Free Hindsight by A.A. Bell

the club.’
    ‘Join it? I’m the founding member and president! I want to know what’s happening. I respect you a lot — you know that — but I’ll fight to the death if you try to lock me up again!’
    He laughed. ‘You’re kidding, right? You don’t really expect me to do that?’
    Mira chewed on her lip, feeling silly for indulging that story for as long as a second. ‘What about Freddie? What was that all about?’
    ‘Beats me. Honestly, Mira, he stumps me. I know he’s presented multiple personalities before, but he’s never let me see that one. Looked like a hunter. No wonder he ditched his surname for Leopard. His spots changed so fast, it caught us off guard.’
    ‘Do you know what set him off?’
    ‘Who can say? With Freddie it could be as simple as getting the wrong coloured juice for breakfast.’
    ‘Regardless — you’re taking me past my old room when you know how much I hated it! The damn thing didn’t have so much luxury as a window!’
    ‘Come on, you don’t still think of it as a gaol cell? Or that I might shove you in at the last minute?’
    Hearing it from him like that made it sound even sillier, and yet: ‘The thought did cross my mind briefly.’
    He chuckled and rubbed her arms. ‘I don’t doubt it. Listen, Mira, there are two main exits and four fire escapes on the next level, so if you really want to avoid your old room, just say the word. If you want to sneak out without being seen, we can do that too; just give me a second to skip ahead and disable the surveillance cams at the nurses’ station.’
    ‘Uh oh,’ Mira gasped, and grabbed his hands for silent finger braille. Did you just tell him I’m leaving?
    I don’t think so. ‘You’re changing rooms today. I say it’s time to let loose your gymnast and do it in style.’ He brushed a wild strand of hair from her face. ‘This is your big day. Leap at it and show the world what you’re made of.’
    She turned her cheek until she found his hand, and nuzzled against it, enjoying as much warmth and comfort as she could draw from him. ‘I don’t care what the world thinks of me.’
    ‘Sure you do.’ He pulled her against his chest and stroked her hair, making her heart race. ‘I’ve seen the books you read. I think you care, even when the world doesn’t deserve you.’
    ‘I can’t go back to that room.’
    ‘You don’t have to.’ He leaned away just long enough to punch the elevator up again. ‘We’ll arrange for someone else to get your things.’
    Doors chimed, and the electronic voice announced their return to the ground floor. Scrambling out, Mira dashed for the nearest fire exit, not caring about any of her old belongings.
    ‘Hey, wait up!’ Ben called, lunging after her.
    ‘Yesterday is history, Ben! From now on I’m shunning it.’ She plunged through the ghostly door, rounded the corner outside and quickened her pace up the road towards the main security gate.
    ‘Mira, slow down!’
    She heard him groan, remembered his injury and stopped in her tracks. ‘Oh, sorry, Ben! I didn’t mean to make you rush too. You okay?’
    ‘It’s not that. It’s just …’
    ‘Hey, it’s Mira!’ called a childlike voice from the hanging tree. ‘Everybody, there she is!’
    Petal Price rallied her troops with another battle cry. ‘Attack!’
    ‘Uh oh,’ Ben said. ‘Cat’s out of the bag now.’
    Party whistles bleated, feet stampeded, wheelchairs creaked and skidded, and in seconds, Mira was surrounded by a wave of clapping hands, and bustled amidst a cacophony of voices, most of them elderly. Cobwebs of streamers hosed over her hair, and another whistle bleated close to her ear. Jostled, patted and stroked by the frenzied swarm, she found it difficult to count how many. At least forty.
    ‘Go! Go! Go!’ they all chanted, even moaning Joan, who repeated it so fast, she sounded like she was gargling.
    ‘Ah, you’re all crazy!’ Petal shouted from roughly waist-height to Mira. As the shortest client