Author's note.
So as I promised this week I got something different for you. Just a short idea I came up with and simply had to write.
Not sure how to tag it though. Eh, I'll just put the Angst one.
Thanks
The room was tiny.
White walls of the rectangular room closed in tightly around simple wooden desk and two chairs placed by its long sides. In one of those sat the dark haired, dark skinned teenager. Lacking anything else to do, she was staring at the white doors in front of her. Behind her was a large mirror that she knew was fake, but she was too scared to look at it. The floor, with its alternating light and dark blue tiles could be perhaps more amusing to watch, but in her nervousness she could only look straight.
Single lightbulb radiated not enough light, bathing the room in dim shades.
And the chair was awful.
This was definitely not a good day for Connie.
Finally after long minutes of waiting the door opened.
Tall woman came through, businesswoman, with business suit, grey file in her left hand and leather suitcase in right along with, not that fitting, kind, but dimmed smile on her face.
Everything here seemed to be dimmed.
She seated herself in the only chair left, the file resting in front of her and suitcase by the leg of the table, both waiting for their moments, and introduced herself.
- "Hello, Connie. My name is Diana Gold. I am the detective on this case. I will need to ask you a few questions, okay?"
The teenager said nothing.
She was still nervous, but steeled her will and regaled the woman with the fiercest look she could summon.
But her adversary was prepared.
- "Connie, I know this situation is scary and unnatural, but we need your help to see the truth here. I know you must have a lot of questions yourself, so let me answer them and then we'll see if you want to talk to me then, okay?"
Girl was still not convinced. Still, she could no longer withhold the question burning her tongue.
- "Where is Steven? Where did you take him?"
Only then the reasonable part of her bait realized the bait she just swallowed. But by then, the control was out of her hands and the Diana's voice drowned all her thoughts.
- "He's in the next room. My partner is speaking to him now actually. You can see him once we're done."
- "I want to see him now!"
Connie made the desperate attempt to regain control, but she knew that in the end she had the upper hand here. She could always stop speaking.
What she disregarded was that it would not stop them from speaking to her.
- "Of course."
These words dumbfounded Connie, she was not expecting her to agree.
Diana reached for the leather suitcase procuring the black laptop from the inside and quickly setting it on the table.
She made short work of booting it up and a minute later, after some clicking, the image of Steven talking with some unknown man popped onto the screen.
- "It's real time. I can't play the voice unfortunately, as their conversation is considered confidential. But I can prove you it's real."
Answering the question that was never asked she pushed another few buttons and image of herself and Connie replaced the last.
- "You see. It's us. Wave your hand if you don't believe me."
Connie did just that. Waved and weaved and shook and every gesture she made was replicated perfectly. The feed was authentic.
She wouldn't trust Diana yet.
Being ripped violently from the comfort routine of her life only to be thrown into these four walls of fear did not make trust easy. Still this first proof of goodwill chipped at her defenses and she found feeling a pang of sympathy delivered by her traitorous feelings.
Diana switched back to feed of Steven, and kept it for a while. The Steven was joyful, happy, but intimidated and a little scared. Just the combination anyone would expect to see from this fourteen-year old being questioned.
- "You see, he's fine. Now do you have any other questions?"
Second time the trap was laid, but this time the Connie was much wiser. She would not ask the question that was expected of her, she would take control and find it all out. Whatever there was to find.
Her mind immediately went to all the crime novels she read in secret from her parents, but she dismissed this train of thought immediately. She could not rely on clichés. Not only Diana would be prepared for that, but she also had a mind of her own and it was time to use it.
Still as she took her time that Diana willingly offered, she decided the best course of action lied in simplicity.
- "Why am I and Steven here?"
The woman looked surprised a little, which Connie celebrated with inner whoop. It meant she just threw a wrench in whatever plan the woman had. Even if this would be a minor disruption, well it was still a victory.
- "Oh, I wanted to ease you in before we would breach that. But I promised."
Diana looked uncomfortable now and Connie started to wonder if this question was really that great of an idea.
- "The reason why we decided to bring you under our protection is because we think you may have been brainwashed."
- "What?!"
Connie's mind did a flip as she heard the news. Brainwashed! Suddenly everything was clear. She could clearly see how the cops could get the wrong idea. Playing with swords, magical adventures, pink lion. It was a lot to take in for her, it would be certainly a world shaker for any analytical minded adult.
