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The Fate of Alchemy - The Donnavi Prophecy - Chapter Three: The End Of New
Here is the third chapter of The Fate of Alchemy! Of course, reading the first two before, is recommeneded. Sorry for the long wait, but as most of you know, I've had computer problems this past month.
Note: because of some download problems, Bella's necklace, though mentionned in the text of this chapter, won't appear, the way it was in Chapter One anymore.
Previously: Bella starts her therapy, trying to remember the past, but the road is difficult. Nervous Subject predicts she is pregnant and in danger, but doesn't remember thereafter. Bella learns he's been kept hostage by the Beakers since he was a child, and gets him to be released. Talking to Circe Beaker, she finds out Nervous was found in Olive Specter's yard, and decides to go speak to her, as well.
Enjoy!
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The Plaza in La Fiesta Tech was the hub of the Strangetown University. It was a large square at the center of the campus surrounded by modern buildings and laboratories, where many students and scientists worked. It was therefore constantly animated by the coming and going of numerous people, passing through towards their next destination, or just stopping by to relax. After all, with the many trees that surrounded it and the five fountains that occupied its space, the Plaza was an ideal place to get away from the suffocating desert landscape and relax. The gray, beige and maroon bricks that made the floor divided the Plaza into four small squares, equal in size, with a fountain at the center of each.
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One of the squares was occupied by a small, rather simple, semi-outdoor café. Modern tables were lain out in front of a two-walled coffee shack in two groups: one with black tables, the other with whites.
Bella made her way through the crowd of students towards the tables and noticed Nervous sitting at one of the black ones. It was over a month after he’s been released from the Beakers and she had agreed to meet him there to catch up. Indeed, with his nineteen years of age, Nervous, though two years older than the average freshman, saw the opportunity to attend La Fiesta Tech at the start of term, with his new freedom. With Johnny and Ophelia as guides, he entered this new world, so different from the one he’d previously known. He had nonetheless become close to Bella, who had been so helpful and supportive during his transition period.
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At first, Bella had had personal motives for developing a relationship with Nervous; she had hoped that spending time around him would help him remember his prediction, or maybe even cause him to make a new one. No such thing had occurred, but in the meantime, she had discovered Nervous to be a very interesting and wise boy.
Nervous had certainly changed his appearance since the day he had rushed into the hospital after escaping the Beakers. He had stopped wearing the Mohawk – apparently, the result of an incident with Loki. His hair was now short and even, giving him a more common appearance, though it did seem to bring out the skeletal features of his thin face, worn out by years of capture. His clothes were no longer dull and used, but dark, fashionable and modern.
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He looked up and smiled as he saw Bella approaching and rose to greet her. Bella smiled too as she neared towards the table he was sitting at. She wasn’t sure how to really define their relationship; she felt some kind of protective maternal instinct towards him, after seeing how vulnerable he had been. However, Nervous and she were in a very similar situation: they were both two people starting a new life in a new town, with no past. Their affection for one another had partly grown out of understanding for the other’s situation. Even though the Smiths were very supportive of Bella and they helped her find her bearings in Strangetown, they already had lives and they didn’t know exactly what she was going through. Nervous, on the other hand, had been someone to talk and listen to; someone to start rebuilding with.
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They greeted each other with a warm hug and sat down. A waiter came by their table and took their orders – two coffees – before returning towards the little shack and leaving them to catch up.
“So, how’ve you been?” Bella asked to strike up a conversation.
“Pretty good; there’s a lot of stuff I’ve got to get used to but at least I’m free.”
“How are you handling work? I’ve been concerned it might be hard for you.”
“I’m okay; I mean, this is College, but I’m managing.”
“Well, I just don’t get it. I mean, you’ve never been to school.”
“I’m not uneducated, you know. I didn’t follow the same track as everyone else here, but I got basic education while I was at the Beakers.”
“Loki and Circe home schooled you?” Bella asked, surprised.
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“No,” Nervous laughed, “They may not have been inhumane, but they wouldn’t have gone up to teaching me either. They allowed me to read whatever books I wanted and I had a limited access to the local internet. So, even though it’s not always easy without structure I did force myself to learn as much as I could while I was there; it helped pass the time anyway.”
“That’s awful.” Bella sighed.
“No, it isn’t, really.” Nervous replied reassuringly. “I mean, sure it would have been nice to go to school, but I doubt my life would be very different had I been in another situation.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not sure you fully appreciate freedom yet. There are so many things that you can do with your life. You were stuck in that basement for over fifteen years.”
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The waiter returned to their table carrying their two coffees; Bella paid for both as Nervous continued:
“Well, maybe where you come from, kids have a lot of possibilities, but not here. Everyone I’ve met here so far has been waiting their whole life to go to College; before that their lives were just as boring as mine.”
“That can’t be true, I mean there’s got to be some activities organized for kids around Strangetown but you just don’t know about it. I mean, there’s a school here and everything; surely the school does some stuff for kids.”
“No, really, there’s nothing. It’s hardly a school; I mean, there aren’t that many kids in Strangetown. There’s just this building a little outside the college which takes care of educating the kids and preparing them for College. Otherwise most kids in Strangetown spend their afternoons at home.”
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“And how would you know?” Bella asked with a suspicious smile.
“Well, even though I haven’t really been out much these past few years, I still know how things work around here a bit. I actually know quite a bit about this town because I spent a lot of time reading about it on the internet a few years ago.”
“So, kids in Strangetown just don’t have a life then?”
“That’s right.”
“And no one wants to do anything about that.”
Nervous smiled warmly at Bella. The Smiths and he were used to regularly seeing Bella shocked at how things happened in Strangetown.
“Everyone here wants to be a scientist, or an engineer, or do something related to technological progress, anyway. No one really wants to spend time taking care of kids, who themselves just want to become scientists and so on.”
“Still, kids deserve a childhood; they need structure and care when they’re so young. I hate the thought of raising kids here, which seems to be what I’m going to do.”
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“So it’s definitely twins then?” Nervous asked, noticing Bella’s use of a plural.
