Paul_Tromba
Sleep deprived mess of a published author
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2020
- Messages
- 4,298
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- 183
Lila’s first day:
Seven-year-old Lila stood at the door of her new home. Inside were her new family which she had yet to meet. All she knew from the agent holding her hand was that they were young, kind, and wanting a child. Although there was hope and joy in this, Lila felt dread. The house was pleasant to one passing by but to those studying it, a looming sense of unknown fear washed over them. Three times, the agent knocked on the door, a retailer's smile forced upon her face.Lila shuddered as the door suddenly cracked open, stopping ajar before a pale hand crested the side. Opening the door, the rest of the way revealed the hand belonged to a woman in her mid-twenties and dressed in paint-stained overalls. Her long golden hair was tied up in a bun atop her pink paint-splotted head. Giving Lila an eager smile, she crouched down in front of her.
“Welcome to your new home, Lila. My name’s Deborah. Sorry, I’m covered in paint but I was just finishing painting your room. I hope you like it because I heard you love pink.” The woman said, alleviating Lila’s fears and dread for the moment. Standing back up, Deborah shook the agent's hand and led them in.
The inside was normal for a young couple. On the left, the living room was decorated with books, thrift store artwork, and cheap self-assembled skeleton furniture. Games and movies sat near a TV in the corner. To the right, the kitchen/dining room looked fairly minimalistic with only a table, four chairs, two pans, and two pots hanging from the kitchen ceiling. In between the two sides was a hallway to a bedroom and a stairway to one more bedroom upstairs.
There wasn’t anything for Lila to fear here, nor was there any reason to fret. Whether she knew it now or not, this would be her home. Guiding the two upstairs, Deborah led the Agent and Lila to the freshly painted room upstairs with an eager smile. Seeing the room, Lila became ecstatic. It was the same shade of pink she loved so much and saw scattered over Deborah’s body. A dollhouse, bed, and dresser sat covered in plastic in the corner to prevent them from getting paint on it. Beside that set a few open pink paint cans with several brushes and rollers. Setting her bag down, the agent went back downstairs.
“Why don’t you get used to your room and look around? We’ll rearrange it later once the paint has all dried.” Deborah said to Lila with a comforting smile before following the agent downstairs, leaving Lila in the room.
With Lila in the room alone, she cautiously walked over to the bed and dollhouse. Removing the plastic layer from the top, she set it on the floor and began to look over the items. Inside the dollhouse was some furniture, a doll, and a toy birthday party setup. Laying down in the bed, she looked around and took in the pink surroundings. Only a single window sat in the backside of the room.
Resting her head on the bed, she began to look at the dollhouse. The view made her nausiated as the dollhouse reminded her of her last family. Rolling over, she saw the open paint cans below her and closed her eyes. Behind her eyelids, she was sitting at the end of a table. Specifically, the end of the table in the dollhouse. In front of her sat a large birthday cake with candles ready to be blown out. Across the table sat the doll with an eager expression.
“Aren’t you going to blow out your candles?” the doll asked, walking over to Lila.
Lila sat aghast. She had just been on the bed and now was sitting in front of a flaming cake. Her body was no more than five inches tall and now feared that she was unable to escape. Getting up from her seat, she backed away until she was at the dollhouse stairway. Running downstairs, she ran out of the side of the dollhouse’s first floor and onto the plastic-covered carpet. Following her was the doll in a frightful panic. It yelled at Lila to come back and blow out her candles before reaching the carpet.
Laying back, the doll put its arms and legs under its body and began running after Lila on four ligaments like some kind of freak. Lila ran and ran until she reached the door of her room. Not far behind her was the four-legged doll chasing after her so she pulled the door shut with all of her strength. The flat wood floorboards met her feet as she shut the door to her room. Looking around her, the walls which showed various gray cracks along the eggshell white walls felt ominous as she walked by.
Wandering to the edge of the carpeted stairway, Lila looked around and began lowering herself down each step as her five-inch body allowed. Upon reaching the second to the top step, Lila looked around to see several grey stick-like createres coming toward her. In fear, she ran to the edge and began climbing down the next step. Strangely, the next step was taller than the others and the gray skeletons began grabbing her hands. She screamed as the beings grabbed her only to realize that they were helping her down. The skeletal gray beings grabbed her hands and lowered her to the next step like an adult helping their child.
