Her bookshelf is divided into two sections: fiction and nonfiction. Fiction is on the top shelves, and the books there are worn and well-loved, dust-free and several of them with cracked spines and sticky notes sticking out of them. The nonfiction texts are largely medical and scientific journals on her field, but these are in significantly better condition than the fiction books. The ones on the bottom look like she hasn't touched them since grad school.
What would you like to look at first?
Many of the books look like they've been through the wringer: spines cracked, covers eroded, pages torn around the edges. She doesn't take good care of her books. What a shame. You can still read the spines on some of them.
- The World According to Garp, John Irving
- The Selection series, Kiera Cass
- Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, written by Grant Morrison, illustrated by Dave McKean
- Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Edward Albee
You scan the medical and scientific texts, none of them catching your attention for more than a moment. Many of them have gone unused for months, maybe years. She must do a lot of online research.
As you're flicking through "Captive Audience: The Science and Damaging Effects Behind America's Prison System", you find a photograph. It's tucked between pages, somewhere no one but a snoop would find it.
The person in the photograph (you can't determine a gender) is smiling and has flour on their face. They're holding a book, but you can't decipher which one. The two things you can see very clearly are their eyes, bright and sparkling, dark brown and amber-ringed. Their hair is brown on the sides but a lovely light lavender on top, and you feel like you've seen this person before. They must be Dr. Bonjour's partner, you can see the ring on their finger, but you can't shake the feeling that you've seen them somewhere else. You put the picture back in the book and slide it back onto the shelf.
You feel like you've done enough snooping and you should probably get back to work. You drop the papers you brought her on her desk an open folder catches your eye.
Name: Dr. Emile Bonjour
Security Clearance: Level 3
Specialization: Early childhood development, dramatic and visual arts, psychology
Subspecialization: Crepes
That makes you laugh as the kettle begins whistling. You absentmindedly pick up the file and carry it with you as you begin making tea.
History: Emile Bonjour was recruited from her position as a teacher at Sunnycare Day School in ██████, OK, after one of her students began displaying anomalous properties. Dr. Bonjour reacted with the grace and aptitude expected of a Foundation researcher rather than a preschool educator, and after verifying her background and credentials, human resources elected to offer her a position as a junior researcher. She rose through the ranks
You lose your grip on the spoon and send tea leaves flying everywhere. You swear, drop the file, and begin sweeping it off the floor with your hands. There has to be a broom somewhere, a broom—!
resulted in █ casualties
What was that? The black box catches your attention and you abandon your sweeping efforts, instead pulling the file closer, ripping off a sticky note to read the section.
Dr. Bonjour was temporarily relieved from her position after incident ████-3, the escape of SCP-████. The ensuing chase and destruction resulted in █ casualties and ██ injuries. There was some suspicion that the escape was a premeditated plan between Dr. Bonjour and SCP-████ due to their recently revealed shared past, but no evidence beyond gossip and conjecture. Dr. Bonjour requested the relief before it could be issued, stating "I don't
"What did you find?"
You snap the file shut and look up at the woman standing above you, a quizzical and vaguely disappointed look on her face. You scramble up, messing the papers in the file up, fighting a blush as you hand it to her. "I—it was on your desk, I was, um, dropping off the, uh."
"The 2118 papers, yes, thank you." She smoothly takes the file from you and puts it back on her desk, then goes to the tea table. "Do you want to finish this? Looks like you hardly touched it."
"Uh, I think I'm just gonna…" you trail off, backing towards the door. She sighs and pours some water into the teapot, swirling it around with practiced hands so it can be clean, shiny, new. You shouldn't ask. You have to ask. "What happened?"
She doesn't look at you as she says, "I'm still not certain. They told me I asked for amnestics."
You wait for her to elaborate, and when she doesn't, you slip away, into the hall, closing the door with a 'click' behind you.
