"Are you guys like a, like a thing now?"
Two weeks. It had been two weeks of clean sheets, semi-proper medical equipment, and awkward situations.
She tried to avoid them at all costs, but when the boy you like's brother walks in on you two kissing, and that boy's brother is Hal Mason... well you get the picture right?
"No. Hal we are not a 'thing'." Madilyn told him putting air quotes around the last word. He was enjoying this way too much.
Hal had been there for about an hour, a rather unpleasant hour if she might add. He had spent said hour teasing, prying, and interrogating Madilyn on her personal life. When Madilyn had told him "that it was really none of his business and he should go find something proactive to do" he replied:
"Actually I think it is my business because I caught you two red-handed, but I have patrol."
"Good! Have fun. Now goodbye." Madilyn told him and pushed him out the door.
"But, I'll be back!" He yelled from the doorway. "You can count on it!"
Lourdes who was walking in around the time that Hal was yelling looked at him her face showing obvious confusion.
"What was that?" She asked as he walked away.
Madilyn sighed and rolled her eyes. "Just don't ask."
Hal wasn't the only one Madilyn had an awkward run in with.
To say that she and Ben had been avoiding each was an understatement. They had only had one session the entire two weeks, whenever one of them walked into the same room the other walked out, and to make it more fun there were meals. A public viewing area for people to watch Hal tease them. Needless to say Madilyn hadn't been eating as much as she would have liked to the last few weeks.
So when she ran into him (literally) in the hallway the other night it was the definition of uncomfortable.
Madilyn did have to say it was somewhat her fault. The hospital was big and winding. She practically got lost every time she tried to go somewhere. As a resolution to the problem she had drawn a rough map of the building.
At the time she was staring at said map in the dimly lit hall of the psych ward trying to make it back to the infirmary. They didn't turn the lights on very much at night. Didn't want to give away their location. The alternative light source was lanterns, which didn't do their jobs very well. Since the light was so little Madilyn had to bring the map right up to eye level to even halfway read it. Being the stupid person she was she didn't think to stop walking when having the map so close to her face.
This mistake resulted in her slamming directly into someone.
She stumbled back a bit trying to figure out what just happened. "I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed to the unidentified person in front of her. Madilyn squinted her eyes a bit. "Ben? Is that you?"
"Uh, yeah." came the rather quite reply.
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?" He countered.
Madilyn almost laughed at his stupidity. "Ben this is the psych ward." She said. No response. "And I am the only somewhat professional Psychologist in the 2nd Mass."
"Right." This is how it had been for a while now. Short responses. No eye contact. It bugged her to no end. "Well um, I was actually looking for you." She raised her eyebrows in question. "Anne needs your help with something."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"Did she say what?"
Ben shook his head. "No. Just that she um wanted me to come find you."
"Oh." She said quietly looking at the floor. "So we should probably get back."
"Yeah."
They started walking a very slow, awkward, agonizingly quite pace. They hadn't talked about the incident at all, so there wasn't going to be any normal conversation until that was cleared from the air. She didn't want to talk about it, but she didn't want to spend the rest of her life in the 2nd Mass skipping meals to avoid Ben Mason.
A few times she saw out of the corner of her eye Ben open his mouth, as if he was going to say something. But of course, he didn't. Madilyn knew that if there was going to be any conversation (whether it be about what happened or not) she would have to be the one to start it.
She took a deep breath. "So." She started.
"So." He repeated not looking in her direction. Madilyn sighed and stopped. He looked at her (finally) and stopped as well. "What?"
She rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. "Look, we need to talk."
"About what?"
"Seriously Ben?" She snapped, her eyes opening. "I cannot keep skipping meals to avoid Hal! Soon enough me and Lily the eight year old will be able to share clothes!"
"He's been bugging you too?"
"You have no idea." She shook her head.
"So to get him off our backs we need to talk."
"Exactly." She looked at the floor. There was a long pause. "Listen," she started. "To be honest I think we should just forget about it."
"Forget about it?"
"Yes. The both of us are not in a mental state to deal with a relationship or anything of the sort. Plus you are my patient, and me being your psychologist...that just wouldn't work."
"Not to mention we're in the middle of an alien invasion." He added.
"Yeah that too." She agreed.
