Even now, years later, Ester still ached to hear that sound again, life cascading out. She decided to go find James. She couldn’t see him anywhere. ...e usually waited for her. She picked up the bag and made her way down shore, towards the rocks that fell into the ocean. He seemed to be nowhere; her eyes searched incessantly, trying to spot human colour. Where was James? Suddenly, she remembered one of the greatest tricks she had learnt as a child: hide above. People never looked above. She. The walls were bare. One man sat behind the standard issue, older than time, military desk. Gavril walked up to the desk and gave his name to the staff sergeant. Between sergeant and sergeant there was sometimes a little bit of give and take, but this man was tightlipped. He was also missing three fingers on his right hand and had unsheathed biomechanical implants in their place. Most amputees masked their artificial limbs with flexible, faux skin but there was a certain macho swagger in not. I said no worries, and ran to bathroom to clean myself up. He said let me give you towel. I said I need to go back home as my clothes were all sticky and I needed to take shower. He said you will be late for school if you want take shower here and I will give you my clothes. I hesitantly said OK, as I didn’t want him to think wrong about me. He gave me a towel and told me he will take clothes out for me while I shower. He told me he had taken clothes out for on the bed. I came out of shower. While people like you and me get involved in grand debates and analyse everything endlessly, she decides what she wants and just goes for it, and she's all the happier for it. And a better person, too," she added graciously.Connie sounded genuinely touched. "Gee, thanks, Fran. You're okay yourself, especially now that James has, er —" Corrupted me a bit?" suggested Fran."Well, come on, Fran honey," urged Connie. "You gotta admit it needed doing."I felt I was not entitled to all the credit..