Chapter Text
As I drifted through space my body opens up. Heavy heart and heavy mind. A bright light is shone in my face as I come to.
" This .. quinoa, --"
I couldn't hear much but what was this feeling? Why did my chest hurt so much?
" Tell Lazlo we did it!"
Who?
"He needs a name"
What? A name? For who?
" Help me transfer him"
I heard doors open as I felt a bright presence around
" Dr kim! You did it! Now we can get started on the next body!" The bright presence chirped out.
I felt the warmth wrap around me as my eyes opened. Stuck in front of me was a red head woman with gravity defying pigtails and orange eyes. She was a bright young lady. I knew that much.
" Can I name him" the lady said as I looked over and saw an older dude in a seat with wheels. " Amy, he's just woken up. "
I lifted a finger as the red head.. Amy jumped back in shock " oh! Dr kim, did he just move?"
I tapped my finger as I struggled to lift the arm up but did as it landed on my check with a thunk. " Amy, I think you can name him" Dr kim said
" What was his previous name?" Amy asked turning to him.
" Caine. " He said stoicly
" C.. ch... Chair... Charlie! You're new name is Charlie." Amy said as I moved my arm and shoved up a bit as a sharp pain came through my whole body and I yelled " SHIT"
Dr kim was in shock as the bald person with a red beanie walked in carrying food and Amy was laughing. " Laz, his first word... " She was laughing. It brought a smile to my face " WAS SHIT"
" AMY!" many people yelled as I smiled at her.
" He seems to like you" Dr kim said as he sat me up and a weird feeling was in me.. what was going on? " Shit" I said again having a hard time to gather my thoughts which made Amy cackle. It was cute.
A white haired boy came in and gave Amy a small kiss on the cheek as a shorter girl came in and hooked me up to something.
" He seems to be working pretty well"
" He is. His vitals are stable but I recommend holding off on having him walk."
" He needs to be transferred to a wheelchair. Amy do you mind taking him around and oliver, I know you like your space" Dr kim started saying as Oliver gave him a deathly glare
" Oliver, you're just going to be next door to him. I trust you, Amy and Quinoa to help him." Dr kim said as I was lifted up. What was this?
"Room?" I sputtered out " my room."
A room to myself. With no bubble or anyone coming in to bother me sounded amazing
" Charlie, are you doing ok?" Amy asked as she gave me a tour of the place. As we made our way to outside the... The wind hit my hair as a loud boom was heard making me flinch " it looks like it's gonna rain soon" Oliver said as he took me back inside. He scanned a key card to a set of doors that opened. I refused to go into the small box. " NO! NO NO NO! NO BOX!"
As I was forced into the small box it beeped and we started moving upwards. I started crying. Not the box. " NO NO NO! "
" Do you not like small spaces?" He asked as the moving box came to a stop and the doors opened. A buff guy with two fake arms and pressed a button to go more up." they... Thcare me. They remind me of when I wath... Dithcarded. They called me nothing."
I started sobbing pretty loudly because the buff guy asked if he could help
" LET ME OUT PLEATH! NO THMALL BOXTH!"
Oliver pulled out a notebook and wrote something down as he looked at the big guy and asked if I wanted to be picked up. I didn't care. I wanted out. Next thing I knew the big guy opened up the doors and picked me up " I'll take you to your room."
As the big guy picked me up my eyes starting to get wet.
Oliver opened the room up and it was not that big. I clung to the big guy as I refused to get into the room
" NO!"
" let me go get Lazlo." Oliver said as I wanted him to come back.
The big guy held me back as I cried in the rounded hallway
" Are.. you new here?" The big guy asked " im Keith." He said as he set me down on the ground gently and pulled a chair for me as he helped me on it. " Yeah. Im new... I feel hurt"
His watch beeped as he sighed " I need to go but I can't leave you here... Tch... Let me go grab.."
