Anatomy of a Rose

[Lilith]

The news from the nurses and doctors weren't grim. While she would keep a scar for the rest of her life, Rozenne shouldn't lose any mobility.

((Rozenne After start))

Roz already managed to get her hands on a book, Wuthering Heights. She just needed something to pass time before she could walk again without the fear of opening her wound. She knew that Rodney was around, he had visited her. A part of her was glad that he was here, but another part of her heart was throbbing. A sort of nausea came when she thought about him, especially when he visited and read her some poetry. That was probably the butterflies the books mentioned, but it felt more like a snake coiling itself in the pit of her stomach.

It was around 8 PM, after that Rod had left her room that a lady with a suit came in. Roz, at first, believe it was doctor. She was quickly proven wrong when she pulled out a camera. Her first thoughts jumped to a snoopy journalist that managed to find a way in. Rozenne laid her book down on her knee, and lowered the sound of the radio. She spoke quietly, as if she was still sleeping in the same room as Jobenna.

"Hello, who are you?"

The lady with the short hair smiled and sat on a nearby. She spoke too fast for Rozenne to understand. It sounded like gibberish. She knew the people here had an accent, but the combination of different words and pronunciation messed with Rozenne's brain.

"I'm sorry," Rozenne waved her hand, she felt like she was being rude but the woman in front of her was probably used to it, "You're speaking to fast. Can you slow down a bit?"

"Yes, I'm Olivia. I'm with the MI6," she paused when she saw Rozenne shake her head at the mention of employer, "it's the secret intelligence service for the UK."

Rozenne made a tiny sound of agreement. It was really just like in the books. A lady came in and suddenly you realize your life is upside down. If Rozenne was told she would be speaking with a foreign enemy a week ago, she would have probably laugh in their face. Yet, it was really happening.

"I just want to ask you some questions because of your experiences."

"About the Program and all?"

"Yes, if you don't mind, I will record the interview," she paused and opened the camera, Rozenne just realized she had stagefright, "it's for research purposes."

"I figured. I guess I have to say my name and all."

A little beep echoed in her room. She realized her... room? Bedroom? Personal room? was actually larger to what she had back gone. The recording must have started because Olivia nodded.

"I'm Rozenne... Evans," she didn't want to say her last name. She thought for a brief second they could use it against her. She realized it didn't matter mid-sentence. "I'm 18. I have a sister, she's 19 and her name is Jobenna. My mom is named Amelia and my dad is named Mark."

"That's good. Can you talk about why you're here?"

"Hum, I was rescued during the 44th iteration of the program," she paused. She must have sounded like a weirdo. She knew the exact number. She continued, putting her hair behind her ears, "it happened like... on the third day? I got picked up from a helicopter with my... friend Rodney."

Olivia pulled out a notepad. Rozenne didn't think she said anything important related to some special info about America, but she didn't have the british mentality yet. The MI6 lady asked another question, this time a little bit more precise, "what was your status back in America?"

"It could have been better?" She didn't want to say it was bad, but it was the truth. She gasped softly and looked away. Could they hurt her? A part of her felt like she was still in America and every word had to be put on a balance and weighed carefully. "It wasn't good." Closer to the truth, she was getting there. "I would get told I wasn't American enough... which is funny because I'm Native-American." It was something she always wanted to say. It was so on the nose. She would laugh if she didn't feel like there were thousands of ears listening to her. "My parents worked for the military so people backed down when they learned that."

"How were your living conditions?"

"I was often alone with my sister. My parents worked on a military base in... Canada? My mom is a communication specialist. Kinda whack. My dad is a drill sergeant." She remembered a question she needed to ask yesterday for the doctors. "Is it possible to tell my family that I'm fine?" The answer would be probably not. Security risk and all that. "Or... if they... come here for some reason... could you tell them I'm here?"

Olivia had this look on her eyes. It was sadness. Something about how Olivia looked at Rozenne gave her an answer. Olivia's voice was trained, it didn't have a hint of sadness in it, but her eyes weren't able to conceal it.

"If the opportunity arises, we will inform your family."

"Thank you." It was more mouthed than said. Olivia sighed and followed up with another question.

"Do you have any else you want to add to this interview? Anything related to the Program, your living conditions, anything that could be helpful for the future?"

Rozenne had doubts. She looked down at her book. She felt like this would get her family killed. Rozenne felt sick to the stomach thinking of that. Rozenne hated her uncontrollable morbid thoughts. It took her a few seconds before constructing her statement. She felt like a traitor. It hurt.

"I can give you... the location of where my parents were deployed." She could see the address in her head, on the check she put in the bank every month. This, along with the pin on the map that said 'where mom and dad are!' in the childish writing of Jobenna were frozen images of a past life. The letters she received, the books her mom sent, everything that were her normal life was now gone. A voice in her head reminded her it's been gone ever since the Program picked her. "The official address and where it would be on a map. If it could help, I can try."

Olivia nodded. Rozenne couldn't read the emotion because she wasn't looking at her anymore. She had finally stepped over the point of no return.

((Rozenne continues somewhere.))