Discovery, Morning Praise, A Girl I Love

A girl I don't know stops me, grabs my arm and demands, "TC, give me a call center grand tour."

"TC? Are you crazy? I don't work in a call center anymore. I can't get you in!"

But when I look towards where she's looking I see that she's right. We're inside Discovery and I see what we used to call "the colony" stretched out in front us - aisles and aisles of people taking in call after call. The sight makes me dizzy.

I protest, "But you've been here before. But I don't work here anymore. But there's security."

She points to my chest, "Use your ID."

"But I surrendered this. But it must be deactivated by now. BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!"

It doesn't matter what I say. I'm swept along by the forceful tide of this happy, happy girl.

I don't know anybody anymore but this girl, she knows everyone. She knows all the agents by name. The TC's stop their work to talk to her. She's causing a happy commotion! I look at her and I'm so worried that we might get caught and escorted out the building because of the commotion she's causing!

I sit behind a post and hide while keeping an eye on her. WHO IS THIS GIRL?

I see Richard Llims and I wave at him but he doesn't recognize me but this girl approaches him and they talk and I wonder, what's going on?

Jean spots me and we talk for a while and I point to her who I am with, and gee, if I knew her name I'd introduce her but here I am honestly finding the whole thing strange but Jean doesn't find it strange. She says, "I know her. She works here."

And I say, "What do you mean? Who is she?"

But an alarm bell rings and people start heading to the exit. Someone screams, "Fire!"

And I don't know why but I start to cry and I can hardly see but I force myself to look for that girl, that girl responsible for bringing me here and I'm looking for her because I can't explain it but she is a girl I love and I don't want to leave her behind and she seemed so happy and I was scared but a part of me was happy just seeing her laugh and a part of me was so envious because she knew everyone and after one year in Ambergris and I don't have a single friend and I suppose this it it, I'm being punished by having my worse nightmare come true, being killed by a fire but I just won't let the fire get to her and I will not let her die, I just won't because I love her, I love her, I love her.

I find her and grab her and together we exit the building and the alarm bell is a school bell after all and what the fuck, oh no please don't let it be, but it's St Scho, and it's morning praise and I am once again late and there's no getting away from it this time, I'll surely be punished.

The girl and I make our way to the crowd and they all look at us and we get scornful applause because everyone's been waiting for us, waiting for us so they could start the morning praise.

They confront me. "Camille Dela Rosa, who is this you're with?"

It's only now that I look at the girl closely. WHO IS THIS GIRL?

I realize it's me. IT'S ME.