’s the other direction, I think reality was crying out for a cliché.’ The mess hall was messy. Eight other recruits in varying amounts of uniform sat around a large table. Two girls, six boys, all of which looked up when they entered the room. First day of school jitters rose. Say something! You say something! Ryan said something. ‘This is Recruit Mimosa, scored high in both field dynamics and technical aptitude.’ You’re incognito, they don’t recognise you’re a freak, use it! ‘Hi,’ she said with a slight wave. She didn’t want to like them, but avoiding a burning stake in her first week would be good. Besides, her hair didn’t do too well around fire. This was a lesson she had learnt at least three times. A girl with dark, cropped hair banged the empty part of the bench beside her and gave her a curt smile. She then looked across the table and made some furious hand signals. AUSLAN. Ryan gave her a look, then left without another word. Alone. With humans. Crap.