Chapter 11- Sophie
I awoke to a loud knocking on our room door, at about midday. Wow, I love sleep, but hate when it's interrupted. I dragged my eyes open, then sprung out of bed and redressed in my only clothes which I had bought yesterday.
I went to answer the impatient knocker, but before I opened the door, I remembered our advertisement we put out yesterday. It must be in the papers by now. I squinted through the peephole and saw a tall teen boy about my age with golden-brown hair, pale skin and an angular face. His eyes were downcast as he knocked.
I looked around quickly at our room, checking if it was clean. Old habits die hard, I guess. Karlie had just come out of the shower, having woken before me, and was fully dressed. I motioned for her to make the bed while I answered the door knocker.
"Password," I demanded through the door.
"Whitecoats," he answered. Well there you go. A fellow mutant.
I unlocked and swung open the door, then swept my hand towards the table, motioning for him to sit. He looked around cautiously first, then sat, playing with the sleeve ends of his ragged jacket. Karlie and I sat opposite him, prepared to interview.
"So, I'm Karlie and this is Sophie. What's your name?" Karlie asked.
"James Grayrose. Or AH87-13," He answered with a sarcastic tone. "Okay. Mutations or powers?" I queried.
James hesitated slightly before saying, "I have heightened abilities and senses, but I don't know which animal they're from. I can also breathe underwater." "Well, if you'd like to, you can join us," Karlie said. James nodded absently, twisting a silver ring around his finger, which was possibly the only possession of his that wasn't clothes.
"We should show you our… mutations too," I realized. We glanced at each other, and rolled our wings out. James' blue eyes grew slightly and I smirked. Karlie held her palms out and generated her purple electricity.
I went next, holding my hands out. I conjured my heat, but something felt wrong. I looked down at my hands and saw one red and glowing, but blue ice shards dancing over the other. I looked to Karlie for advice, but when I did, she gasped at me. I sent her a questioning look, but wasn't answered.
"It's probably just another side effect of the School," Karlie said nervously. James was silent.
"Well that was… weird. Who wants room service?" I diverted the attention from myself. My companions nodded eagerly, and Karlie was quick to pick up the phone and dial the service number.
"What do you guys want?" I thought for a few seconds, different types of food whirring through my starved mind.
"I'll have… 2 boxes of butter chicken and a lemon lime and bitters," I decided.
"I'll have a chicken burger and… water," James said. "Okay, 2 butter chickens and a lemon lime and bitters"- I nodded- "a chicken burger and water"- James dipped his head- "and… I'll have 3 veggie burgers," Karlie relayed to the receiver. "Yes, I am sure we want that much food. I do know the cost," Karlie rolled her eyes. "Okay, thank-you."
Karlie retrieved her new credit card and slumped into one of the lounge chairs by the door, anxiously awaiting her lunch as I assumed my previous position- lying spread eagled on a bed. James sat on the desk chair, leaning on the desk with his hair spread over his closed eyes.
After an incredibly long 20 minutes, there was finally a knock at the door and a call of room service. Karlie sprang up like a cat pouncing and whipped the door open to reveal a short Hispanic lady with a piled-high tray of steaming finger-licking-goodness.
"Hello! So it was 2 butter chickens, a chicken burger, 3 veggie burgers, a lemon lime and bitters and a water," we all nodded hungrily, "The total cost comes to $72.50, please."
Karlie passed her the money, then accepted the tray and kicked the door shut. She set our lunch on the desk and pulled up a chair for herself while I did the same.
The next 20 minutes, there was complete silence, save for the chewing and swallowing noises coming from 3 hungry mutant-kids. Karlie was the first to finish, then James, who immediately slumped back down onto the desk and resumed sleeping. He must be tired. I was last, always a slow eater.
After lunch, we all sat or lied down somewhere and had about an hour of shut-eye. I woke first, and realised it was very quiet. Too quiet for my restless brain. So, I softly drummed my fingers on the bedside table. At the first tap of my fingers, James woke immediately, then after a minute, went back to sleep. I did it once more, and James' reaction was the same. Odd, I thought, then succumbed to the darkness pulling me under.
Once again, I woke to knocking on the door, but this time at about 9:00am. James was up already and had found cereal and milk in the mini-fridge. Karlie was stirring under the plush covers of her bed as I made my way to the door. Using the same routine, I asked, "Password?" The girl outside, who was younger than me and had a head of short blonde hair replied with a barely audible 'whitecoats.' I granted her access and motioned for her to sit down. Since Karlie had slunk off into the shower, I started the 'interview' by myself. "Hey, I'm Sophie, he's James"- he half-smiled- "and Karlie, my friend, is in the shower. You?"
"Elizabeth Bracken, I think. I don't remember much from before I was taken to the school," She said, frowning. I nodded, and then asked, "What's your mutation?"
"I can do… this, whatever it is," Elizabeth said, and stood a meter away from the table. She closed her eyes, seemingly concentrating hard. I felt my jaw drop when holes started appearing in her, allowing me to see straight through her. When they disappeared, she walked up to the wall, leant against it, almost as if she we hugging it, and sank through it. Her amazing performance was ruined though, by Karlie's shout from the bathroom. "Ah! How did you even get in here, through the wall?" I snickered and saw Liz (a nickname for Elizabeth) sink back in from the wall, which obviously led to the bathroom. She was pink-faced with embarrassment. I wrapped things up. "So, if that's it, you can join us in our quest to stay safe and away from the School if you want." "Yes please, I've been lonely for ages. But, I do have one more thing. I have a perfect body clock, which is a little useless, but you'll never need a watch again if you're with me," Liz smiled lopsidedly.
Hope you're liking the story, next chapter's a funny one. :D
