Doctor's Story Pt. 1

One would imagine that the walk back to Ylvona’s elevator would be more eventful, but this might even be more boring than our walk to the rendezvous point. It’s been about five minutes since we started walking and the only thing that changed is the amount of footsteps I heard every other second. The crunchiness of the ground became as loud as nails on a chalkboard. Rocco looked terrified still.

I had to say something. “So, Masir, what made you want to be a scavenger…?”

The kid looked up at me. I say kid but he could have easily been as old as me, if not slightly older. He just didn’t carry himself as such.

“Uhm, yeah, I don’t know, I mean, you know, I think being a scavenger would be fun or something…” He couldn’t even look me in the eye.

Part of it felt like he was terrified because a man completely engulfed in flames was talking to him but I had a feeling that even if I weren’t, not much would change. Man, this kid might be a bore after all.

“What about you? Why did you want to be a um, a scavenger…? Or Scavenger Lord, y’know, I’m not saying you couldn’t do that, I just didn’t know if that’s what you…”

It took about two seconds to tune him out. After he finished his meandering preface, I told him, “I recently learned that I don’t want to be a Scavenger Lord… Have you ever heard of roller coasters, Masir?”

“Uh… No, I don’t think I have-”

“Well, they’re basically these contraptions that are designed to…”

Explaining roller coasters to someone never got old. It felt like telling someone heaven existed. Any reasonable person would have to be ecstatic at the idea of roller coasters and surely, Masir would be no different.

“Don’t they sound awesome!?”

Masir couldn’t keep his eyes off the ground. In training, we’re told that not maintaining eye contact during expeditions is a grave sign of disrespect, but I could tell this kid wasn’t thinking about that.

He nervously scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah, they sound fun… A bit scary, though, right?”

What the hell, dude? What a buzzkill… This was going so badly that I wondered if talking to Fence might have been the better option.

Luckily, it didn’t matter because we made it near the elevator, and holy crap, this thing is massive. I thought our elevators were huge, this could fit at least five hundred people… no, probably even more! We haven’t gone into the elevator's interior yet, but seeing the dome in the distance was enough information to understand how truly inferior Milona is to Ylvona.

“Alright, we’re here. Everyone has their hoverpacks ready to go?” Clarine asked sternly.

My eyes met with Rocco’s and I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“We don’t have hoverpacks,” I lightly uttered.

Clarine took a swift turn to look me in the eyes. She groaned. “Of course, you two wouldn’t. I don’t blame you though, kid. It’s this idiot's fault,” she said, shaking her head and turning to look at Rocco.

I’ve had enough of whatever this is. “Lord, with all due respect, why does it seem like you and my lord are not on good terms? There’s been an air that I’m sure even your men have recognized.”

We looked towards Masir and Fence and Masir expectedly avoided eye contact but what was weird was how Fence seemed to not want any part in this as well.

“Your bumbling idiot of a lord is my ex-husband. There’s no bad blood, it’s just awkward is all.”

No bad blood, sure… Wait, is this the chick that was really into roller coasters? Yeah, it’s gotta be her!

“My Lord, I’ve heard about your life in the old world and how you enjoyed roller coasters. Do you-”

“Shut up. You’re wasting time. How many hours do you even have left in your uniform?”

That question was directed towards Rocco and it made me think about how odd this all is. In training, I still remember what it felt like having to put on and take off the surface-resistant uniforms time and time again. They’d also make us put other people’s uniforms on for them. They wanted us to be prepared for every possibility. So much of my life was spent believing that I’d spend too much time in those things. In places like Ylvona, everyone gets their own uniform but in Milona, we all just sift through the same bunch randomly. In our defense, they apparently do laundry every day, but I can’t say it smelled like it.

It’s crazy how you can prepare your whole life for something and one moment changes it all.

“I have about an hour left. We’ll make it in time,” Rocco assured her.

Clarine sighed, “Look, it’s protocol to prioritize the individuals with the shortest amount of time left in their uniform. We can’t have you burning up on us… Fence, give Rocco your hoverpack. Masir, you’ll join Rocco and fly back with him to the elevator. Make sure you listen to everything he says. It doesn’t matter that he’s from Milona, he’s still a Scavenger Lord so treat him how you would treat me. As for you, freak show, you’re with me and Fence. We’ll walk back to the elevator together the old-fashioned way.”

Everyone including Rocco was on board instantly without an ounce of protest. They all got their bearings sorted and as we watched Masir struggle to fly away and Rocco helping him, we began our walk to the elevator. From here, it could only be a twenty or thirty-minute walk. There’s no way I would let the silence consume us again.

“My Lord, now that we have it all sorted, I’d like to know about roller coasters and how you-”

She clicked her tongue. “You just don’t get it, do you? I’m not here to indulge in your small talk. We have a deal and that’s the only reason you’re coming back with us. So stop acting like we’re friends.”

There was no doubt that the fire on my body was harmless, but how did my organs feel about this? Everything must be functioning somewhat proficiently in order to keep me alive, but it feels like ever since I’ve discovered this part of myself, a resolve has risen. This burning sensation in my heart cannot be extinguished and neither do I want it to be. My father told me that the Scavenger Lords would care for my being. I trust Rocco, but I don’t understand him quite yet, and this lady has the key to understanding a part of me but she doesn’t want to give it up. You people are from the old world, so why do you act as if the lives you led there were hellish?

“Why do you have to make things so difficult? Day in, and day out, we’re trying to live, right? So why do people like you think taking it out on others is going to make it any better? I was born into this world. All my life I’ve spent complaining and feeling abandoned by what should have been my destiny to live in the old world. A part of me still can’t help but feel vexed at it all, but you don’t see me take it out on everyone around me, just because I can, do you? Maybe this is just who you are, and if at your core, you really are a bitch, I’m sorry that you felt you needed to become this way to tolerate the world, but everyone around you is still trying, so don’t drag them down with you! If you don’t want to tell me about roller coasters, that’s a-okay with me, but I won’t head to Ylvona. I’ll head home to Milona or die trying!”