Fragment #10: Schizophrenia?

Uuurg! What’s happened to me? I was riding in hill country in northern Provence on my bicycle and now I’m in a hospital, who knows where? I hurt all over and can’t talk; as far as I can tell I’ve lost all my upper teeth! I’m really surprised I found my computer lying on a table next to me when I woke up this morning. I haven’t looked through it yet, but it seems ok, if a little scratched up. If I didn’t know better, it’s been carried by some kind of big animal, the scratches look like bite marks.

It has, William. I had to carry it and the rest of your things up to the road. Where that car knocked you over the edge, nobody would have ever found you. As it was, it took me a long time before I healed enough to let Tigresse carry everything back up. If I didn’t know better, I’d say my father’s ‘friends’ found out who you were, but that’s impossible; they wouldn’t be born yet.

“What are you talking about, ‘Nette? Are you trying to tell me someone intentionally knocked us off the road?”

Mais oui, William! You heard the car coming. Do you remember seeing any cars coming the other way?

“No. I remember moving as close to the wall at the edge as I could to give the car room. I don’t remember seeing any reason it couldn’t pass.”

There you are, then. If they didn’t have to hit you, why would they do so?

“I don’t know, ‘Nette. But since you went so far as to get me back up where I could be found, did either you or Tracker bother to try and find the car that did it?”

Non. You were too badly hurt. You didn’t wake up enough for me to come out for many hours. Tracker used his speed to run to a phone to call for ambulance after le tigresse did all the climbing.

“I have a question for everybody. How, if I’m carrying you in my head, are you able to heal yourselves and do this sort of thing and yet I’m now lying toothless in this hospital? Tigresse obviously has all her teeth, why don’t I? Why am I in such pain?”

Why do you not have more broken bones? As you fell I tried to shape-change. But you hit the wall before you went over. Your teeth, they broke before you fell. Le tigresse hit hard at the bottom, knocking us out. Nearly, she died, taking us all.

“Nobody’s going to believe this, you know. How do I explain my injuries? How do I explain being unconscious for...,” I look at the calendar in the computer. “... A Month? I’ve been unconscious for a month!”

Oui. A new Passport photo you will need, too. We were able to do much while the hospital thought you here.

“Do I want to know?”

Do not ask the questions you do not want answers to.

“What does that mean?”

William, came a different feminine voice. You know my powers as a Sauk. Isan-ira and Shal-ir guided me in ‘suggesting’ the doctors give you a new face. We have also made other changes to help you. Changes that... well, the Web permitted and would make you better able to survive in this world, though your fellow humans would not understand if they knew.

“You’re right. I don’t want to know. Not yet, anyway.”