Masks

Chapter Four

Dad had insisted I meet him from work every day at five that week and we would work home together in a horribly awkward silence. I didn't mention the incident with Zelda and The R finding the whole thing to ridiculous to mention. Dad and I walking home together seemed to be Dad's attempt at reconnecting with me. It failed.

I met Paula in the lobby. She always greeted me with the sane intensely white smile and she gave me the password to the buildings private Wi-Fi connection. I would wait on a dark leather sofa until Paula came over and told me my Dad would be down in a moment. I couldn't help but listen to phone calls she had behind the desk, most of which seemed to be with Dr Robinson himself who was only situated upstairs but seemed to like telephone communication very much.

"Avery," Paula said. She peeked gracefully up at me. "You're fathers running a little late. You've been invited up to the lab. Why don't you go on up?"

I stood and started for the elevator but then stopped just before entering. The damn glass made the height upwards seem even higher and my stomach did flips even from the ground.

"I'll take you up," Paula smiled softly pushing herself up from the desk. "You know, just in case you get lost when you get up there."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

Paula left me in the lab and I wandered in slowly waiting for Dr Robinson to jump out of nowhere. Paula told me to wait until Dad and Robinson were done printing the results. I stood there for a while glancing about the sterile room with a vaguely bored expression. I slowly started walking around trying to drink up as much of the room as I could. The pointed needles, the scribbling of Dr Robinson's handwriting on note after note after note. On the table lay a collection of notes. I couldn't help but scan my eyes over them. Most were on Flexi but there were short notes on others too, like H2O and Total. I found myself wandering away from the lab and back down the hall. There was a room stacked with shelves and cabinets. It was old and all the papers were dusty, likely back up on computer by now. But still I found myself searching them. Mortal. It was the name I kept looking for. The name that would seem to lead to the origin story I so hoped would explain things more clearly to me, that an ease my nerves surrounding Dr Robinson.

"Avery!"

I spun on my heels a dear in the headlights expression dominating my features. I held a file in my hands. It had been labelled Mortal. It was right there. So damn close and yet so far. My father glared at me.

"Avery what are you doing in here? You were supposed to wait in the lab."

I discarded the file as quickly as I could back into the open draw behind me and turned back to Dad who was already hauling me out of the small room.

"You were snooping," he said matter of factly. "It's rude and it could get me fired Avery. What exactly did you think you were doing? For once Avery think of the consequences of your actions on others. I know this town means nothing to you but this job means a lot to me and I would be ruined if I lost it. I pay the bills, okay? I know you thought it was all Mum but I pay the bills. I do things. Don't ruin what we have here. I'm not sure what other chances we'll get. Am I understood?"

I stared blankly at him. He hadn't ranted at me like that before. Feeling incredibly selfish and angry all at once I shrunk backwards.

"Sorry," I muttered. "I'll just go home. "

"No," he said quickly. "We're walking together just like we planned. Now wait in the lab and don't touch anything Avery. I mean it."

Dad wandered off and I was left standing in the scarily sterile room alone once again. I daren't even move my eyes or be tempted to wander again.