Why, hello readers that have dared to click on an OC story! I actually wrote this a long time ago for a contest that I forgot to enter. Updates should be frequent.
I know I should be working on my Gone fanfiction, but I decided to post this.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not James Patterson.
Today, danger took the form of a wolf-human hybrid, one with sharp fangs, long claws, and sadistic enjoyment cemented into its expression.
"Come on, freak!" He shouted, his voice clear and tinged with laughter, "Can't you run any faster?"
My short arms-just like the rest of me-pumped harder, but my lungs were empty of air. My muscles burned. How much longer could I do this? The need to survive smoldered within me. I leapt into the air and snapped out my wings.
My wings couldn't support my weight, but they could slow my decent. Wind flying in my face, I tilted downward in a smooth glide. My wings flapped like mad in a futile attempt to lengthen my fall.
Unfortunately, gliding was not much faster than running.
My feet tapped the ground lightly, and I felt the Eraser's hot breath on my back.
"Ah!" I ducked under the Eraser's lunge. I leaped forward in a desperate attempt to escape.
The Eraser growled, regained its purchase, and grabbed my leg. I fell to the ground, face-planting dirt.
The Eraser's claws dug into my leg. He pinned both of my arms down with his huge ones. My back pressed to the dirt. He loomed over me, a smile wide on his face, exposing his teeth. I gulped. Saliva dripped out of his mouth and landed on my skin. His breath smelled like salt and iron. It smelled like blood.
"Say goodbye, freak," He snarled, quite happily.
"Please don't kill me!" I pleaded. Suck it up, Tiny. Screw the pride.
"Yum," He opened his mouth wide. I felt his jaws close over me, teeth pricking my throat painfully. A shriek was torn from my mouth. I closed my eyes, and. . . .
"Stop!" A familiar male voice echoed over the killing arena. I opened my eyes, and gulped. My head was almost entirely inside the eraser's huge mouth. Chunks of rotten meat were imbedded in his teeth. Drops of spit slithered down my face. Heat radiated around me. I could feel the eraser's clawed fingers on my arm, digging into my flesh, but the pain was nothing to the all-consuming thought; I'm gonna be eaten!
But he didn't bite down.
Jeb had halted him with the miraculous word: "STOP!"
The Eraser grumbled-imagine how weird that sounded from inside his mouth-and spat me out. I scurried away, entirely covered in eraser spit. I resisted the urge to gag-I'd tasted worse, but not by much-and instead watched my "Savior" saunter over to the Eraser.
Yes, note the sarcasm.
"Thank you, that will be all," Jeb Batchelder said quietly, directing his words to the Eraser. The Eraser grumbled and stalked off, morphing from a wolfish monster into that of a sexy twenty-year old supermodel. Even though I've been here, at the school, for the past fifteen years, 100% of my god forsaken life, I've never gotten used to that.
"Please stand up, subject ninety-four," Jeb said quietly.
I'd known Jeb for a long time, long enough to know that he was nice, but he was still a white coat. I wrapped my small wings around my body and hoped that he didn't want to kill me.
"Stand up."
White coats shock you if you don't obey them. Again, can we say, "screw pride?" I stood up.
Jeb's gaze traveled over me. I shivered, cold in my thin ripped jacket. Adrenaline faded from my veins. The killing arena hummed with A/C. To make sure that when the erasers slaughtered us, our bodies didn't rot.
And, no, I'm not joking.
"Subject ninety-four," Jeb began.
He knew my self appointed name, but he didn't use it.
"I am sorry to relay the news. "
Here it comes, I thought bitterly.
"But you have been deemed insufficient by the board of Itex."
I gritted my teeth. I knew, I knew, I knew I wasn't as good as Maximum Ride and her oh-so-amazing flock. It wasn't my fault they'd decided to put 10% bird DNA into my genetics, instead of the usual two percent.
The severe splicing of my genes had left me with feathery arms and a fierce, golden-brown raptor eyes. I'd also received shrunken, white-brown wings too small for me to fly with, an inability to eat anything but fish, and, worst of all, a tiny body that was not much large than a dog. I couldn't fight; I couldn't run very fast, the only thing I was good for was dodging things.
"So, um, will I die now?" Such an innocent question.
Jeb looked rather at a loss for words, "Well, unfortunately," He paused, "There is a chance you can win. You just have to defeat our other recombinant life forms with the DNA of an Osprey."
