A stern face, male. It looked warily at her from behind a clipboard.
"Name?"
"C-Cecilia Ana Moreno."
The sound of a pen scratching on paper.
"Date of birth?"
"Octubre. O-October. Three."
"Do you know what day it is?"
She shook her head. "It is October. Almost... the Halloween?"
"Miss Moreno, what can you tell us about what happened?"
"I... Is hard to talk. My inglés... It is bad."
"We'll get you a translator."
They Never Told You The Price that You'd Pay for Things that You Might Have Done
Multishot, Probably.
Moderator: SOTF Supers Staff
They had taken her first. The people at the hospital had looked her over and asked her a lot of questions that she'd tried to answer as best she could; they'd shone lights in her eyes and prodded her in places and asked if this hurt and that hurt, and it did hurt in places, it hurt deep down inside but she'd told them it didn't. Then a smiley nurse had taken her to a room with a shower and said they had things she could change into and she could just leave her clothes over there on the chair. Cecilia had taken her clothes off and then she'd taken them into the shower with her and hung them over the showerhead where they wouldn't get wet. The last time she had been in a place like this, they had taken her parents and they'd taken the girl with the lullabies and the girl with the tail and they had taken her brother's smile and they'd taken her kindness and her joy, and they had taken her sweater, twice. The only thing she'd ever been able to replace was the sweater, and she would be damned if she was going to lose it now.
And after her body was good and clean, after the brown muddy water at the bottom of the shower finally ran clear, she'd turned off the water and slathered her skin with antibacterial soap. And then she'd put on the grubby bra and the sweat-stained tank top and the bloodstained sweater, and figured that the soap on her skin could fight it out with whatever germs were in the fabric. The nurse's smile went away when she saw Cecilia emerge, with sopping wet hair and grungy clothing instead of the scrubs and gown they'd laid out for her. Cecilia looked at her blankly, wondering if the nurse would say anything about it. She didn't.
Then when the stern-looking policeman had asked if any of them were in good enough shape to be questioned, and then the no-longer-smiley nurse had pointed at her, and then they'd taken her here, and they'd closed the door, and it reminded her of so many things and so many places that she had never wanted to be again. Then, and only then, did she regret wearing a sweater with so much blood on it.
And after her body was good and clean, after the brown muddy water at the bottom of the shower finally ran clear, she'd turned off the water and slathered her skin with antibacterial soap. And then she'd put on the grubby bra and the sweat-stained tank top and the bloodstained sweater, and figured that the soap on her skin could fight it out with whatever germs were in the fabric. The nurse's smile went away when she saw Cecilia emerge, with sopping wet hair and grungy clothing instead of the scrubs and gown they'd laid out for her. Cecilia looked at her blankly, wondering if the nurse would say anything about it. She didn't.
Then when the stern-looking policeman had asked if any of them were in good enough shape to be questioned, and then the no-longer-smiley nurse had pointed at her, and then they'd taken her here, and they'd closed the door, and it reminded her of so many things and so many places that she had never wanted to be again. Then, and only then, did she regret wearing a sweater with so much blood on it.
The translator was a slim, impossibly pretty Puerto Rican woman. Her teeth gleamed when she talked. It wasn't her gift, it was just good dentistry.
"(Hi, Cecilia. I'm Lieutenant Padilla. How are you doing?)"
Cecilia just gave her a dull-eyed stare in response.
The translator looked at her, radiating sympathy. "(I understand. You've just been through something terrible. But we need to know everything you remember. Anything you can tell us, any details you can give us, could be helpful.)"
So she told them everything.
Yes, she was on the bus. No, nobody had been sitting next to her. No, she couldn't identify anybody else who'd been on the bus. No, not even the people she'd come in with.
Yes, she remembered seeing the terrorists. No, she wouldn't recognize them, they'd all been wearing masks. No, she didn't remember what they'd said, she'd had a hard time hearing them through the masks, and it was all in English. Oh, she did remember that they'd shot one of the teachers. No, she didn't know his name. The mean-looking one with the horns. Then she remembered gas. No, she didn't know what kind.
Yes, she did remember what happened next. She remembered waking up. Remembered that they'd shot the nice teacher. Remembered that they'd shot the fire-headed boy. No, she didn't know which one they'd shot first. No, she didn't know their names.
"(Hi, Cecilia. I'm Lieutenant Padilla. How are you doing?)"
Cecilia just gave her a dull-eyed stare in response.
