A/N – Did a COMEPLETELY new chapter one, realizing that I really wanted that waking up scene in there. I think that just kind of… jumping in to her predicament worked just as well for the story, and this may even be too much extra crap (please tell me if it is!), but I REALLY wanted that waking up scene. But seriously, if anyone thinks that it's too much random detail, tell me so I can think about shortening it (I really added all the detail because I can always see this scene playing out in my mind, and I really like it). :3 But seriously, enough babbling from me. Start reading.
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Eyes attempted to open, fluttering shut at the small amount of invading daylight. Head ached dully, body muscles relaxed but sore. What the hell happened?
Kaila groaned, closing her eyes and reaching up to rub at them. She then attempted to roll over so she could push herself up, but as she rolled, the ground beneath her upper body disappeared. She quickly braced her hands on what felt like slick metal walls to keep her weight balanced toward the solid ground, and attempted to open her eyes again. Her eyes shot open and her breath caught in her throat as she came nearly face to face with a dark purple liquid below her. She didn't know what it was, but she didn't want to find out by falling in it. Kaila's hands fumbled for purchase on what was indeed the wall of the large metal basin, and pushed herself upright.
She took a second to catch her breath and look around her. The ground beneath her was made of the same coppery metal, with a second floor to the structure roughly constructed out of wood. Looking around she noticed a vast ocean to one side of where she sat, and lifeless rocky terrain to the other side. Crouching close to the ground, she risked one more glance into the basin of purple stuff. It bubbled innocently at her. She whimpered and crawled to a safer distance from it, still not liking how it looked.
Once she was determined that her headache had ebbed, as well as the soreness in her muscles and the blurriness in her eyes, she steadily rose to her feet. Walking one way, she realized that the basin was located on a large raised platform, one side of it forming part of the wall of what appeared to be some sort of stadium? She wasn't really sure what the large, round, open space was for, actually.
Walking in a wide circle around the edge of the platform, she realized that the other wall led straight into a small sort of bay. Kaila made a bit of a face at the murkiness of the water, compared to the ocean further out. Then she paused.
"Wait a sec…"
She quickly walked to the other side of the platform, looking around for something. She ran back to the ocean side, looking again. Kaila then walked in a fast circle around the rest of the platform, looking closely.
Crap.
"There's no way down from this thing!"
Plopping down to sit on the ocean side of the platform, she stared out, thinking of a way to get down. Maybe if she got down the same way she got up… here…
"How DID I get up here?"
She thought.
"Where am I anyway?"
She thought some more.
"…"
She glared silently at the ocean as a new bit of info trickled its way into her brain.
She couldn't remember a thing.
And not just about how she got where she was. As she dug through her memory, she realized she had nothing before waking up here. No history. Nothing. Well, there was only one thing to do.
She screamed her frustration to the setting sun, tears prickling at her eyes. As her yell echoed around her, Kaila fell onto her back and sighed, fighting back tears. This sucked. In fact, this couldn't get any worse.
A growl echoed behind her, and she glanced up to a pair of red eyes in a hairy purple face.
Well, spoke too soon.
Kaila yelled again as she barely rolled out of the creature's huge, grabbing hands. She ran to the other side of the platform, and the thing followed her in a slow, uneven, lunging run. She ran from it again, to the other side of the platform. It followed her again. This went on for a minute or two, Kaila even daring to climb the wooden bridge that went over the purple pool, despite how rickety it looked. When the thing finally caught up with her, something in her seemed to rise to the surface. As the creature reached for her, she ducked under its grip, coming at it with an uppercut to the chin. The creature was stunned for only a second, but just long enough for Kaila to come around with a round kick to its side. It flew off of the platform, into the ocean.
Kaila looked at her own fist for a moment, wondering where her previous performance came from, but was interrupted from her musings by a horrible grunting yell from below. She glanced over the edge, seeing the furry creature flailing in the water. Kaila's heart clenched as she realized it couldn't swim, and almost dove in after the poor drowning creature, but it found purchase on a rock before it succumbed to the deep. Kaila sighed with a bit of disappointment, but mostly relief. She didn't want the thing attacking her, but she didn't want to kill it either. Sitting sorely on its little rock, the creature looked up at her, shaking its fist at her and grunting what she assumed to be some very inconsiderate swearing.
"Well, you kind of deserve it for chasing me!" she yelled at it. It only grunted, and crossed its arms to pout.
Smirking a little, she jumped when a voice sounded behind her.
"Kaila."
She turned around slowly, expecting to find another monster. She almost relaxed as she realized it was, instead, two people. She tightened up again though. Something about them felt… wrong. She took in their drab grey skin, and bleached and dried out hair. They seemed to look older than they probably were, although Kaila couldn't be sure. Their expressions were calm, but not quite… nice, was the best word she could come up with. Kaila didn't know what she was looking at, but something in her told her these people were bad. Something about them just seemed… unhealthy. The woman had spoken to her first, her voice clear but with a hint of a metallic sound to it. However, when the man spoke, it took all her will power to not cover her ears from the grating sound.
"Kaila. We see you're still… around." Kaila perked a little at the statement.
"A-around?"
The woman looked slightly guilty at that, but the man looked more… curious, perhaps? Kaila wasn't sure what the emotion on the man's face was, only that it looked like it took all of his willpower to keep it there, like the muscles in his face didn't quite work. The three of them were silent for a few moments, simply sizing each other up. Kaila broke the silence.
"Who are you?"
The man and woman glanced at each other, apparently surprised (or what Kaila assumed was supposed to be surprise on the man's face).
"Kaila, we-"
"Nevermind that now!" the man interrupted harshly. He took a deep and raspy breath before he spoke again. "We have more important things to attend to. You should go back to the citadel so you don't get in the way again. Come here."
Kaila cringed at his harsh breathing, and then what he said sunk in. She stared at his outstretched hand like it was diseased (which, for all she knew, it was).
"Wait, what? I'm not going anywhere with you! I don't even know you!"
The woman looked the slightest bit hurt, but the man's face contorted in what she supposed what either a glare or annoyance.
"Young lady, you are going back to the citadel right now." He moved forward with a speed that belied his frail body, grabbing her by the arm. As she went to remove his hand (whether from her or entirely, she wasn't sure) the woman took a hold of her other arm.
"Kaila. Please…"
Kaila gasped even as she struggled, feeling her feet leave the ground. She screamed a little as she looked down, seeing the ground a good few feet below her. She began to struggle more, the same feeling of hidden strength from before coming to her once again. She managed to break their grasps, falling back to the metal platform. She barely gave them a second glance, before leaping off of the platform and into the stadium area.