Seeing that they weren’t evil, Lila accepted their grasp and was lowered down to the next step. Climbing down the next set of steps, Lila made her way to the bottom. She quickly ran to the kitchen in hopes of reaching the agent or Deborah. Though the way was much longer than she expected with her size. As she ran, she was overtaken by a hairy beast she could not recognize. It was neither a dog nor any animal she recognized as it walked on two legs, was covered in hair, and had not realized she was there. The beast stood as tall as a normal human, which compared to her now five-inch size, made it feel like she was running from a giant.
With extensive gasps of fear, Lila ran through the carpet that came up to her knees and ran toward the kitchen after the hairy beast of a giant. Rather than her own safety, Lila ran, yelling for the agent and Deborah to run from the creature. As soon as she reached the kitchen, she stopped at the doorway, hanging onto the door hinge, she took a breath and looked to where the Agent and Deborah were having coffee. As she expected, the agent had some papers for Deborah to sign, which she was happily signing with a glitter pen, much to the agent’s dissatisfaction and amusement.
Lila watched as Deborah looked up to see the hairy beast. Though her expression was not that of shock or fear but of love. Standing up, she introduced the hairy beast to the agent as her husband, Derek. As the agent reached out her hand to shake his, he became less like a beast and more like a normal person. Though he still had a large beard, the bulky man dressed in business attire and gave off a friendly aura. Shaking her hand, he signed the documents as well with a normal blue pen, shaking his head at his wife’s glitter pen signature.
Seeing that the beast was in fact a friendly person, and her new father, she climbed onto the wood kitchen floor and scurried to the table leg. With all her lung capacity, Lila yelled over and over, the agent's name and Deborah’s to no avail. None of the adults heard her tiny cries so she began to climb onto the agent's shoe. Jumping up and down on her foot didn’t faze the agent so Lila began climbing up her pantyhose to her knee. From her knee, Lila crawled over to her business skirt's waistband and began to yell at her, only to be jostled forward into her waist as she stood up. Lila shrieked for her to stop as she hung on desperately to her skirt zipper.
Her limited field of view allowed her to see Deborah and Derek showing the Agent around. However, the weight of her body on the agent's zipper forced her to slide down, taking the skirt with it. Derek was already in the living room so he couldn’t see it but Deborah spilled her drink at the sight of the agent's butt, stifling a laugh. Rapidly pulling her skirt back up, the agent was beet red and flustered to the point that she didn’t notice the five-inch Lila rushing to hide under the table out of fear that she was in trouble.
“Are you alright?” Deborah asked, shooing her husband to stay in the living room.
“I am fine. The zipper must have been caught on something when I stood up.” the agent answered, brushing it off with her face still red as could be. Deborah just smiled as the agent zipped up her skirt and she showed them the rest of the way around the house.
Meanwhile, Lila watched as the three left despite still needing to get their attention. Tears welled in her eyes from the fear and loneliness of not being seen. As her tears hit the floor, two mice slowly meandered to her. The first was a mouse with a top hat, wearing a backpack, and the other wore a fanny pack holding a lit full-sized cigarette.
“What is wrong, child?” the top-hat mouse asked with a thick Nigerian accent. Lila stopped crying to look up at the voice but sat shaken (not stirred) by the sight of a talking well-dressed mouse.
“I, um… can’t get anyone’s attention. I’m too small,” Lila said with a downtrodden look.
The second mouse, with its cigarette still smoking in its mouth, walked over to them with a puff of smoke too big for its lungs. Stuffing the still-lit cigarette into its fanny pack like it was a bottomless pit, he put his hand on Lila’s shoulder for comfort. With an accent that sounded like a cross between Russian and French, he said, “Do not worry, little girl. Small is okay. We are small and it is amazing. Perhaps we could get their attention.”
“Could you!” Lila beamed.
“Of course, my dear,” The well-dressed mouse said with a bow before scurrying toward the parents.
“Would you care a ride?” The other mouse asked, pointing at his back. With an eager step, she nodded and climbed onto the mouse’s back.
