A/N: Hi everyone. An update. I feel this shows that Maeve won't be perfect and definitely still mastering her abilities, as well as a little moment between her and Henry. Hope you enjoy!
Maeve was bored as she silently roamed the halls three days later. Henry's words had haunted her for the first night, but from what she had observed it seemed like a normal hospital ward. Most patients came and went, apart from a few, whom she had imagined had long-term difficulties or illnesses. Some of the corridor halls were white, some yellow, which gave a welcoming and homely feel. Sighing, she rounded a corner to head towards the canteen. She hadn't seen Doctor Maxwell in the last couple of days, Maeve imagined she had become busy discussing their next steps with Doctor Brenner. The fact it had been days made Maeve doubtful that Brenner had anything to offer.
Pushing the door open, she was greeted by the sight of a teenager, eating alongside Henry. Maeve hesitantly raised a hand to wave before grabbing a tray and piling food on it. Not wanting to be rude, she sat at their table.
"Hello. What's your name?" She sent the younger one of the two a smile before placing a spoonful of cereal into her mouth. The younger boy inspected her with calculating eyes but did not respond. Henry seemingly nudged him under the table, causing a reply.
"Two" the boy said simply, then carrying on with his food.
"Pardon?" Maeve tilted her head in confusion, her eyes flickering between the boy and Henry. There was no way he was two years old and confusing his age for his name. The teen rolled his eyes in annoyance and forcefully threw his spoon on the table before getting up and leaving the room. Maeve pressed her lips together in a thin line, then looked at Henry with wide eyes.
"Don't worry about him. He's a moody thing." Henry told her reassuringly before sighing. He reached towards Two's tray and started clearing the table.
"That is the number given to him, though." He added.
"His number?" Maeve knitted her eyebrows together in confusion. Henry rolled up his sleeve, revealing the 001 tattoo on his arm.
"Two didn't come here under normal circumstances… I have never heard anyone call him anything but his number." Henry explained in a hushed voice, clearly affected by this himself.
Maeve gulped as she watched Henry take the trays back to the kitchen staff. 'Nobody who is a patient here leaves'. Maybe there was some truth to what he had said. Maybe it hadn't been a poor attempt to scare or intimidate her. Part of her felt bad for having judged him. She had thought he was quite rude, not someone she wanted to be around. Yet this morning he had been accommodating and polite. A little troubled, perhaps. Dropping her gaze she stirred the cereal she had chosen, her appetite no longer existent. Nerves started to ball up in the pit of her stomach, this place feeling darker than it was meant to be.
"Everything okay?" Henry's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, her eyes snapping up to see his sky blue ones.
"Of course." Maeve forced a smile as she shrugged her shoulders. "Not as hungry as I thought I was." She stood up and picked up her tray, discarding of it.
Doctor Brenner and Doctor Maxwell entered the room. "Ah, there you are!" Maxwell exclaimed with a smile on her face. "If you don't mind, Doctor Brenner would like to do a few tests. I have been filling him in, he would just like to observe you." Maxwell wrapped an arm around the younger woman's shoulder and looked at her encouragingly.
"Of course. That's why we came here for." Maeve laughed, somewhat uncomfortably. She didn't want to be another number.
Dr Brenner led the group to a separate examination room. There was what could only be described as a wheel of lightbulbs, as well as a chair in the room and Maeve eyed the contraption curiously. Dr Brenner turned the chair so it was facing away from the wheel and gave her a pointed look.
"Please, sit down Maeve." He said, his voice surprisingly sweet. Maeve stepped towards the chair and sat down, willing herself to calm down. Alongside the doctors, Henry and another orderly, whose name she did not know, had accompanied her.
"Now, this is a sort of challenge. I will have one of my men cuff you to the chair, then I would like you to demonstrate two ways of escaping. If that is alright with you of course." Brenner explained calmly, shooting her a reassuring smile. Maeve nodded and Brenner looked to Henry expectantly.
Henry got out ordinary handcuffs before stepping behind the chair. "Hands behind the chair please" he instructed, his voice gentle. He knelt behind her as his fingers touched her arm, her skin soft beneath them. He didn't understand what it was, but a part of him felt excitement when placing the cuffs around her wrist. He thought it pleasurable, in a forbidden way. Shaking off his thoughts, he leant in briefly, the scent of lavender and ylang ylang hitting his nose. 'She must have had a shower recently' he thought to himself. "Good luck" he said softly before clearing his throat, throwing the key on the floor for good measure. He took his place beside the other orderly before all eyes fell on Maeve.
Maeve took a moment to focus before the familiar sound of opening handcuffs was heard. It was almost too easy. Brenner ordered Henry to fasten the cuffs again, observing closely. There was this glimmer in Henry's eyes, one he had never seen before and it unnerved him. He was well aware of what Henry had been capable of.
