Chapter 4. That poor boy

When Tara agreed to accept this job, she thought it was a great adventure, the type of experience she'd never get anywhere else. But that was only partially true. She saw the raw beauty of space – and the cruel reality of living on Ceres.

"Won't they get any kind of punishment at all?" she kept asking.

The headmistress listened to her without looking up from the computer monitor. Only when she was finished, Lady Laura raised her head.

"What am I supposed to punish them for, Dr. Deshanti?"

"What do you mean – what for?" Tara couldn't believe her ears. "You should've seen the amount of bruises on that poor boy! There are more dark spots on him than on a leopard!"

She wasn't going to make a joke out of it, but the hybrid sitting in a big armchair snorted briefly. It was the same young man who arrived on the ship with Arriz. He was now resting in the headmistress's office, watching Tara running in circles around the room.

"A couple of bruises won't kill him," Lady Laura noted calmly.

"There are more than a couple on him! I know it won't kill him, but it's still wrong! He's our guest!"

"He's not a guest, he's a future curator. Do you really think all higher level hybrids are friendly? No, many curators go through something like this during their work. Arriz should know that."

"And that's it? They're allowed to do whatever they want?"

"Doc, why are you so upset about this?" the hybrid interfered.

Tara couldn't figure that out herself. She was supposed to remain neutral and not take any sides, like Laura did. But she just couldn't! She sympathized Arriz, because he was new to this place, and he was a normal human. The students on Ceres were officially humans too, but she knew it was no longer true.

"I just believe there should be some justice in this place," Tara announced proudly. "I saw a crime, and I want the guilty ones punished!"

"So far, you're the only one who wants that," the headmistress said.

"What do you mean?"

"There weren't any complains on Arriz's behalf."

"Taking one look at his bruises is enough of a complain to me!"

"I'm not supposed to examine all the students and try to learn where they got their bruises. If he came to my office to write a complaint, things would've been different. I'd have to administer some punishment. But he's not doing that."

"That's because he's scared!"

"Nah, that's because he's smart," the hybrid winked at her.

"Pardon, but how am I supposed to understand that?!"

"Through the obvious meaning of my words. There's a reason why Arriz became the best cadet in his Academy. He knows that if he starts complaining and uses the authority of Lady Laura in that matter, it'll only cause the hostility to escalate. They made an attack and they're watching his reaction now."

"But what if they do something like that again?"

"He can handle that. Scars adorn a man, and bruises can be taken as temporary scars."

His attitude was so outrageous that Tara didn't want to argue anymore, knowing it was useless. Those hybrids were still kids, and they should be taught some kindness and compassion! And instead their worst features are being promoted.

"Dr. Deshanti, don't you have anything better to do?" the headmistress asked her.

"I am doing my job right now!"

"No, you're making up problems and trying to deal with situations which have nothing to do with you. Your shift is still going. Please, remain at the infirmary."

"But…"

"You may take it as an order, if that's the only thing you understand."

"Fine!"

She had to obey, but she wasn't going to hide her irritation about it! She stormed out of the office so she wouldn't have to look at Laura or that smug hybrid anymore. But Tara wasn't planning to return to the infirmary just yet. She thought that if she found any support among other staff members, she'd be able to change the situation.

She failed at that. Tara talked to all teachers who lived on Ceres, but they simply laughed at her!

"If he's still in one piece, then the twins were simply playing with him," Garin announced. "Trust my word here, I taught them how to fight."

"If they wanted to kill him, we'd spent months searching for his body," Daiga shrugged. "They can do that."

"He's nothing to them," Rokko smirked. "You shouldn't listen to their brave talks about not being punished because they're hybrids. That's typical teenage bluffing. If they kill a curator, they will be expelled, end of the story."

"It's like you're all on their side!" Tara was almost desperate.

Nobody took her seriously, and she had to admit her defeat and return to the medical office.

Back there she was in for another nasty surprise: the door was wide open. She could feel her heart skipping a bit in fear, because she knew what kind of trouble that meant. It was against one of the main rules of the base! A medic shouldn't leave the infirmary unlocked, ever! The fact she was upset and hurried to the headmistress wasn't really an excuse. She could get fired for this… or even go to prison, since it was a secret object!

But once she reached the door, she understood that her fault wasn't as great as she had thought. The electronic lock simply broke down, it wasn't reacting to her touch anymore.

Once the initial relief was over, she felt worried again. What if the lock didn't just break, what if it was broken? There are many reasons for hybrids to get into her office!

Without even thinking about any possible danger, she walked in. There was no mess inside, and everything stayed just like it was when she left. But Tara couldn't relax yet, she walked to a safe standing in a distant corner of the room.

She kept the most expensive and dangerous medications there. They were designed especially for hybrids, any of them would've been lethal for a human! Every doctor got them in small amounts, and it was a huge responsibility.

The safe door was locked, but that didn't mean anything. The one who broke into the infirmary would've opened it just as easily!

Luckily, all the medications remained in their places. She checked them on the list, but the little bottles were the same as before, not a milligram of their contents missing. Now she had to check all the other things in her office, just to be on the safe side…

"Are you alright?"

A sudden voice made her jump in surprise and drop the list. Tara knew that hybrids could move soundlessly, but she didn't expect it to be this quiet.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Easy now!" the hybrid raised his hands, as if showing he didn't mean her any harm. "Don't tell me you're mad at me too! I just wanted to check on you, you left the headmistress's office in a rush."

"As if you don't know why!"

"I do, that's why I'm here. I don't want you becoming bitter about it. Not all hybrids are the same, and you are still to work with them. Holding a grudge probably isn't the best option."

"I'm not holding anything, I have more important things to think about than your students!" Tara replied in annoyance.

"They're not mine. What happened?"

"The lock in my door is broken!"

"And why's that a reason for such an emotional reaction?" he viewed her in surprise. "Looks like you don't need a reason, you're just enjoying the process…"

"Are you making fun of me?!"

"No, just being compassionate."

"You can keep your compassion to yourself, better call the technician! That lock should be replaced immediately!"

"Why are you so wound up about the poor door?"

"Because I have full room of poisons here!" Tara pointed at the safe. "With these chemicals, even hybrids can kill each other!"

He wasn't influenced by the seriousness of the situation and asked calmly:

"Is something missing?"

"Not yet!"

"And it won't be. The system could be malfunctioning, because it received two sets of new data today – about me and Arriz. That happens. I'm serious in my request, Dr. Deshanti: don't be upset about all the students in this school. That may lead to trouble when they actually need your help."

She knew what he was talking about. Level two hybrids could get wounded, and theoretically even sick. She studied that back at the medical university.

"You may think what you want about them and me," the hybrid added. "But for some reason you chose the profession of the hybrid medicine doctor. That's why you're here now – to help people and hybrids on Ceres."

He finished and left without another word – no jokes or smirks this time. But his departure wasn't as pleasant as Tara expected it to be.