Chapter One
I cried out as the things threw me into a long chute. I twisted, landing on my stomach, but the floor was moving like a conveyor belt and I was carried along.
It seemed only a second before four hovering cylinders were floating in front of my face. I tried to bat them away, but they seemed cemented into place. One of them scanned my face, then disappeared again.
The others spun around me in a dizzying whirlwind of speed.
I felt a tug at my shirt, and shrieked, folding my arms over my chest, but they it over my head, then did the same with my vest. Soon, I was sitting, shivering, in my underwear.
They sprayed some kind of sweet smelling mist over me, and I coughed as it caught in my throat. I felt a piercing pain in my ear lobe and my hand flew to it. I felt a small earring dangling there, and a spot of sticky blood where they'd put it through.
Two others came from behind me, holding a robe between them. They tried to dress me, but I snatched it from them and pulled it over my head.
It looked almost like the conveyor belt was going straight through a wall, but I saw a thin strip of bright light shining through a crack. The doors opened with a hiss, tipping me onto white sand.
I got to my feet, disorientated. The brightness of the setting was confusing me. The sun was in my eyes, and the sand was in my mouth. I spat, trying to get rid of the gritty texture, but I could still feel it crunch when I bit together.
I saw sparkling water, clean and blue. Trees and grass so green they couldn't be real. I light breeze stirred my hair.
Someone yelled behind me, and I turned, startled.
'Hey!'
It's a boy, about my age, running up behind me. He's wearing the same robe as me, and when he turns toward the forest I see purple earrings dangling from his ears. 'Guys!' he hollers, 'New arrival!'
He looks back at me, beaming. 'Hello. I'm Finn.'
'I'm Aria. Uh… Where am I?'
'Oh!' he grins even wider, if that's possible. 'Welcome to the Human Zoo!'