He woke to the sound of machines humming quietly beside his bed.
For a moment, Zyris didn't move.
He didn't open his eyes.
He simply listened.
The beeping was rhythmic, consistent,it was aheart monitor.
The whirring behind it,it was a ventilation system.
It was clean,processed and sterile,a hospital.
This was unexpected.
They didn't take children to hospitals.
it had always been a rule at the orphanage,it was an unspoken law enforced by neglect. If someone got sick, they were told to sleep. If someone bled, they were handed a cloth.
The head-lady didn't believe in wasting money on things she could avoid.
This meant someone had died.
He opened his eyes slowly.
The ceiling was pale and dotted with stains.
Fluorescent lights flickered above.
The walls were bare.They were painted in a color meant to soothe.
He turned his head.
There was an empty chair in the corner. There was a vase on the windowsill, its single plastic flower sagging.
An IV bag hung from a metal pole, its tube feeding into his arm. He studied it. The flow was slow, methodical and saline.there were no drugs. it wasnt sedated.
It was just stabilized.
The head-lady couldn't hide this.
Ramit's death was too big, too loud to bury under silence and threats. A dead child was paperwork.
A dead child was attention.
She'd brought them both here to cover herself and to look innocent.
Zyris smiled faintly.
She was clever, but not clever enough.
The door clicked.
There were footsteps. They were measured,confident. They were not hurried.
They were the steps of someone who felt in control.
A man stepped in wearing a khaki uniform.
It was a police officer.
He wasnt high-ranking because there were no stars or cords but,he walked like someone who believed his authority mattered.
He had short-cropped hair, a pen behind one ear, a file in hand.
He closed the door behind him, deliberately.
Zyris watched him without blinking.
"Morning," the officer said casually.
"You have had quite a night. How are you feeling?"
Zyris offered a bright, warm smile.
It was too wide,too polite.
"like I missed the fireworks. But the beds here are a huge improvement, so I can't complain."
The officer paused, uncertain,"Glad to see you're talking. Some said you barely do."
Zyris tilted his head, eyes wide with mock surprise.
"That hurts. Am I really that unapproachable?"
The man chuckled once,warily.
"Well, I talk when there's someone worth talking to,"
Zyris added cheerfully.
"And clearly, you're the man with the answers today."
The officer pulled the chair closer and sat. "Trying to figure things out."
"Of course," Zyris said, nodding eagerly.
"I want to help however I can. I'm quite good at solving puzzles."
He smiled again perfectly pleasant, perfectly wrong.
The officer flipped open the file. "so,Orphanage on Sector 19 Road,not exactly a crime hub,a quiet place.Then this happened one kid dead and one unconscious."
Zyris leaned forward slightly and said, "It does make for a dramatic headline."
"They said Ramit bullied you,is that true?"
Zyris laughed softly, as if sharing a secret.
"Oh, Ramit was spirited. He always had a lot of energy.It was mostly directed at my face."
"So he hit you?"
"He expressed himself physically. Some people just aren't verbal, you know?"
"Did you hit back?"
Zyris gave a theatrical gasp.
"Violence? Me? never"
The officer gave him a long look.
"He is dead."
Zyris's smile faded just a little.
"That's the part that is truly tragic,he was so full of life,and fists."
"He just died,there was no poison,no wounds. He just stopped breathing", the office said.
Zyris shrugged,"He always did have terrible posture".
The officer's eyes narrowed.
"You think this is funny?"
"No" Zyris said gently. "I think it's very sad. I think death is sad. But I also think you're not really here for sadness."
The officer didn't reply.
"You're here," Zyris continued warmly, "because this situation is messy, and someone wants it neat. I understand. I like neat things too."
"You're a strange kid."
Zyris beamed. "Why, thank you. I try."
The officer looked down at the file.
"The head-lady didn't come with you."
"She's terribly busy,embezzling money is hard work."
The officer raised an eyebrow.
Zyris leaned in.
"She brought us here because Ramit's death is too big to hide. But she doesn't want fingers pointed her way. So..."
He gestured vaguely.
"So you think she sent me."
Zyris shrugged.
"I don't think,I observe. Like your belt's worn on the left, your laces are uneven, and you have nicotine on your fingers but didn't bring the smell with you. Which means you were nervous.
You cleaned up before coming in.
That's not official business.
That's someone trying to impress their boss,or a buyer."
The officer stiffened.
Zyris smiled brighter. "It's okay. We all have someone we answer to."
"If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut."
Zyris tilted his head.
"But you're here for me to talk. That's confusing."
"Don't get clever."
"Too late."
The officer stood.
"Confess. Make this easier for everyone."
Zyris looked almost hurt.
"Confess to what? Being alive? That's hardly a crime."
"You were there.
You hated him.
You have motive."
"I had motive to dislike his methods," Zyris corrected softly.
"Disliking someone doesn't mean I stopped their heart.
Unless you're saying I can do that with my mind.
That would be impressive."
The officer stared at him.
"do you think this is a game?"
Zyris's smile finally faded into something softer and sadder.
"No. I think you're trapped and I don't like that for you."
The officer blinked.
"You're just doing your job," Zyris continued, his tone warm and understanding. "Trying to protect your position. Your pension. Maybe your daughter's tuition. But this isn't the path. This story? It won't hold."
The officer stepped back slowly.
"Because someday, people will ask what really happened.
And when they do,your name will come up and you'll have to remember this conversation."
"are you threatening me, kid?"
Zyris's voice was a whisper now.
"No,I'm empathizing.
It's what friends do."
He laid back down, folding his hands calmly.
The officer stood still, as if debating something, then turned and left the room without another word.
The beeping resumed its steady rhythm.
Zyris closed his eyes.
The silence in his mind wasn't silence anymore.
It was music.
The first note in a long composition.