3 Ruby District (2)

sapphira

"Miss 8-095?"

She turns around and faces a short man with rectangle glasses. They're either idiots that can't remember her name, or they'd rather think of her as a robot rather than a human being with an actual name. Sapphira raises her eyebrows at the man.

The man visibly swallows and licks his lips. "The counselor awaits your visit."

She stares at him. "And why are you telling me this?"

"Ahh," he says, "well, the communication is disabled with your microchip, and you're not wearing your screen-brace." He points to her bare wrist.

Sophie sighs and leans closer to the man, crossing her arms. "Do you not notice the counselor's room?" She gestures to the currently occupied room behind her. "I am simply waiting for my turn. I appreciate your concern, though. Are you new here?"

The man flushes bright red. "Ahh, my bad," he stammers. "They just told me to remind you, just in case you'd forgotten…" He glances at Sophie's tight smile, and takes that as a cue to leave.

A young strawberry-blond haired woman hurries out of the counselor's room, typing furiously on her screen brace. She must be running late. Sophie calmly walks into the room and seats herself in front of the main desk, where the counselor currently sits.

The counselor, or Dr. Pham, shuffles papers into neat stacks gently and scoots in her wheely chair closer to the desk and rests her elbows on top of the papers. She smiles slightly at Sophie. "That bruise is almost gone, huh?"

Sophie brushes her fingers on her jaw. "Yeah. I don't feel it. I never did."

"That's normal for you, though." Dr. Pham grins at her and pulls out a stylus from her hair bun, clicking the end to activate the connection with the tablet in her hand. She scrolls through the tablet, bluish light illuminating her pale face and golden black eyes and lashes. "There's a new assignment for you. I guess the Director thinks you're ready for some real stuff, eh?"

Sophie leans closer. "I thought he wouldn't let me do much for a few months at least, because of the close-call from the last mission." She thinks about the girl, only ten or twelve, her keen eyes widening when she caught Sophie with a small device plugged into the microchip in her neck. The girl couldn't have known, nobody was supposed to know except the Eyelock, but she snapped a picture of Sophie with that small cheap camera of hers, and Sophie chased her through alleys and across rooftops to get that picture back. The girl is in custody here now, and all they have told Sophie was that the girl would get some 'treatment'. She had failed that mission, and she'd sworn not to let down the Eyelock again.

Thinking back, Sophie can't remember what the girl looked like exactly.

Dr. Pham nods subconsciously as she skims the tablet, tapping on it occasionally with her stylus. The water fountain streaming gently down a stained glass wall to her left suddenly seems to fill the room with the sound of trickling water. The windows behind Dr. Pham show a dark city lit with bright buildings and skyscrapers. "Well, it looks like you'll be going back to spy business. Blending in and befriending a Healer." Dr. Pham's eyes glint with mischief. "At a school in Rubys. He's around your age, too." She hands the tablet to Sophie, where a picture of a boy and short descriptions are laid out.

His name is Jonas Yeong. He's 5'10'', 135 lbs, turning 17 in a few months, and based on a quick sample, he's half Korean, half Thai. Sophie takes in his picture fully, memorizing the curve of his lips and nose, the outline of his jaw. His face is imprinted in her brain. She scrolls through several other pictures, of him walking, at school, even in his home. He lives on his own.

"There's plenty of information," Sophie murmurs.

"Yep," Dr. Pham says. "It also says that he's a more reserved type of boy. He knows he's a Healer, and he tries not to interact too much with other people, as he probably has a big urge to heal even the slightest wounds. You are to enroll into the school, and soon after, get in an accident near the boy, get hurt badly enough that he can't resist to help you out. That'll add on to him, and after that, he might turn from there on. He's dancing by the edge, you see. He's pretty close to turning."

"Alright." Sophie sets down the tablet and massages her neck. "When do I start?"

"In just a few days. August 3rd, you will enroll. You will be Sophia Woodwinds, and your age will be 16, as you need to be in most of the classes with Jonas."

Sophie's lips twitch. "I'm almost sixteen, anyway."

Dr. Pham clicks her tongue. "No, you're almost fifteen. You're still so young, but you act so mature. Don't grow up so quickly, Sophie. You should cherish your childhood when you can."

Sophie laughs coldly as she stands up. She focuses her gaze on Dr. Pham, and her chest suddenly tightens, her heart squeezes. "I don't have a childhood. I thought you of all people would understand that. Have a good night." She leaves swiftly, shutting the door behind her and walking briskly to her dorm.

She thought Dr. Pham knew her better than anybody. She was one of the first people that Sophie knew, moving into Eyelock. Turns out, nobody else is like Sophie. She's a freak. A scientific experiment that can kill and not feel any remorse.

'What is wrong with me?'