Quiet Time

Chapter 21

"Ok you two, mommy and I will be in the living room if you need anything," Carmen said as she disposed of Lucy and Emma's recently changed diapers. "Enjoy your quite time," she said sweetly as she shut the door of the nursery.

"Ok what's the deal," Lucy said as soon as she was alone with Emma. "Something's been eating you since you came back from central and it's not the breast feeding," Lucy demanded an answer. As Emma expected she saw straight through her convenient excuse.

"I dunno Lucy," Emma said rubbing her arm.

"I'm not gonna tell if that's what you're worried about," Lucy said quickly. "I can tell that whatever it is it's something serious." Emma moaned a bit before beginning.

"I saw something I shouldn't have," she began. "Someone had left a door open and I went inside and there were these cameras watching people who were all tied up."

"Well Yeah lots of people here are tied up you know how it works," Lucy offered an Akham's razor solution to which Emma shook her head.

"No this was different," Emma said quietly. "They weren't here as patients, there were people there asking questions and wanting answers."

"Are you sure it wasn't just like a pet being punished or something?"

"I know what I saw, there wasn't any care or love behind it. There's something else going on here." Lucy paused for a moment and thought. "Carmen and Elizabeth know about it," Emma added. "They have to there's no way that they don't."

"How much of that is their fault?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know. I don't think they would do anything like that Lucy, Liz and Cam are good people. They have to be wrapped up in it somehow though."

"Yeah yeah I know it's just," Lucy took a moment and started coming to the same conclusions that Emma had earlier that day. "God it all makes so much sense."

"So you believe me?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Lucy said seriously. "I knew you weren't lying about it you were too scared."

"What do we do about it?" Emma asked scared.

"What can we do?" Lucy asked. "Neither of us are in a position to leave even if we wanted to." Emma looked away from Lucy. "Do you want to?"

"I don't know Lucy," Emma said quickly. "I mean they are helping me. I'm feeling better than I was when they found me, but I don't know if I feel safe here any more. And I would be lying if the idea of going back to a normal adult life wasn't an appealing one."

"Well nothing either of us can do about it," Lucy reminded.

"Yeah. Should we tell them?" Emma asked concerned.

"What do you think?" Lucy asked unsure. Emma quickly nodded no.