The Hand of Fate
CHAPTER THREE
For a while, the car was quiet; no one spoke for a few minutes. Ozzie and Drix were waiting for Aimee to speak, and Aimee was waiting for one of them to speak.
Finally, Ozzie's patience ran out. "So Aimee," he said, trying to bring up a conversation, "what brings you to Frank?"
"It's kind of a long story." Aimee explained.
"We've got plenty of time." Ozzie countered.
Aimee sighed. "Well, it started when I was getting my electron mitt so I could play Atom Ball with my friends," she began. "When I got to the field, all of my friends weren't there and the syringe started to draw blood. Then. well, then-"
"Then you got caught in the drift." Drix guessed.
"Exactly," Aimee confirmed. "I was drawn into the tube and taken out of the room. I held onto the edge so I wouldn't get placed on the slide. I guess they forgot to sterilize the syringe, because then they poured in the vaccine and gave Frank his shot."
Ozzie didn't know what to say. It sounded like an extremely farfetched story, but how many cells her age would joke about getting sucked away from their home body?
Drix was confused as well. "That seems to be a very interesting story," he said, unsure. "It's. well, it seems." He couldn't put it into words and finally gave up trying.
The young cell nodded. "I know it sounds weird," she admitted, "but it's really how I got here. If you want me to give you a more believable lie, I could-"
"No!" Ozzie halted her. "No, thank you. If what you said is the truth, I believe you. I may not like how it sounds when I explain to the department, but if it really happened, than that's the story I tell."
Now Aimee was the one confused. "The department?" she inquired. "What department?"
"I think Jones is referring to the lost cell's department," Drix explained. "You probably won't get back to Shane any time soon, so until the proper arrangements are made, you must be put in the care of a foster family."
"So, I'm going to be adopted?" Aimee asked, not able to believe what she was hearing.
"Until you get back to Shane, yeah." Ozzie replied. Then, Aimee thought of something she hadn't until that moment. "How long will it take to get back?"
"That depends," Ozzie said. "It could be six months to six years before you see the light of Shane again."
Aimee lowered her head. She was stuck in the City of Frank forever, and there was little hope of her getting back to Shane at all.
Drix looked over his shoulder and noticed this. "Well, things aren't always as bad as they seem," he reassured her. "You'll see- the time will pass so quickly that you'll hardly even remember -"
Suddenly, Ozzie brought the car to a screeching halt. Someone dressed in dark clothing had run in front of him and got away before he could get a good look at this person.
Ozzie and Drix immediately got out of the car. "Drix, you go after this punk," Ozzie ordered his partner. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."
"Want any help?" Aimee offered, about to get out of the car.
"No! No, we don't need help," Ozzie said, putting his hands on the car door. "You just stay in the car. This guy could be a kidnapper; we don't want you going missing in two cities." With that, he ran after his partner.
Laying back, Aimee closed her eyes and thought about a few things. How long would she stay in Frank until she went home? How were her family and friends coping? What would life here be like?
A dark shadow slowly crept over the car like an eerily blackened mist. Hardly a sound was audible as the darkness continued on its path.
Then, the sound of a faint footstep alerted Aimee. She opened her eyes to see the silhouette of a dark, mysterious creature. The only notable feature she could see was the glowing yellow eyes partially hidden by what looked like a pair of sunglasses.
Before Aimee could yell for help, the being stifled her. He jammed his elbow behind her head, knocking her out. He then grabbed her and disappeared without a trace.
Later, Aimee awoke in what looked like an alley hideaway. There were a few trash cans and a dumpster noticeable, along with a small pit fire and a hammock in a secluded corner. She found the same being near the fire, warming himself up.
Aimee yawned. "Hello," she greeted. "I'm-"
The being turned towards her. In the light of the flame, she could see the being's true form. He was a tall and dark figure who wore a cloak to cover most of his body. His hands were small palms with knives as fingers (with an especially long one as a right pointer). His skin was deep read with purple tentacles dangling from his head like hair. His face was the same way she saw it earlier, except now she saw the "grim reaper" face outline and his cynical expression.
"You're awake," he said, with almost no feeling. "I thought I took care of you back at the car."
"What exactly happened?" Aimee asked.
The being scoffed her. "I knocked you out," he told her. "You were unconscious for maybe an hour or so, but I thought you'd be out for much longer."
"Who are you, dare I ask?" Aimee inquired.
"Why would I tell you?" the being replied, refusing to answer.
Shrugging, Aimee thought about it momentarily. "I always thought it was just common courtesy to ask the identity of anyone, let alone your kidnapper." She admitted.
The being stopped to consider this, taking a few minutes to think it over. Then, he went over to the fire and crossed his arms. "My name is Drake," he introduced himself, "I'm a virus, and that's all the info you're getting out of me, you cell."