"Ok. So we forget it ever happened." She nodded. "Good. I'd like that." He stated. He'd like it? Couldn't deny that one hurt a little. He held out his hand to shake "Frenemies?"
She smiled and shook his hand "Frenemies."
It turns out that Anne just couldn't find the antibiotics she needed for Captain Weaver. Madilyn had taken the liberty to sorting everything.
"That's all I needed." She told Madilyn. "You and Lourdes are free to go and get some sleep."
"Thanks Anne." Lourdes said before grabbing Madilyn's wrist and pulling her out the door before she could thank Anne herself.
She didn't stop until the two girls got to their room and sat Madilyn down in a chair. "Ow." She complained to the brunette. "You have a tight grip."
Lourdes shrugged "So I've been told, but that's not important."
"Ok?" Madilyn said completely confused. "Then what is important?"
"What happened?" Lourdes clearly wanted Madilyn to get what she was talking about without saying it.
Unfortunately for her Madilyn didn't pick up. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."
"What happened between you and Ben?"
"Who told you that?" She exclaimed. "If Hal opened his mouth I'm never going out in public again."
"Madilyn, Hal didn't say anything."
"What? Then how do you know about the kiss?"
Lourdes smiled and her eyebrows shot up. "I didn't know about that until now." Madilyn opened her mouth to speak but couldn't really find the right words. "Madilyn it's completely obvious that you two had been avoiding each other, and Hal."
"So?" Madilyn said quietly looking at the floor.
"I'm not stupid! I know what liking a boy is like." It was true. Madilyn didn't know why she hadn't thought of Lourdes figuring it out sooner or later. Word on the street was she had a crush on Hal at one point, and then there was Jamil. That relationship was common knowledge to anyone that had a pair of eyeballs. Not to mention she was very smart and observant in general. "Why didn't you tell me?" She exclaimed.
Madilyn shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "I don't know. It was awkward enough with Hal knowing."
Lourdes sighed. "Ok fine. But, we being best friends, means I have a right to know about anything further. Okay?" Best friend? Madilyn hadn't really thought anything like that as of late. But now that she did she realized that Lourdes was her closest friend, she was her best friend. She smiled at the thought. A best friend: someone who had your back no matter what, someone who you could share all your secrets and fears with, someone that Madilyn really needed in a post apocalyptic alien invaded world.
"Right." Madilyn said, still smiling. "So as my best friend." She liked saying that. "You want to know what happened when he came to find me."
"Yes." Lourdes nodded. Madilyn told her about the conversation and the verdict her and Ben had decided on. "Frenemies? Really?"
"What did you expect?" Madilyn exclaimed. "Lourdes, aliens just invaded the planet! There are much more important things to focus on."
Lourdes sighed. "I know. But I think that just gives you all the more reason. Ya know? For all you know one of you could be dead tomorrow." Madilyn gave her an incredulous but somewhat amused look. "What?" Lourdes asked. Madilyn just smiled and shook her head at her friend, her best friend.
Early morning hours. They were the worst thing ever invented. Captain Weaver was good about keeping the 2nd Mass on track, but sometimes Madilyn wished he was a little more careless.
"Hey." Someone said sharply from the other side of the room.
Madilyn opened her eyes halfway to see Lourdes pulling on her jacket. "What?" She moaned shutting her eyes tight. The sunlight streaming through the window made them tear up.
"Time to get up!"
"No."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Madilyn come on. I bet Anne is probably in the infirmary wondering where we are."
"No way. She and Tom are probably somewhere off in a room flirting and doing who knows what."
Lourdes laughed "You're probably right, but regardless of her love life we have to go."
Madilyn groaned and dragged herself out of bed. She quickly ran a brush through her hair (that was in desperate need of a trim and a wash), threw on some clothes, and pulled on her shoes.
"Heads up!" Lourdes called from her bed. She dug in her bag for something and then tossed it to Madilyn.
The younger girl looked over the object in her hand. "A toothbrush!" It was one of those on the go Crest built in toothpaste portable ones.
Lourdes smiled and nodded. "There were a few in the cabinet. It's better than brushing with water."
"Thank you!" Madilyn exclaimed and rushed over to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
They had been working for about half an hour when someone came running in yelling.
"Dr. Glass!" The voice was urgent.
"Yes?" Anne turned around to face Lyle one of the fighters.
"Come quick. Somethins' wrong with the Captain!"
