Chapter 2 - The Dragona -Grace
"Oh, look little miss racer is awake. Maybe she'll stay for a while."
I tried opening my eyes, but there was a bright light above of me.
"Well? Open your eyes! Try to figure out where you are!"
"I'm trying you bastard!" I yell.
I finally open my eyes and I find myself in a dark room, belted to a therapeutic bed.
I start to thrash and try to my way out.
"Going somewhere? I don't think so." A man appeared out of the shadows.
I recognized the emblem on his suit. One of the Dragona.
"What do you want with me!" I shouted.
He steps closer to the bed, and it shifts upwards.
I start to move my hands and feet quickly, trying to escape but I cannot.
When the bed moves straight up lights turn on in the room, revealing mirrored walls.
Now I start to panic.
"Please, please settle down. I'm not here to harm you. Unless I need to." The man said.
I look over in the wall, I'm not wearing my racing gear anymore, I'm wearing a expensive dress and my hair is not in my braid anymore.
I look back over at the Dragona member.
"Who are you?" My voice cracks.
He moves closer. "You don't remember me? We used to be such great friends. Does Samuel Plughini ring a bell?" he said with a smirk.
"Sam? Why am I here?" I asked.
He laughed. Hard. "Oh, please. Don't pull that. I know you more than you probably remember yourself. Besides you're here for an important reason. And I don't go by that silly nickname anymore, this isn't first grade." he paused and looked up at me. The President wanted to talk to you, so she invited you to dinner." he said smiling.
"What makes you think I want to be part of your little gang!" I shouted.
He came over and grabbed my jaw.
"Because, someone you hold dear to yourself, was part of our "little gang" once. But then he skipped out and left. He did go through little cosmetic changes." He finished, letting go of my jaw.
"Why did you change him! He was perfect! Thanks to you I might never see him again!" I wailed, tears flowing out uncontrollably.
He turned his back to me. "She didn't pull options out of a hat, Grace. She's in charge here. Not me." he said quietly.
The room became quiet except for the sound of my crying. He turned back to me and started to move to the table next to the bed, full of syringes, and drugs. He took one of the syringes, and put some type of drug in it. He placed it back down and unstrapped me from the bed.
"We're having dinner soon, but the morphine that we knocked you out with paralyzed the muscles in your legs, so I need to put a antibiotic in your legs." he said picking the syringe up.
"I'm glad they chose the mayor of Netneana, to take care of a poor, drag racing master, when morphine knocks out the muscles in her legs." I laughed.
He then put the syringe in my one leg. Then the other leg.
He helped me off the bed. Once I got off of it, my legs failed me, and I fell.
"Whoa hold on there! Let me help you!" he laughed.
He helped me up and we were on our way.
Sam pressed an invisible keypad on the mirrored wall, and a door slid open. I walked out first.
I was standing in a huge tube that was above the city. I went to the side of the tube.
"This is beautiful!" I said my eyes open with wonder.
"It's not that special." he said handing me a pair of scarlet pumps.
He looked at me. "You should put them on."
I took the shoes and threw them on.
I walked one step and nearly fell over.
"Haven't you ever walked in high heels before?" Sam asked.
I looked at him, angry.
"You know the answer." I said with a grudge in my voice.
He held my arm and helped me walk in them. We made our way out of the tube into a large room filled with many rich people eating fancy foods.
He looked around the room.
"Oh. Don't worry. We'll be eating in a nicer room than this." he said smiling.
We walked past a couple of secret service men, and they saluted Samuel.
We then moved through a long corridor that lead to doors carved with elegance.
The two maids on either sides of the doors opened them revealing a gigantic glass room showing a part of the upper city.
There were three other people waiting at a long table.
They stood at my arrival.
"Well look who it is!" the President said cheerfully.
The President wore a blue gown with a fluffy golden pelt that wrapped around her dress, and a red fan to accompany the red in the room.
The Vice President smiled. "Little Miss Racer."
I squeezed Samuel's arm. He looked down at me.
"John! Knock it off! She's our guest. Show some respect." the President shouted hitting him with her fan.
I looked over at the other girl next to her. Petite little thing, short curly hair, and bright red glasses.
"Florentina could you please move down for our guest?" the President said smiling.
The young woman looked up.
"Sure thing. I'd be pleased to." she said smirking.
I walked over and took a seat on the red plush chairs. Everyone followed in sitting. Maids came and served us our first course, appetizers.
I couldn't stop thinking about being proper.
The President looked over at me.
"So, Ms. Robertson, do you know why I summoned you here?" she asked with a dead stare.