"Hello, Drake," Aimee greeted, standing up. "My name's Aimee Adrenaline."
Shaking his head, Drake pointed out her folly. "You've just made a big mistake, Aimee: telling me your last name," he informed her. "Now I can simply look you up and-"
"It doesn't matter," Aimee said. "I'm not from this body. You can look up every Adrenaline in the City of Frank and still not find me."
Drake was somewhat confused. "Are you here visiting relative or something?" he asked.
"No," Aimee responded, "but it's kind of a long story; it would take a long time to explain."
"Yeah," Drake agreed, nodding, "I really don't want to put up with your talking."
Aimee was becoming angry with Drake very, very quickly. "Who taught you those manners, Drake?" she asked. "Boy, if your mother was her, she'd flip her lid!"
The cynical look had washed away from Drake's face. "Mother?" he asked, perplexed. "What is a. 'mother'?"
"You don't know what a mother is?" Aimee inquired.
"I've heard it used before," Drake admitted. "There are other words which sound like it that I don't understand either, like 'father', 'brother', and 'sister'. The strangest word I've yet to find the meaning to, though, is the word. f. fa. fam. 'fam-e-lee'."
"Family?" Aimee corrected.
Drake nodded. "Yes, that's the word," he said. "Do you know the meanings of these words?"
A smile crossed Aimee's face. "Maybe we can make a deal," she offered. "You let me go and not kidnap me again, and I'll tell you what those words mean and never mention you to anyone."
They closed the deal with a handshake. The bargain was made, and Aimee explained the family status to Drake. He seemed very attentive for a virus who hadn't been to school.
Aimee was happy to see Drake's contented face. "I hope those words help you," she said. "Now, may I go?"
Reluctantly, Drake nodded and allowed her to leave. "Remember our bargain, Aimee," he reminded her. "You tell no one about me, not even the white blood cell cop! Or I swear I'll come after you!"
Aimee nodded. "Thanks again, Drake!" she said, waving goodbye.
Drake peered from around the corner as Aimee went back to the white blood cell cop and his cold pill partner. Both of them looked around for a minute or so, but they soon left with Aimee's sealed lips.
The young virus sighed in relief. "That was too close a call," he admitted. "Never do that again. unless it's life-threatening."
The virus then walked back to his quarters to practice the usage of his new words. He pondered their meanings as he fell asleep by his warm fire.
CHAPTER THREE
For a while, the car was quiet; no one spoke for a few minutes. Ozzie and Drix were waiting for Aimee to speak, and Aimee was waiting for one of them to speak.
Finally, Ozzie's patience ran out. "So Aimee," he said, trying to bring up a conversation, "what brings you to Frank?"
"It's kind of a long story." Aimee explained.
"We've got plenty of time." Ozzie countered.
Aimee sighed. "Well, it started when I was getting my electron mitt so I could play Atom Ball with my friends," she began. "When I got to the field, all of my friends weren't there and the syringe started to draw blood. Then. well, then-"
"Then you got caught in the drift." Drix guessed.
"Exactly," Aimee confirmed. "I was drawn into the tube and taken out of the room. I held onto the edge so I wouldn't get placed on the slide. I guess they forgot to sterilize the syringe, because then they poured in the vaccine and gave Frank his shot."
Ozzie didn't know what to say. It sounded like an extremely farfetched story, but how many cells her age would joke about getting sucked away from their home body?
Drix was confused as well. "That seems to be a very interesting story," he said, unsure. "It's. well, it seems." He couldn't put it into words and finally gave up trying.
The young cell nodded. "I know it sounds weird," she admitted, "but it's really how I got here. If you want me to give you a more believable lie, I could-"
"No!" Ozzie halted her. "No, thank you. If what you said is the truth, I believe you. I may not like how it sounds when I explain to the department, but if it really happened, than that's the story I tell."
Now Aimee was the one confused. "The department?" she inquired. "What department?"
"I think Jones is referring to the lost cell's department," Drix explained. "You probably won't get back to Shane any time soon, so until the proper arrangements are made, you must be put in the care of a foster family."
"So, I'm going to be adopted?" Aimee asked, not able to believe what she was hearing.
"Until you get back to Shane, yeah." Ozzie replied. Then, Aimee thought of something she hadn't until that moment. "How long will it take to get back?"
"That depends," Ozzie said. "It could be six months to six years before you see the light of Shane again."
Aimee lowered her head. She was stuck in the City of Frank forever, and there was little hope of her getting back to Shane at all.
Drix looked over his shoulder and noticed this. "Well, things aren't always as bad as they seem," he reassured her. "You'll see- the time will pass so quickly that you'll hardly even remember -"
Suddenly, Ozzie brought the car to a screeching halt. Someone dressed in dark clothing had run in front of him and got away before he could get a good look at this person.
