Chapter Four: Theresa
I hadn't seen anyone that old since I was nine, but here she was, pacing back and forth, a twenty-two year old woman! At first I thought it was my sad birthday, but then, something wasn't right, and she said I already had my sad birthday! I scratched my memory for putting on the white night gown while she spoke, but I could only remember about a week before my sad birthday, a week of misery. What had I become? Thoughts that would nauseate and overwhelm me I pushed back, listening to everything this woman said.
"See, to learn more about the overlords, I'm going to need some help. I need another winger to figure out something, and I'd like you to go with Dan and Julio to get one for me." Another.oh, yes, the creature test had said I would 'be used in the assembly and operation of' a winger, or something along those lines. I nodded to the woman, Deyana, who smiled contently at my answer.
"I hope you like that idea after last time," an Indian man, who looked about as old as the Deyana woman, came from the dark corner, frowning. This man was huge, about a foot taller than Deyana. "Couldn't you fix the vocal cords without another winger?"
"No," the woman sighed. "I need a winger, and I can't stress that enough, and plus, this time, she's helping you and Dan, so it'll be more of an even venture."
"Even," the Indian man snorted. The large man shrugged, turning casually away from Deyana. "Now?"
"Yes, do it now," the woman smiled and watched him leave the room. She walked over to me. "That's Julio. He and I were in college at twelve years old, although I was one year ahead of him." My eyes widened because I would only be in sixth and staring seventh grade when I was twelve. This woman must really know what she was doing, but according to her, she had already removed that horrid silver ball that had controlled my mind.
I stared at her calm, thoughtful face. I wanted to say thank you so badly. But no words would exit my mouth, and I had to be satisfied with a nod of my head. Deyana walked around behind me where I couldn't see her, but I felt the restraints on my body begin to loosen. "Don't listen to Dan. He'll probably say a bunch of crap. Don't move after I remove the restraints because I'm taking you to the vehicle."
I lay motionless as my slanted table, which might have looked like an operating table, moved into a horizontal position. I stared up at Deyana's face as she moved me out of the room. I stared around at the strange, narrow, hallways, wondering all the while where I was until I saw the ocean in the little dome above my head.
An undersea laboratory! Wow, I would have never, ever suspected this, but it's probably why she was twenty-two. The vehicle was a mini-sub and she hauled me off the table, into the sub. I lay on my stomach, realizing my legs were pretty pathetic, and for the first time, I took a look at my massive, black wings. My mind swam thoughts of disgust at being a creature creeping into my thoughts.but if I were really a creature, I couldn't think these thoughts. Right?
"Dey.ANA!" A guy, younger than Deyana and bigger than either of them, caught sight of me. "Okay, another winger, sure, but this is INSANE!"
"DAN!" The woman became angry. "This is MY plan, and unless you can EXICUTE, not DEVISE, a better one, you will LISTEN TO ME." Deyana silenced the boy, who looked with utter disgust at me. It really shouldn't surprise me because I had looked at the creatures in the dormitories with utter loathing. Still, I felt dirty.
"She is going with you two, and I will have another winger," Deyana silenced both larger men, and they looked at me.
"Dan, sub," Julio stated sharply. "I need to grab our supplies." So this was Dan, the one Deyana had warned me about. He stared at me, and back at Deyana with her hands planted firmly on her hips. He scowled as he went out of sight, possibly to run the sub. "Let's go." Julio returned with a large piece of meat. I felt my mouth water, and I couldn't stop staring at the luscious.WHAT THE HELL? What was I thinking? I was visualizing that raw meal in the same category as chocolate! I suppressed sick urges in my mind, making me want to vomit at the thoughts. I was Teresa, not some mindless creature.
"I want four living bodies in that sub," Deyana snapped at Julio as he began to close the door. Dan mumbled something from behind me. I felt movement, but I couldn't see where we were heading. I lay there and watched the locked door, wondering all the while where I was heading.
"Let's just screw her," Dan muttered from behind me. "I mean, come one, this is stupid! If she'd focus on something other than trying to humanize dumb creatures," the dirty feelings flooded me, "we could be back to normal."
"No," Julio stated sharply. "If this isn't easy, doing things your way would be very difficult, and we'd probably suffer greater lose."
"Let's dump that thing," I strained to see their faces. God, where they really going to kill me? Well, it wouldn't be a total surprise since my human body died years ago.
"No," Julio said again. "Let's not do that because we're going to need help, and I was there for the little tests Deyana did."