“I’m Lila by the way. What are your names?” Lila asked, perching herself atop the rodent's back.
“My name is Reginald P. Warrell and my companion's name is Richard N. Puss. Though you may call us Reg and Dick.” He replied with as good a smile as a mouse can give.
Scurrying out of the room, the two mice took her across the thick carpet of the living room, under the stairs, and into the hardwood bedroom where the agent and her new parents were. They were in the middle of showing off some of their photos from the past year. At the door stood Derek, watching Deborah eagerly show off. Looking down, he saw the two mice and instinctually kicked Richard out of the room with full force. Reginald ducked and scurried to safety with Lila on his back.
“Dick, no!!!” Reginald screamed. Before Lila could join him in lamenting the death of her new friend, Dick appeared beside them unharmed. Strangely, his top hat was taller.
“Dick! You’re okay?” Reg said in joyous shock.
“Yes, I am fine. I would say that we are far too unwelcome to have a proper introduction,” Dick replied with a shake of his fur. Removing his hat, he patted it off before returning it to its head.
“Then how will I tell them I need help?” Lila asked with pleading eyes.
“Perhaps we should return you to your room? They may return to you soon and realize you are no longer human size.” Dick replied.
“I concur.” Reg agreed with a nod. “Hop atop my back, lass.”
Climbing atop the fluffed mouse, Lila held on as she was carried up the stairs. Up the stairs, they went by swinging one up and pulling up the other two. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the trio was greeted by the wall-crack people who helped her to get down before.
“Hello! I’m back downstairs. Thank you for helping me down.” Lila said happily. Though to her surprise, Reg and Dick stood between Lila and the wall crack people defensively.
“Dick, take the girl. Get her to her room.” Reg yelled before reaching into his fanny pack and pulling out a war axe made from a razor blade, wiring, and a small stick.
Grabbing Lila, Dick hauled her to her room just as one of the wall cracks jumped at them. Before it could touch them, Reg sliced the wall crack person in half with the axe. Though it didn’t matter, the wall crack swatted at Reg in a final attempt, whipping his left eye. The others swarmed him and Dick kept running as he was told. Lila pulled on his grip to let go but he wouldn’t budge. A lone crack jumped at Dick, forcing him to let go of Lila. Throwing Lila his hat, Dick reached into his backpack and pulled out a similar razor-blade war axe to attack. Lila, knowing he could handle the one, ran back to Reg in order to help as best she could. Just as she pulled the first crack back, everyone’s head shot up. The humans from below were at the bottom step, causing all the crack people to jump up in fear. Returning to their spots on the walls, they became immobile.
Looking down, Lila was met with the grizzly (for her age) sight of Reg black and blue from the blunt force trauma. Kneeling down next to him, he coughed before sitting up. “Now’s our chance,” he said. Grunting as he got up, the tree continued running to the bedroom.
“Those darned crackheads!” Dick snapped angrily after seeing Reginald’s current condition. Pushing the door open, the three ran to the bed and climbed up into the old dollhouse where an old dress-up doll sat waiting by the cake for Lila’s return. It was dressed in a frilly white dress that lacked any apparent features besides a ruby broche.
“Are you ready to blow out your candles and make a wish?” the doll asked. Its featureless expression gave no clue to her emotions.
“You did this, witch! Didn’t you?” Dick exclaimed, hefting his war axe toward the doll accusingly.
“Done what?” she asked, confused but still looking no different.
“Turned this child into one of us! Return her to her people. Can’t you see she is scared?” Dick reasonably yelled. Lila did not know what to say. She was too confused by what was going on and kept an eye on the hurt Reg.
“I simply wanted to offer her a welcoming wish, nothing more. Do you desire to prevent such a kind offer, Richard?” the doll asked, its face twisting by liquifying and reshaping her painted face to look shocked.
“Is that why we found her in the kitchen?” Reg piped in.
“She had disappeared before I could return to offer her the wish. Let us finish it and we’ll all go our separate ways. Though I thank you for keeping her safe in my stead.” The witch doll stated.
“Very well, Priscilla,” Dick said, lowering his axe stubbornly. Then, turning to Lila, he gestured for her to go ahead.
