Alex sat at one of the surveillance computers, bored out of her mind. She wondered why she was even here, sitting, watching empty jungle, when she could be doing her assigned work. She could be doing something beneficial. She fiddled with the buttons on her cargo pants and counted the days until her birthday.

Zeke walked in. "Just coming to check on you. Seen anything yet?"

"I would have told you right away, wouldn't I have? Remeber the Roussau incident? Actually, that one was kind of funny..." She replied.

"You shouldn't laugh at the expense of others... esspecially not her."

"Why not her?"

"... never mind it. "

He stood behind her and watched the surveillance camera computer she was looking over at the current time, then he sat down and started going through some papers.

"Sir," she broke the silence, " Why am I here?"

He stared at her in surprise, and then suppressed a nervous smile. "Have we a need to review the birds and the bees talk again, Number Fifteen?"

She laughed. "No, I mean why am I here looking at blank jungle?"

He looked relieved and shuffled through more papers. "To learn, of course."

"I don't understand what I'm to be learning, sir. I see some of the survivors walking through the frame some of the time. What am I supposed to be learning?"

He set down his papers and stared at her. "Firstly, Fifteen, they are not survivors. Secondly, you are supposed to be learning form these people, Jack, Claire, and the rest. You probably haven't done so because you haven't had enough time to observe on the computers. I am increasing your surveillance duty double. It's about time now, anyhow." She shrunk down as he scribbled something down on one of the papers, indicating her change of duty.

"Yes, sir." She mumbled.

He didn't look up. "If you are going to do or say something, you should do it confidently."

"Yes, sir." She said louder.

"That's better." He got up and walked toward the door. But before opening it, he lowered his voice and said, "You know the rules, Alex. At four you were told your original name. At eight, you started your general teachings. At fifteen you were given duties. At sixteen – who knows what may happen. As much as it pains me to say this, I suggest you refrain from asking to many questions about such things until you become a Sixteen. It's only a few weeks away."

He gave his usual abrupt nod, and then rushed out the door.

.4. 8. 15. 16. 23. 42.

"Not yet." Charlie said. "Hold your knickers up. Jack's going to want to ask you a few questions." He stood and headed towards the jungle.

"I am not going to answer any questions. I don't care about Jack. I-"

"Well, you're just about the only one, then. Listen, lassie. This lad has been instructed to bring you to Jack when you wake. You've waked. Now we go to Jack and get our daily pat on the head. Let's go." He began to walk off again.

She stayed. He threw his hands in the air as if to ask, 'what?' "Does Lassie need to be called?"

"Mr. Pace," she began, "I must admit it is easy to be fooled by my seeming innocence and calmness, but I must warn you I have been trained by 'The Others', as you call them, and know many ways to cause pain."

"Ah, one of those, are you? We got one of them too. Name's Sayid, I think you've mentioned him before. You know? And if you don't answer Captain Jack's questions, maybe then you two will get a chance to compare technique, eh?"

She paused a moment. Could it be any more perfect? She set out right behind him, pretending to let him lead the way, listening to him mutter things about angsty teenagers.