Swell. Fighting. One of the things I'm really good at. Note sarcasm.
When I woke up the next morning, it was impossible to tell if it really was morning. The reason being I was inside a cage. A dog crate, to be precise.
In the middle of a huge field of grass.
At least, I thought it was grass. I'd never seen it before, but Jeb the Whitecoat sometimes talked about the outside world, so I could assume that the lush, green, vibrant weeds that ticked my hands through the bars of the cage were grass.
I stretched and yawned inside the dog crate. Distant bird song echoed through the trees surrounding the clearing. Far away, a stream burbled-with my heightened hearing, I could just barely make it out. The air tasted fresh and crisp on my tongue. It would have been surprisingly peaceful, if not for one simple fact.
Yeah, I was in a cage.
I peered through the bars. Ten feet away from me, another cage, size large, was propped against a log. A person was inside, a person with dark brown wings. I couldn't make out the person's appearance; their back was to me.
I also saw two other cages, both about fifty feet away. The inhabitants of this cage had white and black wings.
My stomach clenched.
Would I have to fight them?
Hey, if it kept me alive, sure.
I gripped the bars of the cage, the lukewarm metal pressing against my skin. I was ready to fight, I was ready to survive.
"Well, you're all awake," Jeb's familiar voice met my ears. "Good, then we can get started."
The electronic lock on my dog crate (man, high-tech dog crate) popped open. I shot out of the cage so fast that I rolled on the ground, eating dirt. Ew. Dirt is not nutritious. I spat it out, and licked my lips in distaste.
I stood up slowly, wrapping my wings around my body, for comfort and protection. I glanced the boy who had fallen out of the cage ten feet away.
It was Clue.
I recognized him almost instantly, even though it had been ten years since that day. Even though he'd been seven or so then, and was much older now, he still had the same broad shoulders, happy grin, spiky brown hair, and clueless expression. It was I who'd given him his name, and he'd given me mine.
I looked at the ground and hoped he wouldn't recognize me.
"Tiny!" Clue yelled cheerfully. He bounded over to me and scooped me up in a hug, squeezing me tightly, "Man, you got even shorter!"
"Clue-less," I hissed, anger lacing my tone, "Put me down!" His arms felt good around me. When we were chicks, sharing the same dog crate, we'd hugged each other on cold winter nights for warmth. But we were older now, hadn't seen each other for ten years, and it was still my fault.
Clue set me on the ground. I stumbled, slightly, but Clue settled me. He wasn't very tall, maybe five two, five three, but he was still almost a foot taller than me. Stupid Osprey genes.
"How've you been?" Clue said. "Man, with all the tests and the Eraser fighting and stuff, I've been kind of missing you. You still look the same," He examined my face.
I glared right back at him, taking care to look pointedly at his right eye. A huge scar started at the center of his forehead, then raked down his right eye to his right jawbone. His right eye was sealed shut. The scar comprised of five scratches, disfiguring the right side of his face.
He'd had the scar for ten years, and it was still my fault.
No, it wasn't my fault. It was his fault for coming back for me.
Jeb made an odd, coughing noise. What with the drama of seeing Clue for the first time in forever, I'd completely forgotten about him. Clue and I turned in Jeb's direction, and I saw the two other human-Osprey recombinant life forms that had been thrown into this . . . lovely meadow. They stood ten or so feet away, and awkwardly.
Blinking rapidly, I couldn't believe the two of them were even part osprey. They looked about as old as me, fifteen, and stood together, holding hands. Both of them towered above me. The girl was at least five eight, and she actually had a chest. I've never encountered another ten percent bird that wasn't oviparous, but looking at this girl, she was definitely a mammal. I felt self-conscious with my feathered arms and sharp, hollow cheeks.
The boy was very, very tall, at least a foot and a half taller than me. He stood protectively next to the girl, murmuring words into her ear. From this distance, they sounded soothing. He was strong-shouldered and lean. I glanced at Clue, who was stocky, short, and, as usual, clueless. Clue eyed Jeb, not even paying attention to the two Osprey-human mixtures, even though, from what Jeb had told me yesterday, they were our opponents.
Both had pure white wings. If I had wings that size, I'd be able to fly, easily. Of course, I wasn't anywhere near as large as they were, thank god.