“What would you like, dear? Anything you would like; I’ll do what I can to make it happen.” The witch, Priscilla asked, taking Lila’s hand.
“I don’t know. I just want to go back to normal.” Priscilla’s face shifted again into a kind glare and comforting smile.
“Of course. You’ll be returned to normal but you can still make a wish.”
“Could you heal Reg?” Lila asked, seeing his cut eye and bruises.
“Absolutely, my dear. Now, just blow out your candles.” Priscilla instructed. Lila blew with all her might. Each candle was extinguished instantly along with her vision.
Walking into the room, Deborah, Derek, and the agent gasped. On the floor, foaming at the mouth, was Lila, flopping on the floor like a fish with fresh bright pink wall paint over her nose, mouth, and hands. Beside her were two small dead mice completely drenched in pink paint from the bucket beside them.
“Oh my God! She huffed the paint. We need to get her to a hospital!” Derek yelled frantically. The agent and Deborah were panicking after Derek called the emergency services. However, the agent was panicking more because this happened on her watch and would require a lot of paperwork and interviews. Derek’s panic was more so exhorted in a frantic rush to wash the paint off her face and out of her mouth by rushing downstairs to the bathroom. Rushing downstairs, Deborah turned on the bathroom taps whilst the agent told the emergency services their address and explained the situation. Getting the paint off her and out of her mouth, they checked her breathing to find she was still alive just in time for an ambulance to show up.
When Lila next woke up, she was in the hospital. Beside her sat a sleeping Deborah and Derek on a small couch. In Deborah’s hand sat the witch doll Priscilla. Lila shook her head, thinking about the weird dream she had. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Priscilla move.
“Thinking it was all a dream? Not at all. Remember that if you ever feel small or unheard, I’ll be in touch.” Priscilla said, her face shifting to that of an ear-to-ear teeth-filled smile and soulless, hateful eyes. Letting out a heinous cackle, Priscilla morphed back to her original face and fell back under the sleeping Deborah’s hand.
Alicia: Writing Prompt
Alicia was the top kid at the orphanage. She was the only kid left, afterall. She had stabbed her way through all of the other ones, earning her chance at freedom. She slaughtered some of the kids that were even older than her, but winning at eight years old, meant that she could finally leave.She sat in the proctors office, gripping her little white teddy bear, and swinging her legs from the small swivel chair.
The proctor of the orphanage’s exam looked at her, almost sickened by her aura. She looked like a regular eight year old girl, cute and playful. But when she smiled at him he could sense something sinister. The smile was off, and entered into the uncanny. Though he returned the gesture.
“You are one creepy little girl, ya know? But that’s the thing, they like that around here, and there… You won the game, so you get your freedom. You will get a brand new home!...That’s the deal with all of you. Unless you want to keep killing?...”
Alicia’s legs stopped swinging. She gripped tightly to her white teddy bear, and stared at the proctor with her pale blue eyes. “Mr. Proctor?” She asked. “Does that mean I can keep stabbing?”
“I am glad you asked. Yes, you will get to keep stabbing, maybe even make friends?”
“Friends?” Alicia tilted her head.
“Yes, friends, other…um…how do you say? Stabby friends! Yes, you will be able to make stabby friends, and you will learn how to better stab people. Whaddya say?”
She clutched even tighter to her teddy bear, seeping into a deep thought. She contemplated it. I can make stabby friends? I can get better at stabbing? I love stabbing! What about you, Mister Teddy?
Alice glanced at the teddy in her hand. Its black specs gleamed back at her. She picked up one of the arms, waving its blue pads around. Her foot became restless as she filled with excitement. The teddy bear even seemed to nod back at her jovially. He wanted nothing better than to give his jolly cooperation.
“So…Is that a yes?” The proctor snapped Alicia out of her reverie.
“Yes~.”
“Hah, I figured you’d say that…” They all do, “...That’s why I have The Agency members waiting just outside of this room to greet you. They will take care of you from now on.”
The proctor’s door opened and three people in black suits came in, all wearing masks. Two of them were large with muscles tearing at the fabric of their clothing, but one was more slender. The slender one spoke with a soft voice to the little girl, Alicia.