Anne ran out of the room and Lourdes and Madilyn exchanged looks. They were both thinking the same thing. Harness bite.
It was a struggle but they finally got Weaver into a bed in the ICU unit.
"Tom." The captain wheezed out and grabbed Mr. Mason shirt.
Anne came over and removed the patients hold on the other man. "I gave him a monster dose of Lorazepam." Both of them struggled to bring down Weavers arm. "It had no effect." No effect? Lorazepam? That stuff was intense. Especially in massive dosages.
"Madilyn!" Came the struggling voice of Lourdes. "A little help please." She was trying (and failing) to tie down Weavers leg. She went to go help the other girl.
"I don't understand. How did this happen?" Tom asked.
"This." Anne said lifting up the Captain's pant leg. Madilyn made the mistake of looking. There was puss or venom (she couldn't tell which) oozing out of the cut. It surrounded by visible veins the color purple. There was only one word to describe it. Disgusting.
Her face must have gone pale or something because Lourdes whispered to her "Maybe its best you sit this one out." Madilyn nodded and quickly exited the room.
In case she was going to puke Madilyn had rushed down the stairs and out to the main entrance of the building. She ran over the railing of the steps and leaned over. The last thing she wanted to do was to throw up.
"Hey." Someone said from behind. "What's wrong?"
She turned around to see Ben. "Oh hi." She paused to gather herself. Throwing up would be bad enough, but on somebody else? Ew."There was just a pretty nasty cut in the infirmary, and I figured it's better to puke out here than inside so..."
Ben nodded and opened his mouth to say something but didn't. There was a fiasco going on down the path. She turned away from their conversation and looked that way to see Hal and Maggie were approaching the steps along with Mr. Mason. But they weren't alone. Hal was carrying a girl. A beat up almost dead looking girl. He must have seen them long before she had because he called out "Don't let her stay! We can't trust her she's still attached to them."
What the heck was wrong with him? Madilyn thought. His brother found a girl and he wants to leave her out there to die?
"How do you know that Ben?" Tom asked. Fair question.
He paused. "I can- I can hear it." He said in a quieter voice. Madilyn watched as everyone around them shifted uncomfortably. She herself squirmed a bit, leaning against the rail of the stairs.
Tom seemed to consider what his son had just said for a moment before deciding. "Alright Dai you and Lyle take her to the psych ward put her in a secure room."
"Dad." Hal breathed out. He obviously was not on board with this arrangement. Maggie whispered something to him and he let them take the blonde girl away.
"Dr. Glass is in the ICU with Captain Weaver tell her to meet us in the psych ward!" Tom called out. He stopped and looked at Madilyn. "Madilyn you should come as well."
"I-" she began to protest, but stopped seeing the look on Mr. Mason's face. He was not someone to be messed with right now. "Yes sir." He jogged up the stairs to catch up with Lyle who was carrying the girl. Hal walked by next, but not before giving Ben a dangerous look.
As soon as he had gone by Madilyn poked Ben in the back. "What the heck was that?" She demanded.
"That" he said pointing in the direction of the rest of the crowd "Was my brother getting us all killed."
She sighed heavily, shook her head and walked away. She would have to deal with him later.
Madilyn, Hal, Maggie, Dr. Glass, and a volunteer sat in the girl's room waiting for her to wake up. Through the course of the last few minutes she had learned that the girl lying in the bed was named Karen. She also learned that the reason Hal was so worried was that they had been 'together' before she had been taken.
Madilyn stood next to Dr. Glass by Karen's bed. Suddenly there was heavy breathing, gasping, and a whimpering noise.
"It's okay. It's okay." Anne said kneeling down next to the bed.
"Where am I?" Karen practically screamed. She was pushing herself into the corner, staying as far away as possible from the other people.
Anne opened her mouth to speak but Madilyn cut her off. "Hey." She said softly, almost a whisper. "It's okay. You're okay. You're at the 2nd Mass. Do you remember anyone?" Karen just kept hyperventilating. "Breathe." Madilyn said. "Slowly. Very slowly." Karen did as she was told. Just as she was beginning to calm down the door was opened and in came Ben.
"Don't talk to her." He said. "I told you we can't trust her."
"Ben."
"She's not one of us." He did not just say that. In front of Karen nonetheless! Is he crazy? Madilyn caught his eye and gave him the 'stop it now' look.