Ozzie and Drix immediately got out of the car. "Drix, you go after this punk," Ozzie ordered his partner. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."
"Want any help?" Aimee offered, about to get out of the car.
"No! No, we don't need help," Ozzie said, putting his hands on the car door. "You just stay in the car. This guy could be a kidnapper; we don't want you going missing in two cities." With that, he ran after his partner.
Laying back, Aimee closed her eyes and thought about a few things. How long would she stay in Frank until she went home? How were her family and friends coping? What would life here be like?
A dark shadow slowly crept over the car like an eerily blackened mist. Hardly a sound was audible as the darkness continued on its path.
Then, the sound of a faint footstep alerted Aimee. She opened her eyes to see the silhouette of a dark, mysterious creature. The only notable feature she could see was the glowing yellow eyes partially hidden by what looked like a pair of sunglasses.
Before Aimee could yell for help, the being stifled her. He jammed his elbow behind her head, knocking her out. He then grabbed her and disappeared without a trace.
Later, Aimee awoke in what looked like an alley hideaway. There were a few trash cans and a dumpster noticeable, along with a small pit fire and a hammock in a secluded corner. She found the same being near the fire, warming himself up.
Aimee yawned. "Hello," she greeted. "I'm-"
The being turned towards her. In the light of the flame, she could see the being's true form. He was a tall and dark figure who wore a cloak to cover most of his body. His hands were small palms with knives as fingers (with an especially long one as a right pointer). His skin was deep read with purple tentacles dangling from his head like hair. His face was the same way she saw it earlier, except now she saw the "grim reaper" face outline and his cynical expression.
"You're awake," he said, with almost no feeling. "I thought I took care of you back at the car."
"What exactly happened?" Aimee asked.
The being scoffed her. "I knocked you out," he told her. "You were unconscious for maybe an hour or so, but I thought you'd be out for much longer."
"Who are you, dare I ask?" Aimee inquired.
"Why would I tell you?" the being replied, refusing to answer.
Shrugging, Aimee thought about it momentarily. "I always thought it was just common courtesy to ask the identity of anyone, let alone your kidnapper." She admitted.
The being stopped to consider this, taking a few minutes to think it over. Then, he went over to the fire and crossed his arms. "My name is Drake," he introduced himself, "I'm a virus, and that's all the info you're getting out of me, you cell."
"Hello, Drake," Aimee greeted, standing up. "My name's Aimee Adrenaline."
Shaking his head, Drake pointed out her folly. "You've just made a big mistake, Aimee: telling me your last name," he informed her. "Now I can simply look you up and-"
"It doesn't matter," Aimee said. "I'm not from this body. You can look up every Adrenaline in the City of Frank and still not find me."
Drake was somewhat confused. "Are you here visiting relative or something?" he asked.
"No," Aimee responded, "but it's kind of a long story; it would take a long time to explain."
"Yeah," Drake agreed, nodding, "I really don't want to put up with your talking."
Aimee was becoming angry with Drake very, very quickly. "Who taught you those manners, Drake?" she asked. "Boy, if your mother was her, she'd flip her lid!"
The cynical look had washed away from Drake's face. "Mother?" he asked, perplexed. "What is a. 'mother'?"
"You don't know what a mother is?" Aimee inquired.
"I've heard it used before," Drake admitted. "There are other words which sound like it that I don't understand either, like 'father', 'brother', and 'sister'. The strangest word I've yet to find the meaning to, though, is the word. f. fa. fam. 'fam-e-lee'."
"Family?" Aimee corrected.
Drake nodded. "Yes, that's the word," he said. "Do you know the meanings of these words?"
A smile crossed Aimee's face. "Maybe we can make a deal," she offered. "You let me go and not kidnap me again, and I'll tell you what those words mean and never mention you to anyone."
They closed the deal with a handshake. The bargain was made, and Aimee explained the family status to Drake. He seemed very attentive for a virus who hadn't been to school.
Aimee was happy to see Drake's contented face. "I hope those words help you," she said. "Now, may I go?"
Reluctantly, Drake nodded and allowed her to leave. "Remember our bargain, Aimee," he reminded her. "You tell no one about me, not even the white blood cell cop! Or I swear I'll come after you!"
Aimee nodded. "Thanks again, Drake!" she said, waving goodbye.
Drake peered from around the corner as Aimee went back to the white blood cell cop and his cold pill partner. Both of them looked around for a minute or so, but they soon left with Aimee's sealed lips.
The young virus sighed in relief. "That was too close a call," he admitted. "Never do that again. unless it's life-threatening."
The virus then walked back to his quarters to practice the usage of his new words. He pondered their meanings as he fell asleep by his warm fire.