Questions and Treatments

Jenny stared at the screen in shock. It stared back with a concerned look on its round face as the rest of Chloe’s stream faded, revealing more details about her… new friend? I need to increase my dose again. I’ve had hallucinations before, but this is beyond ridiculous. The face opened its mouth, but Jenny shook her head.

“Don’t talk. I need to process this before I do anything.”

“Like what?” The face asked and yelped when she glared.

“What did I just say?”

The face pressed its lips together and shook its head, making Jenny relax slightly. “That’s better.”

The face smiled but stayed quiet as she stared at it. Okay. Let’s do this logically. There’s a face on my computer screen. What does it look like? It has a round yellow body with big eyes and square teeth. It reminds me of one of those moon or sun mascots from the shows I watched when I was younger. Is the face a reflection?

Jenny turned as far as she could without hurting her leg and frowned. Nope. Not a reflection. She tapped the wall above her head to be sure and immediately regretted it as some of the wallpaper flaked away under her fingers. The walls were kept clean, but Jenny didn’t know what the wallpaper was supposed to show.

She thought it had cat heads, the kind that young children would draw, but the room was never intended for children. It was Jenny’s. She turned back to the screen. The face was still there. Chloe’s stream was still there, though Jenny couldn’t hear it—time for a test. Jenny gently closed her laptop and counted to ten.

It didn’t move, and the face didn’t appear on other reflective surfaces, like the guardrails surrounding her bed. Jenny counted to ten again and opened her laptop. A black screen greeted Jenny before a generic background, a picture of a lake surrounded by flowers, took over, waiting for Jenny to enter her password and catch the rest of Chloe’s stream.

Is it still on? Chloe said that was the last video, so maybe I should just turn off my computer and sleep. Jenny sighed and began typing when an eye the size of a golf ball peeked out from behind the password bar, making Jenny yelp as the face’s voice meekly called. “Are you going to sleep now, Jenny? Is that why you closed the computer?”

“I…” Jenny shook her head and finished typing her password. The screen instantly revealed the familiar scene of Chloe’s sleeping face as the chat wished her a good night. I missed the ending. She’s gone…

But the face wasn’t. It reappeared as Jenny tried to stifle her disappointment. “Jenny? Are you crying? Don’t cry! You shouldn’t be up this late anyway. You’ve got a busy day ahead of you, and”-

Jenny closed the stream window and slammed her finger over the power icon, barely waiting as the screen returned to black. She waited to see if the face would appear now that the power was off. It didn’t. Jenny closed the laptop and placed it beside her as she closed her eyes, but it didn’t feel like she’d gotten any sleep when Ms. Yumi came in with her breakfast the next day.

Jenny didn’t tell Ms. Yumi about the face. She took her pills and tried not to flinch when Ms. Yumi examined her leg and helped Jenny to the bathroom. “You’ve been making a lot of progress, Jenny.”

“Thank you, Ms. Yumi.”

“Are you still watching those livestreams every night?” Jenny looked at her laptop resting on the side table and nodded.

“It’s not every night.” It’s not even once a week, usually.

Ms. Yumi pursed her lips. “You need to rest, Jenny. Sleep is the best medicine, and you knew that today is important.”

“I rest all the time.” What else can I do when I can’t leave the bed? Ms. Yumi wasn’t amused, but she didn’t argue. They had a schedule to keep.

“Have you experienced any side effects from your last medication?”

Jenny clenched her fists and growled. “Besides losing my ability to walk?”

“You knew there would be risks”-

“No one said anything about me turning into a invalid!” Jenny screamed, forcing Ms. Yumi to jerk her head back in surprise.”

“Jenny, you know better than to use such language! I know losing all feeling in one leg is shocking. I went through something similar when it was my turn. But look at me now. Do you see me using a wheelchair or a crotch?”

Jenny shook her head and sighed. “How much longer do I have to keep doing this?” When will my body return to normal?

Ms. Yumi smiled, though Jenny couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be sympathetic. Ms. Yumi’s smiles were the trained professional kind. They wouldn’t crack unless Jenny hit her with a hammer… or screamed her head off. My head hurts. Ms. Yumi helped Jenny to the bed and offered her several pills and a small cup of water.

“There we go. I know what you need, dear. Take these and go to sleep. We’ll have finished the next stage by the time you wake up. Don’t worry.”

Jenny shuddered but accepted the pills. “This looks like more than last time. Is there a new drug?”

Would they risk giving me an untested drug on top of the next stage? Jenny wasn’t sure, but seeing Ms. Yumi shake her head didn’t make her feel better. “Don’t be silly. That’s the same amount of pills as last time. Just like it’ll be the same next time.”

And the time after that and the time after that… Jenny looked out the window and whispered. “How much longer?”

Ms. Yumi tapped the cup against Jenny’s hand. “It’ll pass sooner once you take your medicine.”

Jenny sighed and obeyed, shoving the pills into her mouth as she reached for the water. Jenny hates taking pills. There’s always a moment where she feels like she’s going to choke. And the water doesn’t help ease the pressure. But the effects kicked in almost instantly. Jenny’s eyes closed as Ms. Yumi plucked the cup from her unresponsive fingers and threw it away.

“You can come in now. She’s ready.” The last thing Jenny was aware of was heavy boots stomping toward her as the rest of the world faded away.

Jenny groaned as her eyes fluttered open, relief surging as she recognized the ceiling above her. I’m back. I survived… Did I lose anything?! Jenny sat up, fighting the urge to puke as the room swam in and out of focus for several seconds. Breathe. You’ve done this before—just breathe.

Someone, Ms. Yumi most likely, had left a covered tray beside her bed, but she ignored it. Food wouldn’t make the room stop spinning. And she wasn’t convinced her stomach was working properly anymore. Take stock. Feel yourself. Find what’s missing, and be surprised when nothing’s changed.

That was the first thing Ms. Yumi had taught her when Jenny was brought to the hospital. It hadn’t been the best advice since that first day was marked by Jenny waking up with a broken arm for two weeks and no explanation given on what had happened to her. But it was the only lifeline she had.

Use your eyes first, then your fingers. Leave your legs for last. Jenny knew she wasn’t paralyzed since she could sit up. But her body ached like she’d run for hours. Jenny shook her head and looked down. Her chest and stomach, the parts that aren’t covered by the hospital gown, are whole.

Her arms and legs were free of bandages, and Jenny allowed herself a small smile. Visual test is a success. Now, move your fingers and toes! She did so. Her hands flexed and stretched as Jenny focused on making fists for a minute before looking at her. She touched her left leg and felt nothing.

She slapped it, pinched it, squeezed it as tightly as she could, but the limb felt like a lump of meat that just happened to be connected to her body. Jenny sighed. It figures they didn’t make it better. She touched her right leg and winced. That hurts more than usual. But I can feel it… The toes on her right foot wiggled, making her leg feel numb.

“That’s… not good.” But at least I can still feel something… so what did they change? Jenny shivered, pulling the gown away from her body… only to find more smooth, unbroken skin. Her body hadn’t changed since her last treatment. It should have made her happy, but it only made her panic instead.