“I heard a lot about you. I am glad you chose The Agency. We could use more girls like you. Come, come with us, but first, put on this mask. Don’t worry, we will keep Teddy safe in the meantime.”
Alicia put the black mask offered to her over her head. “Wow, I can’t see anything!” She jumped up and down as she cheered.
The slender woman giggled. “That’s right, you will need to keep this on for the ride.”
Alicia nodded back. She felt a little lost not holding her Teddy anymore, but her thoughts remained on stabbing.
The proctor saw them off with a wave when they left.
They walked the halls of the orphanage familiar to Alicia, occasionally passing by a room she could remember even with the blindfold. She remembered it vividly like a photo: the blood, the knife, the other children’s screams. This room was my favorite. That’s where that older boy was. Alicia giggled, once they passed the room.
“Pleasant memories?” The slender woman asked.
“Mm,” Alicia nodded, “that was where that boy was. I told him I just wanted a hug. A lot of the kids fell for it~”
“I am sure they did. That’s a good skill to have, Alicia. You know, they also called me a stabber.”
“They did!?”
“Yep, I came from this place too. Though, I didn’t leave with skin as pristine as yours. A little boy, much like you described, burned my arm. But! The agency heals all wounds.”
The two muscular men grunted in unison, as they exited the orphanage. An engine faintly bellowed out front. The slender woman picked up Alicia, putting her in the back seat.
“Are we in a car?” Alicia asked.
She heard about them from the lunch ladies at the orphanage. They were nice ladies. Alicia remembered they would tell her all kinds of stories about the world outside of that place. She remembered the stories about the giant buildings, the cars, and all of the people.
“That’s right, well, sort of. No one really uses a regular car anymore, save for some rich folks. Oh! And the boss.” The slender woman said.
“The boss?”
“Yep, the boss.” She paused. “The boss is a great woman, and she is quite beautiful. I think you will love her. That will be the first person you see at the agency.”
Eventually the engine stopped, and they exited the vehicle. Alicia held onto the woman’s hand, as they made their way through an unfamiliar building. They climbed a flight of stairs.They stopped before a door making a beeping sound Alicia never heard before.
They stepped into the metal box, the doors closing automatically. Then Alicia felt a tingling in her stomach as the box went up, rising towards the heavens.
“What is this!?” Alicia asked the slender woman in awe.
“This is an elevator. It goes all the way up to the boss’s office. She made free time in her schedule just for you.”
Just as the slender woman said that, the doors opened, and they walked a small hallway, coming to a stop before yet another door. Three knocks from the slender woman, and the door made a clicking sound, before opening.
Right when they stepped into the office, Alicia’s mask was removed.
Alicia gaped at the sight. Bookshelves lined the side walls. The shelves themselves, plated with gold. The desk was a smooth dark brown wooden veneer, the trimming also plated with gold. The whole room seemed to sparkle, and cemented statues sat on the desk’s two front corners.
Behind the desk itself was a woman. Her hands were clasped together, resting on the desk. She wore a black veil covering on her face, but even through that, Alicia could make out the glowing, crimson jewels. The giant window behind ‘the boss’ was covered by a thick black curtain.
The boss smiled beneath the veil. “Cumbersome isn’t it?”
“Cu-cumbersome?” Alicia asked.
“I mean, look at all of these shelves. Look around at all of this gold.”
Alicia glanced once more around the room. The gold pieces and baubles glared back at her. They were almost too bright.
“See what I mean?”
Alicia nodded.
“It is the price I pay,” she said, “These baubles and gold frames aren’t worth much to me, but I run a business…”
Alicia couldn’t make out the boss’s expression behind the veil, but Alicia could tell she was sad by the tone of her voice. Only the intonation at the end seemed uplifting, and the woman continued on.
“...I run a business for little boys and girls like you. Trust me as someone who was in your shoes. ‘Freedom’ isn’t as great as one might think. You were stuck there in that little orphanage. Do you remember your first day?”
Alicia placed a finger on her chin. “No.” She shook her head. “The lunch ladies said that I was left there as a baby.”