"It's alright Ben." Tom said walking in behind his son. He then turned to the girl. "Hello Karen."
Her breathing turned to normal and she smiled. "Oh. You're alive?"
"As you can see." Tom said calmly.
"It's the most horrible thing." The look of pain on her face was horrible as well. "I've ever experienced. Watching them torture you. Not being able to do anything." She was almost crying now.
"We're glad your back Karen." Hal told her. Madilyn looked around the room. Maggie didn't look to happy, and Ben looked angry.
"We do have some questions though." Tom said. "And a few concerns."
Karen was nodding vigorously still in her corner. "Sure."
"The ones you were found with the dead kids." Tom began. "Were they on the ship with you?"
"Maybe but, I don't- I don't remember." Her voice was shaky. Questions weren't the best idea right now.
"What do you remember?" Tom asked. His voice was suspicious, demanding, he was pushing it.
"Only that I was on the ship, in my pod, and when I woke up I saw Hal's face. That's all." The story was sketchy, but then again wasn't everyone's these days? Karen must have seen the doubt on everyone's face because she continued. "Look I understand how crazy this might sound but-"
"How was your harness removed?"
"I'm not sure, but I can only guess that-" she paused.
"What?" Tom pushed.
"That I served my purpose."
"Well, get some rest try to get your strength back, I'm sure Dr. Glass is gonna want to run some tests." He then looked at Madilyn. "And if you ever want to talk. She's here." He pointed to her. "Just ask for Madilyn." Madilyn smiled a little hoping to seem friendly.
Karen nodded taking in the instructions. "Can I get some food? I don't think I've eaten anything in a very long time."
Tom nodded. "I promise you will be very well taken care of." He assured her. "All I ask of you is that you don't leave this room. Until we've had a chance-"
"To make sure that I'm not a threat." She finished for him. Oh, she was good. Madilyn could tell Karen knew how most people felt about her return.
"Make sure that you're healthy." Tom corrected.
"Yeah." Karen nodded. "I understand. But I'm really happy to be home. All I ever wanted was to be back to the 2nd Mass. With you and Hal." Hal smiled at that. Maggie didn't. This should be fun.
"Get some rest." Tom told her. "We'll talk more later. Hal!" He called and walked out of the room. Madilyn gave Karen a quick smile before leaving as well.
"Dad." Ben said catching up the group. "I want to stay with her." Tom stopped at his son's request and the group around him did the same.
At this Madilyn made a face. "Ben." She said. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"
"I have a better chance of anybody else of finding something that's not right."
Madilyn snorted. That was Bull. Tom glanced in her direction. "Mr. Mason." She began. "Given the circumstances I don't think that's a good idea."
"Do you have a better one?" Ben snapped at her.
Why was he being so mean? What did she ever do to him! "You know what, yeah I do." She said looking Ben square in the eye. "I'll stay with her."
"You-" Ben started but his father interrupted him.
"You know what; the both of you will stay with her." He said. Both teens opened their mouths to protest but Tom wasn't going to take it. "That's an order."
Ben and Madilyn looked at each other for a moment, anger evident in both their faces before turning around and walking back down the hall to Karen's room.
"Hey Ben." Hal called out from behind. "So what's going on?" He asked a approaching him. You could tell he wasn't very happy. This was gonna be good.
"What do you mean?" Bean asked.
"I mean all the suspicion. All the crap about those bad feelings or whatever that is. That's Karen." Hal pointed to the doors.
"So you say. I've never met her before today remember?"
"Because we lost her while she was trying to help rescue you." Hal attempted to reason. Oh, valid point there.
"I'm sure whoever she was before she was a wonderful person, but that thing in there. It's not Karen." The group around the two boys shifted uncomfortably.
"So why are you any different then huh?"
"I guess I'm not. Which is exactly why I can handle her. You won't be able to resist her manipulating-"
Hal cut his brother off "Would you listen to yourself bro? Look at her!" His voice was becoming angry now. "She was half dead when we found her! She's scared and she's freaked out, how is she gonna manipulate me?"
"She's already started." Ben then turned to Maggie and the others. "If I were you I would keep him as far away from him as possible. Won't end well."
The anger in Hal's face was growing. He made a good choice walking away. That is until he mumbled "You can be such a-"
"Freak?" Ben supplied for him.
