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“Savannah, why did they take Milo?” Melissa turns to her suddenly. Zack saw her stewing over this question for the last hour of boring worksheets. And he knows that she has been stewing over it since they found Milo. Asking Milo didn’t work, so here they are, asking someone whose trustworthiness is questionable.
“Because it’s affect on prob-“
“I know, I know. But how did they know? Murphys and Murphys law have been around for generations, there must have been some trigger.” Melissa points out, visibly swallowing her anger when Savannah refers to her best friend as it.
Savannah sighs, spinning sharply in her chair to face Melissa. “Someone reported him. A member of the public.” Zack notes the slip of pronouns. Both Brick and Savannah have been doing that more, recently. “I don’t know who.”
“Why? Why would someone do that?” Melissa thumps the table. Brick’s coffee mug falls off and shatters, spilling boiling hot coffee everywhere.
“Melissa!” Brick exclaims, irritated.
“We’ll get paper towels.” Zack offers, grabbing Melissa’s now red hand to yank her out of the room. She is clearly furious.
“How could someone report Milo? Someone… someone chose to send him here. To have him kidnapped, have him locked up forever. How could they? How could they do that to a child?!” Melissa raises free her hand as if she is going to punch the wall. Zack gently grabs it too, now holding both.
“Melissa, not now. I know you’re pissed, but you need to wait until we’re out of here.” Zack lowers her hand, smiling sympathetically. This is hard enough for him, for Melissa this internship is absolute torture. She is coping badly, he knows that. He just doesn’t know how to help her, aside from keeping her safe and helping her break Milo out.
Melissa takes a deep breath. Her face is flushed with anger, her eyes shiny with unshed tears which she blinks away frantically. “Yeah. I know. Thanks, Zack.”
“Something wrong, kids?” They both jump and spin around to see one of the keepers. One of the more senior ones. One of the ones who is cruelest to Milo. Who brags about it. Who seems insistent in taking Melissa under his wing, because she is Intern of the Month.
“I- my girlfriend broke up with me. Over text. Melissa is angry at her, and I was just saying that it’s not a big deal.” Zack hates this guy. Loathes him. Melissa does too. But they can’t anger him, or rouse his suspicion.
“Ah, I remember being your age.” He chuckles. Right now he seems perfectly friendly, almost fond. But Zack has seen him spit insults and cruelty at Milo, has watched helplessly as he kicked and hurt the boy just because he felt like it. For flimsy, half hearted reasons. “Don’t worry, my boy, you’ll find someone else. And as for you-“ He pats Melissa’s head. She tenses, her hackles rising. But she doesn’t try to stop it. “-you really remind me of myself.”
Zack is suddenly absolutely certain that Melissa is going to punch him. Her hand certainly twitches like she is going to, her eyes flare. But she doesn’t. And Zack knows that the only reason she stopped herself is to keep the internship. So she can rescue Milo. “Really? Thank you, sir.”
“Excuse me?” Zack suddenly as a thought. A distraction, to take Melissa’s mind off of a compliment that must have felt to her like a bullet. “We were talking to our mentors, and they said that the Jinx was reported by someone. Do you know who?”
“Ah, curiosity. Important trait, in this line of work.” He chuckles again. “Now, I can’t quite remember his name… passionate young man, very passionate. Maybe a little too passionate, but we all appreciate what his passion led to. He quite regularly saw the Jinx at work, and he was worried about the danger it was putting kids in.” Zack’s heart aches. In reporting Milo, this young man put an innocent child into even more danger. Offered him up like a lamb to slaughter, to be treated like dirt by people who are supposed to protect. “What was he, a teacher’s assistant? No, no, he was… he was a crossing guard, I think. I met him once, to thank him personally. Interesting guy, very dedicated to safety.”
Zack sees Melissa’s eyes fly open, shock and anger hitting her like a truck. “That sounds like our crossing guard. Elliot Decker?” She is really fighting to keep her face and voice neutral.