“Yeah, tests confirmed last week. I had this whole bunch of tests at the hospital; since they have no idea who I am they needed to figure out a few things. They used my diary to figure out my age and such things…”
“Your age, they know how old you are?”
“Yeah, they told me.” Bella said “I was born July 7th, 1955. So that makes me 46.”
“You’re 46, really? I thought you were much younger.”
“It’s so odd, people keep saying that. I think it sounds normal, if I’m supposed to have a teenage daughter and all.”
“Yeah, but you don’t look 46.”
“Thanks.” Bella smiled modestly, though she had to admit there was a part of truth in that: she looked younger than she actually was.
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There was a small silence during which Bella absent-mindedly sipped the coffee she had ordered.
“So you still haven’t gone to see Olive Specter, then.” Nervous said.
“How do you know?” Bella asked, slightly unnerved by the impression Nervous knew things about her again.
“I just figured you would have told me if you had, by now.” Nervous shrugged.
“Oh, well, no I haven’t. I mean, I want to go, even though I’m not sure she’ll really have anymore answers for you, or me. If she did, Circe would have probably known, but I can’t not go. I mean, if I don’t, then I’ll always wonder and I won’t get closure about this.”
“Closure,” Nervous repeated, “It looks like you’re giving up already.”
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“It’s not really about giving up, but two months in Strangetown have taught me not to expect answers to come very easily. I still don’t know what happened with you in the hospital, but if Loki has been studying you for all those years without understanding it, I doubt I’ll be any better at it. Nonetheless I have to ask, are you not, at all, interested in finding out why you can make these predictions?”
“In theory, I should be. I mean, it’s somewhat disturbing to do something strange and not remember it. However, I think that Loki’s years of experimentation just made me want to forget about all this. I don’t remember these predictions, so it doesn’t have to be a part of me, if I choose not to have it that way. I’m free now and all that stuff is in the past for me.”
“But what if it happens again? Circe said it was likely that even more predictions would come now. You won’t be able to escape it then.”
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“Well, it’ll happen and I’ll just keep living my life. It doesn’t have to affect me more than that.”
“Right, last time, you only ended up injured and in the hospital for two weeks.” Bella said sarcastically.
“Well, I don’t think the injuries were because of the prediction; it’s more likely I got those while escaping from the Beakers. The last thing I remember is being in Loki’s lab, so after that I must have gotten out somehow… though I must have got hurt in the process. But it’s all over now.”
“I don’t know, I guess it’s just weird because from the word go I started looking for answers. I have this need to find out who I am and where I come from.”
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“It’s different for you and me. I’ve lived all my life at the Beakers. I know I have nothing else than the future. But you, you know that you have a past behind you and that there’s a family waiting for you somewhere. That’s why you need to try every trail towards them.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Well, that’s especially how I felt at first. I mean, I woke up with no memory so I was really desperate to find something to relate to. Now, I’ve had a bit of time to put things in perspective and to look at the future a little more. These last two months have been so intense, without structure. Jenny said it was normal for me to act like that, but I’m now coming to accept my fate. I think it’s time I started really building a new life here. I mean, I still really want to go back to who I was, but the more time passes the more I’m seeing it’s going to take a while and I don’t want to spend a lifetime searching for the past.”
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“So what do you want to do, then?”
“I’m not exactly sure. I’m obviously not going to go to college like you did. That’s not meant to be rude, but let’s face it, I’m an old lady.” Bella laughed “well, for these parts anyway...
I think I should probably get a job, you know, do normal things like that. I really like the Smiths but I don’t want to have to depend on them forever, especially with two kids on the way. I’ve got to figure all this out.”
“Well, what have other abductees done before you?”
“Actually, that’s what I was wondering. I have my first group therapy meeting next week, and I’m going to ask them what they did. I think it’s going to be helpful to speak to people who’ve been through the same thing as me.”
“Yeah, that’ll probably help you a lot.”
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Bella checked her watch, and sat up in surprise.
“Oh, I’m going to have to go, soon.” she said, a little disappointed.
“Hospital?” Nervous guessed.
“No, we’re going to see Pascal tonight. Did I tell you he gave birth last week?”
“You mentioned it on the phone.” Nervous said, remembering his call from Bella last week, during which she had told him about Jenny’s brother giving birth to his alien child, a little baby girl named Astra.
“Apparently,” Bella continued, “retracting the artificial womb isn’t very comfortable, so Pascal hasn’t been well, all week. Jenny and Poli already saw the baby once, but I’m going to see her for the first time tonight, so I’m pretty excited.”
“Yeah, aren’t Johnny and Ophelia also going? I think they told me they would the other day.”
“Yeah, they probably are. Johnny has yet to see his cousin, after all, and apparently Ophelia gets along with the Smith family quite well, so she must be pretty happy for Pascal too.”
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Bella and Nervous continued their chat for a little while, before Bella eventually decided she couldn’t stay any longer. She got up and exchanged another hug with Nervous, wishing him well, and hoping to see him again soon; he was a good friend.
Bella had warned the Smiths she may come home a little late from the College and had told them not to wait up for her. She therefore walked back to an empty house, knowing the Smiths had already made their way to the Curious brothers’ house. She went back to her room to change into some evening clothes and headed back out the door.
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Since her arrival in Strangetown this was the first time Bella was going to their house. Jenny told her getting there was quite simple: it was placed on top of a hill, a small way from the Smith house. Though she didn’t have her memory to check, Bella was quite sure she had never seen a stranger house. It was only one story tall, but on top of its flat roof were tall pillars holding up numerous platforms, connected by stairs, like a giant scaffolding laid out in the middle of nowhere, without a building. The front yard was littered with many concrete pathways, crisscrossing and twirling into bizarre patterns, though there was nothing on the ground to explain such extravagant decoration, like cement roots spreading out of the house. Near the house were three large satellite antennas aimed at the skies.
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Bella walked up one of the many paved paths towards the house and rang at the front door. The door opened and Vicund’s appeared on the threshold and greeted her.