"I was gonna say tool but if you like freak sure we'll stick with that."
Ben started to say something but Madilyn didn't want to find out what it was. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to the corner.
"What is wrong with you?" She asked her voice a mix a scolding and astonishment.
"Don't tell me she's got to you to."
"Ben, you do realize how crazy you sound right now?"
"Do you realize how crazy her story sounds? She doesn't remember anything? Come on Madilyn I thought you were smarter than to fall for that."
She sighed. "Ben, you can hate her all you want, you can try to prove that she's working for the other side or whatever, but remember as of right now she is my patient. And I forbid you to go anywhere near her without me."
"You're forbidding me?" He was laughing at her. The jerk. "Do you even have the authority to do that?"
"Ben, what do you think I tell people when they say they would like nothing more than to put a bullet through your head?" He didn't have any reply to that one. "I'm going to go help Dr. Glass. If you're assigned to watch her come get me." Ben nodded silently and Madilyn walked past the guards into Karen's room.
"Ah Madilyn." Anne said looking over her shoulder. "I could use your help."
"Sure. What do you need?"
Tap tap tap.
"Lourdes." Madilyn moaned. "Go away."
Tap tap tap. "Get up." A voice came from the other side of the door.
"Lourdes!" Madilyn moaned again getting out of bed and stumbling over to the door. "I'm not on night shift- oh." Madilyn had opened the door to reveal not Lourdes, but Ben. "What do you want at 9:00 at night?" She questioned folding her arms.
"You told me to come get you." He said. Madilyn scrunched her face up in confusion. "You told me to come get you if I was assigned to watch Karen. So here I am coming and getting you."
To be completely honest Madilyn was quite taken aback. She didn't really think Ben would listen to her order, much less follow through on it. "Oh. Ok." She said a little surprised. "Let me get my jacket."
When they had gotten down to the psych ward it was Dai who was watching Karen. He looked utterly bored sitting in a chair in front of a table by a barred window.
"Hey guys." He said. "What's going on?"
"Shifts over. My turn." Ben told him.
"The both of you?" Dai questioned pointing a finger at the two of them. "She's asleep. Isn't that much of a handful." He said, but all the same got up and walked to the door. "Night." He called over his shoulder.
"Night!" Madilyn called out before the doors closed. Ben didn't say anything. He was already sitting down in Dai's previous spot. Madilyn settled for a bench further back in the shadows. "You know staring at her isn't going to wake her up." She told him.
"I know."
Madilyn sighed. Whatever. He could do whatever he wanted. She didn't care anymore.
After a few moments Madilyn felt her eyes drooping. The last thing she remembered was thinking that a five minute nap couldn't hurt.
There was a clanking in the distance that sounded like dishes. She opened her eyes but was way too lazy to get up.
"It's nice to finally meet you Ben." Karen was saying. "Hal used to talk about you a lot."
Ben didn't say anything but continued working on something in front of him.
"I've forgotten what real food tastes like." She said happily taking another bite of her dinner. "Is that Pope guy still cooking or is Uncle Scott back in the kitchen?" Madilyn only knew one of the suggested people.
"Pope's gone and Uncle Scott was killed when mech bullets tore him apart. When he was trying to save a group of kids pinned down by a skitter." Ben said. Madilyn almost got up to hit him. His voice was accusing, as if Karen directly had something to do with it. The only reason Madilyn didn't hit him was out of the curiosity of how this conversation would go.
"I'm sorry." She said. "I liked Uncle Scott."
"Well, he's dead. Along with a lot of other really really good people." Ben was pushing it. "People who were trying to fight your masters." Okay that was it.
She was halfway to getting up when Karen replied in a low and dangerous voice "They're not my masters. Not anymore." Well at least she can defend herself. With Ben hating her she was going to need it.
"You might be able to fool the others but not me. I can hear you."
Karen's voice was definitely confused. "You can hear me? What are you talking about?"
"You're still connected to them. You can hear it too."
Through halfway closed eyes (to give the illusion that she was asleep) Madilyn saw Karen get up and walk over to the window in front of Ben's chair. "I do hear something." She said. "It's kind of like a T.V and a radio and static playing all at once. Is that what you're talking about?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
"But it's just noise. Distant noise. I for sure don't feel connected anymore 'cause I remember what that felt like."
"You do?"
