046. Diagnosis

[vicodincrutch]

Oh no. Oh no. How did-? I didn't even try to leave base this time.

I-I need to find my mom now.

Dad'll be so mad. This isn't my fault. EDIT: I'm alone. Okay. What would Sherlock Holmes do? Or the Hardy Boys? This weird thing says that I'm not the only kid missing. Who would do that? I don't think there is a ransom. Who would kidnap so many kids? Monsters? Bad guys? ...Am I going to work in a shoe factory?

Comments

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

Who's Sherlock Holmes?

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

He's only the greatest literary detective ever. Everyone knows that.

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of him.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Can't you read?

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

Of course I can read.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Then how come you haven't read Sherlock Holmes? He's way better than Nancy Drew.

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

We don't have those stories on Alderaan.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Alderaan? Really?

Cross your heart and hope to die?

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

Well I don't hope to die.

But that's where I'm from!

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Is it really real? What's it like? Are the people there orange fish heads?

Um um...

Wait.

How do I know you're not lying? Cuz...that's in a movie and movies can be fake.

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

Not all of them! But anyone can come!

A movie?

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

I want to go.

Yeah. Star Wars until something bad happened. But see, since you're from it I don't think it happened.

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

You can come back with me when my father comes to get me.

I don't understand.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Do you have a brother or sister or something? Cuz... I mean, you're a girl.

You should read more.

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

So what if I'm a girl?

I read a lot.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

You might carry cooties. That's when you itch and smell. It's really gross. The only pre-prevention is a cootie shot.

But you don't know about Sherlock. You'll have to borrow it. And I only let my friends borrow things. So you'll have to be my friend if you don't have cooties even though you're a girl.

[nogoldbikinis.livejournal.com]

I don't have cooties!

[lyra-of-dust.livejournal.com]

I bet they're going to eat us!

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

They who?

WHY?

That's illegal!

[lyra-of-dust.livejournal.com]

'Cause that's what tartars do!

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Tartars? We're in the Middle East? I'm in bigger trouble than I thought.

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

The Hardy Boys would probably get into some huge adventure and end up capturing the bad guys, but I think you're too young for all that.

Someone told me that my parents would come pick me up tomorrow, so your parents might be coming to get you too. I don't know where we are, though.

/Voice/

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Nuh uh. It could happen. Just takes brains.

Both parents? I-I just want my mom to.

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

And you have plenty of those, hunh?

I don't know the details, sorry. But it was an important person who told me, so he knows what he's talking about. You don't get along with your dad much?

/Voice/

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Yup. Well. More that most people.

My mom is nicer.

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

Arrogance'll get you nowhere. I do well in school too, if I work hard.

My dad's nicer than my mom, but that's just cause he doesn't nag so much.

/Voice/

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

I will. I'll work really, really hard. I read lots. I mean exorbitantly.

My mom is just nice.

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

Exorbitantly? Lots works just as well. What kinda books do you read, aside from Sherlock Holmes and the Hardy Boys?

That's good then. I'm sure she'll come and get you.

/Voice/

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

I like to read Choose Your Own Adventure and and Lord of the Rings, and James Bond. They're kinda long. Sometimes I read comic books too. Just cuz.

I hope so.

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

My mum says comic books'll rot your brain, but sometimes they're fun. I guess if you're reading all those long books you can afford some brain-rotting.

And if she doesn't there's still room in my car and once we got home we could find your parents. My dad's a police officer.

/Voice/

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Dad says that too! I think they're wrong cuz there are grown ups who read them and they've must have been reading em for a long long time and they seem okay.

Does he ride around in a car with flashing lights? That's cool!

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

Maybe. I haven't ever seen anybody scientific say that they're bad for you, like cigarettes always have doctors and things in the papers saying you shouldn't smoke 'cause it's bad for you.

Sometimes, only when he's chasing someone bad, but he did it for me a few times when I was little for fun.

/Voice/

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Scientists and doctors know things that people don't usually.

That's awesome! Does he have a motorcycle too with lights?

/Voice/

[not-alaska.livejournal.com]

Unless you study up and become one. I'm not anything special in sciences, but I'm going to try to go to college when I graduate.

No, no motorcycle. I think only city police men have those, we're not big enough.

[eduronox.livejournal.com]

A shoe factory sounds like a great option for a few of you.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Not me. Factory kids parents don't love them. That's what they do in Russia.

[eduronox.livejournal.com]

I bet you've never even been to Russia.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

I have too. Only once.

Have you?

[eduronox.livejournal.com]

Yes.

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Where did you go there? Did you see fuzzy hats?

[eduronox.livejournal.com]

I went to visit a friend's school. Why does it matter if I saw fuzzy hats?

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

I was there because my dad was there.

Fuzzy hats are cool looking. Sometimes they're made of animal skins. People go out and they hunt animals and skin them. That's kinda cool.

Teenage!Lilith

[holymadonna.livejournal.com]

The base? Thank God, I was thinking I was the only one. Are you lost, dear?

Moooooooom!

[vicodincrutch.livejournal.com]

Yeah! You're from there too? I don't remember seeing you.

<3

[holymadonna.livejournal.com]

Yes, I am. I am from Health Care, if you're a healthy boy, we shouldn't have crossed our paths ever. I'm Lieutenant Lilith Sahl.