Chapter 2

Zoe's mind raced as sirens wailed outside the building. With a quick glance at the unconscious man sprawled on the floor, she made a split-second decision. The book she'd been engrossed in would have to wait.

Reluctantly, she set the medical text aside and approached Dave's limp form. With strength that belied her tiny frame, she tugged his hand away from his body and positioned herself within it, creating the illusion that he'd been holding her when he collapsed. Her purple eyes darted longingly toward the bookshelf, but the approaching footsteps demanded her attention.

Taking a deep breath, Zoe summoned her most convincing cry.

"Waaaa! Waaaaa!"

The door burst open as a young paramedic rushed in, his eyes immediately drawn to the sound of her wails. He spotted the unconscious man behind the reception counter, then the crying infant seemingly cradled in his outstretched hand.

"We've got a man down and a baby!" he called over his shoulder, rushing to Zoe's side.

With practiced efficiency, he scooped her up, his trained eyes scanning for any signs of injury. Finding none, he shifted his focus to Dave as his female partner entered the building.

"Take the baby," he instructed, passing Zoe to his colleague. "I'll check him."

The female paramedic cradled Zoe against her chest, her touch gentle but firm. "Poor little thing," she murmured. "Let's get you somewhere safe."

'I want to keep reading,' Zoe thought desperately, fighting the peculiar compulsion that had overtaken her. 'Focus. A normal infant shouldn't be reading medical textbooks or walking. You need to play your part.'

The paramedic carried her to the waiting ambulance, where she conducted a brief examination—checking Zoe's temperature, pulse, and reflexes. Apparently satisfied, she settled the infant in a specially designed carrier and secured it.

"I'll be right back, little one," she said softly. "Need to help with the other patient."

As soon as she was alone, Zoe surveyed her surroundings with mounting frustration. The ambulance's interior was a labyrinth of equipment and supplies, all of which held fed her newfound hunger for knowledge.

'I'll have to wait and see where they take me,' she reasoned. 'If necessary, I can escape later. These abilities should make that possible.'

She adjusted the blanket around herself, settling in for the wait. Minutes later, the paramedics returned with Dave on a stretcher. As they loaded him into the ambulance, Zoe heard additional sirens approaching—likely police and another ambulance coming for Agatha's body.

The drive to the hospital passed in a blur. Upon arrival, a nurse whisked Zoe away to an examination room where she endured a series of tests—blood draws that barely made her flinch, an ultrasound that tickled against her skin, and a battery of physical examinations.

"Perfectly healthy, if slightly healthier than expected." the doctor declared eventually. "Remarkable, given the circumstances."

After the examination, the nurse carried Zoe to Dave's room, presumably operating under the assumption that he knew something about her origins.

Why does this all take so long? Zoe thought impatiently, the strange craving for knowledge growing stronger by the minute. Her eyes roamed the sterile hospital room, eventually landing on an archaic flip phone resting on the bedside table.

She glanced at Dave, still unconscious on the bed. Apart from him, the room was empty. Acting quickly, she freed herself from the confining blanket and stood up in the plastic hospital crib. Balancing carefully, she stretched her arms as far as they would reach, her tiny fingers just managing to grasp the edge of the phone.

With a deft tug, she pulled the device into her crib and quickly concealed it beneath her blanket. The sound of approaching footsteps sent her scurrying back into a reclined position, arranging the blanket to hide her prize just as the door handle began to turn.

A groan from the bed coincided with the door opening. A harried-looking nurse stepped in, her eyes immediately drawn to Dave as he stirred.

"Where...?" he mumbled, wincing as he raised a hand to his forehead.

"You're at the hospital," the nurse said, hurrying to his side. "You had a nasty fall. Do you remember what happened?"

Dave squinted; his brow furrowed in concentration. "I remember going to check on Agatha, and then... something strange. Can't quite recall what." He rubbed his temples. "My head is killing me."

"You've got a concussion," the nurse explained, checking his pupils with a small flashlight. "Memory loss is common, especially around the time of the injury."

His gaze drifted around the room, eventually landing on the crib. "Why is there a baby here?"

The nurse followed his gaze. "We were hoping you could tell us. The paramedics found her with you—she was in your arms when you fell."

Dave's expression remained blank for a moment before his eyes widened slightly. "Wait, now I remember... Julie called about a baby. Agatha found her... abandoned."

He pressed his palms against his temples. "I need to call Julie. Can I use your phone?"

The nurse patted her pockets, a look of confusion crossing her face. "That's strange. I had it just a moment ago. Let me go find another one for you."

As the nurse left, Dave slumped back against his pillows, his eyes drifting closed.

Beneath her blanket, Zoe fought against the sudden wave of fatigue that threatened to overwhelm her. Not now. I need to secure this phone.

With clumsy fingers, she managed to knot the phone under the shirt, creating a makeshift pocket. Her eyelids grew heavier with each passing second, her body demanding the sleep her infant physiology required.

Just a little longer...

But the battle was lost before it began. Her consciousness slipped away, dragged under by the relentless tide of sleep.

************************

Zoe awoke to the sensation of something hard pressing against her back. A metal object jabbed into her spine, and the memories of the previous day flooded back. Her eyes snapped open, but instinct stopped her from sitting up immediately.