“What’s this house?” Bella asked with curiosity. “What’s all that stuff on the roof?”
“Oh that,” Vicund said with a wave of a hand, as though Bella had just pointed out a tree in the yard – which would have actually also been odd, in the middle of the desert. “That is our observation deck. There’s a telescope on the highest platform, which allows us to observe the skies from a proper altitude for our research.
“And you couldn’t build anything… smaller?” Bella asked with a smile.
“Well, it was the right combination between necessary and practical. Sure, it’s not very aesthetic at first, but once you get used to it, it actually gives personality to the house, I think.”
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“So is everyone already here?” Bella asked.
“Yeah, we were just waiting for you, so come on in!” Vicund said stepping aside.
Bella walked in and look around. The house was very modern, with black floor tiles contrasting the clear white walls. It seemed to mix living and working spaces, so that the living room was partly a high tech lab, with several computers and screens. At the back of the room was an open kitchen area of black counters with glass surfaces. In truth it looked rather unwelcoming, though the family spirit that surrounded the room, quickly made Bella forget the environment she was in, to have her focus on the people there.
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Pascal came forward to greet her. It was the first time she was seeing him without his pregnant belly, and it was somewhat disconcerting; it was almost as if she had expected him to keep a large abdomen after giving birth. Though he wasn’t exactly slim, Pascal now had rather normal masculine proportions, and, out of his “paternity clothes”, he looked refreshingly younger. She congratulated him for becoming a father; he was radiant with joy.
“So where is the little cutie?” Bella asked, excited at the idea of seeing Astra.
“Alas, the little princess is still sleeping,” Pascal sighed, though fondly amused, “she’ll be up soon, so I’m going to go get her, but you can head to the kitchen back there; everyone is here.”
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Indeed, everyone was there. Lazlo was in a pleasant discussion with Jenny and Poli, Jill was playing with Vicund, Johnny was joking around with Chloe, as usual, and Lola was in a corner with Ophelia. Bella was suddenly struck by an idea: Ophelia! She had almost forgotten that she was Olive Specter’s niece. She wasn’t exactly sure if Ophelia would know anything about Nervous, seeing she was already skeptical about any information coming from Olive but it was worth asking.
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She walked towards them, smiling back at Lazlo as he waved. Thankfully, Ophelia wasn’t in very deep discussion with Lola, and Bella had no trouble asking her for a minute. She took her slightly aside from the rest of the family, preferring not to have everyone in earshot; in truth, she felt a little pathetic whenever she talked about her curious suspicions in front of the Smiths, as if she were a naïve child.
“So, Ophelia,” Bella started, “I wanted to talk to you about your aunt. How is she?”
Ophelia seemed surprised by the question.
“She’s okay, I guess, she’s been a bit sick these days, why?”
“Well, I’m on a lead to my past, and I think your aunt might have some answers for me.”
Ophelia raised her eyebrows.
“Aunt Olive has lived in Strangetown her whole life; I doubt you ever met her before.”
“Oh, I don’t think anything of the sort happened, it’s just… You know Nervous?”
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“Yeah, we live in the same dorm.”
“Do you know where he comes from?”
A sign of comprehension appeared on Ophelia’s face.
“You’re referring to how he was found in my aunt’s graveyard?”
“So, you know?”
“What is there to know?” Ophelia asked confused.
“Well, in short, there’s something about Nervous that I find interesting, and I want to know where he comes from; it could lead to my past.”
Nervous had asked Bella and Jenny to not mention his prediction to anyone, not wanting to attract anymore attention. Besides the Beakers, they were the only ones to know of Nervous’ peculiarity.
“I’m not sure anyone really knows how he got there.”
“Well, I suspected that,” Bella admitted, “but I thought it’d be worth asking anyway.”
“You could try; maybe she knows something, but never told me. I don’t know, we never talked about it, and I only lived with her for a couple years, ever since my parents died.”
“Ophelia, you don’t have to answer this if it upsets you but, I was just wondering… How did your parents die?”
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Ophelia took a moment to answer, though she didn’t seem hurt by the question.
“There was fire in our house. I don’t remember much of it, but I woke up in the hospital. Aunt Olive was the one who told me they were dead; I’ve somewhat resented her for that ever since. I know she didn’t do anything wrong, but I just associated her to their death. It’s probably why Johnny and I started going out.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I was quite closed up after my parents’ death, and Johnny was rather lonely in school, because he was self conscious of his green skin, which is still rare, even in Strangetown. I mean he had friends, but he was just lonely. I guess being two outcasts brought us together and I spent a lot of time with his family, because I disliked staying around my aunt’s house.
Anyway, I’m not very close to my aunt, so maybe you’re right and she does know something about Nervous. It can’t hurt to ask her.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Bella winked.
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Bella still didn’t feel anymore confident about finding answers at Olive Specter’s but at least she knew there was still a possibility she’d know something. Bella decided to go join Jenny and Poli in their conversation with Pascal, but she’d hardly taken a step when Chloe crossed her path.
“So, I hear you’re starting your group therapy next week.” She said quite suddenly.
“Oh well, yes,” Bella answered, wondering where this conversation was going.
“You know, one of my roommates is an abduction victim.”
Bella took a moment to understand what Chloe was saying. She realized she didn’t really know where or with whom Chloe lives. She had always assumed Lola and she lived together.
“You have roommates?”
“Yeah, Lola and I live with two other girls. One of them, Erin, is the sister of Loki Beaker and Kristen was abducted by aliens seven years ago.”
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“Loki Beaker has a sister?” Bella asked, once again astonished Loki Beaker could have anything as normal as a sister related to him.
“Yeah, and I take it by the look on your face, you know how obnoxious he is. Well, I live with the female version of him.”
“Really, you don’t get along?”
“Neither with her nor with Kristen: I don’t trust them. Lola thinks they’re fine, but I’m annoyed by them if anything else.”
“Here I was, hoping people in group therapy would be nice.”
“They’re not mean,” Chloe reassured her. “Well, Erin is but you won’t see her in group therapy. Kristen’s just a little ditzy and absent every now and then. Besides, I hear group therapy is usually helpful.”
