She cleared out her throat while Duo looked at her confused. Then she stuck out her hand and said cheerfully.
“Hello. My name is Hope. It’s nice to meet you. What is your name?”
He looked at her as if she had lost her mind. Not even the people using the “nice” technique were that polite. It was like she was straight out of an etiquette book. It scared him and left him confused. It really frustrated him; everything about this girl frustrated and confused him. He no longer cared if she tortured him, he wasn’t even sure she would anymore. Which was strange because he didn’t know any body who would anymore.
“Why should I tell you?” He said angrily.
She put her hand on the table, and lowered her head a little.
“Because I asked nicely. I really would like to know your name.” She said slowly, trying not to show how much his words hurt her.
‘I know he wasn’t used to good, kind people, but I didn’t know he would be this way.’ She thought.
He didn’t care if he had hurt her feelings, and he continued yelling at her.
“All I want to know is why the heck you brought me here.”
“I...I...need your help.” She said weakly.
This stopped him.
‘Why in the heck would she even want my help? Is she crazy?’ He thought.
She confused him more, and that made him even angrier.
“Me!?!? Why? I can’t do anything. I’m not that important. There’s nothing special about me.”
She looked up quickly, shocked at his words.
“No, that’s not true. You were the last. I have the best chance of reviving it in you.” She said.
He looked at her strangely.
‘She IS crazy.’ He thought.
“Last what? What are you trying to revive?” He growled.
She gave him a look that said:
“Opps. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Then decided to go with it. She turned serious again.
“You were the last person in all of humanity that felt hope. I know this because right after you gave up hope, I was born. I am all that is left of hope. From something vast and indefinable to a mere mortal human girl. I need your help in bringing hope back to the human race, because you are my only chance, Duo Maxwell.” she said very seriously.
Duo blinked at her, too stunned to think or react to what she had said.
“You’re crazy!”, he said accusingly, “No one, not even someone NOT in their right mind would believe you.”
Instead of crying, like Duo thought she would, she started looking smug as if she had though of something.
“Oh, yeah? Then tell me this, how do I know your name?”
He had played this little game before; this was a game he never lost. Even tough he hadn’t played in a while. He decided to play.
“You must have heard someone say it. It’s not like it’s uncommon knowledge, you know.”
‘Beat that one.’ He dared her in his mind.
He started to look smug as well. She started to look even smugger.
“Your real name is Charlie. You have dreams of peace at night, inspired from stories that your mother told you of life when she was young. Until you were 12, you were a secondary thief in the red colonist gang, then you became leader through an incident where you stole a particularly valuable item. They never figured out how you knew of its value, but the truth is because you can read. You read about its price in a book. And as we both know reading is not an ability most colonists have. Never told anyone that, did ya?” She said, smugly.
Then she stuck her tongue out at him. He looked at her in shock.
‘She beat me. How did she know all that stuff? Why is she so smug about it?’ He thought.
She continued looking smug for a few more seconds, then she realized what she was doing.
“Ahhh!!!! WHAT AM I DOING?!?!” She looked at him, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to… I’m a failure, the human race is doomed because I’m an idiot!”
She lowered her head and started to hit it on the table.
“Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot…”
Duo’s shock faded, then he smiled.
‘So she isn’t perfect after all.’ He thought.
He laughed; he had never seen anything so funny in his life. He might like her after all. He reached out and caught her head on its way to the table.
“Stop that, it’s okay. You don’t have to do that. Besides I doubt the table did anything to deserve you banging your head into it.”
She looked at him, wondering what the heck had made him laugh. When she figured it out, she became very embarrassed.
“ Sorry… I’ve only been human for a short while.”
He didn’t know if he believed her about being hope, but he did believe that she wasn’t using the “nice” technique. She was a genuinely nice person, like his mother.
“Stop being embarrassed and smile.” He said as he smiled himself.
“I bet that’s the first good laugh you’ve had in a real long time.”
“Yeah, it has been. It feels good.”
She waited a moment.
“Do you feel good enough to take a walk with me?” She suggested.
“Why?” Asked Duo confused as fear started to build again.
“To help revive hope in you, of course, silly” She replied.
He winced; the fear vanished, she was back to that again.
“How?” He asked.
“You’ll see.” She said as she got up.
He also got up and followed her into a living room. She walked to a door with a table next to it. On the rather plain table was a box. She picked it up and turned to Duo, who had stopped to look at the new furniture in the room.
“Duo, you’ll need these.”
He turned to look at her, then looked at the box.
“What’s in the box?” He asked.
She opened the box so he could see what was inside.
“Sunglasses of course. Do you think you’ll be able to go outside into the sunshine when you have never experienced light so bright before?”
He looked at the black sunglasses. He knew what sunglasses were. Colonists who went to Earth usually packed a pair to shield their eyes from the bright sun. He decide they were safe and took out the sunglasses and put them on.
“Good.” She said.
She turned around and opened the door first. Duo winced a bit.
‘Even with sunglasses, it’s bright. But at least I can stand it now.’ Duo thought.
She stopped him right before walked out the door. He wondered why.
Part Four