Instead, she carefully surveyed her new surroundings. She lay in an antique wooden crib, not the sterile hospital one she remembered. The faint sounds of children laughing and playing drifted through the walls, and the room around her bore the unmistakable signs of age—worn floorboards, faded wallpaper, and the lingering scent of furniture polish.

The room itself was large, filled with rows of small beds adorned with stuffed animals and toys. Crayon drawings decorated the lower portions of the walls, their bright colours at odds with the institutional feel of the space.

Zoe extended her senses, listening intently for any nearby adults. Hearing none, she cautiously sat up and retrieved the phone from beneath her clothing. The knot had loosened during her sleep, but the device remained secure.

Finally, she thought, examining the phone. It was an older model—a flip phone rather than a smartphone, which disappointed her. I'll make do with what I have.

Curious about the internal workings, she pried open the back cover. The circuitry inside was complex, a maze of connections and components that she hoped to understand. Her enhanced vision allowed her to see details invisible to normal eyes, yet the technical knowledge required to interpret them remained beyond her grasp.

I have no idea what I'm looking at, she admitted reluctantly, snapping the cover back into place.

The sound of rapid footsteps approaching the door prompted her to quickly hide the phone beneath her blanket. Seconds later, the door burst open, and a group of children tumbled in, their clothes smudged with dirt and grass stains.

"Look! Look! There's someone new here!" a boy of about six exclaimed, rushing to her crib. He peered over the edge, his face split with a wide grin. The other children crowded around; their curious eyes fixed on the newcomer.

Zoe stared back at them, unable to hide her annoyance. So much for studying. Why can't they go back outside?

One of the bolder children reached into the crib and poked her cheek with a grubby finger, trying to elicit a response. Zoe deliberately looked away, refusing to engage.

Heavy footsteps approached from the doorway, and a young woman in her early twenties appeared. Her face bore the weary expression of someone who had spent too many hours chasing after energetic children.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, pushing through the crowd. "You were told not to disturb baby Zoe while she's sleeping."

Seizing the opportunity, Zoe launched into a series of convincing wails.

The woman shot the children a disapproving look. "See what you've done? Now I'll have to calm her down. Off you go—outside, all of you."

The children dispersed with a chorus of groans and protests. The woman—Julie, Zoe presumed—lifted her from the crib with practiced ease.

"Let's get you somewhere quiet," she murmured, carrying Zoe out of the room and down a corridor.

Julie entered what appeared to be a study—a small room lined with bookshelves and furnished with a comfortable armchair and a desk. The sight of so many books sent a thrill of anticipation through Zoe.

Perfect! she thought, immediately quieting her cries. If I can make her think I only calm down in here, I'll have access to all these books.

She broke into a delighted giggle, the sound surprisingly musical even to her own ears.

Julie smiled down at her. "You like it in here, do you? That's a first. Most babies prefer the nursery."

She settled into the armchair in the corner, cradling Zoe against her chest and rocking gently. "Let's see if we can get you back to sleep."

Not again, Zoe thought in frustration. Why is being a baby so torturous? I've got work to do.

She kept her eyes fixed on Julie's face, waiting for signs of drowsiness. It didn't take long—the woman's eyelids soon began to droop, her rocking motion becoming slower and more irregular.

She's exhausted, Zoe realized. Taking care of all these children by herself must be draining.

Within minutes, Julie's breathing deepened, and her head tilted back against the chair. Zoe waited a moment longer to ensure she was truly asleep before carefully extricating herself from the woman's arms.

Moving with deliberate caution, she approached the nearest bookshelf. The titles danced before her eyes—histories, novels, reference books—a treasure trove of knowledge. She selected a volume at random and carried it back to Julie's lap, positioning herself so she could quickly return to her previous position if the woman stirred.

The book turned out to be a fantasy novel, not her first choice but still irresistible to her knowledge-hungry mind. Zoe devoured the pages, turning them with dexterity that would have been impossible for a normal infant. Her perfect memory absorbed every detail, every nuance of the story.

She finished the book in under an hour, her enhanced processing speed allowing her to read far faster than even an adult. Setting it aside, she surveyed the bookshelf again, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

After confirming that Julie remained deeply asleep and no one was approaching—her enhanced hearing picking up only distant conversations from the floor below—Zoe leapt from the woman's lap and darted to the bookshelf.

She returned the fantasy novel and selected something more practical: a beginner's guide to Japanese. Back in Julie's arms, she opened the book with a small, satisfied smile.

This will do nicely, she thought, immersing herself in the study of kanji.

Downstairs, the orphanage staff continued their daily routine. In an office at the end of the hall, a man hunched over a computer, meticulously searching for any information about the newly arrived orphan. He would create the necessary documentation to establish her identity, add her to the orphanage's registry, and eventually, prepare her file for potential adoptive parents.

Little did he know that the child he was processing was unlike any other that had ever passed through the orphanage's doors—a being with a mind stronger than any adults trapped in an infant's body, with abilities that defied explanation, and a hunger for knowledge that could never be satisfied.

Zoe turned another page, her lips curving into a smile as she settled in for a long day of reading. Whatever mysteries surrounded her rebirth and her strange abilities could wait.

For now, there were books to be read.