The boss nodded. “As many of them are. You were left there. Some were born there, it matters not. What matters is that you are here now, and the outside world wouldn’t have you. Trust me as someone who lived in it. They don’t like stabby little girls like you.”
“What do they like?” Alicia asked.
“The outsiders like different things. I heard all about your adventures in the orphanage. Remember that little boy you stabbed, the one with the silver hair?”
“Yes? I stabbed a lot of boys…” Without her Teddy to clutch, Alicia awkwardly held her shoulders, as if hugging herself. “Where is Teddy?”
“Emma, give her the bear.” The veiled woman said to the slender woman, and the request was obliged.
Alicia felt comforted as she clutched her Teddy tightly. Her racing heart slowed down by the warm embrace.
“You really like that bear, don’t you?” The veiled woman asked, but before Alicia could answer, the woman continued. “As I said before, do you remember the silver haired boy? Think hard about it.”
Alicia thought back to the night of the slaughtering. The children were screaming, or they were hunting. She tried to recall a silver haired boy. Did I stab him? But I stabbed so many…Oh!
“I remember. He fell for my trick!”
“Splendid! But do you remember anything before that? He shared your bunk bed before that night, remember?”
“I do remember! He told me stories at night, but they were boring. I didn’t listen to them like the lunch lady’s stories. They weren’t about stabbing, or big buildings and people.”
“What were they about?” The boss asked.
“They were about family.”
“Exactly! You see, the outside world is precisely like what that boy told you about. It’s boring, dull, and bright, like these gold trimmings.” She pointed at a framed picture on the wall, trimmed in gold. It was a picture of her, unveiled. Though she wasn’t smiling in the photo, Alicia still admired her beauty. But the golden frame detracted from the pale skin in the image. It was too bright, unwarranted.
“Now you see, the world is just like this gold trim. It hates people like you and me. It glistens and shines so bright and ugly. That boy was just like this frame. He told you shining stories about his family. He told you about his family before the massacre, but you were more interested in the massacre, weren’t you? What would a family that started the massacre look like? You heard his parents were stabbed. How did it feel to stab his parents? Your mind is like this canvas, my picture, wishing to break away from the bright outline. But outside, the world would see you stuck. You wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t…”
“Good girl. I can tell you are smart, and I only want what’s best for you. Here I would hone your stabbing skills, make you better, and give you a massacre to live for. See, we are the ones that massacred that family. A girl just like you did it with her own hands. In fact, she is standing right next to you.”
Alicia looked to her left at the slender woman. The little girl smiled brightly. So she really was a stabber too?
“That woman carried out the assassination. Emma is one of the best around here, but…I am getting ahead of myself. As the boss, I care more about my employee’s happiness. If you want freedom in the outside world, go ahead. You still have that option.”
Alicia shook her head rapidly. “No, no, no, I want to stay here! Can Teddy stay here too?” She presented the bear out in front of her in all of its stuffed glory.
“Of course, Teddy can stay. I hate to separate family members anyway, and he is like family to you, isn’t he?”
“Yes!”
“Good, then it’s decided…” The boss looked towards Emma. “Take her to the girl’s quarters. From today onward she will be your Little Sister, understood?”
“Yes ma’am!”
“I wish you nothing but the best, Alicia.”
With those parting words, they exited the boss’s room, entering the hallway. Without the blindfold on, Alicia could see the brown wooden walls of the hall. She saw the two men from before standing next to the elevator at the end. In all of the excitement, she hadn’t even noticed they weren’t in the room with her.
They grunted towards Alicia and Emma as the doors of the elevator opened by themselves. Alicia wondered why the two men didn’t speak, but she was more focused on what the veiled woman said. Emma is going to be my sister?
All of the new information was confusing, but she was ready. She felt like she had to prove something to this boss lady, and who was better to teach her than another stabber? Alicia still couldn’t believe it was Emma that stabbed that boy’s family. How did she do it?
The elevator beeped again, after arriving at floor 6. It opened, and the two men remained behind as Emma and Alicia got off.
“They aren’t getting off with us?” Alicia asked.
“No, they can’t stay on the girl’s wing, besides we get this whole room to ourselves.”
Alicia was in shock once more. They were in a gigantic room. There was a pristine white couch in the middle, a kitchen to the side, and beyond that, was a red door leading to another room.
