3. Kiyela
“Kiyela.”
I’m brought out of my mind by the nurse’s voice. “Sorry?” I mumble, looking up at her dejectedly.
She’s looking down at me; I’m surprised to see her smiling for the
first time. Or at least, looking pleased about something. Her blue eyes
are a lot more open and the corners of her mouth are lifted.
“My name. It’s Kiyela.”
I blink, taken aback. “Oh.”
Her smile forms fully. “But call me Nurse Elect-7 when there are others around. They don’t know.”
I try not to smile; that’s why she didn’t want to tell me. “Kiyela. That’s pretty. Where’s it from?”
“Are you asking where I’m from?”
I pause, think about it. “Yes.”
“The east.”
My eyes widen; we’re in the furthest reach of the Empire as it is.
Beyond the gates of the City El-Mordan, there’s not much but desert,
nomadic tribes and… Well, I don’t know. That’s the thing, not many
people really know what’s out there at all.
“What’s it like?”
She grins; her easy expressions surprise me. It’s such a contrast with her stoic manner earlier today. “Hot.”
I shuffle up so as to let her sit down, and she does, perching at the foot of my bed. “Are you from one of the nomadic tribes?”
Even before I’ve finished my sentence, she starts shaking her head. “A fishing village.”
My brow furrows. “The coast is to the west, you can’t be…”
She shrugs. “I guess you’re right.”
I snort. “Did you live beside a river?”
She shakes her head again, a secretive smug on her face. She’s enjoying this.
“Well, what then?” I insist, growing frustrated. “You claim you’re
from the east and yet you’re from a fishing village, so either you lived
by a lake – and I know that the only lake out there is Lagua-von, which
isn’t inhabitable - or you’re from one of the soldiers’ forts and you
lived in the fishing area, or… you’re lying.”
She laughs, letting out quiet peals of laughter, like bells. “None of
the above.” After catching sight of my irritated expression, she
lightens up on the teasing. “How about, when you’re all recovered and
your new organs are in tip-top shape, I’ll show you?”
I roll my eyes. “Sure, we’ll fly their on my magic carpet. How about
we take my mother as well, she’s bound to love it. Oh, and while we’re
at it, we could just run away and join the Resistance! A nice day’s
work.”
She giggles. “Right.”
I exhale lightly and smile back at her.
There’s a comfortable silence that follows, and it lets me sink back
into the darker confines of my mind, where my Mother is still in her
rage.
“Can I ask you something?” Kiyela says into the silence.
I motion my hand to tell her to go on.
“Your Mother is quite characteristic.” It’s not as much a question as
a statement of fact, so I don’t say anything. She looks at me for a
second or two, and then gets up and makes her way to the door.
“Where are you going?”
She smiles, her hand on the door. “You aren’t the only patient we have.”
“Yeah, well,” I chuckle, “I’m the most important one.”
She smirks, opening the door. “No argument here.”