"Charlie! There you are. Oliver told me you didn't want to be in that tiny room. " Amy said as I nodded quickly. " thcary.. thmall... I.. ii...I.. I can do better Papa I promise!
Amy's pov
I watched the poor guy cry himself to sleep in Keith's arms. I started to cry too. I missed my mom. I had to endure two more weeks of missing them. That's when we would announce that we got to the artifact. But... it's been a year since we reached it. There was only one other sign of life and that was him. The flavor that was hidden within everyone. Charlie had the flavor of Nightshade and pine. And the ever so present flavor of him . It flowed proudly through his veins as he tried to hide it with lavender
What caused Him to mask it away? He's the first person to have a sweet flavor that went to well with the poison. But ever since saito... Nearly killed me and took me in I've been stuck here... I couldn't call anyone in my family. It was me, Dr kim, Oliver, Quinoa, and now Charlie. What happened to him?
That night as I climbed to the top bunk I heard a knock on the door
I opened it up and it was Keith and Charlie. He was crying pretty badly. A kettle corn flavor ran through him. Powering him like a robot he let it out.
" Keith told me you could help me sleep." He said as he wasted no time crawling into the bottom bunk with Quinoa and she just rubbed his back
" Can you take a deep breath in?" Quinoa said as he did. " Now exhale and imagine a bright light. What do you see under it?" She said as I did the same.
The little baby chicks were staring up at me peeping around as I opened my eyes and Charlie was shaking
" My mom... And my dad"
" What's in the room?"
" Chess."
" Did they play chess?"
" No. They were chess"
The lavender started dripping from his sweaty hands as he held mine
" Kinger, was my dad. He.. liked me a lot.. " he said as Quinoa rubbed his back and I dried his tears
" Bees are also there" he said as he clung to my yellow hoodie and I helped him put it on. It was a bit big for him but it helped him
" It smells nice. Like cherry and cinnamon. Like her " he said as he sniffed it and his whole body relaxed quite a bit.
" Quinoa, you can take my bed if you want" I said scooting back and he did the same.
" I can sleep down here with him." I said as he started snoring. The pine scent washing over him like ocean waves calmly.
That night I had a dream. He was back. I looked up his ever omnipresent eye as it swallowed me whole.
" Amy, do you know what it means to be human?"
" No"
"You don't?. Damn shame. I haven't met one person who does know what it means to be human." His clouded face and pointed finger touched my heart as it turned to dust. Nothing..
Human.... What was I?
I drifted through the nothing as I passed the artifact as an eye popped from it lunging at me and made a ticking sound. Then a loud boom was heard which woke me up.
Charlie was on the floor and his hand was gone. The fire alarm started to go off as Quinoa woke up and tried to put the fire out.
Oliver ran in with Keith and picked the two of us up as Oliver tried to put out the fire.
" What... What .... Did I do that?" He asked as tears welled.
My heart sank as the wires sparked and sputtered out. Keith took us to the meeting point as Lazlo and Dr kin checked on him
Keith looked at me and asked if I was ok " but... Oliver is still in there!" I said as he came out holding Quinoa and he was pretty dirty. He fell to the ground as the fire department people rushed in and asked if everyone was ok.
" Shit. Keith, take care of Amy, Oliver and Quinoa need to go down to the hospital" Dr kim said
" But what about the tags?" I asked
Dr kim went off with his son and Quinoa in the vehicle as I felt a large pair of sharp hands crawl up my back and rest on my shoulders. I went stuff as his voice came to me. Breathing down my neck and into my ear he said
"Don't worry. I took care of them You don't want to see them go? Are you human yet? Or are you going to let the nothing take you again? I've done it before... I can do it again"
I froze as my breathing quickened. I couldn't move. I needed to move. To scream
I fell to the ground stuck in my own body. My eyes went blurry as I cried in silence and I went numb.
As I held my head up I was in the hospital. Keith was in the room hunched over as I cried. " Amy? Is that-?"
The voice... Was it really?! The flavor of mint and hot chocolate hit me in the chest like a spear.
