Quiet Interrogation

• Caitlin Bouyer, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2019

It is so quiet in this room.
There is no sound - no air-conditioning, no muffled voices filtered through, not even my own breathing. It's as if the white-washed walls absorb every sound into their vacant faces, a barrier perhaps. It feels more like a bubble, an alternate reality from my oh-so-loud life beyond. Like everything in this small room isn't real, isn't relevant to the outside world. Maybe they do it on purpose, to get me to talk.
"Caitlin?" I snap back to the lady that sits across from me, I can't remember her name.
"Sorry?" My voice sounds so fragile within these walls, a soft whisper between us.
The lady regards me with unrelenting, but soft, eyes, hidden partially behind the purple tint of her glasses. Her cheeks are saggy, lined with appealing wrinkles. She sits with her legs crossed, her back straight, a clipboard resting on the floral dress that covers her knees.
"I asked if you are worried about yourself."
A decorative metal piece hangs on the wall next to me and I study it. Its quite large and takes up a good portion of the wall with its circular patterns. A tree lies at the heart of the piece, frozen in its growth, slowly rusting away.
I shrug, the question confuses me so I answer: "I guess." The bubble absorbs my words again, turning it into the frail voice of a child.
She's still watching me with those kind eyes.
"You guess." The bubble, apparently, doesn't absorb her voice and it rings loud and clear. Her words are articulated carefully in an almost posh way. It makes my uncomfortable.
I shift in my cushioned seat and fidget with my uniform. My gaze darts around the pleasantly furnished space avoiding her compassionate stare. She doesn't know me, she doesn't know what lies behind this face, those secrets I hide behind it. I wonder if I'll end up telling her, if this alternate reality-bubble will eventually get to my head, giving me a false sense of safety.
But it's not safe. No where and no one is safe.
She sighs and puts her clipboard aside.
"Well I'm afraid our time is up for now." She stands, I stand, and we walk to the door. She shows me through to the waiting room.
Outside the bubble, the sound of the world returns; the busy highway, the air-con, the hearty conversations. I am relieved and relax cautiously, it's over.
"It was lovely meeting you Caitlin and I hope to see you again soon." The lady says behind me. She talks to mum some more and, as I stand forgotten, I harden myself to reality; ready for the sound of my life to overwhelm me with its volume once again.