A “Dead” End

Chapter 12

Abby let Sarah rest for a couple of hours before returning to her room with a plastic bag, containing her ruined clothes. She knocked on the door softly, before letting herself in. Sarah was trying to get up but Abby stopped her…no, no…you do not need to get up. I just brought your stuff and wanted to quickly go over your reports, then you can rest up some more before we head downstairs for another scan of your head. 

 Sarah made a quick grab for the bag, she could not wait to open it and search for the device she’d tucked in….she almost shouted at Abby to leave her alone for now but did not want to arouse more suspicions…she’d already made a mistake by showing impatience and grabbing the bag from Abby…she also needed to know more about her condition so she carefully schooled her features and motioned for Abby to have a seat so they could get started. 

Abby went over the extent of her injuries….the broken arm and ankle were pretty evident, so were the cracked and bruised ribs..Sarah was also aware of the dislocated shoulder that had been set up but the sling had been taken off in favour of a comfortable and adjustable supporting brace. There are several cuts and bruises all over your face and body…some cuts are deep enough to have required stitches… Abby explained that due to limited resources when she started Sarah’s treatment in the plane she had to sew some of the deeper cuts with more basic stitches, which will leave marks… but that is something we can deal with once you are up and about on your feet. 

Abby went on to explain about the head injury. Sarah I have most concerned about the head injury…when we found you, there was a lot of bruising and swelling……we found a big lump at the back of your head. Brain damage was a major concern as you were in coma…in fact we almost lost you but thankfully you came out of the coma and it does not seem like there’s any impact on your functioning and so far you have not brought any significant changes to my attention either. Head injuries can be mysterious though, if you notice any sudden gaps in your memories or any changes in your personality, etc … even if it’s minor do not ignore it and let me know.… The swelling has been going down steadily, which is a very good sign… we just have to watch out for any clotting or other signs of concern…. though your scans are pretty normal other than the swelling so I do not think there’s any cause for concern. 

Sarah recalled how she’d ripped open the plastic bag as soon as Abby had taken her leave….. desperately searching through the scraps, that was once her “uniform”. She almost could not believe when she felt the device in the exact place she’d hidden it..she located the hidden pocket she’d sewn into the uniform and reached for the device, which would become the key to destroy “him” and stop them in their tracks. The fact that everything was untouched added another point in Abby’s favour, Sarah thought before she started looking around for the perfect hiding spot. 

Hope was restless as she recalled her previous conversation with Sarah regarding her favourite colour and food. She hated seeing that blank look in her friend’s eyes when she’d asked her those simple questions…. She resolved to remove that haunted look from Sarah’s eyes permanently, never ever would her friend be stuck for an answer to these simple questions…with this firm resolve Hope sat down to prepare a list of all possible “one’s” and “fun” Sarah might have missed out on. She would relieve them all with her and create new, happier memories that will forever banish the haunted look that comes all too often in her friend’s eyes….with her list completed Hope went over to Sarah’s room to help her out of the bed…

Hello, sleepy head, let’s try some new stuff…with that she entered Sarah’s room only to find it empty. She panicked, not finding her friend where she was supposed to be and started imagining all sort of worst case scenarios…did she fall in the washroom, she rushed and opened the door to find the washroom empty…she ran towards the living area, shouting for her mom and collided with Susan….where’s the fire, baby girl?...come on tell me where you were rushing on to…. she is… she is not in her room, Hope said, almost on the verge of crying… Oh god, where could she be…please help me look for her Susan, I can not find her anywhere…before Susan could say a word, the lift doors opened to reveal Sarah and Abby….

Hope was so relieved to see her friend, her legs almost gave out. She rushed over to Sarah and hugged her tightly, sobbing in relief… Thank god you are okay….I was so worried when I saw your room was empty….not only Sarah but even Abby was shocked at this emotional display by Hope…how did she not realize how invested her baby girl was in Sarah…how much she cared for her. Now that she knew everything was fine, Hope was feeling very embarrassed about her extreme reaction….she felt completely stupid imaging so many weird scenarios, when Sarah had simply gone to the medical wing for a scan. She did not want to ponder over the reason behind her emotional state, clearly she had some “dependency and abandonment issues” that she’d need to talk over with her mom but for now she just wanted to act as normal as possible in front of her new friend so she does not scare her away….

Sarah did not know what to think or how to react to this emotional display. No one has ever cared about her…hell they did not even consider her a human, she was just a lab rat…an asset to them….the people who raised her considered her less than nothing and here this stranger was crying because she was worried about her and her well being. Do not be stupid Sarah even “he” showed so much concern towards you and your well-being…but look how that turned out. Do not get taken in again. All this could be a part of their strategy to gain your trust or maybe this girl had simply lost her mind…either way you need to keep your guard up and not get taken in again…just pretend that you are convinced about all this fake concern. I have okay Hope, Sarah said finally….were you looking for me for something specific?...Hope wiped her tears and calmed herself, yes…I was, I wanted to show you something….come, let’s go…with that she skipped ahead and headed towards Sarah’s room, leaving an astonished and worried Abby behind…… 

Sarah followed Hope into the room she’d been assigned just this morning. Hope had been chattering all the way to the room, making Sarah wonder how someone can talk so much about absolute nothing…. Are you tired, Hope asked Sarah… I hope you are not tired, she said in the same breath. I have planned so much for us… Look this is going to be our memory book, Hope elaborated…as Sarah looked confused, you see I made a list of everything you might have missed out on. As your best friend it’s my duty to make sure you experience everything a girl your age should have by now. We will live those moments together and record everything in this book in the form of pictures….then you’ll never have to wonder about your favourite food or movie or colour… 