"Um-hm," Jeb interrupted, "Okay, this is Tiny," He nodded to me, "And Clue, I believe." He looked at the two perfect Osprey-human mixtures, "This is Ravyn," The way he said the name, I could tell that it was spelled with a Y, not an I. Weirdest name I'd ever heard, "And Hunter." At least Hunter's name sounded normal.
"Hello," Ravyn said demurely. She blushed, red splotches coloring her perfect cheeks, and glanced to the ground. Aw, she was shy. Maybe it would make it easier to kill her.
Hunter gave Clue and I both a short nod.
"Why don't you tell each other about yourselves?" Jeb said comfortingly. "Tiny?"
What could I say that would give away any weakness? "Uh, I'm fifteen years old," I said lamely. "I think."
Jeb shot me a look, "Elaborate, Tiny. We want to get to know each other." At least he wasn't talking about my experimental number, but the condescending tone he used made me want to throttle him.
I wanted to snap something, like the fact that I could duck under any punch someone threw at me, or I could almost, almost fly, but I didn't want to give my enemies and hint of what I could do, "Uh, I can't see very well in the dark?" That wasn't very specific, was it?
Jeb sighed, "Fine. Ravyn?"
Her lower lip trembled. She shook her head, her perfect blond hair floating around her head. She looked perfect, her waist-length hair in ringlets. Which confused me, because the white coats kept cutting off MY hair for comparison to that of a normal human's, and it grew at a rate of one inch per year. It was then that I noticed her eyes shifted color, from dark blue to a light gray. According to her emotions, maybe? Whatever it was, it was creepy.
"Ravyn, you have to say something," Jeb warned.
Her eyes changed to a fire colored orange-red, "Fine," She snapped, "Want me to say how the whitecoats like you have abused me over these years? How I was sexually assaulted by Erasers? How no one helped me until Hunter came along?" She sighed, and looked to the ground. "Sorry, that was rude," Her lower lip trembled again, and her eyes misted up, "I don't want to think about my past. It's terrible." Hunter wrapped his wings around her in a feathery embrace. One tear pooled in her eye. The whole scene made me sick to watch.
Jeb looked slightly regretful, "Anyway, Ravyn is one of our most successful Osprey experiments, and is considered a genius with an IQ of 157. She's very shy, though."
"Maybe," Ravyn muttered through Hunter's shirt.
"Clue? Would you like to say something?"
Clue scratched his head, "What?"
Jeb sighed, "Say something about yourself."
I knew immediately that Clue hadn't been paying attention. He never was, "Clue, tell them something so that they can figure out our weaknesses," I snapped, and instantly berated myself for helping him out.
He nodded, "Uh, I'm strong, but I'm not a really fast runner, and I'm afraid of the dark . . ."
"Clue! Not really!" I growled.
He nodded frantically, "Oh. Right."
"Anyway," Jeb said briskly, "This is Hunter. He's very strong, at least three times stronger than the average human, and can eradicate numerous amounts of erasers in a few minutes."
Hunter looked embarrassed, "Not really."
"Oh, don't be modest," Jeb said encouragingly. Hunter shrugged. Ravyn smiled at him.
"These two are our more successful human-avian experiments. Although they cannot fly, they are extremely intelligent and strong, and have been nicknamed the "Death Dealers," For their ability to defeat Erasers."
The "Death Dealers" looked embarrassed. What a disgusting moniker.
"What we want them to do," Jeb continued, "Is to eliminate our unsuccessful experiments, you two," He looked at Clue and I, "However, if you two have a better knack for survival, then we will allow you to win."
I clenched my teeth. I could survive against Erasers, but these two "Death Dealers?" Unlikely. Clue, as usual, seemed unalarmed.
"Jeb," Ravyn interjected, "I am not killing these innocent people. They haven't done anything wrong."
Hunter nodded, "Yeah, we're not murderers," He cast an icy look at Jeb.
"If you don't kill them, they will kill you."
Ravyn and Hunter both looked at Clue, and me as if expected that we would deny it. Clue was watching Jeb speak, and didn't even notice their glances. I gave them a "Yeah, whatever," Look. If murder was what it took for me to survive, I'd do it every time.
"But why am I getting lumped with Clueless?" I demanded, jabbing a finger at Clue. If I was going to have a fair shot at this, I didn't want an idiot like him dragging me down.
"You won't be. We require only one male and one female to survive. It can be any one of you."