All eyes fell on Maeve again. Closing her eyes, she focused and the key started floating in the air. She directed it with her mind, a small amount of blood visible underneath her nostril. Once the key entered the key hole and the handcuffs opened, she opened her eyes and offered a small smile.
"Very well-" Brenner started, before being interrupted by the other doctor.
"There is another way. Maeve, darling, you know what I am talking about, yes? Why don't you show this good doctor what else you can do." She told Maeve, the tone of voice sickly sweet. Henry fought the urge to roll his eyes – he could see straight through her. Maeve may have believed these doctors cared, but all they cared about was her power.
Maeve merely nodded her head, prompting Henry to fasten the handcuffs a final time, the close proximity igniting that unfamiliar feeling again. He stepped back and watched with intrigue as Maeve seemingly stared a hole into the other orderly's head.
"Doctor Brenner, why am I moving?" James said anxiously, seemingly not in control of his body moving towards the young woman whose nose was bleeding a little heavier. The orderly stood behind her and lifted the key from the floor, before unlocking the handcuffs.
"Extraordinary" Dr Brenner breathed, while Dr Maxwell crossed her arms across her chest, standing proudly. Henry tilted his head in fascination, he had only been able to test some of his abilities. He had always imagined what he could have been capable of, had it not been for the soteria implant. Perhaps this was the answer. Making an unwilling, conscious participant do something they did not want was something he had always dreamt of. Noticing her hand slowly making her way to her nose, he quickly reached for a cloth and offered it to her with a smile.
"Thank you" she returned his smile before she wiped the blood off her face.
"Are you open to try something else?" Dr Brenner asked, causing Henry to step back and avert his gaze.
"Yes." Maeve replied simply, although she felt a little fatigued.
"Now, if you turn your chair you will see a lot of light bulbs in front of you. What I would like you to do is to use your mind to turn on one of them. After this I want you to transfer the energy onto the next one and so forth." Brenner explained, pointing from one bulb to another. "Although, I think I would like to extend on this challenge by adding a blindfold. Considering your capabilities."
"Sounds good." Maeve agreed as James handed her a blindfold which she tied around her head. Exhaling slowly she focused, channelling just enough energy to switch on one of the lightbulbs.
Henry watched on as she successfully mastered Dr Brenner's challenge, before all the bulbs at once burnt brightly and exploded. Shrieking she took off the blindfold, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at the other people in the room.
"I am so sorry!" she blurted out, her eyes checking over each person to make sure no one was injured.
"It's alright." Dr Brenner quickly interjected, holding his hands up. "Do you mind telling me what happened?"
"It's like… I feel all this energy inside of me and all around me… and sometimes it just gets… too much." Maeve tried to explain herself as best as she could. She looked down onto the ground, feeling guilty.
"Alright. We can work on that." Brenner assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her.
"Can I go now?" She asked rather bluntly, feeling embarrassed.
"Yes, of course." Dr Maxwell now came forward, smiling at the younger woman. "A little rest is probably good for you right now. Everybody may leave." The doctor addressed the rest of the room.
Keeping her eyes on the floor, Maeve made a swift exit out of the room, making a beeline for her room. She felt a lot of feelings, embarrassment for not being able to control herself, guilt for nearly hurting someone, fear over what she could do. She had grown up like this but no one had been able to guide her. Not properly, not from experience. Nobody could relate and it was frustrating. Sometimes she felt like a ticking time bomb and it frightened her. A knock on the door stopped her thoughts and she opened the door, finding Henry.
"Hi." She said as she looked to the floor.
"Hi." He replied, his voice somewhat soothing. "I came by to check on you."
"Yes, fine." She somewhat snapped, although she didn't mean to.
"I noticed you had a scratch on your cheek so I brought a plaster." Henry held up his hand, revealing a single plaster in it.
"Oh." Maeve struggled to find words to reply, caught off-guard by the sweet gesture.
"Do you mind if I have a look? I wouldn't want any glass to be stuck in there." He asked politely. Maeve nodded her head and stood aside to let him into her room, before closing the door. As she stood in front of him, he lifted her chin upwards with one hand, his eyes inspecting the small wound in detail. Maeve pressed her lips together in a thin line, her eyes avoiding the man in front of her.
"I don't think there is any." He observed as he gently applied the plaster to her cheek. Maeve's hazel eyes flickered towards him and their eyes made contact. Maeve's heart beat a little faster in her chest and she cleared her throat and sat on her bed.
"Anyway, I am sorry again for that." Maeve murmured, brushing a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.
"Don't worry. You don't even want to know how many lightbulbs I have broken in my time." Henry shrugged nonchalantly. Maeve looked up at him and realised maybe there finally was someone who could understand.
"Anyway, it's almost time for Two's lessons. I will see you soon."
"Bye Henry."