Sarah was perplexed. She did not know how to react. In her 18 years of life,  she’d known only deception, ruthlessness and greed.....emotions like kindness...love and gentleness were completely alien to her. Despite being fluent in several languages, she could not comprehend the language of love. She may have trillions of words in her vocabulary but does not understand this simple word “friend”. So how was she, someone who did not have anyone to really care for her, her needs, her likes and dislikes, suppose to react or feel. She, who had always strived hard for her very survival.....who knew all too well that there was no such thing as a “free meal”....how could she open her mind and heart to these people....How could she resist it though.... even if it all turns out to be a lie, this could be her only chance to experience what it feels like to have a family....to be happy....even if it’s all an illusion, at least she will know what reality could feel like……

Earth to Sarah….Hope snapped her fingers in front of Sarah, bringing her out of her deep and conflicting thoughts…. Where did you go of to my friend, such deep thoughts should be delegated to the very bottom of our “to-do” list…..when there’s so much we need to accomplish…. Hope thrust the list she’d made towards Sarah so she can look at it and select where she’d like to begin...Sarah was looking from the list to hope and back like this paper was a deadly snake about to strike her. She could not make sense of all this… like it was complete gibberish. Here she was, a genius who was equipped with credentials that were beyond impressive. Her 7 graduate degrees and 4 PHD’s…. had taught her so much academically… with a few simple household items she could make 10 types of bombs and explosives in less than 5 minutes but this list….these simple activities and the girl who had prepared it were beyond her understanding…..

“He” was looking over the files of other young “assets” to find one with potential to become his next protégé. He was so angry, thinking back to all those years of wasted efforts…..so much potential wasted. This time, if he managed to find someone worthy enough of his attention, he’d exert strict control. No more Mr. nice guy, he will be a tough task master. He’ll choose a boy this time and bring him up to be his image….His “protégé” may have led him down but no way would he allow anyone else to make a fool of him again. He’d managed to contain this fiasco but the organization will not tolerate any other “incidents” under his command. It was time to step up his game. Maybe he’ll visit his “past” for some inspiration……

Abby was concerned about her daughter’s well being, what was that Susan…how did I not see what is been happening with Hope. She was a complete mess, what was going on in her mind….why, how and when did she become so attached to a stranger? She needs to get a handle on this situation as soon as possible because Sarah was like a loose cannon, Abby was not ready to trust her fully as of yet….she will keep her mind open and be as transparent with her as possible but that does not mean she will compromise when it comes to her daughter’s physical and mental well being. She will need to have a talk with Hope and another one-on-one with Sarah about her motives…..

Sarah was reading the list Hope had made for them, her head started spinning as she looked at all the activities she’d planned…Is this true, do people really do things like skinny dipping, proposing to a random stranger, clubbing, pretending to be drunk in front of mom….oopsie doodle, that is the wrong list…Sarah heaved a sigh of relief, oh thank god and the very next minute Hope said….yeah, that is the second list…like stage two. We have to get you to master this basic “right of passage” list before we move on to the more interesting stuff…. Sarah, “focus”…. she did not even realize Hope was talking to her until she poked her, where do you go off to over and over again….if you keep day dreaming like this then we’d never be able to complete the first list, then how are we going to progress to list number two…..

I know we’d have to wait for a few of these activities like dancing, hiking, etc till you recover physically but the sooner we make noticeable dents in this list the sooner we can move on the next phase…. Hope looked up and noticed Sarah was blushing profusely…she stopped mid sentence and said, do not worry my friend…I have a novice too, as far as the second list is concerned….we will navigate those waters together……

Hope proposed she will show Sarah the whole house before they begin their “mission”… we will start with something simple and delicious today…..PIZZA… Susan, she is our lifeline…. not just this house but even our lives will stop functioning without her. She is like a grandmother to me… she and Luke, that is her husband and in charge of our security, finance, travel and pretty much anything Susan does not take care of. They dote on mom and me and I have sure they will both love you as much as I adore you. Sarah was again taken off guard….how was hope so open with words of love and friendship….trust and togetherness, did not she know how dangerous it was to let people in….they make you trust in you, love you and then betray you in the worst possible ways….like pulling the rug under your feet and taking your confidence in yourself and your instincts with them….crushing them under the burden of this betrayal.

She wanted to caution Hope…. ask her to be careful, maybe she should teach Hope all about caution and protecting her heart…. Since Hope had made it her mission to educate Sarah about friendship and fun and how to live this life fully and without any care, then as a friend it was her duty to teach Hope about some bitter realities of life like greed, betrayal, deception…..lies….. to prepare her to face adversities in life. Maybe they can provide balance to each other. While Hope was teaching her about optimism she could teach Hope to be more cautious…..while Hope teaches her to trust she can teach Hope to look for truth beyond the face on display. They can teach each other to tone down their excesses…..yes, that is what she will do. She will give this friendship a chance….she will give life a chance….if these people were genuine, the way she believed they were then it was imperative they know of the danger She could bring to their doors so they are better prepared…..one thing was sure, Hope will never abandon her and Abby will never leave Hope alone to deal with something so by default Abby will stand by her side too…..

Okay, let’s pick some toppings that I like and some that you find interesting enough to try then we will ask Susan to create her magic.... that is not an exaggeration, in case you were wondering.....the food she makes is pure magic. I swear it can make angels sing and cry for more. It was difficult for Sarah to understand Hope’s enthusiasm about food but she was determined that she will try to understand it and maybe try to emulate it so she can fit in. This was her second chance at life and she will grab it with both hands and take full advantage of it. She will not let “him” succeed by hiding from life....she will make friends, she will have fun, she will be “normal” and it is this normal girl with emotions and relationships that will take “him” and his kingdom down....not the emotionless robot he’d been training 14 hours a day, 7 days a week for the past 18 years......