Ravyn nodded, "Then Tiny should be the one to live."
"No!" Hunter hugged her tightly, "You're not leaving me, Ravyn. Not again," The "Not again," Implied that this had happened before.
I shot a glance at Clueless. He was watching a bird fly overhead with his one good eye, tracking its movements as if they mattered more than anything in the world. His mouth hung open slightly. Okay, I'd rather team up with Hunter. But it looked like he and Ravyn were glued together.
Well, only one girl had to live. Ravyn was going down. I didn't care how nice she was.
"Note," Jeb added, "We have tracker chips in all of you, so do not attempt to run away."
I was already focusing on gutting Ravyn. She smiled at me, blissfully unaware of my brutal thoughts. She was so breathtakingly beautiful that she imitated a supermodel. Hunter also had a rugged, handsome look down to pat. Why is it that the perfect ones the school loves are always freaking hot in every way?
"Please note," Jeb continued, "That Ravyn and Hunter both have special abilities. Hunter, Ravyn, will you please demonstrate?"
Hunter, again, looked embarrassed, but he narrowed his eyes at some far off, distant thing. The air rippled. A second later, standing where Hunter had been not ten minutes earlier, was a large, black wolf with golden-tinged streaks and sorrowful golden eyes that seemed to reflect hidden sadness. The wolf changed into Hunter, who shot Jeb a dirty look, "It's all because of you that I can do this," He muttered rebelliously, "I never wanted these powers.
Clue looked delighted and fascinated, like a small child convinced that Santa Claus was going to visit that night and save him from the evil tooth fairy. My stomach clenched. Who knew what Hunter could do as a wolf?
What would these whitecoats think of next?
"And Ravyn is also part mermaid, although you can't see it," Jeb continued. I stared at her. There was no such freaking thing as a mermaid, as far as I knew. A mixing of a human, wolf, and bird's genes, I could accept. But a mermaid? No freaking way.
"I get it, Jeb," I snarled, "The odds are stacked against us. Now what happens?"
Jeb led us into the forest. The two "Death Dealers" stuck together. Clue walked by my side, as much as I didn't want him to. As soon as I got the chance, I was leaving him behind.
Jeb stopped next to two large boxes, "Each team of two gets to chose five items from these boxes," He announced, "These will be your provisions for the, um, battle."
And he phrased it so nicely.
I opened the large box marked TEAM A, wishing that people would stop lumping Clue and me together. I'd probably be dragged down by that idiot forever. I wondered if he was mad at me for the scar he'd gotten ten years ago. No, probably not. Clue never got mad at anyone.
Not everything in the box was food. I grabbed a large pocketknife, flicking the blade open, flicking it closed. Knives were useful for almost everything. I picked out a small box marked FISH, and was about to grab a canteen of water when Jeb announced, "That's all the objects you can grab."
I swiveled around to glare at him, "What? You said five!" I wanted my full share, damn it!
"Yes, your team has picked out five." He nodded to Clue.
"What'd you get?" I asked Clue in an exasperated tone.
"A lighter," He held it out at my question. I gnashed my teeth. Obviously, he didn't feel the sun's heat on his back. It wasn't cold, the idiot. The lighter would be unnecessary.
"What else?"
He showed me two thick sweatshirts.
"Clue! We won't need those!" I stopped myself when I used the word, "We."
"And why did you grab two, anyway?" I demanded hotly.
"One for you and one for me," He said, sounding pleased with himself.
I stared at him. The idiot. When would he ever learn that helping people was not that way to stay alive? The way to stay alive was looking out for you!
Jeb made the odd, coughing noise, "In a few seconds, I will leave the arena via helicopter. You four will start your," He made another coughing sound, "Ahem, survival test. May the most fit win."
Ravyn and Hunter both shot annoying sympathetic glances at us. There was obviously no doubt in their minds who would win. Unfortunately, I pretty much agreed with them.
But all I needed to do would be eliminate Ravyn. And I'd just gotten this nice knife, too.
The blades of a chopper sliced the air. It hovered a few feet above the ground. Jeb climbed into it and waved goodbye in that sardonic, endearing way of his.
Ravyn and I looked at each other. She mouthed, "I'm sorry." I glared at her.
I tucked my supplies under my threadbare shirt and ran like my life depended on it. Which, of course, it did.
Thanks for reading! Please remember to review :-D
-Life Starts Now