Confrontations and Confusion

I stared at him, desperately searching for something to indicate this was all some kind of sick joke. But Zack just sat there as my world started to crumble.

It was too much. I finally managed to tap my screen and pressed the question mark key until I had a neat line, and turned it around to show him. Zack pointed at his bed.

“Close the door, and sit down. This is going to take a while, and I don’t want to be interrupted.” He shifted forward, eyes burning into mine as he stated, “You don’t want us to be interrupted. Trust me on this. I’m not sure what you did or how you found out. But a lot of people will know you came in here in the middle of the night. And I’ll need time to figure out what I’m going to tell them.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, so I did as I was told. Zack stayed in his chair, the computer’s light bathing him in an eerie bluish glow that made him look… tired.

He waited until I had my screen placed neatly on my lap before speaking. “Let me start with the easy part. My little sister, May, died when I was around six years old. It was an accident. My parents thought I was watching her, and I thought they were, and… She slipped into the pool.”

I raised my screen, but he shook his head.

“Let me finish. I said that was the easy part. Everything else will sound like science fiction mixed with horror.”

Was that supposed to be a joke? I put the screen down.

Zack took another deep breath. “Like I said, it was an accident. My parents were beside themselves with grief, and I wasn’t doing much better. They were already working for the corporation back then, and one day. Dr. Markert and Mrs. Astral showed up with you in a car seat. They asked us to play family with you, and my mother said yes even before they finished speaking.”

He glared at me. “She should have said no. I don’t know how much you can recall, but weird things started happening almost right away. The house plants started growing out of control, and the grass soon followed. My dad tried everything, but they wouldn’t stop growing. So, Dr. Markert suggested we move. And that seemed to work. The plants in and around that house stopped growing, and we didn’t have any problems once we settled in. But that all changed once you turned four.”

When the shadow rabbit came for me.

“I have some theories about what was going on, and my superiors all seem to agree with me. But I’ll get to that in a bit. We moved again, and the same thing happened. Peace and quiet until you turned eight.”

The bush man. I knew he didn’t want to be interrupted, but I had to know. -You did see him, right? The man that looked like a bush who broke into our house? You tried to set him on fire to protect me!-

“I didn’t do that to protect you. If I was thinking clearly, I’d have tried to capture it.”

-Using me as bait?-

“These things do like you. That thing proved how dangerous the situation was, though. The… plants and whatever controls them are getting smarter. Adapting. So we had to adapt. That’s why we took a vacation for your twelfth birthday.”

-I got sick.-

“We think it’s because you were in the air instead of on the ground. There’s been talk about seeing what would happen if we get you on a boat. But Dr. Markert is against it. Not only could he lose his favorite project, but there’s no telling if the next attempt could lead to it capturing the boat and taking human lives.”

-Are you saying I’m not human?-

He didn’t hesitate. “Humans can’t control plants and shadows. I don’t know how the corporation got you, but I stopped believing you were human a long time ago.”

-What am I then?-

He turned to his computer and waved me over as he pulled up several images of trees from around the world.

I didn’t recognize most of them, except for a weeping willow and a sakura tree. But they all had one thing in common. All of them were missing leaves just like the tree in the park.

-What am I looking at?-

“Trees show up a lot in myths. Most are shown for growth and nurturing. The thing you came from is also a tree. A magic one. And it’s connected to all the trees in these pictures.”

-So I’m a tree?-

“Part of one. And it's been trying to get you back ever since we were asked to take care of you.”

-Why are you telling me all this?- I knew he didn’t like me, but it hurt to hear him say that I wasn’t human. I wasn’t a part of his family.

Zack shrugged. “Because I promised myself if you ever figured out what was going on, I’d tell you everything I knew. I’m sick of pretending.”

-What are they planning on doing with me? What’s the real reason we’re moving?-

“The tree in the park was healthy twelve years ago. All of these trees were. Can you guess what happened?”

I shook my head.

“You got older, Rei. I don’t know how, but every four years. The trees get sicker. Almost overnight to match with your birthday. It’s like you’re killing them. Sucking something out that they need. The new base in Australia also has a tree that’s been showing the same symptoms. And it sounds like the plants or whatever they are have started trying to get you back.” He turned to face me. “Tell me what happened in the library. Mrs. Astral sent me a copy of the footage. But it looks like you were just freaking out. You’ve never done that before.”

-That’s because I’ve never been scared before, you jerk.-

“I didn’t know you could feel fear.”

