I look shocked at the photo and then shocked at the women who just introduced herself as Ria's mother, even though Ria told me her mother was killed by the professor.
"You are… Ria's mother…?"
I am still shocked because I just can't believe her. Now she looks confused at me, as if I'm the weird one and not her.
"How do you know her nickname?"
This women must be Ria's mother, now I'm almost convinced. Who else could be so confused that a stranger knows her daughters nickname?
"I knew her. She was really sweet and kind… I'm sorry for you."
"What do you mean by that…?"
She probably knows what I'm trying to say, because her eyes are widening and her voice starts to tremble as she speaks, but it looks like her heart doesn't want to believe it.
"She died. It wasn't that long ago. She said that you were also dead. What happened to you?"
She looks at me as if she can't believe what I said. I don't mind that, because I don't think I would believe her if she told me the same thing. I think one part of her heart starts to realize that her daughter is gone, because tears start to run down her face and drop on the ground.
"T-That's not true!"
I shake my head and say nothing. I don't know what I can do in such a situation. I feel like I'm in the moment again when this little child named Ria came into my room and started crying. It's a similar situation, but now with her mother instead of her.
"Listen…"
I lay one hand on her shoulder, so that she would look at me.
"I will get revenge for her, okay?"
She stops crying for a moment and sniffs before she speaks.
"Thank you…"
Now she hugs me and I get this strange deja vu from the time where the exact same situation happened with Ria. It feels so weird, because I still don't know where to put my hands.
I let her hug me for a good minute before I try to gently push her away, because the whole hugging thing gets a bit too much for me.
"Are you willing to answer me now? Where were you the whole time? Why did the professor say you're dead?"
She takes a moment to answer.
"I- I didn't know that someone said I'm dead. I was outside for investigations around the laboratory and-"
"You were outside?"
I interrupted her but it doesn't seem to bother her.
"Yes, with an investigation team. Once a month an investigation team gets sent out to investigate on the atmosphere and if the ground can be used for fields to grow food for the laboratory. Which is completely unnecessary, in my opinion, because the outside world is completely fine."
"How do you get outside?"
"The professor opens the gate with his keycard and our team goes outside…"
The whole time she speaks her voice is slightly trembling. Looks like it's not so easy for her to get over the Death of her child.
"I see. Thank you for answering my questions. If I can help you, then ask me for help. I'll do anything for you I can, as long as it helps you. I liked Ria, that's why."
She nods and smiles slightly, but I can see the pain in her eyes from her loss. I don't want to be here anymore. I can't deal with really emotional people that's why I grab my lunch and go in the direction of my district. I have to think of Ria and her mother. They don't look the same at all, but maybe Ria has her looks from the father. I wonder what happened to her father. She never mentioned him.