“That’s it.” The keeper snaps his fingers.
That doesn’t make any sense. Elliot can be annoying, but Zack always thought that he was a decent guy. He’s just a crossing guard! Why would he…
Melissa grabs Zack’s wrist. “Sorry sir, I just remembered that we’re meant to be fetching something. We’d better go.”
“Oh right, interns. Constantly being bossed to and fro.” He laughs, ruffling Melissa’s hair again. She seems to boil like an angry kettle. “Don’t worry, kid, I’m pretty sure that one day you could be as high up in this company as me.”
“Thank you, sir.” She starts hurriedly marching off, before her emotions can get the better of her.
“Oh yeah, and if you’re still angry later, that Jinx makes for a pretty good punching bag!” Melissa freezes, anger flooding through her. She clenches her fists, ready to turn around and make that smug, evil bastard regret ever going anywhere near her best friend.
“Thank you, sir!” Zack practically manhandles her down the corridor, shoves her into the nearest bathroom. “Ok, we’re alone. You’re fine.”
Melissa swings her clenched fist at the door of a cubicle. The door flies into the wall of the cubicle, with a loud crash. Melissa just glares at it, furious tears burning in her eyes. She swings again, this time punching the unmoving wall. And then she punches it again, her chest heaving with sobs.
Zack lunges to stop her before she can do it again. He holds her wrists gently, watching with an aching heart as tears run down her face. Her hand is bright red, is sure to bruise horribly when it has barely healed from the last time. The skin on her knuckles has split, drops of blood are escaping. “I know. I know.” What can he say? It’s ok? It isn’t. It’s not ok. They both know that.
He leads her to sink to wash her hand. She holds her hand under the running water, watching the blood wash away. She doesn’t speak for a while, far too emotional. But she speaks eventually, still watching the water. “I’m going to burn this place to the ground. When we get Milo out, they’re all going to pay. I don’t care if I go to prison for the rest of my life for it.”
Zack nods. There is anger bubbling in his stomach too. But for Melissa it’s different. For Melissa it’s personal. She went from thinking that her best friend was dead, to seeing him being kept in a cage and abused, treated as less than human. As less than all the other monsters! And she is forced to go along with it, to help them, to pretend to feel the same way. Because that is the only way that they can rescue Milo.
“And I’m going to strangle Elliot.” Melissa spits. She clenches her fist, and Zack is suddenly worried that she will punch something again. But she doesn’t. “He sent Milo here. He sat and watched the search parties, the news, he let us all believe that he was dead! Just because of his stupid, petty, irrational hatred of- god!” Now she does raise her fist, and Zack catches it.
“I know you’re angry. You should be. But you can’t hurt yourself.” He murmurs, feeling utterly helpless. He should be able to help his best friend. He can’t, not in any meaningful way.
She looks up at him. Her eyes are filled with unshed tears, and she looks so utterly distraught. Zack hates seeing her like this, and recently he has been seeing her like this far, far too often. “If I’d just said something. Told someone that Elliot didn’t like him! But I didn’t think it was relevant, why would it matter, lots of people were mean, and if I’d… if I’d…”
“No. No, hey. It’s not your fault.” Zack holds her uninjured hand, squeezes it tightly. “None of this is your fault. You were just a kid. You’re still just a kid.”
“So is Milo. And they’re treating him like dirt.” Melissa glares at their joined hands. “I should’ve stopped it before.”
“We can stop it now.” Zack tries to put emphasis on the we. He wants to take some of that weight off of her shoulders, remove some of the burden that she is shouldering. She has tried to take on all the responsibility- both for rescuing Milo, and for being culpable in his abuse. Has assured him that he isn’t bad for being forced to cooperate, while clearly burning with hatred for herself almost as strong as the hatred she has for the keepers.
He sighs. “Look, maybe you should just go home. You’re not up for it today.”
