Celia: Introduction Story

     After giving her temporary goodbyes to the family that hosted her, Celia accompanied Alex to the train station-- marking the first time ever that she would depart from familiar surroundings. It unnerved her, to say the least. Her instincts allowed her to quickly absorb information and attune herself to whatever situation was at hand, but in the moment that she was stepping aboard a train cabin and sitting across from someone she’d only met less than hour prior, an unsettling sensation prickled from within.

     In the last few months living a new ‘life’, there was little that spurred her into action beyond the necessity of survival. And yet just by meeting Alex, Celia had found justification to leave behind what was easily a comfortable environment, for what she initially thought was nothing more than an opportunity to improve her imitation of humankind.

     Was it really just that alone? As she and Alex found seats in the cabin and made themselves comfortable for a several hour-long ride to ‘her’ hometown, she found herself more and more tense. Did she need to know who ‘Cece’ was? Would it make her more or less detached from the human identity?

     “Um… Are you doing alright?”

     Celia’s attention snapped to Alex, suddenly jolted from her thoughts. Was she so visibly unsettled? Celia had always heard that she was an unreadable person from those in the town that she lived in, and yet Alex had managed to pick up on something more. 

     “I…” she began, unsure of what to say. Her thoughts were those of a myocelia’s-- not easily shared. “I’m just not sure what to make of this. Going ‘home’ to people I don’t know… or remember, I guess.”

     Alex’s expression turned apologetic, brow furrowed upwards. “That’s… my fault, I bet. I know this is all really sudden, but maybe… maybe I could explain a few things before we get there? It’s a long ride, so maybe I can catch you up! You know… like on your family and everyone else back home.”

     It would help to have an idea of what to expect, no doubt. Celia nodded, and Alex began with an overview of ‘Cece’s’ life up until her disappearance.

     “You were-- no, ‘are’, maybe…? My childhood friend from home. When we were kids, we used to hang out a lot, after school. We even used to live right next to each other! You’d come over all the time just to eat the food my mom made, and we’d catch bugs in the woods behind my house…

     “We were so close, you know. Your mom and my mom used to say we were joined at the hip, because there wasn’t ever anything we didn’t do together…”

     Alex paused, his eyes now slightly downcast. “And then in the beginning of high school, my family moved a neighborhood over, and after that you’d only come by maybe once a week because it took you 20 minutes just to bike over. I think you still tried your best to stop by to see me and my mom, but once high school got really busy, I saw you less and less since I had to go to a different high school…

     “So by the time senior year and graduation came around, we didn’t really talk anymore. Uh-- not that we had a falling out or anything, but I think your life just got really busy. And when you left for college, and even after you came back, we’ve barely talked at all since then. I wish I tried to keep in contact with you more, honestly…”

     As Alex’s words faltered, Celia found herself wondering-- what about ‘her’ mother and father? Alex had mentioned very little of the two aside from a passing comment, and yet from what Celia knew of parental figures, they would have been even more important people to learn about than Alex himself.

     During the lull in Alex’s recollection, Celia cleared her throat and spoke up. “So… what about my mother-- my mom and dad? Are they… home?”

     Now, it seemed like it was Alex’s turn to tense up. He started to speak, but hesitated, as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t.

     “They-- well… I guess I don’t really know a lot about your parents. I don’t want to just, speculate on what your relationship might’ve been… But I know the both of them work a lot, which is why when we were younger you came over to my house all the time…”

     Alex scratched the back of his head, eyes turned low to the ground. “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more but I…” he faltered, “I couldn’t really say anything for sure.”

     “--but!” he turned his gaze back up, a weak smile spread across his face. “Your mom and dad will be home in the evening to see you, so you can talk to them then! It’s around eleven right now, so they should be home around six…”

     Celia listened closely, trying to piece together as much of Cece’s life as she could, but there was little that told her about what she would have been like most recently. Alex’s explanation ended when Cece had returned after graduating from college, but what happened after then?

     She wanted to push for more details-- something of substance. The descriptions afforded by Alex felt so surface-level that it seemed strange for him to be claiming to have been best friends, although perhaps that bond had since faded with the march of time. Still, it raised numerous questions that might be better answered with clues from the ‘hometown’ she was headed towards.

     Who was Cece?

     For now, it seemed like the answers lay beyond her grasp- but as the scenery changed while the train continued along its path, they would become closer and closer in reach.