Chapter One
New Life
A rush of feelings, I can hear a rushing sound, somehow I know it is the wind blowing, but I've never heard the wind. I can also hear a voice, an old frail voice, I wonder who it belongs to. I try to move, to sit up, but something holds me down. I struggle a little, but I can't get free. A small voice whispers,
'Where am I? Who am I?'
But I can not answer, I don't know the answers. I wonder what I'm doing here, how did I get here?
'Help me…'
Then I hear the old voice again, I think it is speaking to me.
"Open your eyes, girl. Open your eyes."
I'm confused, my eyes? How can I open them? Then, as if someone else has done it, the world goes light, and I can see colours. I am lying face up on a table, held down with cuffs on my ankles and wrists. I am in a small room, littered with wooden objects, I know almost instantly that they are puppets. Then I see the woman, she has greying hair held up in a bun, she is old, I know that.
'But who is she?' The voice asks again. I decide to try and ask… to try and talk. I open my mouh, it feels weird. "Wh..who…are… y.. ?" The words come out shaky, I still need to learn to talk.
The old lady gives a small smile. "Some call me Lady Chiyo, others just call me Chiyo. You can call me whatever you like." I blink twice, the movements feel out of place. Then I try to speak again, "An…and what..is…my…nu…na…name?"
The words come a little easier this time. The lady, Chiyo, replies.
"Ah, Well, you are a puppet, brought to life by me. You are my eleventh attempt at it, so I shall call you Number Eleven, or Suji Irebun."
I think about that, and try out the words, "Su…ji. Ire…bun."
Chiyo nods, "Good, you will probably get better at talking as you get used to your body."
I can't think of anything to say that is worth the effort of talking, but then something occurs to me. "If…I was…cre...a…ted…by…you…" It isn't worth the struggle, so I sum it up and say, "Why?" Chiyo stays quiet for a second.
"There is no why, I wanted to see if it would work and if you would come to life."
'Worthless…' The voice inside of me says, I ignore it and say, with less effort, the words are coming easier. "But…I need. A reason…to exist…Or I may As well…be…dead."
Chiyo sighs and shakes her head, "Very well…I have a grandson, he is fourteen years old, so he looks your age. I… I think he might be lonely. I would like you to become his friend. Just so he has someone to talk to. His name is Sasori and he likes puppets."
I feel more comfortable now that I have a reason to live, I respond,
"Yes…I can…do..th..that." Chiyo smiles,
"First, take a day to get used to your body. I don't want him to know what you are. You must act like a true human. Learn about human emotions, learn how to talk and move correctly."
I nod, a little stiffly, "Yes…Lady…Chiyo."
"And one more thing." She says, then walks to a cupboard, pulls out a bundle of cloth and hands it to me, "Get changed." I look down at the bandages wrapped across my body. "Yes." I say. She uncuffs my wrists and ankles, then helps me get dressed, my fingers feel strange and are too stiff to manipulate the material. When I am finished I look into a mirror, my long brown hair falls down my shoulders and my eyes are blue. I am dressed in a long dress, down past my knees, with long billowing sleeves. There is a cloth around my waist and a thin rope for a belt, I put on blue sandals. The whole outfit hides my ball joints, so I look like a normal girl. The layers of yellows and oranges covering me make me look so bright. The only way you could tell I was a puppet is by looking at my neck, where a thin line shows where my head is connevted to my body, and feeling my skin.
My skin has turned from a brown wooden colour to a normal shade of flesh. But it still feels like wood. I pull on a pair of fingerless gloves to help, but that's about all I can do, and I have no body temperature, just cold wood. Not much I can do about that, I just have to make sure not to touch Sasori, or let him touch me. I wonder what he looks like.
I'll soon find out The inner voice says.
I stare into the mirror, and tighten my belt.
Lets go then.
And I turn and walk out, following Lady Chiyo.
