33 - Discovery

*Characters: Brooks, West*

"You're lucky, Brooks." Dr. Stone said. Brooks looked up from her tablet, quickly pausing the music she had been softly singing along with. She was a little intimidated by and scared of Stone, even though she’d never admit it.

"I am? What do you mean?" She asked, covering her drawings with her arm. She was trying to draw the fox that the small group of researchers had run into a few times now, but she couldn't quite get it right. Brooks had a good memory for details, it was why she was a good artist, but she knew that something important was missing from her sketches. She just couldn't figure out what.

"You're here because you want to be here." Stone grumbled, angrily stabbing at her lunch. “Unlike the rest of us.” Brooks turned off her tablet and reached for her own lunch.

“Oh. I guess that makes sense.” She said, picking at her sandwich. She didn’t really like peanut butter, but it was that or ham, which was an automatic no for her. Brooks had noticed she was keeping kosher more than she had at home, and she guessed it was so that she could have even a little control over her life while at the site. “Although, the foundation came to me, and then kind of dumped me here. It was less I wanted to be here and more I was heavily encouraged to work for them.”

Stone gave her a strange look. “Huh. Maybe you’re not normal, then.” With that, she got up and left, leaving Brooks more confused than before. She took a bite of her sandwich, and stared at the blank screen in front of her, contemplating what Stone had just said.

*That was weird. She’s probably just mad about something, though. I bet Willow did something to annoy her.*

Brooks got up and dumped the other half of her lunch in the compost. She retrieved her tablet, turning it back on and pulling up the map she had made of the complex building. She had been working here for a while, and still got lost frequently. At least she knew where her room was, and she made it back without any issues. She took off her lab coat, throwing it over the chair by her desk, when she noticed her snake’s water pool was empty.

“You’re not supposed to drink it, you goon.” Brooks said, talking to the snake as she removed the empty container and placed it in the sink, making sure it was directly under the water. She turned the tap, and waited, ready to turn off the water at the exact moment before it overflowed.

*Annndd… NOW!*

The water stopped before Brooks could even touch the tap again. She frowned, and looked around. “Am I being pranked? Or do we have ghosts?” She asked out loud. The only response was the water starting, and she quickly shut it off.

“Right. I’m asking West about this.” She said to nobody, replacing the pool and hurrying out of the room. It was probably just a pipe problem, she had been warned about it by the others before. But still, it was weird. The other staff had been working for the foundation for a longer time, and they’d probably know what was going on. It was probably that, or Willow messing with her.

“West!” Brooks called, running over to the winged scientist. West turned, giving her a confused look. “Can I show you something weird? I think something’s wrong with my sink.” West looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t, instead following Brooks.

“Is this really something you need me for?” West asked, and Brooks nodded.

“I think so? This is a new thing, and it’s definitely not normal.” She explained. “And I don’t trust Stone or Willow with something like this.” She paused, spotting a water fountain.

*Maybe it’s not just my sink? I wonder if it’s the whole site.*

“Actually, I’m going to try something.” Brooks said, and West nodded slowly. Brooks cautiously activated the fountain, and it worked.

“Yeah, it’s working properly. What are you talking about, Brooks?” West asked, she was definitely curious. Brooks watched the water for a few seconds.

*What did I do last time, if it was me? Maybe just… stop.* She thought, and the water stopped. Brooks and West both took a step back, and exchanged a look.

“That. That is what I meant.” Brooks said, pointing at the fountain. “I was filling my snake’s pool and the water stopped without me touching the sink. Do you think I caused that?” She asked, the realization hitting her. West shrugged.

“I think we should do a few more tests before we say anything.” West said.