Page 62 of The Order

Forest

Comingtosuddenconsciousness,I nearly fall off the cot, unsure of where I am or how I got here to begin with. An ample bright light hangs above me, making it impossible to see my surroundings. I half expect my side to hurt once I begin to move, feeling pleasantly surprised once I realize all of the pain I had earlier has now dwindled to nothing. I raise my hand to my face, looking over the clean knuckles. Both hands look like I never got into an altercation to begin with. My mind runs through the events before I lost consciousness, ending with Fallan and his voice before I found solitude within my mind. With a swat, I move the light away from me, now seeing the recovery quarters of the med unit where my mother spends most of her days.

I feel uneasy seeing a new shirt on my body, unsure how many people it took to undress me or, worse, how many people got to see my mark. My pants rest a bit lower than they did initially, still in the position that nearly exposed me. I tighten my belt around my waist, feeling the effects of my low energy the moment I stand. The door to the room is closed, leaving me alone. I let my back lean against the cot, slumping to the floor to tuck my knees into my chest.

With heavy lids, I close my eyes and embrace the silence, doing my best to listen to the white noise in my mind.

“Are you there?”I question silently in my head, shouting down what seems like a never-ending, empty hallway.

I pause, tapping my foot against the floor, waiting to hear his voice. Seconds turn into minutes before I wonder how real his voice was in the first place.

The door to the room creaks, sending me up from my position on the floor. My mother and I give each other a long stare, and I realize my brother’s anxious figure is waiting on the other side of the door, peeking inside for a few seconds before she closes it on him.

Her hands fiddle with the inside of her lab coat pockets, her body moving closer to the cabinetry in the room. There’s no attempt at small talk, which she always tried to use as a way in when we’re at odds. With a turn of a key, one of the cabinets clicks open, revealing several bottles of pills, all labeled with ingredients I couldn't even begin to identify. She scans her options, letting her touch linger on the bottles with a higher milligram dosage than the rest.

“W-What happened?” I question, wondering why Kai hasn’t burst into the room yet, ready to give me one of his speeches about my health.

“It would seem the Official's light sensor prods triggered a seizure from you during the events in the lunchroom. Unlike episodes in the past, this one nearly caused a brain bleed. Thank New Haven that your chip was able to stop you from hemorrhaging on the spot,” my mother says, sounding more emotional than I expected. I touch the back of my ear, still feeling the heat the chip gives off.

That was what healing from the chip felt like?

“Why do you sound angry?” I question, watching her pause before finally deciding on a medication to pull down from the cabinet.

“Well, let’s see,'' she begins, finally turning to face me. The mask of emotion, once hidden, is now on display for all to see. “My daughter nearly hemorrhages only an hour or so after beating down a fellow Untouchable, and this only comes days after she decides to walk around the house like a stranger, letting me know nothing about what's happening to her. So yes, Forest, I’m angry. Angry that I have no idea what's going on with you, and to make matters worse, your father says an Unfortunate has been nagging you-” she begins, ready to mention the one person I was praying she wouldn't.

“Fallan didn’t do anything,” I begin.

She pauses her rant, unable to fully process what I am saying.

“So there is an Unfortunate?” she asks, posing the question like she no longer knows who her daughter is.

“You said-”

“It was a theory. I wasn't expecting you to be honest given how shut off you've been these past few days,” my mother says, urging me to see how many cameras are listening in on this conversation.

I glance around the room.

Five. Five cameras. Five spies.

“I've seen him once or twice in passing,” I begin, pointing to my mother with annoyance, “Last time I checked, it’s more than okay to communicate with Unfortunates on school grounds,” I state, watching her eyes glance up to the cameras in the same fashion I had.

“Is that all?” my mother questions, clearly aware my honest response would be anything but yes. It certainly wasn’t all.

“I’m not answering any more questions until you tell me why my brother is waiting outside while you interrogate me like I am a deviant,” I say, feeling a small rush of adrenaline come over me.

“Don't do that, Forest.'' My mother sighs. She picks up my hand to drop the small pill into my palm. “Don't speak to me like I am an enemy. I want you to be safe. That's all I’ve ever wanted,” my mom finishes, gently rubbing her thumb across my cheek in a soft caress.

There’s my mother. The one who read me and Kai bedtime stories and broke regulations to sneak us sweet treats past our designated eating windows. I see how tired she is—balancing the world on her shoulders while putting out all the fires with us.

“Please, bear with me, Mom,” I plead. Grabbing her quickly, I pull her into a hug.

“I'm not in the best head space right now.” Her arms wrap around me, sighing deeply into my shoulder at the exchange.

“Never question your mind, Forest. It will guide you in ways you never knew you needed.” My grasp tightens around her, as I remember the new clothes I’m in.

“W-who dressed me?” I question. She pulls away, dragging her hands across her eyes.

“I did. I know how you feel about privacy,” my mother says, running her finger along my side. “Who marked you up like that?” she questions.

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