“I’m not up for it any day.” Melissa laughs humourlessly. When was the last time she laughed for real?
“Melissa, you’re at your breaking point. You can’t keep going on like this, you’ll kill yourself.” Zack squeezes her hand. “Go home today. I think if you stay, you might actually punch someone. And as much as they’d deserve it, we need to keep these positions.”
Melissa sighs, a choked sigh. “You’re right. For once.” An almost laugh. Not a true laugh. But Zack will take it. “Just tell them I threw up. They all think I’m good, they won’t be too bothered.” She shudders. The intern of the month shirt itching at her brain, not her body.
Zack launches to hug her. He squeezes her tightly, trying to give her even a grain of the comfort she so, so desperately needs.
Melissa hugs him back, rests her face on his shoulder. And now his polo shirt is damp, and his throat is aching too, and he can’t cry right now because Melissa needs to let it out. Needs to let it out without using the walls as a punching bag.
She pulls away, wipes her eyes. “Come round mine tomorrow, we need to work on the plan.” She offers.
“See you then.” He manages a smile, and she manages one in return. And then she leaves. And he is alone in the bathroom.
He cleans the sink and the wall, grabs some paper towels, and walks back to Brick and Savannah’s office. He forces his face back to neutrality, forces his feelings down. “Got the towels.”
“Did you go to Antarctica for them?” Savannah chuckles at her own joke. Zack doesn’t get it. How can she laugh and joke, all while knowing that she is helping to abuse an innocent, terrified child? He knows that Brick and Savannah aren’t unfeeling. But they sure act like it.
“Melissa puked.” He bends to clear up the coffee, not looking either in the eye. “She’s gone home.”
“Ah.” Savannah sounds disbelieving. But she doesn’t argue. Their mentors allow the two so much more leeway, and Zack is grateful for that. That doesn’t stop the bitterness every time he looks at them. “Well then, how ab-“
Her radio buzzes. “J3, ma’am.”
Zack winces, standing immediately. He doesn’t even need to be instructed to follow the keepers, knowing exactly what that means. Knowing that Milo might be hurt.
And if he isn’t already, he will be once the keepers get here.
The journey through the airlocks is long, painfully long. But they finally get through, and see that a few bars on the cage are bent sharply inwards, broken off of the top. Milo has already been taken out, and is curled up on the ground.
Brick thrusts a first aid kit at him. “You know protocol.” He orders. Zack nods.
He crouches next to Milo, who winces. “Hey buddy.” He keeps his voice low and gentle. “You hurt?”
Milo glances up at Zack. Zack feels himself being studied, considered. Then Milo uncurls enough for Zack to see the blood coming through his thin, damaged, far too small shirt. And there is far too much blood, even with his blanket haphazardly wrapped around. “Whoa. Ok, that definitely needs medical attention.” He decides. He knows that some keepers would still say that Milo can handle it alone, that it isn’t quite life threatening.
As he opens the first aid kid, Milo seems to gain the courage to speak. “Where’s Melissa?”
“She’s sick.” Zack reassures him, while putting on the gloves. He goes to put compression on the wound, but he notices the little intake of breath. “You wanna do it?”
Milo nods, so Zack hands him the gauze.
Zack isn’t really sure if Milo is especially jumpy because of the large amount of keepers that have flooded the room, or if it is because only he is here, with no Melissa. If Milo sees Melissa as safer than him.
It’s probably a bit of both. The keepers glare at Milo with a malice that would make anyone frightened, but on the other hand Zack knows that Milo has good reason to be frightened of anyone. He isn’t offended that Milo is scared of him. He is surprised that Milo is as polite and kind as he is. If Zack was thrown in a cage, fed gross food, and treated horribly, he would be bitter and rude to anyone he thought he could get away with it with.
“It’s done.” Milo says quietly, after a while of silence. So Zack bandages it, as carefully and gently as he can be. “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” It’s basic medical care. The bare minimum. And Milo still seems surprised by it.
