Chapter Six: Anna's Trip, Somewhere Deep in Washington, Dc.
Anna shivered. What was wrong with her? Apparently, she was the first of many. Many of what? At first, she was scared. They pressured her. They asked her multiple questions. They wondered if she had what it took to become a… a… that's where Anna was lost. Somehow, all this had to come together, but how?
Once, she had overheard a nurse saying Anna would break soon. Anna was furious. Now, she would refuse to break…
But it was hard.
Everyday, she ate something… At first, she refused to eat it, but slowly she succumbed to the 'nurses'. The food was gross, like some kind of paste. But… after a while, she got hooked on it.
Then, every morning, she was tested. After hours of that, she was stuck on a cold, ugly mattress.
Today, something was special. They were going to… to what? Honestly, she only heard bits and pieces.
Of course, the only human interaction she had was with the "testers" and the nurses. And, the only children she had seen were the "others". And they looked terrible! So far, she had seen a boy a little older than her, who the nurses referred to as Davie.
He was skinny, with brown curly hair that was all over the place. At the moment, Anna guessed her hair was a mess too.
Anna was broken. Not mentally, no, it would take a lot more to break her, but emotionally. For one thing, she missed her parents, and for another, the people here were evil. Who would be so cruel to a child? She thought.
Eventually, after a few weeks of this torture, Anna was brought to a secluded room, where a man in a suit greeted her. This was unlike the testing, where she had just been asked questions, and sometimes told sad things, sadder than anything she ever heard. The man in the suit had a deep, deep voice, and pale white skin. "Hello, Anna. I see you're looking extra excited today." Anna snarled at him, hearing the sarcasm in his voice.
He smiled, "So, dear. You probably want answers. And I got 'em. Dear Anna, you're one out of a few special ones. You, dear, are asked to join team S.K.I.S., aka, Special Kid Intelligence Spies. You, dear, are special. You are still young, your dreams fresh. You can resist any type of, err, hacking that you would ever know! Fortunately, we didn't have to probe you like… some of the others…"
Anna's jaw dropped. What did he say? They, these men, had kidnapped her to… make her a spy? They asked a small, American child to risk life for some silly war? They submitted her to a form of torture that slowly killed her? Why? Why? Why?
Questions piled up inside her.
Instead, she sighed, "No."
And, in that instant, the man shrugged, "Suit yourself!"
He sat up to leave, but he paused before saying, "But, remember this… The door will always be open. Oh, and the Dream Project is a very unique thing. It is amazing. You have spunk, kid, but you are underestimating your role… Oh, and you better not ever mention this to anyone."
Then, the man sat up and left.