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Bella wanted to ask for more details about group therapy, but at that moment, Pascal came back into the room, holding Astra in his arms. There was a sudden rush in the room towards him, to get a better look at the baby. The women simultaneously let out an affectionate “aw”, while Johnny and Poli smiled approvingly.
After several minutes of fawning over her and pointing out family feature similarities, Astra was passed from hand to hand, everyone hoping to get to hold her.
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Finally, Bella got her chance to hold Astra and, whether it was her own pregnancy giving her maternal feelings or just the baby’s innocence, she felt immensely fulfilled having her in her arms. Her pale green skin recovered her tiny limbs and on her head was a light layer of short soft and fuzzy black hair. Her tiny fist was closed and rested upon Bella’s chest, as she held her close and slowly rocked her from side to side. The baby girl softly cooed with her eyes closed in Bella’s arms.
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The family held several toasts to Astra’s birth.
“Here’s to Astra, future genius in the making, named after the stars she comes from!” Pascal announced as they all raised their glasses. Bella noticed Poli wincing as he said so, knowing that the reality of alien impregnation was far from Pascal’s metaphor.
They continued talking and toasting for a few more minutes until, eventually, too much excitement from Johnny and Jill playing with her caused Astra to be overwhelmed. Her cries echoed through the little house and Pascal instinctively went to pick his daughter up and protectively carried her back to his room. Bella thought she might talk to Lazlo a bit, but Pascal reemerged from the hallway behind her and caught her attention.
“Bella, err, would you mind helping me out a bit?” he asked quietly.
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Bella followed Pascal back up the hall and into a small room. It was much like the rest of the house she had seen: very contrasting white walls and black tiled floors and a white bed with sheets of violent colors of black and electric green and pink. Against the wall was a baby’s crib with bright green lining and little alien spaceships patterns. Astra was still crying, and her face seemed to have taken a stronger shade of green.
“I’m sorry, I’m so embarrassed to even be asking this,” Pascal said over the noise, “but I just don’t know what to do.”
He looked rather terrified and Bella remembered his concerns of being a good father the previous month at her arrival get together.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m just afraid I might hurt her.”
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Bella smiled comfortingly at Pascal; being a father for the first time was not an easy task. She picked Astra up and held her in her arms, showing Pascal how to hold the baby and how to rock her, to calm her. She was surprising herself with how instinctive it all seemed to be coming to her and the thought of her own children, Cassandra and Alexander drifted into her mind. Was she somehow remembering what she had done with them, even if she couldn’t actually remember doing it?
In a matter of minutes, Astra’s cries had died down and she had fallen asleep in Bella’s arms. Bella slowly placed her back into the crib and turned to face Pascal.
“Thank you so much,” he whispered, “I’m terrible at this.”
“No, you’re not.” Bella reassured him. “You’re just afraid because it’s the first time you’re a father and it’s overwhelming. You just need a bit of training.”
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“No, but I mean I’m so unprepared. Look at this place: it’s not fit to raise a baby in. She’s tiny for now, but what happens when she grows up, there’s no space here.”
“Pascal, do you remember my offer to help you? It’s still standing; if you need help, I’m here. Apparently I’ve done this before and I can feel it. Anyway, I’m about to give birth to two so I think it’ll help me in more than one way.”
Pascal smiled at Bella and nodded; there seemed to be large gratitude in his eyes, and Bella was glad to have reassured him
They returned to the living room and after another half hour of chatting, they said their goodbyes and Bella went home with the Smiths.
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The following week was Bella’s first group therapy. She found herself walking down the hospital corridors again to reach the room she had been indicated. Like the rest of the hospital, it was a mainly white room, though instead of the usual medical supplies that laid around them, this one had a circle of eight chairs in the middle and some counters and tables with snacks and a coffee machine. A few people were already in it as she walked in and they looked up at her with interest in their eyes. One of them, a woman with brownish hair that surrounded her face wearing a hospital doctor's suit, walked towards her and presented herself.
“Bella, hi, I’m Dr. Stratton; I animate the Group Therapy meetings. Obviously, I know you’re new to this, but we’re going to take a session to explain you how things work in the group and to present ourselves.”
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“Come sit down,” Dr. Stratton continued, leading Bella towards the circle of chairs, which were already mostly occupied. “Almost everyone is here now, we’re just waiting for Jack, but he can catch up, so we’re just going to start now.” She said, sitting in a chair of her own. “Whenever there’s someone new in the group, we usually start by a small presentation of each person, from the one who’s been in Strangetown the longest, to the newest arrival.”
Bella nodded and watched as an elderly bald man with a round red face and a bushy white beard stood from is chair.
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“Bella, hello,” he said with a warm smile, “welcome to group therapy. My name is Gereon Oaks and I arrived in Strangetown in 1957 – I was the third abduction victim, but Glarn and Matthias who preceded me have now past away.” Gereon paused a slight moment, as if in commemorative silence. “Back when I first arrived, memory recovery techniques were very limited, and I stayed for a long time without any proper form of help. Even today, with the new techniques developed by the Curious brothers, my memory has been locked for so long, I’m afraid I have a very hard time remembering things. I am now married and have two children, and I work in the one of the herbology buildings at La Fiesta Tech”.
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Gereon sat back down and a middle aged woman with thick, long graying hair stood up. Despite the wrinkles that were starting to appear on her face she had a youthful and pretty expression and her voice was clear and calm:
“I’m pleased to meet you Bella. My abduction took place thirty-seven years ago, in 1964, making me arrive after Gereon. My name is Margaretha and I’ll be glad to help you along your path, if you need any help.”
Margaretha seemed to have finished and started turning back to her seat, but Dr. Stratton added: “You should know that Margaretha is probably the one who has regained to largest amount of memory to date.”
“Really, how much do you remember?” Bella asked.
Margaretha didn’t answer right away, but seemed to choose her words.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a question of quantity, really. But I have come to remember certain things that are quite vivid and significant for me.” Without further development, Margaretha sat back down.
