The demon queen of high school has decreed it:
She says Monday, 8AM, I will be deleted
They'll hunt me down in study hall
Stuff and mount me on the wall
Thirty hours to live—
How shall I spend them?

-Dead Girl Walking; performed by Barrett Wilbert Weed & Ryan McCartan from the Off-Broadway performance Heathers: the Musical

Sonia chewed on her fingernails, looking at nothing in particular. She was trying to figure something out, but was having problems doing so. Anytime her mind came close to having an actually good idea, it would flutter away before Sonia could grab it. Letting out a sigh, the teen found herself getting frustrated. She just wanted to get her situation over and done with. Was it really that hard to figure out? Leaning back on the headrest of her bed, Sonia stopped chewing on her nails and started anxiously biting on her bottom lip. Both were bad habits of Sonia's.

The sound of her door being unlocked caused Sonia to stiffen. Her eyes darted to the door, waiting for it to open. Goosebumps broke out on Sonia's skin, and every fiber of her being was screaming at her to do something once the door opened. When the door started opening, the air in Sonia's room quickly became thick and heavy, an intense staticky feeling causing the tips of her hair to stand up. Once her door was completely open, Sonia met the gaze of two scientists on the other side. The scientists wore protective gear, looking at her cautiously. Sonia could see stun-guns stationed at their sides.

"Project Greene, we'll need you to follow us," one of them, a man, said.

Narrowing her eyes, Sonia set her jaw. The lights in her room and the hallway started flickering; sparks dancing on the tips of her fingers.

"Don't make this hard on yourself," the other scientist, a woman, sighed. "We don't want to sedate you again."

Balling her fists, the teen continued to glare at the duo in front of her. Her eyes changed from a deep green to a pale red. The sparks turned into tendrils of electricity, darting out between her fingers and wrapping around her hands and wrists. The lights in the hallway and in Sonia's room exploded. That was also when one of the scientists lunged with his stun-gun in hand.

-D.G.W.-

Waking up, Sonia's head felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton balls. Her eyes felt bleary and her mouth and throat were dry. A dull ache pulsed through Sonia's side, where the scientists shoved his stun-gun. Whimpering slightly, Sonia tried to move, but found herself unable to.

"You've been strapped down." The voice took a moment to process in Sonia's foggy mind, but once it did, her head turned in the direction it came from. A man dressed professionally beneath a long lab coat came up to her.* "It was the only way we could ensure you wouldn't attack us."

Trying to blink the bleariness out of her eyes, Sonia let out a groggy groan. She just wanted that cotton ball feeling to go away; she wanted to be able to focus on what was going on. Maybe if she'd listened to the female scientist, Sonia wouldn't have found herself in the situation she was in.

"I made sure the doctors gave you plenty of fluids, as well," the man went on. "It's important to keep you hydrated; especially after the stun-guns have been used."

"I...," Sonia muttered, her voice thick and scratchy.

Once the man was fully in Sonia's view, she could finally get a somewhat good look at him. Squinting slightly to get over the bleariness, Sonia could see that his dark hair was graying and receding. His small eyes were hidden behind glasses and wrinkles decorated his face. Sonia couldn't tell if he was tall or short, sadly, but she could only guess he was of average height. "Don't try and talk," he responded. "Everything will make sense once you're fully coherent." He held a clipboard in one hand and a small monitor in the other. He used the monitor to scan Sonia's body before scribbling things down on whatever was on his clipboard. "Have you been experiencing any changes?" he asked, looking down at her for a moment.

"Changes?" Blinking rapidly for a moment, the teen regarded the man in front of her with confusion. She didn't feel any different; aside from the things they've done to her.

"Physical, mental, supernatural..."

Sonia scowled at that. Part of her was tempted to tell him no, but she knew that if she said that, there'd be more confrontations like the one with the scientists. Sonia just couldn't keep enduring all of that. Even if the scientists were compassionate when they approached her, it still wore the teen down. There was only so much she could take before it became too much.

"I don't know," she muttered, turning her head away from him.

"How can you not know?" he exclaimed. "After all the procedures that we've done, you should be improving." When Sonia didn't respond, he sighed. "Fine," he grumbled. "Looks like we'll have to go through some more procedures."

Closing her eyes for a moment, Sonia tried to compose herself. If she could go through with it one last time, then maybe it'd be enough for her to figure out what she needed to do. Maybe going through with it was for the best.

(A/N):

This isn't a good first chapter, but I'm hoping you guys find it at least tolerable. Be sure to tell me what needs improvement, though; constructive criticism is always welcome.

Nothing in the DP universe belongs to me.

Be sure to drop a review!

Thanks a bunch!

Vienna Lane*