Chapter 3
They left her alone for the rest of the night. Jessica guessed it was night from the sparse sounds of activity outside the room. She was grateful for the peace. Her stomach had settled after she'd emptied it two more times. A pang of guilt pricked at her when she remembered that she had first thrown up on that poor man. What had they called him?......Lee. She'd make sure she apologized later. Right now, she was just too tired. That was nothing new. She'd been tired for months. Torture could be exhausting she thought wryly.
Jessica stared up at ceiling. The light was now blessedly off and the room was bathed in soft darkness. She'd learned to fear the light. The harsh brightness off the light bulbs they had held over her as they examined her, cut into her. She never said a word. It had kept her alive. Her mother had made her promise never to give in. Never to tell the Cylon's what they wanted to know. Even after they killed her father. Not a word, Jessie. Promise me. Even after they killed her mother and made Jessica watch, still she'd kept silent, biting through her tongue she could still feel the blood in her mouth in memory. It wasn't in her brain, her gift. It was in her blood. Passed on to her by her mother. Jessica sniffled against the tears that coursed down her cheeks. Oh momma. Now what? What do you want me to do now? They had rescued her, these people. The gentle faced doctor, the smiling young woman, the older sterner looking man and the younger man. The younger man with the bluest eyes she'd ever seen that held a world of pain and guilt.
She didn't remember much of what she'd seen in his eyes and even now, trying to call back the information was too exhausting. There'd been too many images at once and Jessica hadn't known whose thoughts had belonged to whom as she was getting swamped by information on all three people in the room. She worked better when it was one on one. Her head hurt too much if she tried to read more than one person at a time.
Her parents had tried to instill in her the discretion of not invading people's thoughts and her father had even trained her on different ways to shut off that part of her gift. She thought she was doing well until she woke up this morning and been bombarded with images, words and feelings from every angle. She'd have to train herself again. But not now, not yet. She didn't have the energy to do anything but lay there. Later she'd try to figure out where she was to go from here. She was all alone now. But she was safe. She knew that instinctively and trusted that. After two years, she could finally trust that she wouldn't wake up to the horrors that had been a part of her everyday life Burying herself deeper under the blankets, she cried tears of gratitude until she fell asleep.
When Jessica woke up again she was looking up at the bright light bulb above her and for a disoriented moment she thought she was back with the Cylons. She let out a whimper and was about to bury herself under the blanket when a soft hand fell on her shoulder. Jessica looked over to the strange woman standing next to her bed.
"You're safe now. It's alright. You have nothing to fear here." The woman spoke softly, soothingly and Jessica felt her panic ease. She had dark shining hair and bright blue eyes. She's sick. Jessica felt the cancerous cells collecting beneath the woman's skin at her own breast. A rush of sympathy burst inside of Jessica and brought tears to her eyes before she could censor herself she reached for the woman's hand. She didn't have to ask if the woman was aware of the disease that threatened her life. The woman's face paled for an instant at the realization that Jessica knew something she had only told a select few. Regaining her composure, the woman gave Jessica's smaller hand a squeeze and tried for a small smile.
"Well, I guess that answers my question then. You really are a seer." Now it was Jessica's turn to pale. "It's alright. No one here is gonna harm you. I give you my word. They branded you. That's how we knew you have the gift." The woman lifted Jessica's arm and she was reminded of the numbers and small star they had burned into her skin. To set her apart. To keep her alive while the Cylons tested her. "Can you speak at all?" Jessica tried to say yes but her throat still burned painfully and she couldn't get out more than a choked wheeze. She shook her head.
"Guess that answers my question too, doesn't it?" The woman gave her a small smile, which Jessica echoed weakly. Then she held up the palm of her hand and mimed writing across it.
"That's a good idea. Do you think you're up to it? Can you write me your name and tell me what happened to you?" The woman asked. Jessica pointed at the woman and mouthed 'you first.'
"My name is Laura Rosilin. I'm the president of the 12 colonies.....Or, what were the 12 colonies." She replied. Jessica looked up at her, more than a little startled.
"Believe me, nobody was more shocked than I was when I was the only government official left." Laura admitted. Years may have passed but she still shuddered beneath the responsibility that had been thrust upon her. "Would you like me to get you a pen and some notepaper?" Jessica nodded.
"Alright, I'll be right back." Laura assured her.
The first thing she wrote when Laura Rosilin handed her the 5 by 7 pad of lined paper and blue ink pen was 'The light scares me. Could you turn it off?" Laura looked down at her and her eyes teared. She lifted a soft hand to Jessica's forehead and Jessica didn't flinch as the older woman brushed a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. Laura sniffled and cleared her throat.
"Of course. Is the lamp alright?" Jessica nodded. Laura switched on the softer light of the lamp on the table by the bed and turned off the light above them.
"Would you tell me your name?" Laura asked.
"Jessica Talbot." Jessica wrote.
"Where are you from?"
"Caprica." Jessica replied. Laura sat close to her so she could read off the girl's lap.
"How old are you?"
"20." Then she scratched out that number and asked. "What day is it today?"
"Today's July the fourth." Laura answered her.
Jessica gave her a sad smile and wrote on the pad, "I'm 21 today."
"Oh. Happy Birthday then." Laura said with a bright smile. "As soon as you're up to it, I'd say a celebration is in order."
"So would I." Jessica agreed.
"Would you like to tell me what happened to you? How long you were with the Cylons?" Here Jessica's smile disappeared.
"No."
"I know it must be very hard for you-" Jessica ignored her and began to scribble furiously.
"No, you don't, I don't want to talk about it. I'm too afraid."
"Oh, honey, I promise you. Nobody will hurt you here."
"They kept my parents and I there for two years. They picked us up after the Galactica left us all behind to die. I wish we had died. It would have been easier then." Jessica seethed with remembered pain and then...... guilt. A surge of guilt welled up inside of Jessica that didn't come from her own emotion. She looked up at Laura Rosilin who was no longer meeting her eyes. The older woman was taking quick steps back. Oh God...... Jessica thought as sickening realization began to dawn.
"You're tired, I'll let you rest-" Laura turned to leave. Jessica fought to speak but her throat wouldn't co-operate. She threw the pen at the woman. It landed at Laura's feet. Laura picked it up and then turned. Jessica crooked her finger, beckoning the older woman closer. Laura closed her eyes in resignation. Handing Jessica back her pen she already knew what her question would be before the young girl showed her the notepad.
"Where am I?"
