Code: 4-18-13-22 (Private)

"He's awake," Damaris said aloud before going back to Ryan's room himself. Veleda shot up from her mother's lap, some of the numbness evaporating. He's alive. Was he really alive? For how long? She told her brain to shut the heck up as she entered the room.

"Please don't crowd the patient like that-" Veleda pushed by the lady, quickly examining Ryan's face. Her heart fell at the sight really, and she froze there. He was covered in bandages but the blood loss was obvious. This didn't even feel real anymore. It was more like a scene out of a horrible nightmare but it chilled her to the bone.

Damaris was at her side now, speaking for her instead. "Man, you scared the shit out of us there. You're gonna be up and running in no time! Doctor Bridget here has magic, trust me." He smiled down at him.

Something was not right here, thought Veleda. By this time he would have cracked a lame joke about his looks or said something along the lines of 'I'm okay' like the idiot he was. But he wasn't saying anything.

"Ryan?" She spoke, saying it probably the first time ever.

"Freakin' idiot." Veleda muttered. There he was with the 'I'm okay's again. She walked over to the doctor now, asking whatever the hell was up with his neck. She explained the surgical procedure he had been through and expressed that she wasn't sure what the side-effects could be. They all just needed to wait for him to heal and he couldn't really speak for a while because of that.

She was glad he was okay but he didn't even look like an alive person, goddammit. Why did they do this to him only? Why didn't she go through the same procedure? She felt guilty for some reason and sat there beside him in frustration. Was he even going to heal though?

"You're fine." She said more to herself than him.

"Well, you have to. Guess who's going to eat pizza in front of you?" Veleda answered, going with the flow. She didn't feel the least bit humorous at this moment. This shouldn't have happened in the first place. They were such big fools.

Damaris nudged Melody's arm, looking sideways at the doctor outside. Did you talk to Bridget?

"I'm aware of that." Veleda said simply, "And you're a bloody idiot." She sighed. This whole notebook thing was working but it only felt bad every second.

"You okay with writing, punk? You should sleep or something."

"But we gotta." He shrugged, equally guilty. "I didn't know she was going to end up here..."

Veleda almost cringed at the glass wall part, unable to shake away the sight. Whatever whatever. It was over now.

"Yeah, hey, I didn't see anyone asking for you..." Veleda begin. She had been told of the parents abduction and all. She knew Damaris' parents were here along with her mother. Melody's father was a scientist himself so he obviously wasn't abducted. She wondered if he could be on their side like this doctor perhaps?

But what about him? Did he have anyone? She hadn't ever asked him about his parents really. Well, she knew about his sister and that was about it.

"I mean, that's good, I think. If your parents weren't caught in the first place." She ended with a note of uncertainty, wondering if they had been left behind in the cells.

Damaris followed, standing behind Melody but obviously towering over her enough to be in front of the doctor. He smiled. "Hey thereee, looking good as ever, doctor!"

It took her about two second to recognise them both and a frown covered her face. "Yes?"

Well, great. She was being all moody now. What was he supposed to say? We're sorry we made fun of you and got you scolded by a senior doctor, running away and leaving leaving rude note in the elevator? Erm. Kinda hard to do.

"She probably wasn't caught then." Veleda reassured. It wasn't a possibility but still, it was something.

"My mom's here. She's probably making more soup for you along with Damaris' mom right now. I haven't met his parents but they seem like good people." She went on, ignoring the father part completely. She wasn't attached to someone she never met. She didn't want people to feel sorry for her for no reason.

Damaris nodded. "What she said."

Bridget eyed him for a second, considering. The girl was genuine with her apology at least. She always hated Damaris though. He was the most frustrating patient she was assigned.

"Right well. Apology accepted. We're going to to here for a while. Might as well be on good terms." She sighed. "Your friend needs to get some rest after he's eaten. Are his parents around?"

"No. I haven't seen them."

"Right." Bridget fixed her glasses, pressing her lips. "He's been through a lot of emotional distress so do try to keep him company." She tapped her notepad. "The medications will also leave some side effects after a while. Don't eat his head too much though," she said before leaving, especially eyeing Damaris for the last part.

"Well, she seems nice." He commented, feeling slightly guilty now but only for a second. "I'm glad we worked that one out!"

"Eh? Yeah, she'll meet you, all right." Veleda said and then rememebered her mother's obsession with finding Veleda's soulmate. Ugh.

"She's a bit too friendly sometimes, " she started her warning in case her mother started saying completely random things to him about them. "Just saying. Don't freak out, all right. It's all in good humour." She said with a forced smile, knowing it was not at all in good humour. She did not want anyone to hear anything about what she had to say about Veleda's future children and how they were going to save the world. Nope.