She wanted to speak, explain everything as best she could, but was stopped by a palm of left hand facing her in the voiceless command for silence. But even more perplexing to her was the look that Diana's face adopted.
She was sad.
- "Connie, I know it may sound ridiculous, but please, think about it. Where was the first time you met Steven?"
This question was easy. Connie knew the answer and not being able to spot any trap she found herself answering.
- "Well, it was four years ago when he gave me back my bracelet that I dropped at the festival year earlier."
She could immediately see it was not the right answer.
Or rather it was an answer Diana expected. With sad nod to some inner thought, and soundless sigh she gave Connie knew that something was wrong here. But no matter how hard she thought she could not find a fault with her statement.
That was the truth.
- "Connie, please think once again. How did he find it? You were in the middle of the crowd and he was on the platform. Do you remember dropping your bracelet? Searching for it, missing it, wishing it back? Or did Steven told you that when he gave it to you. Connie did you really lose it or maybe you rather never had one?"
Each question shaken her foundations a little more. Although spoken slowly, with sad kindness lining the voice, they left no time for proper consideration, no time to mull over each one in search for satisfying conclusion.
Instead she found herself doubting. Was this really what happened? She remembers her bracelet, she definitely had it on the parade. Steven had told her that. She remembers having it before too, but she could not say if that was really true, the memory of their day on the beach, their first meeting, playing constantly in her head.
Steven, was lying to her? She would not believe that.
- "Steven would never lie to me! He is the gentlest person I know! He would never do such a thing to anybody!"
Her rage was awful, burning her from the inside fueled by the insecurities that opened a moment ago. It made Connie powerful, it made her right.
It was painful when the single look cast her down.
And the words that followed were even worse.
- "I know. When I told you we think you have been brainwashed I meant both of you. Steven told you the truth. Or rather what he thought was the truth. He is just as much a victim here as you are Connie."
A little pause.
- "I am sorry Connie."
Whirlwind of thoughts rampaged through the teenager mind.
She wanted to find some counterargument, spot some clever lie that was hidden in the words of Diane. But all she could think of were the thoughts all the fun she and the Steven had, all the adventures and all the heroic things they've accomplished. All the while her mind screamed the words of denial.
Violent "no's" and "It is not true" disrupted all the coherent thought she had.
Still, she did not want to give up.
- "No, it can't be true! People have seen them! They've seen Gems, they've seen the Gem Monsters they've seen it all! Just ask them!"
Another sad smile. Another pang of pain in Connie's heart.
- "We already did."
Diane shifted her hands bringing focus to the file and Connie immediately knew what was in there. Excerpts from the interviews with the towns inhabitants, and if she would want the whole thing, the woman still had her laptop. She was beat.
The next words were only confirmation of that fact.
- "This case contains the interviews with all the people in town. If you want to read it."
Diane slid it to her with reassuring gesture encouraging her to open it. Connie did not.
She still did not believe it.
Days, months, years fleeted in front of her eyes. Hundreds of happy, sad, terrifying or riotous memories that grounded her fantastical reality suddenly teetered on the brink of turning into elaborate lies. But she would not give in. She would not believe, she could not believe, she did not want to believe.
But she already did.
- "Once again I am sorry. This is a lot to take in at…"
She was interrupted by a soft beeping coming from her cell. Quickly apologizing to the girl she checked her message.
Whatever it was it was not good.
Her brow furrowed as she read it. The sad smile returned, however, when she looked up, this time more apologetic.
- "I am sorry Connie, but the chief needs me urgently. Look I'll leave this for you, if you want to read it. I should be back in a few minutes."
With that hasty excuse she grabbed her laptop and her cell and exited the room.
Connie was left alone.
Alone with the woman's words and a simple grey file.
On the other side of the door Diana stopped and sighed. She didn't worry about Connie hearing her; she knew the doors, as the rest of the room, were soundproof. That's how she had it built. It was useful to keep all possible distraction away from the interrogated.
And now it helped to mute the loud metal steps that her subordinate was making.
It was still quite far away, but she could already recognize her. The best pilot money could buy on such short notice.
She waited patiently.
Although she could easily go and meet her underling halfway, her ears guiding her way through the familiar surroundings, she would not. It was important to let them know that they moved for her, not the other way around.
Finally the sound of footsteps ceased and the sound of the formal greeting would bring smile on her face if she were not busy scowling.
- "Pilot Peridot reporting with direct message to the commander Yellow Diamond. Permission to speak?"
The pilot was fearful.
This time she did smile.
- "Permission granted."