The translator looked at her, radiating sympathy. "(I understand. You've just been through something terrible. But we need to know everything you remember. Anything you can tell us, any details you can give us, could be helpful.)"
So she told them everything.
Yes, she was on the bus. No, nobody had been sitting next to her. No, she couldn't identify anybody else who'd been on the bus. No, not even the people she'd come in with.
Yes, she remembered seeing the terrorists. No, she wouldn't recognize them, they'd all been wearing masks. No, she didn't remember what they'd said, she'd had a hard time hearing them through the masks, and it was all in English. Oh, she did remember that they'd shot one of the teachers. No, she didn't know his name. The mean-looking one with the horns. Then she remembered gas. No, she didn't know what kind.
Yes, she did remember what happened next. She remembered waking up. Remembered that they'd shot the nice teacher. Remembered that they'd shot the fire-headed boy. No, she didn't know which one they'd shot first. No, she didn't know their names.
She told them the entire story, her wandering in the desert, trying to signal for help, finding out her gift, running away in fear, seeing the explosion, trying to escape, hiding in the basement, then the car and the convenience store. The police listened in silence, occasionally taking notes.
Oh, this blood? It isn't mine. Well, it's lots of people's... No, no! I didn't... it's not... Yes, yes, I'll explain. Just let me explain.
This splotch here, that was from the time I got pounced on and had to defend myself... I had a pair of scissors, and I just jabbed his arm like this. No, not regular scissors. Small ones. Medical scissors? Yes. Those. His name? Oh. It.. It was... Tomara? Or... Andrew? No, I don't know how "Tomara" is spelled...
This pattern of droplets? That happened when I found out my gift... I stood up inside a dead boy and it dripped on me. No, I don't know his name.
This patch on my back? I think that happened when I was lying down next to the dead girl. I stepped in it when I was leaving, so there's some on my shoes, too. No, I don't know her name.
This gigantic smear? My friend, he was injured, and I carried him to safety. Mattie. Yes, Mattie Wilkinson. No, I don't know how it's spelled.
He was a good person.
This splotch here, that was from the time I got pounced on and had to defend myself... I had a pair of scissors, and I just jabbed his arm like this. No, not regular scissors. Small ones. Medical scissors? Yes. Those. His name? Oh. It.. It was... Tomara? Or... Andrew? No, I don't know how "Tomara" is spelled...
This pattern of droplets? That happened when I found out my gift... I stood up inside a dead boy and it dripped on me. No, I don't know his name.
This patch on my back? I think that happened when I was lying down next to the dead girl. I stepped in it when I was leaving, so there's some on my shoes, too. No, I don't know her name.
This gigantic smear? My friend, he was injured, and I carried him to safety. Mattie. Yes, Mattie Wilkinson. No, I don't know how it's spelled.
He was a good person.
What's that? How did he get injured?
He... well, he... We...
No, no, I'm not hiding anything, I just... I don't... I...
I know, I know. I'm answering the question. I... I...
Please. I-It was an accident. He was helping me up... the d-dead girl, her arm, it just exploded... her gift just went off, and... he... I... I didn't mean to do it. I... I tried to save him... I tried so hard... I tried so many times... Please... P-Please don't give me the death penalty.
Please.
He... well, he... We...
No, no, I'm not hiding anything, I just... I don't... I...
I know, I know. I'm answering the question. I... I...
Please. I-It was an accident. He was helping me up... the d-dead girl, her arm, it just exploded... her gift just went off, and... he... I... I didn't mean to do it. I... I tried to save him... I tried so hard... I tried so many times... Please... P-Please don't give me the death penalty.
Please.
The questions got a lot harder after that.
No, she hadn't wanted to kill Mattie Wilkinson. Yes, it was an accident. Yes, she wanted to use the girl's body to fight, but that was - no, hold on - no, it was because they'd been trying to escape and it hadn't worked and it had gotten her killed - well, yes, she was alive, but that was because - no don't move on to the next question, wait -
Oh.
Yes, that was her bag. ...Yes, she recognized the gun. Yes, there was a bullet in the chamber.
No, she hadn't known that it was a crime for non-citizens to carry a firearm.
No, she hadn't shot anyone. She showed them both sides of her hands. No gunpowder burns.
Well, yes, she could have shot someone while she was in another body, but -
Yes, she knew that there were corpses with gunshot wounds in the basement.
No, she hadn't shot anyone. Yes, she was sure. Yes, she expected them to believe that she had stumbled onto a bunch of bodies that had been shot, accidentally killed her best friend with one of them, and then just happened to find a gun on the floor.