"We are going to have soup, yes. But we have awesome spicy soup. Yours is different and plain and one made especially for people who are sick and need a brain." She smirked. "Sufferrrr."

Damaris shrugged again, "We could totally join in-" He said looking back at Ryan and Veleda.

"Understandable. Are all parents like this?" She huffed, changing the topic now. She didn't want to think about where his parents could be possibly. If he met his dad and he wasn't rescued, was he okay there? Shouldn't they go after him now? They didn't know about his mother at all but they could save his father, that was the least they could do. Would others be willing to do that though?

"Um, punk? I think we should rescue your dad. Don't worry, I'll talk to the others. I don't even know their names, huh. They have to do that, right? I mean, they saved everyone else so." Veleda thought aloud. "There must be something we can do."

Damaris let himself be dragged off, a little confused about why he was being separated from his sick friend. Don't sick people need lively cheerful people around? He was the best medicine. Oh wells. He was glad Melody wasn't acting strange like before though. Things were back to normal.

He entered the kitchen, greeting the women and asking if they needed any help.

"Don't you dare even try to come near the stove, Damaris." His mother replied, busily stirring. "You're going to destroy everything."

"I love you too, mother."

"Melody, dear! Have a seat, I'll get you some pancakes. Call everyone else too, Damaris. Where are they?"

"Veleda is with Ryan and the rest are in the lounge I think? I don't know."

"Ryan, that's his name? Poor thing. How's he doing now?" Veleda's mom spoke for the first time. She knew all four of them had been living together in a shared apartment. It was good knowing her daughter was in good company and not alone.

Veleda stared at the paper with surprise. Did he really mean that? He didn't want to rescue his father? She wondered how horrible you had to be to be hated by your own son. And then she remembered his scars and what he he had told her.

"Okay. Okay. Okay." She said slowly, narrowing her eyes. "Yeah I bet he's a jerk."

Veleda's mother nodded, the boy was in a terrible condition when she had seen him last. Her heart had stopped when she had almost thought it was Veleda for a minor second...or that she could be in the same situation. She was glad they were all safe and sound now though. Innocent children really, they didn't deserve any of this cruelty.

She poured the soup for the boy and set it on a tray. "Can he drink his soup? Does he need help?"

She meant if he could use his hands, Damaris nodded. "Yes, in fact, he's been writing and chatting on paper right now."

"Oh that's great! I'll best prepare some plates then," Damaris's mom replied, quickly getting to work and setting four plates. Then she realised the boy couldn't eat and set it aside for the others. "All right, there you go-"

Clementine slipped inside the kitchen, and stood at a corner awkwardly. She didn't know a single person in this room and yet she was sent here to ask about lunch. "Hey, so, how's it going?"

"Hello, sweetie. Everything's done. Can you help me with plating?" Veleda's mom answered with a smile. The girl had a kind heart really. She had been constantly consoling her since she had come here and and reassuring about Veleda's return.

"Sure!" Clementine was glad to help.

"Where's your parents, young lady?" Damaris's mom asked all of a sudden, startling her. "I'm just curious, haha!" She laughed, "No need to panic."

"They work for the government...Don't worry. They're nice." Clementine answered. "This building belongs to them too. They're against this whole system but they want to be in the system in order to stay close to their strategies. Stuff like that..." She smiled, not sure if she should have told them anyway.

But the woman just nodded and accepted it casually, "A clever job! Very helpful too. Too bad Leo is jobless now but he would have preferred something like that too."

Damaris laughed in the background, "Dad is jobless. I can't believe I've lived to hear this." He was quickly smacked with a spatula. "Hey!"

"Respect your father, boy! Anyway, dear, you two can go take the plates away now." She was obviously talking to Melody.

Soon enough, Clementine and the other two women started placing the food outside. A giant family, thought Clementine.

"Hey, you need help sitting up?" Damaris said, placing the tray on the table and helping up Ryan. He was glad they were all together again. It was almost like a normal lunch if he could ignore the grim mood, of course. But it was going to get better with time, he knew that much.

Veleda took her time with the pancakes, enjoying the flavor of good food after so many days in the cell. She wished they had pizza here but homemade pancakes were good too, with all the motherly love and all. She sat in silence, her thoughts still fixated on Ryan's father. What would they do to him now? It's not like he mattered anyway. Maybe set him free? The crazy man would do no good going back either. Whatever, whatever. She really really hoped his mother was alive and well somewhere. It would be too cruel otherwise, she thought. Because she couldn't even imagine losing her own.