He stays close to Milo, acting like he is doing something with a medical kit. Hoping that maybe that will stop the keepers from bothering the poor kid.
It doesn’t work. A keeper comes over to ask Zack a question. And then she kicks Milo, right on the fresh bandage. Milo yowls, then curls up on the floor, trying to protect himself as much as he can.
“Hey!” Zack blurts out. The keeper turns to look at him. He desperately searches for reasoning that will work, that won’t get him into trouble. For being too kind. “You’ll open the wound, and I don’t wanna do that again.”
“You’re an intern, aren’t you here to do stupid and pointless jobs?” The woman teases. But she doesn’t kick again.
“I’ve got plenty without you making new ones.” Zack replies. She pats him on the head, and walks away. Zack turns his attention back to Milo, curled on the floor with his eyes squeezed shut. “Hey buddy, it’s…”
Ok?
No.
“She’s gone now.” He tries instead.
“You’re too nice. People will notice.” Milo says, barely uncurling. Zack can’t blame him.
“They can call me softhearted if they want to. I follow protocol.” Zack dismisses his worries. He knows it is more dangerous, but he just can’t be cruel to this kid.
Milo still seems discontent. But he accepts it.
The keepers leave, once the cage is fixed. Leaving Savannah, Brick and Zack alone with Milo. “Ok, jinx, you need to go back in now.” Savannah isn’t exactly kind, but she isn’t exactly cruel either.
Milo tries to stand. But his legs shake, and he winces as he moves. “You need a hand, dude?” Zack offers. Milo nods. So Zack helps him climb into the cage. He doesn’t touch Milo much, because he knows that the nervous boy is more comfortable with Melissa. It feels like Milo is both leaning into the gentle touch, and leaning away.
Once Milo is inside, before he lets go, he squeezes his hand. Gently, like he is squeezing a flower. And subtly, so even his mentors won’t notice. Just enough for Milo to feel it. To attempt to give him a grain of the comfort he needs so much.
And Milo smiles. A weak one, a nervous one. Not trusting, but maybe the closest to trusting that Milo ever could manage.
“Zack, we need to go.” Brick says.
“Ok.” Zack closes the cage. Locks it, despite how much doing that hurts him. Despite the sad look on Milo’s face, an expression that worms right into his soul. “We’ll be back on Monday, I promise.” And they will be closer to getting him out of this awful place.
“Zack. You’re not supposed to give him times.” Brick reminds his mentee. Zack just scowls at him, then stands.
“See you soon, Milo.” He keeps his voice soft, so no recording will pick up on his use of Milo’s outlawed name. God. His name is forbidden.
So Zack knows that as much as people using his name scares him, Milo also hoards every use like a treasure.
Zack is scared. Of course he is scared. These people are insane, and they’ve killed before. Killed people for doing exactly what he and Melissa are trying to do. He can’t help but be scared all the time, that the other shoe will drop, that he and Melissa will be grabbed and forced to the ground and killed, and he won’t be able to do anything about it.
But he has to help Milo. He can’t look at the terrified, shaking boy in that cage and be another person who turns away to save himself.
As he waits for the bus, he checks his phone. His background is a picture of him and Melissa, both smiling goofily. A picture from Before.
But now it’s After. And Melissa doesn’t smile like that, and neither does he. But he is far more worried about Melissa. She is burning and burning and burning, with anger and guilt and fear. She is ready to fight everyone, ready to do whatever it takes. Ready to blame herself for everything, ready to treat herself as just as guilty as the keepers.
She hides and hides it at their internship, then at home cries and yells and can’t even tell her dad why. So she tries to hide it from him too, although less successfully. And Zack is the only person who can really know how much Melissa is suffering. The only one who knows why.
And while he worries, Melissa burns, and burns, and burns. And Zack fears that she might burn right up.