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Bella watched as four more members of the group therapy stood up in turn and introduced themselves. After Margaretha came Valentina, a dark skinned middle-aged woman with a pointy face who had arrived in 1972. She was followed by Adam, a man who was around the same age as Gereon, though he had all his silver hair and no beard, and had been abducted in 1976.
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A woman with dark straight hair, by the name of Celia had arrived after Adam, in 1983. Dr. Stratton indicated that Jack, the man who was late, had come after Celia in 1988. Finally, Kristen, who Bella assumed was Chloe’s roommate, stood up and presented herself in a somewhat distracted voice, saying she had been abducted in 1994.
In general, they all greeted her, and told her a bit about their lives. They all seemed so normal, so integrated into Strangetown, as if they didn’t care about their pasts or need to find answers like she did. Bella couldn’t help but feel attracted by their carelessness and their apparent liberty.
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After everyone had presented themselves, Dr. Stratton asked Bella to stand up and to briefly present herself to the group. She told them her name, her birthday, what she had experienced in Strangetown so far and what she had learned about her past. They all seemed to listen with interest and Bella imagined that having someone new in the group must be quite exciting for them.
Just as she was finishing, the door opened and a man walked in.
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He seemed slightly out of breath and stopped after stepping over the threshold to look around the room and, seeing Bella, he nodded and smiled. He was rather tall and had brown hair, which rested quite casually on top of his head. Bella stopped talking, and looked towards the nurse.
“Bella, this is Jack.” She said, inviting Jack to take a seat with a gesture of her hand.
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Jack walked over to the last empty chair in the circle.
“Sorry, I’m late.” He said sitting down; his voice was stable and deep. “So, you must be Bella. I’m assuming since you were talking, you’ve already met everyone.”
Bella nodded.
“Well, I’m Jack, Jack Storm, as you might have heard. I’ve been in Strangetown for almost 15 years now. I work in La Fiesta Tech in the study of extraterrestrial life lab. Anyway, I’m sorry to have interrupted you, please continue.”
“Oh, I think I was actually just finishing. I was just telling everyone what I’ve learned about my past, thanks to my journal.”
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“It’s actually lucky that you had that journal with you.” Margaretha said. “I came with nothing else than my clothes and for the first six years I didn’t know my real name. Everyone called me Janis, but it took a memory to actually remember I was called Margaretha.”
“What did you remember?” Bella asked, curious to know what a memory of a name could be like.
“I was at home and I spilled a bottle of water. My mother’s voice screamed my name in my head, and I was six years old, spilling a drink on the carpet. And that way, I knew.”
“Wow” Bella sighed, impressed.
“But I heard you’ve already remembered your abduction.” Margaretha continued.
“Well, yes, just a flash for now”
“It’s a start. You may come to wish you would have more like it.” Adam said
“What do you mean?”
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“I’ve been in Strangetown for quite a while now. I haven’t remembered a lot of personal memories, so whenever one comes around, I cherish it.”
“I don’t mean to sound rude,” Bella began, “but you all seemed very detached from your pasts when you spoke earlier. You seem to have really normal lives now, and it’s almost like you never were abducted.”
“It seems like that because we’ve had the time to let it come together.” Said Jack, “We’ve all been through the phase you’re in now, where you really want to figure out who you are and just get the heck out of here. For the first few months in Strangetown, I was constantly on edge, and I’d imagine answers were around every corner.”
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“With time, you learn to let the mind and the therapy take their own course. You start spending more time building a life and looking at the future rather than searching for a past. In a way, it might even be harder for you, because you have that journal, which is constantly going to remind you of the past and take you there. You won’t necessarily remember what you read, but you’ll know it’ll have happened, and you will want to go back to it. I really remember the first few months as the hardest ones, because I had nothing to relate to, so if that’s what you’re feeling, well, I think you can expect to slowly settle into a life and find your peace. Yet again, we all have our unique experiences so maybe some things will happen to you that never happened to us before.”
Bella felt reassured as she listened to Jack speak. He was expressing what she had been hoping –maybe even needing to hear; a future was possible.
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The therapy session continued for another hour and a half, mostly concentrating around Bella, as everyone gave their advice and shared their experience to answer the questions she had. She noticed Jack was very wise and the things he said were very meaningful and helpful. As Dr. Stratton announced that they were finished for the day and they started to leave, Bella went to Jack and thanked him for his words. He walked her back down to the lobby giving a few more words of advice on the way.
“You’ll get used to it, you’ll see.” He said, as they parted, and even though she didn’t really understand it, it still comforted her.
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He was right, she had wanted to start a life, to let it all settle and just know what it was like to be normal again. Even though she couldn’t remember ever having a “normal” life, she desired it; she felt normal was something she once had and had lost. Perhaps now she could finally start building a reality, a present, for herself, her future and her children.
Yet, Olive Specter always resurfaced in her mind whenever she thought of moving on. Before she could leave the past behind and start anew, she needed to see her, to know what she knew, even so meaningless it might be. So, a few days later, Bella finally decided to go to the home of Olive Specter and find out what she knew of Nervous.
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Her house was on the border of Strangetown and the walk to get there was longer than Bella had expected. Evening was nearing, as she headed down Dead-End Lane, towards the small one story house. It was completely encircled by a wrought iron fence, except in the corners and near the entrance gate, where it turned into a tall white brick wall. The house was made of rough stone and looked rather strict. It was facing a little enclosed graveyard with over a dozen gravestones laid out in it. Oddly, against the back fence of the graveyard was an elegant red armchair, which looked out of place in a garden, let alone a graveyard. In truth the place felt quite spooky and for a moment, Bella contemplated turning back. However, she knew she had to get this over with, so she might as well do it then. With a hesitant walk, she opened the tall wrought iron gate, and stepped into the garden.
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A small stone path led from the gate to square stone patio that lay in front of the house. The place looked absolutely deserted. The many graves seemed to say everyone here had since long died and this place was no longer inhabited. Yet she knew she didn’t have the wrong address; Johnny had mentioned Olive Specter’s graveyard when she’d first arrived. Bella took a few steps towards the fence surrounding the graveyard and looked around. Who were all these people and what were they doing buried in Olive Specter’s yard? In just fifty years, had so many of her relatives already died?
