My father walked into the middle of the circle and put his hand on the man’s shoulder, he had barely seemed to notice.
‘This, Avalon, is Bobby Scotland. He is Robert and Maria’s son.’
Bobby Scotland was drooling on his shirt. I didn’t know whether it would be rude to ask what was wrong with him, so instead I nodded politely.
‘He is Human?’ Jack asked.
‘Correct,’ Robert Scotland stood and walked over to his son, ‘He was born a Human and raised as a Mage, as were all of our children.’ He indicated around the circle. ‘He was a smart boy. Clever. Worldly.’
‘What happened to him?’ I asked.
‘The Realm discovered that ‘e was ‘uman and zey took ‘im,’ Maria said harshly, ‘Zey erased ‘is memories and left ‘im as a shell.’
I felt my insides turn. Was this what all processed Humans looked like? Bobby Scotland stared transfixed at his own hands, spittle hanging from his drooping mouth. There was no sign of intelligence in his eyes. Sadness welled inside me.
‘How did you get him back?’ I asked quickly. ‘Didn’t they sell him afterwards?’
‘They auctioned him at the Human market in Concord City, luckily for us, no one else bid on him. They had no use for a Human in his thirties. You know, most Humans don’t live past forty.’
‘So you bought him?’ I said.
Robert Scotland nodded and patted his son on the shoulder. ‘What else could we do? We paid one gold piece for our own son.’
I understood. It must have been heartbreaking for Robert and Maria to get their son back with all traces of his personality erased.
‘But that’s not all,’ my father said. ‘We have been using Bobby to test whether the erasing of the memories is permanent. We still aren’t certain if it just represses memories or if it destroys them completely. From what we have learned so far, a processed Human still has the capacity to learn. Watch this.’
I stared as my father knelt in front of Bobby and took his hand.
‘Hello there,’ my father said. ‘Can you tell me your name?’
No response.
‘What is your name?’ He said louder this time.
‘Bo -’
‘Yes, that’s right. Tell me your name.’
‘Bo-ee.’
‘Bobby, that’s right. Good boy.’
Bobby smiled dopily. It was pitiful.
‘So, he can say his name,’ said Jack. ‘But is that from memory? Or has he been taught it?’
‘At this stage we aren’t sure,’ Robert said. ‘He may have heard us say it a number of times and just picked it up, much like children do when they are first learning to speak. However, if it is from memory then it is an indication that the process might be reversible.’
‘We also have another theory on what the injection might do. There is the possibility that the serum simply cuts off certain parts of the brain,’ my father added. ‘Such as the memory cortex or the ability to speak.’
‘What does that mean?’ I asked horrified. ‘Like, brain damage?’
‘Something like that,’ my father said. I could see the sadness in his eyes. ‘It is possible that these poor people are prisoners in their own head – unable to control their speech or communicate effectively.’
‘So they’re vegetables?’ My temper was rising.
I felt my mother grab hold my hand, but I ignored her. This was too much to take in. Helena, a vegetable.
‘It’s not all bad news,’ Robert Scotland said kindly. ‘If the serum only blocks those parts of the brain, there may be a way to unblock it. For all we know Bobby could be completely aware of everything that is going on right now, but simply unable to communicate.’
‘So, how do we know if it is permanent?’ Jack asked.
‘We are working day and night with Bobby to help him improve. Hopefully, in another week he’ll be able to learn his parent’s names.’
It’s not good enough, I thought to myself. Re-learning things wasn’t the same as remembering.
‘So,’ said my father, taking a seat. ‘Everyone here has had their loved ones taken away from them. Robert and Maria are very lucky to have their son back, but the rest of us are not so fortunate. The aim of H.E.L.E.N.A is for each of us to be reunited with our families.’
‘I want to help,’ I said at once. ‘Sign me up.’
‘Sweetheart, it might be dangerous,’ my mother said.
‘I’ve been in dangerous situations before. Hawthorne and I make an excellent team. Hawthorne is my animal companion,’ I added quickly.
‘What is he?’ Elise Stalk asked.
‘A fox. He is big and strong,’ I told her. ‘He can fly.’
‘Flight may come in useful,’ said Tom Truscott, the mimic.
‘Avalon is just a child -’ my father began.
‘I am not,’ I said hotly. ‘I’m almost nineteen and I’ve been on my own for months now.’
‘You don’t know what it will be like. We may have to fight other Mage’s who will be much more powerful than you can imagine.’
‘Avalon can take care of herself,’ Jack piped in. All eyes snapped to him. ‘I’ve seen it. Besides, neither Hawthorne or I will let her get hurt.’