Beyond Our Control

Chapter 20

" Wait what?"

"Don't wait what me. You heard that alert in my room, the thing that reminded me for a visit with your mother. What were you expecting? I don't have visits with your mother?" She could almost feel the grasp of Dr. Novak coming for her. This was what she was dealing with. Going against someone so...powerful. How was she not worried about this until now?

"I just didn't expect the visit to be so soon! Exactly how early again?" Faye was pacing along with Kenna now.

"About two and a half weeks."

Faye stopped pacing and she let out a big sigh. "Are you kidding me, Kenna? That's a lot of time."

"No, no, we need more time. We're talking about Dr. Novak here. S-she's..." Kenna slumped down onto the cement floor, her fingers running through the roots of her hair.

Faye sat down beside her, her hand rested on Kenna's back where it felt perfectly safe. But she still sat there, her hands tightly gripped onto her hair as she stared hopelessly at the floor.

"I know you're scared. But you have to believe. You have to trust me, Kenna."

"I-I don't know how. I'm just a random girl from the youth dorms. I'm nothing. I didn't even pass the average test given at birth, I'm weak. I'm below average. I don't know so many things. I could barely run from here back to our cottage without having to go out of my breath every few seconds. Can't you see? I'm worthless! I'm nothing! And I'm going to go against your mother, who is the head doctor of this whole city and the most trusted person to the leader of whoever her name is. I'm like, I'm like—"

"You're everything to me."

Kenna pulled her fingers out of her hair and looked up. Her thoughts all stopped and all she could focus on was the soft assuring tone from Faye's voice. And the calming eyes that stared into her.

"My mother may have a lot of power, but she isn't as strong as she seems. Everyone has a weak point and so will she. So listen to me, Kenna." Her hands were on both sides of Kenna's face. "You have to believe that you can do this. And a test does not determine who you are, they're only numbers. You can't run as good? Who cares, you'll get better. But you are not worthless. And I know that you can do this."

Kenna wanted to have Faye's hands stay on her face forever, how soft and cold they feel there. And how assuring it all felt.

"I'm scared. Your mother, she's so intimidating. I just don't think I can do all of this alone."

Faye gave a gentle squeeze at her hand.

"You have me. You'll have other people as soon as we tell them about the plan. You have all of us. We will face this together. I promise you." She held her pinky out.

Kenna felt her lip twitch upward a little as she tried to hold in her smile. "What are you doing?"

Faye grinned and looked at her pinky. "It's called pinky promise, you know. Just hold your pinky out and we link it together. Then it's a promise."

Kenna did so but she laughed anyway. "If promises were to be kept this simple, all deals would be in order by now and no one would've betrayed anyone."

Faye helped her up as Kenna wiped away the dust on her pants.

"Let's finish this laundry first. It sure is a lot of work."

"True, now will you already tell me about the plan?"

Faye rolled her eyes. "Sure sure, you better listen this time though."

She laughed and quickly walked toward the dried pile of clothes that awaited to be folded. But her head was still spinning with fear. Despite the comfort Faye tried to give it didn't change much of anything. Something powerful is waiting ahead of her. And she can feel every part of its grasp that gripped tightly onto her as she commits to this plan.