"Yeah." There was a long pause. Karen took on a shaky breath. "Like a hand wrapped around my throat. Moving me around like a rag doll, hardly able to breathe. Forced to witness horrible things, powerless to speak out." Her description made Madilyn shiver. It made her all the more grateful that she was never harnessed. "You must remember."
Ben must of because even with his back turned to her Madilyn could tell he was tense. "I remember." He whispered.
"And you were paired with the skitters." She smiled mockingly. Karen pressed herself up against the bars of the window. "Imagine ten times that." Her voice was breaking, she was going to cry. Okay that was enough.
Madilyn shifted over in the corner and opened her eyes all the way. Both Ben and Karen looked at her. "Hi." She said in her best drowsy voice.
Karen gave her a small smile before walking away and asking. "Can I get some more bread?"
"Yeah. I'll get it." Ben said and left the room in a hurry.
There was silence before Karen spoke up. "So you're Madilyn?"
Madilyn nodded. "Yeah."
"Tom said if I ever need to talk?"
Madilyn knew what she was looking for: an explanation. "Yeah. I'm the psychologist/medic for the 2nd Mass."
"Psychologist?" Karen said. "Ever had any experience?"
"Well, you know that guy that just left the room?" Madilyn gestured behind her. Karen nodded.
"He would be my first and only regular patient at the moment."
"Oh. Is that why you came with him?"
"Yeah something like that."
"So you're not his girlfriend?"
Madilyn snapped back to attention. "Who told you that? Wait let me guess-"
"Hal." Both girls said at the same time.
"Yeah." Karen smiling a bit at the thought if the boy. "He's a piece of work."
"He's delusional." Madilyn commented dryly.
Karen laughed. "I would know. I put up with him for a few months." She smiled again. "But he was worth it."
Madilyn smiled. She couldn't possibly see how anyone could see Karen as a threat. Just then said person walked in.
"They didn't have any bread left." Ben said putting his gun back on the table. "Sorry."
"It's okay." She shrugged. "I think I'm gonna get some sleep anyway." Karen sat down on the bed, removed her shoes, and climbed into bed. With that she climbed into bed and seemed to drift away in moments. "Night." She mumbled.
It had been a good twenty minutes until someone spoke up."So." Ben said shoving his hand in his pockets and walking over to Madilyn. He sat next to her on the bench. "Who were you talking about?"
"What?"
"When I walked in. Karen was saying something about someone. How they were worth it?"
"Oh yeah." Madilyn looked down at her hands. "We were actually talking about your lovely older brother, and how he's delusional."
"Hal?" She nodded. "Why is he delusional?"
Oh crap. She really should have thought out the last bit of the sentence before vocalizing it. "Um. He told her that I was your girlfriend. And she wanted to know what was up with that." Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. It just slipped out.
"Oh."
"Yeah." Now it was awkward. Shoot.
"How many other people do you think he's told?" What? Ben was engaging in a conversation that involved feelings? And awkwardness?
"Who knows?" Madilyn shrugged. "This is Hal were talking about."
Ben snorted. "Yeah." There was a pause. "We should probably stop him." Madilyn nodded. "Wouldn't want him to spread something that wasn't true."
Oh gosh. Really Ben? She thought. It really wasn't the fact that the word choice itself was awkward. More the way he said them. Like he was considering weather if it may or may not be true. She turned to her left to look at him. "Right. Wouldn't want people believing something that wasn't true." She mumbled. "So. What were you two talking about?" She asked turning to look straight in front of her.
"Huh?"
"When I was asleep. What were you two talking about?"
"If you were asleep how do you know we were talking?"
Busted. "I-I-heard-in my sleep- you-really loud-I wasn't asleep." She managed to choke out after realizing that making up excuses was pointless.
"So you heard what we were talking about?"
Madilyn nodded. "She seems so-"
"Broken?" He supplied.
"I can't imagine having to go through that."
"I can." He said. She detected anger in his tone.
There was another thing bothering her. She didn't know whether she should ask or not but her curiosity got the best of her. "She said that she could hear static and a T.V playing all at once." She began. "You said you could hear it on her and yourself. You said that that's how she was connected." She had turned to look at him now. Ben on the other hand was looking everywhere but at her. Madilyn swallowed before she stated her suggestion. "Does that mean that...maybe...you're still connected too?"
"I-I don't know." He said. "I don't really want to find out."
