“He sounds a bit elitist,” Alex commented snidely. “What’s in the modern extension at the back of the house?” he asked, pushing his luck.
C looked startled. “Oh, you’ve been there, have you? It’s where A lives, and where all the admin is done. There’s a lot of paperwork involved in running this place.”
“I’ve noticed that B is always rushing around, which seems weird as there aren’t any students except me, and the course hasn’t even started yet.”
The medibot finished tracking his heart, and C motioned that he could put his shirt back on. “There’s a lot of prep required for when the course begins, so B has plenty to do. She’ll be teaching many of the classes.”
“And you?” Alex challenged. “I’m your only patient, and you only spend a few minutes with me each day. What do you do with the rest of your time?”
“Oh, I have plenty to keep me busy.” C gave an evasive smile.
“I was thinking maybe you could stay longer today. Have breakfast with me. We could talk.” Alex hoped he didn’t sound too pathetic.
“I’d love to, but I can’t,” C said apologetically. “You’re lonely?” His pale blue eyes were kind.
“A little. I haven’t talked to anyone in weeks.”
“Well, the course will start soon, and then you’ll have no time to mope.” C patted his knee encouragingly. “Now, there’s one thing I wanted to mention to you. It’s Christmas soon. Is there anything you’d like?”
“You mean like a party?” Alex raised a sardonic eyebrow.
“I was thinking more of a present. Maybe a movie you’d like to see?”
“Can I write a letter home?” Alex asked hopefully. He wanted to let Charles know he was alive, if nothing else.
“Sadly, no. Your houder has forbidden contact with your family.”
“Can I have something to draw with, then?” Alex asked. C looked at him curiously. “I’m bored,” Alex explained. “I’d love to be creative again. I miss it.” He hadn’t realised how much until now. His fingers itched to be drawing once more.
“I’ll see what I can do.” C patted him on the shoulder and left.
It was his first Christmas as an IS. His first Christmas away from his family. His mother had loved Christmas and had always spoilt them with lots of presents. The house had been decorated everywhere with fairy lights, tinsel, and sprigs of holly. Dozensof toy elves adorned all the staircases, and there was always a massive tree in the hall.
Looking back, he could see that Isobel had been making up for her own childhood in the appalling conditions of the government work camps, where she’d been born. She’d always been enchanted by the idea of the perfect family Christmas and had drawn everyone into her world, making it a magical time for them.
All that had changed after her death; they hadn’t celebrated the first Christmas without her. Charles had still been in the hospital, so they’d visited him, but nobody had even pretended to make the best of it. In fact, Alex had hated the entire season since his mother’s death and wished nobody would celebrate it so he could avoid it altogether.
He woke on Christmas Day without any expectation of there being a present, let alone what he’d asked for. He was used to Tyler’s mind games and refused to allow himself to be hopeful. He was, therefore, surprised to see a bulky parcel lying on the chair next to his bed. The wrapping paper was bright red and there was an envelope taped to it. He opened the envelope first, to find a generic card withMERRY CHRISTMASwritten on it in big red letters over a picture of a robin in the snow. A little green elf hat hovered excitedly over theI. Inside, it read:Merry Christmas, Mr Tyler! From all of us at Belvedere.It was signed, too – there was a big roundB, a backward-slantingD, a friendlyCwith two small dots inside to create a smiling face… and a firm, decisiveA, written with a stylish flourish.
Alex found the card perplexing, but he put it on his bedside table all the same. At least the bright red cheeriness broke up the endless expanse of white that he was starting to find oppressive.
Ripping open the wrapping paper, he was amazed when a large art pad and a pack of pencils dropped onto the bed. Examining them, he discovered that the art pad contained thehighest-grade drawing paper, while he recognised the pencils as being the most expensive brand available.
The beautiful gift took him completely by surprise. The last thing he’d expected, after the past few months, was a simple act of kindness. He swallowed hard and found a lump in his throat. He could have taken it if they’d given him a dog turd, or something useless and pointless, but instead, they’d presented him with this perfect gift. It was as if he was… human. Not someone to break, or a body to fuck, but a real person. He hadn’t felt that way in a very long time.
He was overcome by a sudden surge of emotion and buried his face in his pillow as great sobs wracked his body. He cried until he was exhausted, and then he went into the bathroom to wash away the evidence.
Luckily, C was a little later than usual, which gave Alex time to compose himself. His eyes were still red-rimmed, and he was sure it must be obvious he’d been crying, but C didn’t pass comment.
“Thank you for the present,” he said quietly. “It’s very much appreciated. More than you know.”
“That’s marvellous,” C beamed. “Are they what you wanted? We weren’t sure whether you’d prefer paints, but they can be messy and it is ever so white around here.”
Alex wondered who the “we” referred to, and if C had discussed the gift with the mysterious A. “It’s perfect. I love the pencils. Please, thank A for me – I’m sure he must have authorised it. I’d love to thank him in person. It feels strange to receive a gift from someone I’ve never met.”
“Well, A is a busy man. As you can appreciate, running this place does take a huge amount of time.”
“Please tell him I’d like to meet him one day to say thank you. The gift is very thoughtful, to say nothing of generous – the pencils alone are clearly very expensive.”
