"It is a young female. We've only had her for a few weeks."
"She looks so sickly, just a sack of bones. Not to mention that awful yellow-green color." That awful face was leaning in closer to her. Riley shrank further back into her little corner. She was grateful for the tears that distorted her vision and saved her from the gaze of that cruel smile. Its stare was so cold and empty. It was as intense as it was hollow.
"Does she have a name?"
"Riley."
"Does she serve any purpose?"
"No, not really. She's far too weak to do any kind of real work. I think she's also fallen very ill. I hear her coughing all through the night."
"So, she's not worth much, I take it. What are you going to do with her then?"
"I don't know. I could get rid of her." Suddenly, Riley couldn't breathe. The world seemed to stop and fall still at those words. Everything was about to collapse in on her. "But I don't know. I really am fond of her."
"She is a cute little thing." A hand reached out to stroke her hair. Riley gritted her teeth and forced herself to stay still. She didn’t fight back. She didn’t scream. She didn’t even talk. Riley hardly dared to breathe. She knew that her life fully depended on how harmless and sweet she appeared to be. As much as it made her skin crawl and her stomach twist to think about that idea, she knew it was necessary. She needed to be exactly whatever it was that her owner wanted her to be. It was the only way to make sure that she would be fed anything, even if it was just enough to get her through the next day. It kept her alive.
But she did enjoy the idea of ripping the Formas apart. Gory fantasies filled her mind and kept her going. Her rage was both a strength and a weakness. Days had passed like that before the strange lady had arrived.
Riley opened her eyes. The room around her was dark and her pillow was soaked with sweat. The sound of Sally's soft snoring helped soothe her. She kept dreaming and thinking of the past. Why? All she really wanted was to forget it.
The stillness of the night was disrupted by a growl from Riley's tummy. She rolled over, trying to ignore the hunger. But it was growing stronger and sharper every minute. She didn't want to get up and head through the dark house alone. But if she kept feeling this way, she wouldn't sleep a wink. Riley knew that she was way too big to still be afraid of the dark. But she couldn't help the fear that filled her.
The memories were coming back to her now. Frantically, she covered her face. She just wanted to shut it all out. A sound from the other room pulled Riley away from her spiraling thoughts and fears. It was the gentle sound of Miss Lisa's soft footsteps. Riley sat up and slipped out of bed
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"Riley, what are you doing up?" Lisa asked upon noticing her.
"I could ask you the same thing, Miss Lisa."
"Oh, I was just getting a drink of water. My goodness! You look like you've just seen a monster or something! What's wrong?" Lisa burst out. Riley hadn't noticed the shaking of her hands until now. "Would you like a drink too? Or maybe a snack?" Lisa asked.
"A snack would be great." Another moan rose up from Riley's tummy.
"Are you alright?" Lisa asked. She was getting out two plates and glasses for them.
"Yeah... I-I just had a bad dream. No big deal. Before you ask, I don't want to talk about it, Miss Lisa."
"Understood." Lisa smiled. Riley sat down at her spot and watched as Lisa prepared the food. Now felt like as good a time as any to bring up one of the many questions that had been pressing down on Riley's mind.
"May I ask you a question, Miss Lisa?
"Well, you just did."
"May I ask two questions?"
"Sure! What do you want to know?"
"You left the city and came here, right?" Riley asked. Lisa nodded. "But... very few people come to this place by choice," Riley added.
"That is correct."
"So... why did you end up here? Did you do something?" Lisa didn't act like a criminal. What could she have possibly done to end up in such an awful place? Riley and Sally had come here to hide. Surely, no one would come here looking for them. But Lisa, Lisa was the last person you'd expect to discover in this wasteland.
"It's a bit of a long story. I guess the short version is... I broke a rule I didn't know about," Lisa said.
"What rule? Explain," Riley demanded.
"One day after work, I was heading home. I came across a human," Lisa said. Riley's heart sank. "It was an older one. She was just lying there by the road. Both her arms had been hurt." A strange and vacant look was spreading across Lisa's face. It was as if she wasn't fully there. Her eyes gazed into the distance with a deep focus. "I-I don't know why... but something came over me and I helped her to her feet. She just looked so lost and miserable lying there all alone." There was a faint tremble in Lisa's voice now. "I fixed up her wounds. I used the medical supplies that my company had given me."
"I don't understand! What did you do wrong?" Riley asked. Lisa shrugged.
"Honestly, I'm still not sure. I was told that I shouldn't have used my company's supplies to care for a human. But I had never been told of that rule before. That was the reason I lost my job and home." A spark of anger entered Lisa's voice. Lisa shook herself, then turned back to her work.
"I don't regret what I did. It was just awful to see. She was just lying there by the road and nobody cared. People walked right on past her. I don't understand how anyone could see all that pain and just turn their backs on it."
Riley didn't know what to say. She didn’t want Lisa to be her enemy. If Lisa was simply naive as opposed to cruel or careless, it would be much easier to like her. The frustrating thing was that Lisa seemed like such an amazing person. She really had been nothing but kind to her and Sally. But she was also a Forma, and that was something that Riley just couldn’t ignore. She hated the fact that she missed and depended on Lisa so fully.
"Here we go." Lisa set the plates down on the table. "Is Sally sleeping soundly?"
"Y-yeah," Riley's voice cracked.
"Why are you crying, dear?" Lisa touched Riley's face gently.
"I-I honestly don't know." That was the truth. Lisa pulled her into a tight embrace. Riley didn't fight it. She closed her eyes. And for once she pretended that Lisa wasn't a Forma and she could love her wholeheartedly.