INTERVIEW LOG.
Interview #001
interviewee: Prince, Theodora Elizabeth
interviewer: Sheriff Phillip Edwards

Date: June 15th, 2003. 10:01 AM.

3 days after rescue.

All survivors have been inspected by Dr. Short and Dr. Thorne. No contact has been made with survivors outside of Dr. Short, Dr. Thorne, myself, Officer Wallows, and Deputy Walsh at the time of this interview.

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            " Sorry, what was that? " Sheriff Edwards questioned, his voice crackling with static over the television screen that sat near the interrogation table. Though it was mostly facing him, likely so he could ensure their talk would be accurately recorded without any camera shifts or loss of sight, Theo could still see enough of the screen from where she sat across from him.

            She stared at it for a moment. The color was lowly saturated, making everything in the room appear duller than it really was— but almost everything inside was silver anyways: the table, the chairs, the walls. It wasn't as if the room had much life to give in the first place, so maybe it was just her and the Sheriff that looked out of place, like they were on some old mystery crime show.

           Despite the lack of color and definition, Theo could still see the lacerations on her face, dark enough to still be bold on the screen. They weren't as notable as the patch of gauze that doctor had forced her to keep over her eye, but to her, that had become regular— constant, something she expected. When she looked down at her hands, they were still just as pale as the screen would suggest, with dirt caked under her nails and red staining her fingertips.

           " I said, 'that stupid song.' " Theo repeated after a bit of silence had passed between them. The eye that wasn't covered by bandage and scabbing blood shifting from the screen to Sheriff Edwards, the rest of her face unmoved; she wore the same blank expression that she had when they first brought her into the room. " You asked me what was the first thing I could remember about the day before the crash. I remember that song. "

" What song? " He pressed, tapping the end of his pen against his notepad, where he had already scribbled a few things despite their interview beginning only minutes ago.

Theo stared at the pen before she answered with a question of her own, " Why does it matter? "

Her eyes quickly flickered back up to the man's face, her dark brow knitted together as she went on, " We were in the middle of nowhere for 15 months, over half of us are dead, and you're asking me what song I remember hearing over a year ago? "

Sheriff Edwards looked a bit surprised by that response, scratching at his stubble-covered chin as he replied generically, " Every detail you can remember is important. "

The girl's face hardened then, a frown that the sheriff couldn't quite place an emotion to appeared. Theo leaned a little forward, bringing her body closer to the table, " We both know what you actually want to ask. You don't give a shit about what happened before the crash. "

" I do, Theodora. I can't just get bits and pieces of your story, I need everything, and I need it to match anything you told Dr. Thorne and Dr. Short. " It was a gentle reminder that he did see their reports, and they would likely be used to direct certain questions at her, looking for specific answers.

" You don't just want to ask me what happened to my eye? " Theo inquired flatly, like she knew what he was going to say, but still asked anyways.

Sheriff Edwards shot her a mild smile, " We'll get to that in time. The song, please. "

Theo held eye contact with him for another moment, then scoffed quietly under her breath. She dropped her gaze to the table, staring at his notepad though she wasn't going to bother to attempt to read it upside down. She drummed her fingers against the metal surface as she seemed to stew on her next response, until she finally complied.

" Piano Man, by Billy Joel, I think. That CD player never played anything but Queen, not in the dugout. It's a miracle Alex let it play for as long as it did. "

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