-Why wouldn’t I?-

This seemed to catch him off guard. Zack turned back to the computer and turned it off. “If you want more details. You’ll need to talk to Dr. Markert and Mrs. Astral. I don’t know if they’ll answer you, though.”

-Why wasn’t Dr. Markert my only doctor? I remember talking to other people about my dreams.- And I was certain that I’d never met Mrs. Astral before we moved here.

“That was to help keep up the illusion. We weren’t allowed to send you to school or bring over anyone who didn’t work for the corporation. I’m not even sure if you have a birth certificate. I was wondering if that would come up if anyone decided to teach you how to drive.”

-I’ve never seen one.-

“I didn’t think so.”

-Are you going to take me to him? -I didn’t know how long it would take for Mrs. Astral to leave the library.

And her involvement hurt. I was surrounded by people who viewed me as something else. I fought the urge to be sick and typed. -How long was this going to last? What happens after I turn twenty?-

I’d be an adult. I hadn’t made any concrete plans, but I did think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Would I have been given a fake version to keep me satisfied?

Or was my freedom now at stake? I wasn’t sure if I understood what Zack meant by sucking something out of trees, but it’s not like I could deny magic either.

My dreams weren’t dreams. And I wasn’t supposed to exist. Zack got up, and I followed instinctively. He didn’t pause by our parents’ room. I refused to stop thinking of them as my parents.

They raised me. They must care about me at least a little bit. But I didn’t type anything as Zack unlocked the front door and headed for his car. I didn’t bother locking up before getting into the passenger seat.

There were no other vehicles on the road as we drove. Zack stayed silent, and I didn’t try to ask more questions. The ride wasn’t long enough for that.

I was expecting him to pull up at Dr. Markert’s house, but instead, Zack parked in front of the hospital. Several lights revealed an empty lobby, and I shivered.

My roots didn’t like this. I didn’t like it either. Zack was already unbuckling when I tapped his hand, making him pause. “Change your mind?”

I shook my head. -What’s in the lunchbox under your bed?-

“My life before you showed up. How’d you know about it?”

-I dreamed it right before entering your room. I’ve never been in it, you know. I’ve never gone into your room once. I respected your privacy.-

Zack nodded with a slight chuckle. “Yeah, that you did. I appreciated it, but it also proves my point about you not being human. A normal kid would have snuck into every room once they thought the cost was clear.”

-I was trying to get you to stop hating me.-

“I don’t hate you. I don’t want to feel anything for you.”

He got out of the car before I could stop him. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. My fingers relaxed over the screen as I followed his lead.

Dr. Markert was waiting for us in his office. I couldn’t describe it as anything else. A cup of coffee sat on his desk, steam gently rising like a little cloud, curling into Dr. Markert’s beard as he grinned.

“Zack. Rei. How nice to see you both. Can I get you anything?”

I turned to Zack and felt my heart squeeze as he shook his head. “She knows.”

“Does she?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” Dr. Markert’s smile faded slightly before he turned his full attention to me. “You must have questions. And I will answer them in time. But right now I need to ask Zack to leave. Your parents will be devastated if he doesn’t get back before they wake up.”

Why is he saying this to me instead of Zack? I don’t speak for him. And he didn’t want to speak to me as he left. His arm brushed mine in what might have been farewell.

But I didn’t try to stop him. Zack wasn’t on my side. He wasn’t sorry about his part in this, and I doubted Dr. Markert was either. I sat down like this was just another appointment and typed about everything.

My dreams, the strange things that have been happening. I even told him about Bao. Dr. Markert calmly read everything with a straight face before smiling again.

“I’m very glad that you decided to tell me all this, Rei. Very glad. It’ll make the next step much easier.”

-What do you mean? Are you going to kill me?-

His eyes widened so much that I feared they’d pop out of their sockets as he shook his head. “My dear girl. What gave you such a preposterous idea? You’re our miracle, Rei. We’ve worked so hard to get you. We would never kill you!”

-But I’m killing the trees?-

“You’re not killing them. You’re ensuring yours and humanity’s survival. The energy you’re taking from them rightfully belongs to us. We’re simply using it the way it was intended.”

I didn’t know if I believed that.

-You have cameras all over the place, even my own room. Do you have any idea how disgusting that is? How can I trust you?-

“Because you already do trust me, Rei. You’re a smart girl. And until today, your life has been one of bliss, hasn’t it? You have loving parents, a brother who does care about you, and all of us. Everyone in this base adores you, Rei. And you know that.”

-I know that you’re using me for something.-

“And soon you’ll understand why. It’s only two days before your birthday. Which means the next phase is set to begin.”

-What do you mean? What’s going to happen?-