I choked at my words. " Mama, are you?"
" Holy fucking shit. Its you"
My mom. She was with me. " Watch yourself young lady. You see me for the first time in 9 months and you use that language?"
" Amy, we were so worried. Are you hurt? Have you eaten, tell me you're safe!" My dad said as I hugged him. I missed his smile and his warmth.
My mom stayed with me as my dad left the room and Dr Kim and Lazlo came in
" Now Mrs Alrive, as you might know your daughter" Lazlo started to say but my mom stopped him
" I thought Langsly was the director" she said
" He got transferred" Dr kim said. I knew what that meant. " Now as you know she has some private information about the FCP that can be used against us. Because of that she will be staying with us during the school week but can visit you on the weekends. She will be given all the care she needs and we can pay for the medical bills"
I zoned out as I felt cold ice hands crawl up my back and I gagged.
" Amy, are you ok?" My mom asked " Charlie, he... Oliver, please"
I tore the sheets off me and ran down the hall ripping all the medical equipment off me. My bare feet slammed the tiles of the hallway as my parents ran after me.
Third floor West Wing. Oliver and Charlie had to be there
As I bolted up the steps skipping at least 40% of them I found Oliver walking with a nurse. He was on crutches and he didn't seem too hurt
" Please don't leave me again " he said as he hugged me. His hands bunched up my cruddy medical clothes as his orange flavor burst through me filling my veins. " I will never leave you. Not again. Not ever, not now."
" Please... Tell me you're real" I said crying as we stayed with each other. " Who is this young man?" My mom asked as I said nothing
"Mrs and Mr Alrive we have medical releases and contracts we need you to sign. " Lazlo said taking them back to his office.
" Amy, you know that was reckless" Dr kim said from behind as I tried my best to face him " please, let me see Charlie."
" Amy, he's not doing very well. His arm blew up and caught the whole north wing on fire. He's having a breakdown and he... He needs you Amy," he said with his voice lowering.
As I walked in his body was all sorts of messed up. His nightshade flavor was haunting the room. The copper, the iodine was ever so present as well. It stung the room like a million knives.
He
Is
Here
" Amy, calm down."
" I... I can't be here right now"
As I ran out of the room I ran into my dad. " Amy, let's go home." He said hugging me
Q
" Now?"
" Yeah."
" I... I need Oliver. Please."
" He has a lot of things to do. He has his life, you have yours" my mom said as tears fell to the floor
The grim voice came back as cold air went down my neck
" Amy, are you human?"
As we went home in silence I went through the door and Cassie, stef, David, Tammie and cardboard cut outs of Jemmah and her family were there
" You.... Im so sorry" I said as I cried. " I need to be alone right now."
I went up to my room and locked the door placing a chair in front of it taking off my FCP uniform and put on my yellow hoodie. Home.. I was really home. I went to my bed and laid in it.
I called Jemmah.
" Amy!"
" I... I can't do this anymore.. I can't be strong for the ones I love..." I cried
" Tell me what happened" she said as I cried even more
" Charlie is not doing ok! I hurt him! I don't want to be at home! I want to be back at the FCP where I know I'm safe.. I can't get hurt there! It's safe. Its home..." I said as I unblocked the door clicking the bolt open as I went to my dad who was sitting on the couch talking to Cassie about things. I made myself comfortable and cried.
Oliver's pov
" Dad, are you sure Amy will be ok? She seemed so torn up about... Can I call her?" I said as I looked over at caine who was in a small toy robot panda " you have an interview in ten minutes." He said as he picked Caine up and set him on the counter
" Then I'm going to her. I love her dad."
" Oliver, we can't just go as we please!"
" Then I will. "
As I ran out of the FCP I ran into two people. A blonde ish man who looked to be in his forties and a brown haired man who looked to be about 27.
" You must be Oliver, is Dr kim around?" The brown haired one said
" Um..... Yeah... He's" I started to say as I turned around and he was right there