“Admiring my graves, Bella?” a voice called from behind her.
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Bella gasped and spun around. Olive Specter was standing on the small porch in front of the entrance door to her house. It was once again unnerving to have a stranger know her name before they’d been introduced.
“They always impress the newcomers.” She continued with a sly smile, walking down the front steps and coming towards Bella. She had dark skin like her niece, and long white flossy hair, which lay behind her back.
“Who are they?” Bella asked, turning her eyes back to the graves.
“In this graveyard are all the people who have died in Strangetown.” Olive explained, coming closer. “People make up all kinds of rumors about this place, of course, but actually, they’re just the graves of the founders of this town, who have now passed on, after dedicating their lives to creating our community.”
“Why are they buried in your yard?”
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“Well, my father was in the first to decease in Strangetown and was buried out here. After he died, as a community, we thought it would be best to bury everyone in the same place and not create individual backyard graves. So ever since, everyone who has died, has been buried here. Soon, I shall rest here too.”
Bella wasn’t sure what to answer the old woman; her voice seemed peaceful, yet it had a hint of sadness and regret.
“So, what can I do for you Bella?”
“Well first of all, I wanted to thank you for the necklace you sent me after my arrival.” Bella said, touching her neck. “It was very thoughtful of you.”
“I make it a tradition to send the newcomers a little welcoming gift.” Olive said with a chuckle.
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“Well it was very nice of you; I would have come sooner, really, but it’s been a bit difficult to get around.”
“Of course, I understand. I can only imagine what it must be like to have nothing, and to start everything. It’s already very polite of you to have come all the way down here; I know my home isn’t exactly next door to the Smiths.” Olive replied, before winking.
Bella laughed at the old woman’s youthful and energetic spirit.
“But now tell me, why are you really here?”
“I’m sorry?” Bella asked, disconcerted by Olive’s forwardness.
“You started by saying ‘first of all’. I’m guessing there’s a ‘second of all’.”
“Oh, well, yes there is. I’m looking for some answers about my past and one of them has brought me to you. You see, about twenty years ago a baby boy was found in your yard I believe.” Bella’s eyes strayed towards the nearby graves, but quickly darted back into Olive’s. They seemed to have lost the wise cracking spark they had moments ago, perhaps she did know something.
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Bella pressed on: “I recently met the boy; I’m sure you heard of him on the news, after he escaped from the Beakers. Anyway, I… err… I guess there’s something about him that struck me and I’m trying to find out where he comes from. After questioning Circe I found out he had originally been found here, so I thought I might ask you if you know anything.”
Olive didn’t answer Bella and in fact, she wasn’t sure she had even heard her. Just as she was about to ask again, however, Olive spoke:
“You met him?” she asked in a quivering voice. Bella couldn’t make out her expression: Olive seemed to be having a rush of emotion, but she didn’t understand why. Her face seemed to reflect a certain sadness but also another feeling – was it hope?
“Err… yes, I did.” She answered hesitantly, disconcerted by the elder woman’s reaction.
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“Is he well?” Olive asked with concern; had she even heard Bella’s question?
“Yes, he is. He just entered college actually.”
Olive smiled, as if with the satisfaction of receiving some good news.
“That’s good.” She said in a peaceful voice. Something about this information seemed to have brought her serenity.
“Do you know where he comes from?” Bella asked this time feeling that it was indeed possible.
Again, Olive didn’t answer right away. She looked curiously into Bella’s eyes, as though she were trying to tell her something without actually saying it.
“No,” she said, in a tone of finality. “No, I don’t, sadly. I’m afraid I can’t help you more.” Olive’s face seemed regretful, and she kept looking and Bella for a moment, before turning away and walking back to her house without explaining or saying goodbye.
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Bella watched the old woman head up the front steps and close the door behind her. She felt like she had missed something, or said something wrong. She reasoned Olive’s emotion was probably due to the fact that she had found the boy and maybe cared for him for a while. She smiled, glad to have brought the old lady some pleasant news. She headed back to the entrance gate and left Olive’s garden, returning to Strangetown and going home as the sun set over the desert.
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After her conversation with Olive, Bella felt a new freedom within her, as if she had been released from the burden of her past. A part of her had been relieved Olive hadn’t given her anything else to speculate on. It was true that Bella still didn’t know where Nervous had come from, but even now, it didn’t really seem important. It had been necessary for her to find some potential answers in the first few months, when she had no life behind her. However, after two months, she felt tired of searching for something that seemed so distant and irrelevant. She knew her behavior may be selfish, seeing there was a family waiting for her somewhere, but she tried not to think of that. Even though she knew they existed, they didn’t actually seem real to her, and she wanted to move on.
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Over the next couple of months, Bella continued to get to know the people she had met in Strangetown. Nervous was still helpful to talk to, and he inspired her to rebuild her own life like he was doing. She admired how he had focused on fitting into a normal life and how in such little time he had gone from being a lost young man with no life, to a college student blended in the crowd of his peers. Even though he had a busy schedule and demanding homework, he always found time to meet up with Bella and catch up.
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Bella also started spending a lot of time helping Pascal take care of Astra. In truth, Pascal didn’t really need the help and would have been fine caring for his daughter alone, but Bella still glad to help the insecure father. She had to admit her care for Astra wasn’t entirely selfless as a favor to Pascal: being around the baby during her very first weeks in life was a wonderful experience. Also, Bella felt a very maternal instinct within her due to her pregnancy, as if this was preparation for her own motherhood. Pascal, who had recently gone through just about every book available in town on parenthood, was also interesting to talk to and gave Bella a few reading tips, for good measure. The general feeling of caring for Astra was strangely recognizable, but never actually triggered any specific memories for Bella.