"I'd like to." She said. He didn't reply. "Ben look at me." He did no such thing. "Ben." Her voice was commanding and he followed the order. "You were in communication with that other skitter. The one that leads the rebellion."
"Yeah." He mumbled.
"Do you think that maybe the other ones-"
Ben shook his head and looked away. "Don't say it."
"Hey." She said. "Look at me." He did. "I need you to tell me the truth. Do you sometimes feel connected to them?" She spoke very slowly hoping the question would sink in and he would know the importance of it.
"Yes." He breathed out.
Madilyn swallowed "Is that why you feel like a freak?" She asked. She thought back to earlier that day when he said he could 'hear' Karen and everyone got that look in their face. Or even when his own brother called him one. Ben didn't say anything but nodded. "You're not a freak." She whispered.
"But I'm still connected to them. I still have spikes in my back. I still have people wishing me dead." He sounded so freaked out.
"I'm sorry." Madilyn didn't know what else to say. What else could you say? She pulled into a hug and repeated into his ear. "I'm so sorry."
Madilyn woke up to the door opening the next morning. She sat up on the bench to see Ben coming in with a tray of food. "Breakfast time?" She asked rubbing her eyes. He nodded. "I take it that's for her?" She gestured to Karen who was staring out the window. Ben nodded again. Madilyn sighed and pulled herself off the bench. "Well I'm going to go get something to eat." She stated combing her hair with her fingers. "You want anything?"
Ben shrugged. "Some coffee."
She nodded "Gotcha. Be back soon." She said as she walked out and to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria smelled good. Someone had made fresh bread. Madilyn grabbed a piece for herself and went to grab a cup of coffee for Ben.
"Since when do you drink coffee?" Came the annoying voice of Hal next to her.
"It's not for me. It's for your brother." She told him.
"Matt? That kid does not need any more energy as it is. He was banned from having coffee a long time ago."
Madilyn laughed. As annoying as Hal was he was still a good guy. "No. It's for Ben."
Hal raised his eyebrows in question.
"We're on Karen watch until after breakfast, so I offered to get him a cup of coffee."
"The both of you?"
"I went with him. Just to make sure he didn't say or do anything horribly mean to her."
"Good idea." Madilyn just nodded and grabbed a mug to pour the coffee into. "Are you heading back there now?" Hal asked. Madilyn nodded again. "Care if I tag along?"
"Nope." Madilyn said finishing the coffee. "Let's go."
Hal and Madilyn had a short walk from the cafeteria to the psych ward. Hal was in front of Madilyn and went to open the door first. He was taller than she was so when he said in a clearly angry and astounded voice "What the hell?" She had to push him aside a bit to see what was going on.
She had to admit what she saw definitely warranted a 'what the hell'. Near the nightstand where Karen and Ben holding each other, practically kissing. Scratch that they were kissing. When Hal made his outburst both of them turned to look at him and Madilyn in the doorway.
Just as suddenly as they broke apart Karen fell to the floor. Hal rushed to her side. "What did you do to her?" He yelled at Ben who was slowly backing away.
He turned around to walk out the door but came face to face with Madilyn.
She looked and him and sighed. "Come one let's go." She said grabbing his wrist and leading him out of the room ignoring Hal calling after them. Ben wasn't really walking more like stumbling. Due to this she opened the nearest door and dragged him into the room.
"What the hell was that?" She asked. Madilyn tried her best to keep her voice even, but as she let the words roll off her tongue she knew they were tinged with anger and hurt.
"I-I don't know." Ben said sounding dazed. "We were just talking and then...it was like we were connected."
Madilyn folded her arms and snorted. "Like?" She said sarcastically. Ben didn't seem to notice. "Ben you were kissing her." She said. This time she didn't try to hide the anger and hurt in her voice.
"I-I know." He said pacing back and forth. Despite the fact that there was a reply Ben still seemed to be on another planet.
"So?"
"So what?"
Madilyn set her jaw and glanced around the room. "Okay Ben. When you figure out what the hell just happened in there and what the hell is wrong with you maybe we can talk." She turned and went for the door.
Apparently her unusual use of using curse words more than once brought him halfway back to reality. "Hey! Wait!" He called out to her, but she was already out the door.
Madilyn didn't know where she was going or what she was doing. She just wanted out, out of the psych ward, out of the hospital. A walk. She decided. A really really long walk would do the trick.
