The next morning, I collected a nutritious meal of waffles, two warmed bread rolls, steamed broccoli, chocolate milk, and a chocolate chip cookie that he was only allowed to eat if he ate at least one bread roll and a waffle.

The yellow level was much different than the orange level that Ice resided on. For one, there was far less security, with patrolling guards often chatting with each other about one thing or another. It was higher up than the orange level, closer to the surface. I felt oddly out of place, especially since word had spread about my near-death experience just a few days ago.

I paused in front of the metal door that was labeled with ‘39’, taking a deep breath in preparation. I entered the code to open the door. It slid open with a hydraulic hiss. I stepped in.

The room was dark, almost pitch-black if not for a string of blue fairy lights. I fumbled for the sliding light, raising it up just a notch so the overhead lights were comfortably dim. There were blue and purple light filters atop them, blocking some of their light and bathing the room in indigo. The concrete room was well-furnished, with a black mid-sleeper bed in the right corner next to the door, and a bookshelf next to it that also acted as a nightstand. There was a Bible sitting next to a journal, as well as a cup of pens and pencils and a few other notebooks. In the opposite corner, along the far wall, there was a desk that looked painfully unused. From what I had read in his file, EW-39 spent most of his time in bed or under it, in the hidey-hole he had created with a sheet, despite being allowed to wander the facility.

I set the tray on the bookshelf, then leaned over the teenage boy that had been here for almost two years. He was cuddled deep into his blankets and pillows, gripping a plush bumblebee. His ashy brown-blonde hair was matted and tangled from both sleep and negligence. Around his wrist, there was a white tracking bracelet, as well as a tarnished cross bracelet. I had once had a similar bracelet.

I gently laid my hand on his shoulder. “Caspian? Caspian, it’s time to wake up. I brought you breakfast. Waffles with chocolate milk.”

He twitched, then mumbled, “...Yer not Max.”

I smiled, “My name is Calvin Davidson, I’m… filling in. Max has been busy lately, and I offered to help.”

“Mm, waffles?”

“Yep, waffles with a couple of bread rolls, some steamed broccoli, and chocolate milk,” I nodded. “And, if you eat at least one roll and a waffle, there’s a cookie for you.”

That got him up. Barely. It got his eyes open, at least. Even in the dim indigo room, I could see how oddly blue they were. Being a mixed-race child, one might expect curly dark hair, brown skin, and dark eyes. Caspian was an outlier. He had the expected light brown skin, but his short hair was colored an ashy brown-blonde, and his large, tired eyes were a strong azure blue.

He slowly pushed himself up, revealing that he wore no shirt under the blankets. I tried to ignore, one: how thin he was, and, two: the y-incision scars on his torso. He struggled to pull his big weighted blanket up over his shoulders. I assisted, draping it over him. I took his wooden meal tray and set it over his legs as he rubbed his tired eyes and yawned. I put the smaller tray that contained his breakfast in front of him.

He looked up at me. His blank gaze broke me. There was no light in those eyes, no hope or childish nature. “You’re going to watch me.”

I nodded, “That’s the policy with you.”

He sighed, staring down at his food. He picked up the fork, prodding at the waffles. He cut off a little piece, carefully putting it in his mouth and chewing it.

I glanced at his plush. “What’s your bee’s name?”

“...Bumbum.”

I smiled, “That’s a cute name. Very fitting for a bumblebee. How long have you had him?”

“...Long time,” Caspian muttered. “Gift from… from Ma.” His voice broke, and he looked away, but not quick enough for me to miss his wet eyes.

I racked my brain for something to distract him with. “I never had plush toys, even though my sister got more than enough.” I rolled my eyes at remembering Eva’s collection that she was now passing on to her young daughter.

“That’s stupid.”

“Agreed,” I chuckled. I looked at the Bible that sat on the nightstand next to the bed. A New International version, by the looks of it. “What do you and Max usually do during these times?” I carefully watched how he ate small bites and chewed slowly. Was it to not upset his stomach? “I suppose it must be interesting, with you being Christian and them being a witch.”

“Pagan,” he softly said. “She’s… pagan. It’s… not exactly the same. I think. I don’t know. I’m a Catholic raised in Tennessee.”

I snorted in laughter, “I’m an ex-Catholic raised in France.”

He looked at me with confusion, “Why’d you leave?” He bit his lower lip, “Did…. Did something bad happen to you?” It was clear what he was thinking about.

I shook my head, “To my brother. We both prayed every night for… something, I’m not even sure what.” I didn’t want to dwell on this for too long, out of fear of causing a bad reaction. “He still considers himself Catholic to some extent, but I couldn’t go back after that.”

“Did…. Was the bad guy arrested?”

I sighed, “Barely.” I took a deep breath, “Enough dwelling on bad things.” I tapped the tray. “You, young man, need to eat. A roll and at least one or two waffles and you can have the cookie.” I hadn’t missed how he was eyeing it.

Caspian sighed, reluctantly continuing to eat. I looked around his room, taking a glance at the books on his shelves. Most of them seemed to be fantasy and sci-fi stories, some of which I recognized. I couldn’t help but chuckle; a southern-American Catholic reading sci-fi/fantasy.

When I stood up, Caspian had slowed, poking at his food. He had barely taken a sip of the chocolate milk.

I leaned on the edge of the bed, “Have you heard about the Caspian Sea?”

He glanced up at me, seemingly curious.

I smiled, “If you eat a bit more of that, I’ll tell you about it.”

He pouted for a few moments before stabbing a clump of steamed broccoli and shoving it into his mouth, glaring at me.

I snorted with laughter, “Okay, okay, point taken. The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water.”

He wrinkled his nose. “I thought that title belonged to the Great Lakes?”

I chuckled, “No, no. The Caspian Sea is located in the middle eastern but slightly Russian area, if I’m not mistaken. It spans 1200 kilometers ‒ I do believe that translates to about 750 miles‒” his eyes widened, “‒and has a width of 320 kilometers, or about 200 miles.”

“...Wow. That’s a big lake.” He glanced down at the half-empty plate. “Can I have the cookie now?”

He had eaten a roll, most of the broccoli, and one waffle.

“Yeah, you can have the cookie now.”