I tried to form words to speak. "No, Ms. President. I don't know why you summoned me, really. I can't even remember what I was doing before I came here.." I said looking away.
She placed her hand onto of mine.
"Please, call me Savanna. I don't always like it when my personal guests call me by my official name." she said shaking her head.
"Alright then.. So what exactly do you do most of the time, with the city?" I asked curiously.
Savanna glanced over at the others attended at dinner. They looked at her, quietly eating their dinner.
"Well, we run the city, sign bills, forms, give speeches, that type of stuff. Anything you're interested in?" she asked.
I shook my head. "No, no, no.. I'm not into politics. Only racing and other things."
"Perfect." Florentina said under her breath.
Savanna glared at her, and hit her with her foot under the table.
I took a swig of the blood colored wine.
She glanced around the room. "Do you like the theme? It changes everyday to fit our dress schedule." she said with a tone of pride.
I smiled. "I like it. Matches my hair."
She laughed. "I was hoping you noticed!"
I looked at the others silently eating around the table. Florentina looked up at me.
Savanna silently made a motion to her.
"So, Grace I want to get onto the real topic of why you are here." she said slowly sipping her wine.
She looked up and smiled a wicked smile. "We want you to join the Dragona." she giggled.
I sat there speechless. "You. Want me?" I said dumbfounded.
Savanna stood. "I wanted you to become an icon to the young girls of Netneana. A pop star! A drag racing queen!" she said moving towards a small stage.
A model in a blue outfit came out with a stern expression then left for the curtain again.
I stood. "Surely, you'd want someone else but me. You aren't joking are you."
She shook her head. "The one and only Grace Robertson!" she flashed her hands in a show-style way. "I already have so much planned. You are willing to do it aren't you?" she pouted her face.
I looked at the ones at my table. They all looked extravagant in my color, they smiled and grinned.
Sam laughed. "There's no one other than you!"
I stood up. "I think I need a day to think. I actually feel a bit sick right now." I said.
They all stood.
"Do you need any medical attention?" Savanna said walking over to me quickly.
"No, no, no." I shook my head quickly.
She backed away. "Will you make up your mind in 24 hours?" Savanna asked.
I looked into her yellow eyes, that seemed to give off an ominous glow.
"Yeah. I guess I can." I shrugged.
She smiled sadistically.
"Good. I guess we won't be needing to talk anymore. Guards."
I turned around to see two burly men coming over to me. Then a pain shot up in my neck, and I saw black.
0 0 0 -Alexandra
My name is Alexandra Swan, and I was born in the slums of Netneana. My mother was a prostitute, and my father left us when I was only two years old. My mother abused me and made me follow in her footsteps to sell my self out. I was miserable at the time, and I ran away from home when I was twelve years old. I ran to the upper city, where the wealthy lived, and I found a suitable family that took me in. This family was so nice, and raised me until I was twenty-two. I finished college, and moved in with a high-school friend of mine from the slums, named Anthony Garcia. We both loved mechanic work, so we opened a scrap-shop together and fixed things for the people of the city. Then two years later I found out that my mother had died from an STD. Also during that year, a poor slave rebelled against the Dragona, but failed. I was near the rebel at the time, when I was out, and I got arrested for supposedly being part of his rebellion. I was interrogated and tortured for not answering the questions. They released me on parole, and I have since then stayed in the shadows of the government, until I started to drag race. Once I drag raced, I have forgotten about my brutal childhood, and tried to focus on the future. And what lies ahead of me. From the torture of the Dragona, they left me with horrid purple scars on my right arm. I try to take them like a birth mark of sorts. That day is where I'll start my story.
I woke up after a sharp spike of pain hit my neck. A shining light blinded my eyes.
"Good evening Ms. Alexandra. If you open your eyes we can begin."
"Where am I! Let me go! I didn't do anything!" I shouted.
I forced my eyes open despite the light.
A tall man stood next to me. I looked up at him, then looked around the room.
The man's name was John Dantanmo, a royal pain in the ass to most of the city's people. HE is the first African American Vice President of the wonderful city of Netneana. Also second in command to Savanna Lalerentinii, the president. Part of the wicked Dragona.
"What am I doing here." I emphasized.
He turned around. "Sweetheart please. You know what you did." John looked over his shoulder."Would you like to tell me what you were doing exactly twelve hours ago?"
I started to rapidly move my hands to try to withstand the grasp of the leather cuffs on the bed. I finally stopped.
"Twelve hours ago? Well," I started. "I was going into work, and the ignorant citizen of yours that started soapbox ranting, riled up the crowd that I was trying so hard to get out of, pushed me along with them until the police showed up, and right now I'm here." I said sighing.