In the end Madilyn didn't even bother to grab her jacket. She just marched right out of the hospital entrance and headed down the path. Madilyn walked and walked and walked. She didn't even think of stopping until she heard a noise in the forest. Something like a snapping twig. The noise brought her back to reality. Reality were if she didn't turn around it was almost a given she would get lost or taken in the dark. She immediately turned around and picked up the pace as she made her way back to the 2nd Mass.
When she got back dark had officially fallen. Everything looked like a shadow, the cars, the trees, the three people on the roof- what? Madilyn brought her full attention to the scene in the roof. Three people. It looked like a girl, and two boys. She didn't know how she knew she just did. Hal, Karen, and Ben. Those had to be the people on the roof. Another feeling made her run inside and to the stairwell that lead to the roof. She climbed the stairs as fast as possible and stopped when she got to the top. The door was open and if she went any further they would see her. For another odd reason she couldn't explain she knew that being seen wasn't a good idea.
"I'm sorry." Ben was whispering to Hal.
"It's ok-" Hal had begun to say but he was interrupted. Not by someone else talking, but by Ben grabbing his throat.
Madilyn froze. She stopped breathing. What were they doing to him? She wanted to get up and help Hal, she wanted to scream for help, but she stayed hidden away in the shadows.
Madilyn felt like Karen had described being harnessed. Like a hand wrapped around your throat, like a rag doll forced to witness horrible things, unable to act or speak out. She closed her eyes. She didn't want to see what happened next. There was the muffled sound of talking but she couldn't concentrate on the conversation. Not when Hal might possibly be dead. When she opened her eyes she saw Hal lying on the ground and Karen and Ben looking off in the distance on the edge of the roof. Their spikes were glowing, and before Madilyn could observe anything else they both jumped off the roof. What?
Somehow she found a way to make her limbs move and walked over to the edge of the roof. She barely made out to figures running into the forest before they disappeared completely behind the shrubbery.
She sat there for a moment breathing hard trying to take in what the hell just happened. There was a moan from behind her. Hal! She remembered and ran over to his side. She put her fingers on his neck. Good. There was still a pulse. His brother hadn't killed him like she thought, just knocked him out.
"Ben!" Someone was calling from downstairs.
"Mr. Mason!" Madilyn yelled out. She got up from Hal's side and went to go climb down the stairs. "Mr. Mason-" She yelled but was cut off by running directly into him at the doorway.
"Madilyn?" He said trying to catch his breath from running. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I saw them." She managed to get out.
"Who?"
"Ben and Karen. They knocked Hal out and they jumped off the roof."
"They what?"
"They jumped off the roof and ran into the woods."
"They survived?"
"Yeah. Their spikes were glowing and it-it was crazy."
Mr. Mason kneeled down next to Hal. "He's okay?"
"Yeah they just knocked him unconscious." She said rubbing her temples.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah" She said breathlessly. "We should get Hal to Dr. Glass. I'm sure he's fine but, just in case."
Tom nodded. "I'll get her. Stay here. Don't move." Madilyn nodded and watched him jog off the roof.
She stood there pacing back in forth. Only one thought running though her mind. 'What the hell is going here?'
A/N: So you guys am a jerk. I'm sorry I made you all wait so freakin' long for this chapter. It's just after Sunday I never wanted to watch that episode (maybe even the show) again. Karen was (and still kind of is) my favorite character. So when I was sitting on my couch watching her go off on Maggie (who btw I don't like so I didn't feel bad for) I was like "What the heck! This so isn't Karen! Why does she of all people still have to be possessed by the aliens!" It made me really sad. I was hoping that she would turn out to be okay, but this is Falling Skies (which by the way I don't own. Just thought y'all should know that!) nobody shows up out of nowhere and is okay!
Speaking of showing up out of nowhere Pope is baaaaaack! Is it bad that I'm kind of happy about that? I see him as the guy that everyone knows deep down is right, but is to 'holier than thou let's save everyone' to admit it. Sorry if that offended you.
Also! Halfway through typing this it just kind of took of on it's own and I don't even know what happened. That's why it may be a little weird.
So happy reading, have a nice day and I will see you all next week!
P.S Who else was (and still is) rooting for Karen and Hal all along? Don't let me be alone here!