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In the following weeks, Bella also became friends with Jack, from her group therapy. It was very helpful to talk to someone who had already lived what she was going through. Jack was easy to talk to, and he always seemed to understand what Bella was feeling. She took the habit of spending a lot of free time around his house talking to him about multiple subjects that crossed their minds. She even came to feel more at home in Jack’s house than at the Smith’s. Indeed, the latter was a family house, with an identity and a past that Bella wasn’t a part of. Jack was an abduction victim and even though he had now been living in Strangetown for fifteen years, his past was still very limited and his house reflected that. Bella could relate to his non-identity and enjoyed spending time in his company.
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In fact, she came to regard their conversations and the monthly group meetings as the upside of her therapy. Indeed, reading journal entries and hypnotherapy quickly became something Bella continued by obligation more than by will. Even though, her journal had provided very meaningful answers at first, because everything she was reading in it was new, as the entries continued and she just read the same names over and over, it became quite dull and repetitive. She would talk about Mortimer’s work as a scientist, and her daughter, Cassandra, who was apparently older than Bella had first imagined, since she worked with her father. She read about Alexander’s grades in school, about an anecdote that had happened to her while out shopping. In the end, even though a part of her felt fulfilled to find out more about the past, she didn’t really relate to what was written in the journal, and came to regard it as a rather uninteresting story, that no longer provided her with significant answers.
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If journals entries were already becoming uninteresting, hypnotherapy was only getting more and more complicated and frustrating. She continued to find herself in the white room, with the two stairs. She still was unable to go upstairs and after a second time, where she went downstairs and felt just a horrible fear and anguish, without apparent reason, she refused to head back down again. The doctors had tried several exercises, all as confusing as unproductive.
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Also, Dr. Auster recommended she continue trying to relax her body every night before going to sleep. At first, it was indeed relaxing and mind-clearing. However, after a while, she started going into deeper relaxation and she felt the same way she did with the drugs at the start of her hypnotherapy session. The feeling would last for several minutes instead of fading away after ten seconds, effectively making Bella, very uncomfortable. She felt as if she were wandering through heavy suffocating dark clouds and, even though she imagined that, with training, this exercise could eventually be useful, she wasn’t able, for now, to keep her concentration long enough and just decided to give up and go to sleep. As time passed and she only found herself going through the same feelings every night, she stopped trying it every night.
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As she reached her fourth month of being in Strangetown, her belly had started expanding, due to the twins’ growth, and now that she felt she was rather well integrated into Strangetown, Bella felt the need to get a job, to be able to provide for her children. However, in a town where scientific research was the main way to go, she didn’t really know where to look. One afternoon, she found herself in Jack’s house, again, expressing her frustration on the matter. His house wasn’t very big, mainly because he was the only person to live there, but this made it quite cozy. They were sitting in the main room, which was, like at the Smiths’ house, at the same time a living room, dining room and kitchen, but in generally warmer colors of beige and maroon.
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“I just wish I had landed in a town that wasn’t only aimed at science.” Bella complained. “I mean, apparently, I wasn’t much of a scientist before, even though my husband was. I just wish there was something a little more social to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I think I’d be interested in doing something more useful for the community.”
“Well technically, around here, helping with scientific research is seen as useful for the community.”
“I know that’s my point: there’s nothing else but the town’s scientific progress that seems to be at stake. I think I’d be the kind of person to work on something that would develop a social community spirit.”
“I see what you mean, but there’s really nothing like that in Strangetown.” Jack chuckled.
“Well, maybe there should be.”
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“There are many things that should be done in this town, but no one ever came along and did them. I mean what are you going to do, create a town hall?”
“I’m not having visions of grandeur or anything, but I know I’m not going to be helpful in the extraterrestrial life study lab or whatever it is.”
“We do good work.” Jack said, slightly defensively at Bella’s dismissal of his work place.
“I know you do,” Bella laughed, “I’m just saying that I wouldn’t be good at it.”
“You can always get a job at one of the shops in town, or at the diner.” he suggested.
“I don’t know; I may not be having visions of grandeur but I would still like to do something a bit more meaningful than being a waitress. Everyone in the therapy group seems to have some important job.”
“Well not everyone, Kristen is a shop assistant.”
“Are you really comparing me to Kristen?”
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“She’s not a bad person!” Jack laughed, while Bella looked at him disbelievingly.
“Call me an elitist or whatever you want, but you’ll have to excuse me for setting my ambitions a little higher than Kristen.”
“I know, but all I’m saying is that you don’t necessarily need to get ahead of yourself.”
“I think I just envisioned myself doing something that would be fulfilling. I don’t just want to have a job because I need one, which I do, but because it helps me make this place a little easier to live in.”
“You mean, you want to make this place a bit nicer to educate kids in?”
Bella’s eyes looked deeply into Jack’s.
“Do you know how to read my thoughts or something?” she asked with a smile.
“It just seemed to be where you were going.”
“Well, yes that is sort of what had in mind.”
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“Well you could always help out at the children’s school.”
“Yes maybe, but… Well, I was just thinking about how Nervous had said there was nothing for kids to do in this town and that their whole life, they’d all just been waiting to grow up and go to college. I don’t want my kids to have to feel like that.”
“What do you have in mind, an after school special?”
“Well, of course if you say it like that it sounds all peppy and sappy.”
“Well, no offense, but it does sound like that’s what you’re going for.”
“It is not!” Bella laughed in a defensive tone. “Okay, maybe I sound a bit old school with my little ideals, but I just don’t think it’s right to leave kids reckless all day long.”
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“Bella, do you have a precise idea in mind, or are you just trying to figure it out?”
“Well, I thought about creating some kind of association for youth, but I’m not sure I can really do that on my own, with my current situation. I mean, I have no money, and I would already need some to get started on that.”
“I can help you with that.”
“Oh, no, that’s probably not a very good idea. I mean, I don’t even know how this would work and if it didn’t, then I wouldn’t be able to pay you back and, well, it’d just make me feel guilty.”
“Well, you can’t start a whole new life by yourself. You’re going to need some help.”
“Sure, but I can’t ask this from you, it’s just too much.”
