Spiderweb - 130 Pay Attention

“Oh, so you do have something to say,” she smiled, “then hurry up and spit it out before I kick you to the crevices of this asylum, never to set foot in my gaze again.”

“I.. apologize,” Vixen replied, “I made critical mistakes in my schedule and ended up created chaos soon to blossom. I will-”

Mrs. Cloud’s jaw clenched. “Shut up.”

The room’s temperature dived down 6 levels and all time seemed to stop as Mrs. Cloud’s head turned to Vixen. Her eyes were wide awake, heavy doses of anger flashing in her violet violent storms in her eyes as she peered down at him.

“Do you think I brought you here to listen to your pathetic apologies? Do you think I’m going to silence myself after you spit out meaningless words before me and expect me to believe them,” Mrs. Cloud’s teeth gnashed, “you could apologize millions of times and cry tears of blood but none of them will get you out of this situation.”

Her head swiveled to her cup of tea and she quietly took a sip, her teacup making a loud bang when it’s placed back on the table.

“Now… while your mouth has the energy to speak. Explain why he’s in her room and why she is not under your care anymore,” Mrs. Cloud ordered. Her eyes brightened up and she looked down at Vixen, “or maybe I should change the question as this one seems too hard for you to answer…”

Vixen’s head faced forward and he picked up his tea, using every atom in his body to ensure that he doesn’t expose more of himself than he already had.

“Hmm.. then care to explain why you didn’t leave her room immediately?” Mrs. Cloud asked. “It was about an hour or more before you left the room and even before that the boy came back to the room and you left soon after. And then you try to tell me you were focused on serving?”

Mrs. Cloud’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the arms of the chair. “What serving? Do you know how many people you missed serving in that hour or more? If it was going to be like that then you should have just said that you decided to rest for the rest of the day because you were too incompetent to carry out all the responsibility that came with your name.”

Vixen wanted to intrude on her words but there seemed to be no space for him to speak.

“And if we are to keep watching for just a little bit…” Mrs. Cloud thought to herself as she watched the video.

Vixen’s eyes fell to the floor and Mrs. Cloud’s gaze followed them. “Are you blind? I made sure to project this on a large surface your eyes could see so don’t make me waste my time and look up at the damned wall,” she ordered, her lips twisting into a scowl.

Vixen’s eyes rode up and locked eyes with Mrs. Cloud. They looked empty, blank.

Vixen’s eyes didn’t waver nor did he blink.

“Look at the video,” Mrs. Cloud commanded, her tone falling to nearly a whisper yet having so much command and superiority in them.

It was like his body moved on its own simply from fear. His eyes were forced to look at the projection on the walls.

On the video was a shot of him waiting with a cart beside him. Seconds later, the boy shows up and they exchange a few words before he turns around with the cart and begins to walk away while Vixen turns the other way. It was at this moment that Mrs. Cloud paused the video.

“It seems like you were expecting him to come,” Mrs. Cloud chuckled. “There was probably an incident with the girl and he called you to come help. There you created a plan that went exactly the way you wanted seeing as you were waiting for him to come at the correct time. Right?” She puts down the remote and lets out a sigh, her eyebrows furrowing together to portray a fake sense of confusion. “But that brings up the question, could what happened to her be avoided if you were the one in care? And if so, then why was that boy in care instead?”

Vixen hated it so much. The fact that he was just sitting through all of this without being able to say a word, the fact that everything he was saying was right, and her tone.

She knew everything she was saying was so right, there was no way she could be wrong. She could read straight through him like a book even if he doesn’t say a word or avoids her eyes. She could take the thoughts in his head and squish them to nothing before he could even say them, she could step on him until he is reduced to nothing, but…

But yet… she kept him alive. She kept him by the edge of her knife, torturing him with her words. Saying them in a way that was teasing him to his death, almost like she was mocking him and making him regret every decision he made even if they were right.

‘No… it isn’t maybe… she IS mocking me,’ Vixen corrected himself.

She spoke in such a way that was so right but she then twisted her words to sound wrong. Like she was asking questions, like she was confused, like she was unsure of the situation when she knew exactly what was going on and knew exactly what she was doing to him.

Her innocence was sickening. It wasn’t innocency… it was demeaning actions. Words and movements that were meant to ruin him from inside out. There was no physical abuse yet his body was sore and he felt in pain.

She didn’t touch him but he was unable to move. She didn’t make him suffer from physical punishment yet his heart was racing. She was asking questions but yet he was unable to answer.

It was frustrating how restricted he felt. How hot the seat felt and how he felt like he was being stifled. He told himself he was over it and that it was making no impact on him but he was wrong. Her degrading gaze telling him so.

“If you’re done feeling scared and angry, speak. You’re wasting my time,” Mrs. Cloud sighed. She glanced down at her watch and then down to Vixen. “Don’t take too much time and make your statement.”

It was like the pressure was released off his shoulder just a little bit and he was finally able to speak. He wanted to stay silent. To not even respond to her words but at the same time he felt a release, he felt pressure, forcing him to speak.

“She is the same person I requested a stay-in for,” Vixen replied.

“Oh really now?” Mrs. Cloud responded as she sipped her tea. He hated her reply. The fact she was acting surprised.

The worst part was that she didn’t even try to show it on her face. She wasn’t amused in the slightest bit.

“Yes. But it wasn’t to switch servers for her. I had planned to carry out with the serving for longer but due to some.. Indiscrepancies arising with her, she denied my existence and serving and I simply complied with her request, therefore, leading to the serving change,” Vixen explained.

Mrs. Cloud nodded. She didn’t believe his second line for a second. But there was a reason he would say it like that and it was because he could back it up. Vixen was not one to make arguments without being able to back it up with proof.

“It was a last-minute arrangement which is why you were not informed of it ma’am,” Vixen replied, “I simply agreed with the patient and not once thought of it as abusing my power. I apologize for my reluctance at the beginning. It was due to nervousness.”

“Hmm,” Mrs. Cloud nodded.

“I understand that I wasn’t brought here to make excuses but instead to answer the serious questions brought up by you and explain the thought processes that went thr-”

“Continue,” Mrs. Cloud interrupted. She hated apologies. Especially comments that explained apologies.

Whether or not the word “sorry” comes after a word doesn’t change the fact that it has been done. It’s simply to ease the conscience of the one who committed the act and for them to have a way out of their punishment. It was pathetic. Just like the explanation she was listening to at the moment.

“Please carry on with your explanation on what happened with room 207 this morning,” Mrs. Cloud asked. She turned to Vixen and smiled, “I’m not sure I mentioned this before, but I’m running out of time. Your apologies and statements explaining them will have to wait. Or better yet, disposed of.”

“Yes ma’am,” Vixen replied.

He didn’t want to explain what happened in the morning. It would prove incompetence. That he wasn’t fit for his role and picked the wrong person to take care of his patient. That he wasn’t worth his title or worse, that he was supposed to remain in his room closed off from the world and have no way to repay the sins he made.

Vixen looked up at Mrs. Cloud, their violet eyes piercing into each other. He let out a sigh.

It looked like he had no choice.