Stacey sat on a chair gasping while her hair and makeup, and that of her roommates was being fixed. She felt strangely tired already and just wanted to go back to bed. Unfortunately, the cameras were preparing to roll again, so that Beryl could tell her what she had come to say.
People fussed around her hair and clothes, while Stacey let Elsa also check her vital signs.
"No headaches. No pain. Vision is fine," she said in reply to Elsa's list of questions. "Yes, I'm tired."
"You should have an early night then," Beryl told Stacey from where she was sitting on the other side of the table. "It looks like you've lost an awful lot of weight again."
"I have so much to catch up on though," Stacey gestured at the piece of paper that Beryl had yet to show her. "I'll have to work hard to stay anywhere near shouting distance of the others."
"Given how hard you work, the program is talking to the government to plead leniency for you, so you don't completely burn out," Beryl said. "Try to take care of yourself. Your health is more important than the program."
"I have to try and pay the program back for taking me in on a whim in the first place and saving me from starving to death," Stacey shrugged and released a sigh. "I vaguely remember someone telling me that I had to at least recoup the costs of the resources I'm using in the program or else I won't be released until my debt was repaid. Something like that. I am using a lot more resources than the others with all my extra classes, aren't I?"
Beryl's eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed. A flare of anger seemed to shoot from her eyes like concentrated beams of fire. Her sharp gaze pierced Stacey, petrifying her for a moment.
"Who said that? Do you remember? Did you sign a contract with anyone other than the program?"
"I-I don't know," Stacey stammered. "I don't remember. I can't remember who said it. They said something about everything being business and if I wasn't worth the cost, I'd be thrown out, if not forced to work until the debt was paid."
"At least we know some of your memories are coming back," Beryl said, in a tone still as sharp as her gaze. "If you don't mind, I'm going to look for whatever contracts you've signed since joining the program. It'd be very easy for you to be tricked since you didn't have a good grasp of Tadpole. From what you told me, it sounds very much like you've been forced to sign a slave contract. If that's so, we have to help you to sign a much more equal contract or you're going to suffer. While you're still a part of this program, we still have the power to help you."
"But I don't remember signing anything," Stacey spread her hands out. "At all."
"That's why I'm going to look it up for you. We women have to protect each other from the predators out there," Beryl explained. "We give the illusion of strength to the public but the reality is that we're still not treated as equals to the men, despite all of history proving we can be so much more than they let us. Leave it with me. If anything is wrong, I'll help protect you."
"That's right", Mindy said with a firm nod and then made a hand gesture to change the topic. "Alright, it looks like everyone is ready," Mindy looked around the room. "Girls, act naturally to what Beryl tells you. Stacey, just be yourself. Ready? Camera, action."
"Stacey, we've been worried about you while you've been in hospital," Beryl began, reaching out to pat Stacey's hands on the table. "How are you?"
"Much better after a long sleep," Stacey gave an awkward smile. "I'm sorry to have worried everyone. I was exhausted and used up all my energy in my last performance. I didn't mean to scare everybody."
"The program has been inundated with questions both within and without as to your recovery," Beryl said. "Please take care of your health."
"I'll try," Stacey said. "There's just so much to learn and catch up on."
"Your diligence is commendable," Beryl said, "but everything, even study, in moderation, hmm?"
"I don't want to end up on the streets again," Stacey said. "Although I don't remember what it was like, I do know that I'd be at a loss if I ended up back out there on my own again."
"That's very unlikely to happen," Beryl soothed. "After all, you're married now. Do you know when your public marriage ceremony will take place?"
"Uh, no," Stacey said, feeling very awkward and embarrassed. "He and I haven't been able to spend much time together since the battle. I've been in and out of hospital or taking part in the program, while he's been busy with work. The longest time we've had together that I can remember is when we went out for lunch on the way home from the hospital today. So, we haven't had the chance to talk properly about anything. To be honest, I don't feel like I know him at all. He's still a stranger to me, so people reminding me that I'm a married woman now feels strange."
"I hope the two of you will find time to get together and talk about it soon. I don't know about the other girls here, but I'm really looking forward to the ceremony and reception. Don't forget to invite us all, will you?" Beryl said, tapping Stacey's ring finger. It was still empty for now, but it likely wouldn't be for long.
"Of course," Stacey smiled. "Everyone in this program are the only people I know. If I didn't invite you all, there'd be no one there. I'd feel bad to leave a single one of you out."
"Wonderful," Beryl clapped her hands. "Do you have any ideas on what you'd like? Or a theme you'd like for your wedding?"
"No," Stacey admitted, fidgeting with her fingers. "I haven't thought of it. I don't know what budget we have and what the customs are like - what I can and can't do. Since I don't know, I think it'd be best if I leave it up to him so I don't accidentally offend anyone again."
"I'm sure there'd be a wedding planner arranged to help you if you wanted to plan anything for the wedding," Beryl said. "That way you would be highly unlikely to make a mistake."
"That's a good idea," Stacey brightened up, "but I think the wedding would have to wait until the program is over, don't you? I'm going to be too busy these few months to spare the time to think of anything else."
"Fair enough," Beryl agreed. "Speaking of the program, your 'Incy Wincy Spider' song has gone viral among pre-school aged children, while your 'Sinking in the Dark' has topped the charts and stayed there ever since your performance. We know you were very ill at the time of both performances. Can you tell us what was going through your mind at the time? Start with 'Incy Wincy Spider'. Musicians are saying that the prelude to the song were more like warm up finger exercises."
"Uh," Stacey said and ducked her head. "I think they were. My mind was completely blank at the time. I couldn't think of anything else to play and one thing flowed to another and then out popped that old nursery rhyme."
"Old nursery rhyme?" Beryl repeated. "You didn't write it?"
"No. It's not mine. From what I can remember, it's an old nursery rhyme from where I grew up, or something like that. Frankly, I was really embarrassed that I had played a nursery rhyme for a performance at the end of the night. I'm just glad that people liked it enough not to vote me into the bottom half of the ranking," Stacey said. "I was so stressed."