“No it isn’t, really. I was under the impression that I would be doing it all by myself too, when I first arrived, but actually, everyone is ready to help you. Surely you don’t think I afforded this house by myself? I guess it’s part of Strangetown tradition to help each other out.”
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“So, what are you saying, people are going to throw money at me and just trust me to do whatever I want with it.”
“Well, in a way, that is basically how it goes. Already, you need to know that since Strangetown lives in total autarky, things are much less expensive here, than anywhere else because everything is produced locally. So houses aren’t as expensive as they might be elsewhere. Also, people here are just used to helping abduction victims start all over again. You may not have realized this, but they’re ready to help you out the moment you ask for it.”
“So you really think I could create this youth association if I wanted to?”
“Sure, as long as you start out slow and do something constructive, I think it’s a great idea. What exactly do you plan to do?”
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“Well, I was imagining a place where the town’s kids could just come together and do some activities. I don’t know, I would still need to plan this out, but basically I want to create a place where kids can learn new things, have fun and just enjoy themselves in their free time. I think it just makes me feel better to imagine my children growing up in a town that has some opportunity for them.”
“It sounds like a good idea. If you want I can start talking about it a bit and spread the word. That way people will understand it’s time to start helping you out with your reconstruction project.”
Bella smiled and started thinking about how there was suddenly more possibility in her life.
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However, Jack’s words became a reality, much sooner than Bella had actually expected. Within a week, she was already being asked what she needed to start her new life. It was very satisfying to suddenly be thrown into a concrete project which would allow her to lead a normal life. What she mainly needed to find were premises to actually have a physical place for the youth association to work in. Her friends gently laughed as she suggested looking into real estate: Strangetown had no real estate; houses were built by demand when it was necessary. The prospect of having a whole house built just for her seemed like a step too far to Bella, but Jack assured her it was the right thing to do.
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After finding a comfortable plot of land to settle on, Bella was shown several house plans and needed to choose what it would look like. Jack had suggested building her an actual home, and incorporating her youth association on the ground floor. Bella had thought it was a good idea and decided on a not too large L-shaped house. It took a few weeks to choose all the different elements that would make the house. Bella was excited, as she watched her new home sprout from the ground and often went with Jack, to see how the construction was moving along.
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Eventually, some six months after being in Strangetown, Bella had a full home and a place to work. Her home was modern like all the houses in town, but Bella had done her best to make it comfortable and warm. She had been surprised by how cheap everything had been; things surely weren’t like that in her old home, wherever that was. She had had the house surrounded by a beige wall, to create a small courtyard where she could already imagine children playing. The youth association took up most the ground floor of her home, and Bella was eager to start working in it. She’d decided to name it: ‘Youth Of the United New Generation’. Jenny had found the name too long, but Bella pointed out that it actually spelled out YOUNG.
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“Why the new generation?” Johnny had asked her.
“Well, because I’m doing this for the kids in this town, who for now have no childhood. The new generation has the possibility to live a proper childhood and go beyond the scientist fate laid out for them before they’re born.” Bella had explained.
Some had been a little skeptical as to whether Bella’s Youth Association would really work in a place like Strangetown. Apparently they were wrong, for within just a few months, the youth association was already working very well. Though no one had taken the time to create some structure for children in Strangetown in the past, it seemed people did want it and parents were rejoiced when they found out someone was taking some initiative.
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Nervous, who had been one of the main reasons Bella had decided to create the association, helped her out, whenever he could and the children were fond of him as well as of Bella. Johnny and Ophelia also participated in a few activities from time to time. Jill had been signed up by her parents and spent her afternoons with the other children at the association. At first, Bella didn’t have many material means, and especially distracted the kids through outdoor games, but within a few months she was able to afford more supplies, and offer various activities. Every now and then, she took the kids for a little field trip somewhere in the surrounding desert or to the college, for a picnic and some games, and to make them explore the place they lived in.
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By the time she reached her ninth month of pregnancy, Bella was ready to fully move into her new home. She had continued to live at the Smiths for a few months, while waiting for the association to settle and to afford enough basic furniture for the house. Decoration was quite minimal at first, mainly consisting of drawings from the kids, which were priceless but meant more than any kind of money. With her due date approaching, Bella had decided it was time to fully move into her house permanently, not wanting to impose on the Smiths any longer, despite their continued affirmations that they didn’t mind.
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Jack had been continually helpful in the past months and was there the day of the move, to carry the heavy furniture and allow a very pregnant Bella to do a very minimum. The Smiths had also come to lend a hand, so that Bella saw her whole house being prepared before her very eyes without participating in it (she had tried to carry some light boxes, but, not being able to see her feet due to her large belly, she had tripped and almost fell and had been forbidden to help ever since – not that she was complaining). So for a large part of the day, she was assigned to the couch in the living room, as she watched her friends walk by and assemble everything together. She felt quite guilty laying back while everyone worked hard but eventually gave up on offering help when she systematically got a negative answer in return.
“Your job is to keep the couch warm.” Jack joked, as she complained about feeling useless.
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By evening, everything was ready and Bella was immensely satisfied by the result. She wobbled down to the kitchen downstairs – the only room of her house on the ground floor, apart from a small bathroom – with the others to celebrate. In eight months she had gone from being an amnesic abduction victim with nothing, to an integrated member of the Strangetown community, with a job, a home, some friends and two children on the way. Of course, she was still in just about the same situation as she had first been with her past, but at least, she now had a present and a future.
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Bella got up from her chair, wanting to head to the bathroom – the pregnancy having increased the number of her visits to that room – but halfway across the kitchen, she felt an unmistakable contraction. She felt water streaming in her midsection; her water had broken. She turned around to face the room, filled with her friends, still in mid-conversation and laughing.
“Guys,” she said, getting their attention, “I think it might be time to get me to the hospital.”
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks for reading this third chapter and for bearing with me, while I got my computer fixed. I've already written Chapter Four, so I only have the pictures to take now; you can expect to read it soon enough.
Big thanks go out to Ricardo and Jüri for continued help and support.
Sign the guestbook on your way out!
Alexis
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