characters: avery rollins & NPC investigators setting: avery's apartment summary: two government officials are there to investigate what happened on new years. rating: pg
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocks were soft, not urgent, and didn't raise any alarm bells in Avery at first. She was sipping a cup of coffee (which she had quickly become addicted to) and set it on the table in front of her before getting up to answer the door. Peeking through the hole to see who it was, her guard when up immediately when she saw the uniforms. How had they found her? Were they here to hurt her? Take her away? Send her back to Riken? The quick gasp and move back made her broken ribs hurt and Avery let out a little cry.
"Open the door, please. We have a few questions" Hearing his voice, she knew it wasn't the same guys but that didn't make her feel any more comfortable. The fact that they showed up at her home was terrifying, and the officials looking into the incident on New Years were immediately uncomfortable. Even through the door, the proximity was close enough for them to feel her fear and for her to feel their irritation. She opened the door, doing her best to calm down - the breathing tricks and everything Rahim had taught her.
"Sorry, please come in. I'm just moving a bit slow." She was covered head-to-toe in bruises, cuts - she had a pink cast on her arm for her broken wrist and underneath her sweater was a wrap around her waist to keep some pressure on her ribs. Which also hurt, but it was supposed to help the healing process. Avery stood awkwardly in the middle of her living room, doing her best not to panic. "Can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you. We're just here to ask some questions. Sit down. Can you tell us what happened at 1:30 AM on on New Years day?"
Avery took a seat as suggested, cradling her coffee cup in her hands. She focused on the warmth of the cup, thinking about Jake, Alec, and Bart. About people and thinks that made her feel safe. "I went out to see some of the celebrations. I had one drink - I know I'm not old enough to drink but I had one drink - walked around, and then decided to come home. I had walked pretty far so it was a long walk back. A couple blocks from here two guards showed up and pulled me into the alleyway. They were screaming, I don't remember what exactly - and they kicked me, hit me with something - a pole or something, I don't know. I screamed, everything hurt so bad. The beating stopped, I heard something hitting the ground and then they took off." She took a breath, pausing for a moment.
"Then Alec showed up, I don't know how long it was after. He said I was projecting, that he thought I made them feel what I was feeling and that's why they left, and he could feel where I was hurt because I was projecting it. I didn't know, I was really out of it. I told him to get Jake - um, Agent Hale. He texted him for me. When Agent Hale showed up he got us to the hospital and I was taken in. That's it." She replied, taking a sip of her coffee and setting it back down on her knee, still holding the cup tightly.
The investigators gave each other a look, brows raised but looking satisfied nonetheless. She had been completely up front about what had happened, using her abilities and the underaged drinking. "Are you sure you only had one drink? Were you very intoxicated? Did you use any other drugs? Had you done something to provoke the guards in any way? Did you break a rule?" They asked, their voices still sounding... as friendly as they could muster. They were feeling increasingly more at ease despite the initial shock of fear they felt upon entering, which both wrote down in their notes.
Avery shook her head. "No, it was just one. It tasted awful, I didn't another one. I did feel really drunk but I remember everything that happened up until the guards came. I think I felt really drunk because other people were drunk, and I was kind of picking up on that, I guess?" She tried to explain. "Empathy, I don't - I don't understand how it works exactly and I've never been around that many drunk people before, so I think that's maybe what happened. I didn't take any drugs. I - I don't think I did anything to provoke the guards. I was just walking, I swear. I didn't even see them coming and they they were dragging me into the alleyway." She tried to sound firm, despite her guilt. Bambi had told her she didn't deserve to be hurt, but Avery wasn't so sure. If she didn't, why had she been hurting basically her whole life?
Glancing at his partner, the one asking all the questions gave a sort of significant kind of look to his partner before turning to face Avery again. "That sounds in order." He finally replied, capping his pen and setting it down. "What we heard is that you projected and the emotions you were projecting caused the Guards to attack you. You also made them feel very intense pain and it sounds to us like you have no control over your ability whatsoever. We are therefore going to order you to attend power-control courses at the Facility twice a week. It is mandated. Someone will show up here to escort you to the Facility every Tuesday and Thursday until we see progress and can trust you will go on your own. We will be receiving reports on your progress. Any outbursts like this again and we will have to detain you. Understood?"
Avery was completely confused - she had? How could she have projected something so negative? Or maybe that it was just that - she was projecting, using her abilities and that was reason enough to attack her? Shifting uncomfortable in her seat, she listened as they gave excuses for the guards and handed out her punishment. Which, in light of things was actually not so bad and she nodded her head. "Yeah, I understand. Thank you, and I'm so sorry. I will work on controlling it better."
That was good enough. It felt sincere, too. She was still projecting, but it was light and the investigators could just barely feel it. The sincerity, the fear. The perfect kind of resident on the Island, not one to make waves, does as she's told, with a healthy fear and respect for the authorities. "We'll let ourselves out. Thank you for your time and honesty." He and his partner nodded in her direction before leaving, shutting her door without locking it behind them.