Ella's Other Side
Part 7
Ella woke up and tried to focus her vision. Once she was able to make out her surroundings she realized she was in- a tent?- thought Ella. OMG... someone turn down the heat...she thought. She could tell it was maybe mid-day due to the bright spot on the fabric on the tent, showing where the sun was.
She heard a rustling noise and saw someone come inside the tent. Who's that?she thought.
"Hey, look who's finally awake," said the short man.
"W-where am I?" she managed to croak out. Her throught was extremely dry. It felt like she had had her mouth open during a small dust storm.
"Is it okay if I ask the first few questions?" the man requested. He had an asian accent. "I'll then, happily answer yours okay?"
"I-I guess so," she said.
"Here's some water," he said. Ella started to sit up to get the water, but the man put a hand on her shoulder and said, "sorry, Ella, you have to stay laying down for the first 8 to 10 hours that you're awake, okay?" he said. "trust me, I'm a doctor. Kind of. More of a scientist, but I went to med school."
Ella coughed a loud, strained, dry cough. It left a stinging pain in her throat and chest. She really needed that water. So, she laid down in hopes that he would hand it to her. But he didn't he just set it back down on the table at the foot of her bed.
"I need a few questions answered before you can have a drink of water," he said.
Is this man trying to keep me in pain? And why can't I remember why, or how I got here? She thought.
"okay, Ella, let's start with how old you are" he said. There was a long pause then Ella realized that must have been the first question. She was about to say something, but then realized, how old am I? why can't I remember? OMG I hope this is temporary... she thought.
"I don't know..." she said, and tried to avoid crying.
"That's okay Ella," said the man, then put his hand on her arm to comfort her. "You're 14. If you're wondering why you couldn't remember, it's because your mind has been wiped clean of the last 3 months, due to you knowing classified information that you were not supposed to know."
"Oh... My... GOD..." said Ella.
"It's okay," nobody knew except me and the person who told you.
"was my birthday in those last 3 months?" she asked sadly
"Yes, Ella. I'm sorry." said the man, he handed her the glass of water, and Ella chugged it down in 3 gulps.
"So, how am I going to get home to my mom?" said Ella.
"She's here in Africa," he told her.
"But I don't remember living in Africa." she said.
"Do you remember a girl named Max?"
A picture of a girl, tall, skinny, and messy with big brown wings popped up into Ella's mind.
"Does she have wings?" she asked, "because if she does, then I think so..." she said.
"Yes... very good. Do you remember any other people with wings?" he asked.
"Yes..." she said as the imaginary photos floated through her thoughts.
"Can you describe, and possibly name them?" he asked.
"A little boy," she said, "blonde hair. Likes blowing things up?" she looked at the man to see if she was right.
"very good..." he said, "continue."
"Um... a little girl, blonde, curly hair... white wings... A teenage boy... blind?" She asked.
"That's good... so far you have remembered, Max, Gazzy, Angel, and Iggy." he said. "there's two more." he said.
Ella thought hard. "A girl, between, max and... angel." she said. "dark skin? Kindof..." she said.
"yes... one more," he said. "That's Nudge by the way."
The next one popped up big and bold and stayed in Nudges thoughts as if it were engraved on the side of her brain.
"A tall, skinny, boy. Maybe Max's age? Dark, dark, hair... and eyes. Big, BLACK wings..." she said... "Fang."
"good." said the man. "By the way, those people you have just mentioned are part of a flock that are human-bird, hybrids. Max is your half sister. You two share the same mom."
"yeah, yeah, I remember all that," she said.
"Are there anymore people with wings that you remember?" he asked. "Think long and hard."
No more pictures showed up in Ella's mind, she tried to think in chains that might lead to another bird kid, but there wasn't one.
"No..." she said. "Is that good?"
"Yes, Ella. Very good." said Mr. Chu. "There's nobody else."