Chapter 4

AL.I.C.E-2968442

After they had taken the boy called Ren away, they took me to a facility where I was to be treated. The first thing they did was have me strip and walk into a room where jets of water sprayed from every angle. After I was dried, I was taken to a therapist who asked me a couple of questions and reassured me the beast had been brought back to its natural habitat when I inquired about him. They did not seem to want to explain precisely what was outside the city. I did not bother pushing. They would probably require me to have more sessions if I did.

I was surprised to see that my counselor was an outdated BE.T.SY model, as I thought they had all been taken out of service. After my session, she prescribed me a relaxant medication with the rare chocolate flavor. It was a sweet flavor that most people seemed to like, so I gladly took it. I ate my sweet treat as I was being escorted out of the facility. Typical of chocolate, it was an intense, tangy flavor with a metallic aftertaste. I would not mind meeting more like Ren if it meant getting more chocolate like this. Still, I am glad the guards only arrived toward the end of our meeting.

I had let myself get out of hand back there. I honestly have no idea what got into me. The relaxant was starting to take effect, so I could finally think clearly about what had just happened. I entered the lobby where my guardians were both waiting and when they saw me, they quickly ran over and wrapped their arms around me.

"2968442, I am so glad you're safe," they said in almost perfect unison. The personnel that had walked me out made a slight coughing noise, which prompted the two to let go and take a couple of steps back.

"Did it hurt you?"

"I cannot believe it even got in, filthy animal."

"Are you okay? The emotional trauma must be severe?"

"What are they even doing letting something like that get in."

"Do you need any medicine? You did not get a disease, did you?"

"It did not touch you, did it?" They showered me with questions and comments simultaneously, and I could barely tell what each was saying.

"Calm down, it is okay," I said while closing my eyes, tilting my head, and forcing a small smile. When I opened my eyes, it seemed like it had satisfied them. They took me home without another word. My guardians would have to leave to go back to their duties after dropping me off. 47628475 left immediately to return to her duties, but Nanana walked with me to my room.

"Are you sure you are okay? Those creatures are supposed to be dangerous out there."

"Nanana, I'm okay."

She nodded and left without saying anything else. The door slid shut behind her. I leaned back against the nearest wall. I heard the front door slide open and closed as she left. I did not have to go to school for the rest of the week to reduce stress.

"Cynthia," I said aloud. My back began to slide down the wall, and before I knew it, I was sitting on the ground. I had asked him for a name, why did I do that? What was I doing? What was I thinking?

The boy called Ren had seemed to vehemently believe a human should have a name. He seemed to vehemently believe he was human too. Why wasn't my model number good enough for him? Why was Cynthia any better as a name? Why did I go along with that?

I shifted so that I could push myself off the ground. I did not want to think about this any longer. He claimed he was human, but how could I believe him. I was the human, after all! I found myself walking out of my room to the couch and lying down on it. I was not sure what I was doing at this point. "Cynthia, I guess that is my name," I said aloud while drifting off.

I immediately sat up. Wait a minute. When did I decide to go along and accept this? What right does he have to name me in the first place? What need do I have for a name? We do not need any 'names' here. I stood up and put my hands on my hips. Was I arguing with someone who was not here? It did not matter. I began pacing around the room. I mean, even Nanana-

I froze in place. Nanana was a sort of name, was it not? Even 442 and 443 could act like names of sorts. Were these names? Was he right? I began to shake my head furiously, and my long hair flowed around with it. I pushed it back out of my face, making sure my insignia was uncovered. A beep caught my attention, and I walked over to a screen that had come out of the wall. It had a long message from 443 checking to see if I was okay. I imagine word got out at the school, and she was able to figure out I was involved. I typed a quick reply to reassure her that I was okay and turned back around.

I sighed. He did not seem like the monster everyone thought he was. Now that I think about it, no monster would make that stupid grin he made when he was looking around. No matter. I will not see him again, so I do not need to worry. He was kicked out and will not come back. I walked back over to the couch and laid back down. I would call 443 later to tell her about it. I wonder what his world is like. He seemed dirty. Do they not clean themselves there? I wonder where he got those clothes from as well? They were dull but appeared to be made out of different materials.

"Ahh!" I screamed while sitting up. Why am I still thinking about this? I stood up and walked to the door. There was no reason for me to stay in the house. I was not told I had to stay home either. I would go for a walk. It might help clear my mind. As I exited the building, I took a breath of the fresh air. The streets were void of people; everyone had their assignments until the end of the day, so it was quiet.

I wandered for a considerable amount of time. Down street after street with no regard to the direction. Somehow I found myself in the park where I met Ren. It was not my intent to come here, but this is where I ended up. I am surprised that it is so empty. I would have thought they would have had some of the guards here to investigate. Maybe they had already. It had been several hours since I met him. I sat down on a bench and looked over at the bush he had climbed over. Why had he not just gone under anyway? Is he just stupid?

I stood up and walked over to the bush. There was enough give in the branches to crawl under. I bent down and looked under. I could see where I would be able to push through to get to the other side. Then I immediately stood back up and took a few steps away. What was I doing? I did not want to go out there. He is a monster, one of many that were waiting on the other side.
Still, I found myself looking under the bush again. There was enough room for me to squeeze under. Before I knew it, I had crawled under the bush. When I stood up, I looked to make sure my clothes were not dirty. They were still the same pure white they had always been. I looked around at the scene. There was not much to see. I was in a narrow space between the bush and a large wall. Even though I knew the wall and bush were circular, they were large enough that, from here, it appeared to be a straight hallway. Something caught my eye down the formed, narrow pathway.

I moved carefully in the tight space toward an opening in the ground. A hatch in the floor had been left flipped onto its side. It revealed an open hole with a ladder going down to be swallowed by darkness. I suppose this is where he came up from, but it was relatively small. It must have been difficult for him to slip through. I bent down on my hands and knees and tried to see below. What was I even doing? I should be heading back to report this. I leaned closer to the hole. It was too dark to see. Should I go down? No, that would be a bad idea. I tried to push myself back up, but my hand slipped instead. I felt myself fall headfirst in the hole. My legs got caught at the opening for a moment, but with nowhere to catch, I helplessly plummeted downward.

I was in freefall. Falling with my head about to hit the ground first. I quickly managed to flip myself over midair, so my feet were facing the ground rather than my head. I am not sure how much better it will be when I hit. The ladder should be somewhere around, but trying to grab it now would be a bad idea. My arm would likely be damaged from the twisting it would experience. Before I could come up with a plan of what to do, I suddenly felt myself hit a smooth surface. It was steep so as not to stop me from falling but allowed me to start sliding on it. I felt the surface begin to twist, and I hit some solid surface that kept sliding down it. It seemed like it was gradually getting less steep. I would probably stop at some point, but where, I did not know.