He started to laugh. "Oh, wow. That's hilarious."
John walked back next to the bed and stopped laughing.
A covered pot rose from a area in the ground and came next to the bed.
I felt my heart rate increasing.
He removed the lid to the pot.
A bubbling green mixture sizzled in the pot.
"Dear Alexandra, do you know what this is?" John asked smiling.
My eyes looked up in fear. "John, that's no chemical to mess around with, that's acid." I said shaking.
"Correct! And do you know what I'm going to do with this acid?" he said smiling sadistically. He closed the lid to the pot.
"Please don't do this to me! I did nothing wrong!" I cried.
He turned to me. "If you just confess it now! We won't have to do this!" he shouted.
He started to put acid resistant clothing on. Gloves, suit, eye mask, long boots, everything.
Two other people came in carrying things to place on me. An acid resistant blanket, goggles, and everything else. The only spot they did not cover was my right arm. They then left.
He came back from behind a screen and stood next to the bed.
I looked up at him, scared as ever, I whispered: "You do this to me now, you'll never be forgiven." I said as tears rolled down my face.
He looked at me. "Any thing you'd like to tell me before I go to town?" he said smiling.
"Don't wake me up when you're done. I'd rather loose an arm than my life." I cried.
He opened the lid. The acid now boiled a purple color. He took a spoon and scooped some up. I braced my arm and started to shake rapidly. He slowly moved it to my arm.
Once it touched my arm I was screaming in pain. The pain was too immense. He moved it up my arm. and it started to sizzle through my skin. I could feel each individual hair burning off of my arm.
"John!" I screamed. "Stop please stop!"
Then the world went dark.
I woke up in a bright white room. I looked down at my right arm, and noticed purple scars up my arm. I tried lifting it, and it didn't hurt anymore. I wasn't strapped to the bed either.
A nurse came in the room and smiled a smile of relief. She walked over to my bed.
"Thank goodness you are awake! You have quite a few visitors, that are worried sick about you." she smiled.
I clenched the hospital bed.
"Are they going to hurt me?" I said worried.
The nurse quickly turned her head. "Oh no, no, no! No one will ever hurt you again! They would just like to see you!"
I shifted back down into the seat.
I smiled. "Send them in. Haven't seen 'em in a while."
She looked over quickly. "The first visitor is the mayor, he would like to speak to you about the incident." she said quietly.
I braced myself. After a move like that I think I wouldn't be the only one.
He walked in. "Before I begin, I am Samuel Plughini. I'm so very sorry that happened to you. John did not listen to a word I said."
I stopped bracing myself. "What did you do to my arm? It feels unreal, something I've never seen before." I asked clenching my damaged arm.
Samuel shushed the nurse out of the room and moved over to my arm. "We rebuilt your arm, using the latest medical instruments, you see," he said moving my arm. "The skin we used is merely just a cover for the instrument, making it have the illusion of your real skin." he paused. "We could not save your old arm, the damage was severely done. The acid boiled down into your skin, and muscle. And the acid destroyed your bones. So we gave you a new arm."
I gave him a puzzling look. "Okay. That was my only question, continue."
He nodded and moved back wards the massive window overlooking the city.
"Before you were awaken by John, I insisted that he looked at the tapes from the scene, but he woke you up in the room otherwise." he sat down on a chair across from the bed.
"Savanna and I were behind a window watching what he was doing during the interrogation, and I requested that someone would look at the tapes in the meantime."
"When he had brought the acid out, I was on the edge of my seat. While he was suiting up, someone had brought in a file that contained your survival. Savanna and I were looking over the tapes while he was beginning." he shifted in the seat.
"Savanna and I had tried to reach him on his ear piece, but he had taken it out. Once you were unconscious, we ran into the room screaming that you were innocent," he stopped to look up at me. "He believed us."
Silence passed among the room the only noise came from the ticking of the clock.
"T-thank you for saving me, but," I took time to look up at him. "Why did you want to prove my innocence so much, that you risked your job for it?" I asked.
He gave a quick look around the room. "Well, I don't think that the government should pick random subjects from a crowd, and say they had part in a revolution!" he said with a sarcastic look.
"Right. I agree with you there." I nodded my head.
He stood up and put his hands in his pockets. "Now to technical terms," he moved over to the bed. "Since the Dragona has disgraced the name of the Pingan law, we must pay you a lump sum of ten thousand dollars from our wallets in order to pay you back in what we have done as the government." he smiled. "Which means that John is going to pay you back."
I sat on the bed speechless.