Chapter 2
"Strap her down" a disembodied voice commanded.
The cold metal felt like fire against my skin and the robed figures danced around me; each muttering an opinion or observation. They all began to encircle me, pressing closer, suffocating and cutting off all air. A figure appeared blocking the overhead lamp that was shining down in my face blinding me.
A person wearing a surgical mask lifted their white gloved hand which grasped a clean, small scalpel, "Making a small incision just below the ribcage…experiment #14 is showing alleviated heart rate…screams indicate that anesthetic has worn off"
I thrashed against the leather straps that held down on the metal table. I couldn't even hear myself scream. The pain was too much. I drifted off into unconsciousness.
With a jolt I sat up in bed, a bead of sweat trickled down my face. My body was caked with sweat, slipping out of my bed I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. A filled a glass with water and gulped it down. I placed my hands on the edge of the sink and stared out of the window, taking in the moon.
"Val are you alright?" I turned and saw my dad.
"Ah yeah" I whispered loud enough for him to hear.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, gauging my reaction, I kept it controlled.
"No, I'm good"
He watched me with apprehensive eyes, probably not believing what I had said. I watched him as he also got something to drink and then bid me goodnight. The moment he left I took of my glasses, I didn't exactly need to wear them and the lens was made of glass. I gave a sweep of the room and sighed in relief, forcing my body to relax. I was free, whatever that meant. Free to live the life I never got to have. A smile graced my face but it disappeared in the next minute, it was fake, just as I was here pretending to be someone I was not, trying to fit in to a life I didn't have, hiding from myself and my family.
I didn't deserve this, they didn't deserve this but it wasn't like I had a choice. I could do was try and fit in, fit in a place that I didn't belong.
Clara and Austin shot me glares as they came downstairs, while Alice, Justine and Max smiled and hugged me. Breakfast was filled with silence and the only noise was the sound of cutlery against the plates. Clara brunt holes through me as she ate. I simply ignored her as Justine tried to break the tense silence by chatting aimlessly about different things. I hadn't gone to sleep from the night before opting to stay awake till morning.
"Val this is really nice of you to make breakfast for us" Justine complimented.
"It was no problem Jus- mom" I answered; she looked up at me when I had begun to say her first name but smiled when I corrected myself.
"Suck up" Clara hissed.
"There's something on my tongue that just rolls off of it can you guess what it is?" I shot back just as Justine was about to scold Clara, she sobered up almost instantly.
"Freak" she hissed lowly as she passed by my chair.
"Your name isn't Valentine St. Cross, it is First Aid, understand, First Aid. It was and always will be no matter what you say or do" the man slapped me and shut the cage door behind him.
I raised my hand and it glinted in the little light that I had. It was gray and the fingers were metallic. I was a freak. They made me into a freak. I couldn't go home not like this. Which meant, yes this was my home. I was never Valentine St. Cross; I am the freak, the freak First Aid.
I got up and put the plate into the sink and walked back to my mother who stood ready by the door. I took the first step, the first step at shedding my personality as First Aid and walking in the skin of Valentine St. Cross.