Alicia gazed out of the enormous windows overlooking a city below. She ran to the window to get a better view.
“Look Teddy! It is nothing like those paintings.”
The sprawling city below was vastly different to the paintings at the orphanage. The ones at the orphanage didn’t have floating cars, railroads going through skyscrapers, or even the people below with scales or fur.
She had never seen anyone that looked different from her, at least their skin. Now, she saw people walking below, greeting each other and wagging their tails.
“What are those people!?” Alicia pointed at all of the strange creatures.
“Those are the result of a government experiment, long, long ago. The orphanages are segregated. That’s why you never saw any of them. Besides, the boss runs several orphanages. Though, yours was strictly human.”
“But why does she do that?”
“I don’t know. It’s not really my place to question her either, but I am just like you…”
Emma slipped off the mask, revealing distinctly human characteristics. Despite saying she was burned, her skin was just as pristine as Alicia’s. Though her eyes weren’t blue; instead, they were dark brown. And her hair was black, unlike Alicia’s sky colored hair.
“I am also human. Many hundreds of years ago, the government performed an experiment. This is the result.” She pointed out the window.
“All of these people are now citizens, but don’t worry…Even if they have scales or fluff, they bleed the same.” Emma said, brandishing a knife from her belt.
Alicia gasped at the intricate design of the black knife. It was large with crimson swirls going down the blade. Alicia wasn’t even sure she could hold it with one hand. Still, she reached out for it.
“Not so fast. There is no need to rush. As soon as you start your training you will get one just like mine, though more fitted.” Emma chuckled as she finished.
“How about I make us something to eat? You haven’t eaten all day. I am sure you are hungry?”
Alicia’s stomach grumbled, and she nodded.
“Good girl. I will make you a meal that will leave you clamoring for more. Way better than that slop at the orphanage, I can assure you.”
The sun started to set from the window, by the time Emma began cooking in the kitchen. Alicia was told to sit patiently on the couch with her Teddy. She squeezed him tightly as she fawned over her newfound family. She couldn’t wait for Emma to teach her how to stab.
Emma brought the finished dish over to her. It was a yellow looking soup with chicken bits, carrots, potatoes, and an assortment of other vegetables. The smell wafted to Alicia’s nose, causing her to drool.
“This is called curry. Feel free to enjoy it, Alicia. It is my specialty! And it is your treat~.”
Alicia impatiently dug into the sweet soup.
“Delicious!”
She scarfed it down her tiny mouth quickly, finishing it all.
“That was so…good…sleepy…”
“This is your first lesson about poison.”
Alicia could barely make out what the other woman was saying as she passed out face first into the empty bowl, dropping Teddy on the ground.
—
A trumpet played in her head. A symphony of voices, screaming people everywhere. A knife was clutched in her hand. She could feel the sharp metal running along her fingertip, but the world was dark. The world was black. She couldn’t see anything, yet it was so perfect. It was the color she always wanted, and the sounds only furthered her desire.
Squeak, she heard a mouse. Drop, she heard a water droplet. Drip, she felt it on her nose. It became moistened by the water.
She opened her eyes to a claustrophobic, dark chamber. All around her were cobbled walls, and mice ran along the edges. A pipe ran above her with a hole in it. The water played a tune with the incessant dripping onto the floor.
Alicia was confused once more. What was this dark place? Hadn’t she just been in a cozy room? She remembered the last words of her new sister. This is your first lesson about poison.
She was poisoned by her own family member, but she smiled inside of her small, broken cell. They even left Teddy with her. He sat in another corner of the cell. On his stomach was a sticky note.
Lesson 2: Rip the bear’s belly, and take the knife. Or die in this cell.
Alicia frowned at the horrifying revelation. Her new family was forcing her to kill her old family.
They had tricked her. All of the nice things they showed her was a ruse. They tricked me!
Just like she had tricked all of those other kids at the orphanage, her new family bamboozled her into a false sense of security. Alicia had never been tricked so easily. But for some reason, she was smiling. It was the same twisted smile she showed the silver haired boy. It was the same one she showed to the proctor.
“Teddy, do you want a hug?”