Weren't there tapes? There were cameras, filming everything. They would show that she hadn't shot anyone. No, she didn't know why they'd been filming. ...No, she hadn't actually seen any recordings. No, she couldn't prove what was on any of the tapes.
No, she hadn't shot anyone. Yes, she was sticking to that story. The others would back her up. They - no, they hadn't been with her at the time. But they had heard the announcements, they would have heard if she had killed anyone.
Yes, she had been afraid. Yes, she wanted to live. No, she hadn't wanted to kill Mattie. Yes, she had said that the terrorists told them that only one of them could live, but that didn't mean she wanted to - no, she hadn't even known her gift could do that. Well, yes, the paperwork did say that her gift was unknown. No, she couldn't demonstrate her gift for them, how on earth was she supposed to - all right, all right, she'd calm down. Yes, she'd discovered it during the game. Yes, it was "awfully convenient" because there were dead bodies around, where else would she have - she was calm, damn it. Yes, she'd practiced using it a bit, but none of the other bodies had gifts that had activated like that. Well, they'd done it using time travel, so, no, there wouldn't be any records of it. Yes, that was awfully convenient too.
...Yes, she was an undocumented immigrant. Yes, she understood the consequences of committing a felony while awaiting her court date. Yes, she understood that if she was caught lying to them, that that would make things even worse. Yes, she understood that a gift that accidentally killed people would negatively impact her prospects either way. ...Yes, she was sticking with that story anyway.
No, she hadn't shot anyone.
No, she hadn't meant to kill Mattie Wilkinson.
No, she couldn't tell them anything else.
No, she hadn't wanted to kill Mattie Wilkinson. Yes, it was an accident. Yes, she wanted to use the girl's body to fight, but that was - no, hold on - no, it was because they'd been trying to escape and it hadn't worked and it had gotten her killed - well, yes, she was alive, but that was because - no don't move on to the next question, wait -
Oh.
Yes, that was her bag. ...Yes, she recognized the gun. Yes, there was a bullet in the chamber.
No, she hadn't known that it was a crime for non-citizens to carry a firearm.
No, she hadn't shot anyone. She showed them both sides of her hands. No gunpowder burns.
Well, yes, she could have shot someone while she was in another body, but -
Yes, she knew that there were corpses with gunshot wounds in the basement.
No, she hadn't shot anyone. Yes, she was sure. Yes, she expected them to believe that she had stumbled onto a bunch of bodies that had been shot, accidentally killed her best friend with one of them, and then just happened to find a gun on the floor.
Weren't there tapes? There were cameras, filming everything. They would show that she hadn't shot anyone. No, she didn't know why they'd been filming. ...No, she hadn't actually seen any recordings. No, she couldn't prove what was on any of the tapes.
No, she hadn't shot anyone. Yes, she was sticking to that story. The others would back her up. They - no, they hadn't been with her at the time. But they had heard the announcements, they would have heard if she had killed anyone.
Yes, she had been afraid. Yes, she wanted to live. No, she hadn't wanted to kill Mattie. Yes, she had said that the terrorists told them that only one of them could live, but that didn't mean she wanted to - no, she hadn't even known her gift could do that. Well, yes, the paperwork did say that her gift was unknown. No, she couldn't demonstrate her gift for them, how on earth was she supposed to - all right, all right, she'd calm down. Yes, she'd discovered it during the game. Yes, it was "awfully convenient" because there were dead bodies around, where else would she have - she was calm, damn it. Yes, she'd practiced using it a bit, but none of the other bodies had gifts that had activated like that. Well, they'd done it using time travel, so, no, there wouldn't be any records of it. Yes, that was awfully convenient too.
...Yes, she was an undocumented immigrant. Yes, she understood the consequences of committing a felony while awaiting her court date. Yes, she understood that if she was caught lying to them, that that would make things even worse. Yes, she understood that a gift that accidentally killed people would negatively impact her prospects either way. ...Yes, she was sticking with that story anyway.
No, she hadn't shot anyone.
No, she hadn't meant to kill Mattie Wilkinson.
No, she couldn't tell them anything else.
She wanted to cry several times during the interrogation, but she didn't. Not until the end, when the pretty Puerto Rican lieutenant asked, "Do you want us to contact your parents?"
((Cecilia Moreno continued elsewhere.))
((Cecilia Moreno continued elsewhere.))