"Dude, you're fooling yourself to think that thing has a human mind!" I felt sick to my stomach. I suddenly felt a jolt, and the conversation ended with Julio coming over to the door by my face and opening it to reveal a sewer tunnel. Dan walked out first carrying steak, knives, a box, ropes, and chains. Julio followed with me in his arms since I guess my walking abilities weren't too great. Julio stopped not too far into the sewer system and put me down. Was he going to leave me? No, he picked me up again, placing me over his shoulders, and began climbing a ladder.
The light was bright compared to the dark sewers, and I suddenly realized I could see very far in every direction, but I could see little birds and a couple of wingers soaring up in the clouds. Julio took me into a clump of bushes and knelt down as Dan set the trap. The raw meat was making me hungry, and if I could speak, I probably would have asked them if I could eat it.
But the wingers they wanted arrived just as Dan slid himself down beside Julio. "What does that do?" He stared at me, and Julio began to think.
"Fly," Julio replied calmly. "When the first one touches the meat, fly out and give the rest of them a beating." I stared over at Julio, swallowing a lump in my throat. How would they tell me apart from the other wingers? I shook my head. Julio raised an eyebrow. I shook me head constantly. No, I wouldn't do this. If they didn't take me back.the thought scared me too much.
Dan jerked the rope, and I turned to see that the box had fallen atop of the first winger to touch the meat. He began to pull the box and the winger over to the bushes. I could see the other eight circling above us, hovering over the box, looking for the meat. Julio drug the box into the bushes, lifted up the edge, and tried to administer tranquilizer to the infuriated winger.
It lashed out at him, and Dan drew his knife. I snapped at the winger in the box as Julio administered the tranquilizer. The winger went silent as Julio cradled his lower arm. "Not as bad as last time," Julio muttered as he squinted upwards. "Go! I think they see us." Julio draped me over his shoulders and we rushed to the sewers. Two wingers had gone into a dive. They were coming towards us! A horrible sound that was meant to be a scream exploded from my mouth. I felt Julio shudder as he placed the lid over the sewer entrance.
The two of them were running full out to the sub threw the unconscious winger in beside me before Julio shut the door. "Damn, never, ever again," Dan whispered. "This gets more insane each time she makes a request. That thing didn't help at all." His words only added to the feelings of worthlessness that filled me. I wanted every part of me to be dead.
I hadn't seen anyone that old since I was nine, but here she was, pacing back and forth, a twenty-two year old woman! At first I thought it was my sad birthday, but then, something wasn't right, and she said I already had my sad birthday! I scratched my memory for putting on the white night gown while she spoke, but I could only remember about a week before my sad birthday, a week of misery. What had I become? Thoughts that would nauseate and overwhelm me I pushed back, listening to everything this woman said.
"See, to learn more about the overlords, I'm going to need some help. I need another winger to figure out something, and I'd like you to go with Dan and Julio to get one for me." Another.oh, yes, the creature test had said I would 'be used in the assembly and operation of' a winger, or something along those lines. I nodded to the woman, Deyana, who smiled contently at my answer.
"I hope you like that idea after last time," an Indian man, who looked about as old as the Deyana woman, came from the dark corner, frowning. This man was huge, about a foot taller than Deyana. "Couldn't you fix the vocal cords without another winger?"
"No," the woman sighed. "I need a winger, and I can't stress that enough, and plus, this time, she's helping you and Dan, so it'll be more of an even venture."
"Even," the Indian man snorted. The large man shrugged, turning casually away from Deyana. "Now?"
"Yes, do it now," the woman smiled and watched him leave the room. She walked over to me. "That's Julio. He and I were in college at twelve years old, although I was one year ahead of him." My eyes widened because I would only be in sixth and staring seventh grade when I was twelve. This woman must really know what she was doing, but according to her, she had already removed that horrid silver ball that had controlled my mind.
I stared at her calm, thoughtful face. I wanted to say thank you so badly. But no words would exit my mouth, and I had to be satisfied with a nod of my head. Deyana walked around behind me where I couldn't see her, but I felt the restraints on my body begin to loosen. "Don't listen to Dan. He'll probably say a bunch of crap. Don't move after I remove the restraints because I'm taking you to the vehicle."
I lay motionless as my slanted table, which might have looked like an operating table, moved into a horizontal position. I stared up at Deyana's face as she moved me out of the room. I stared around at the strange, narrow, hallways, wondering all the while where I was until I saw the ocean in the little dome above my head.
An undersea laboratory! Wow, I would have never, ever suspected this, but it's probably why she was twenty-two. The vehicle was a mini-sub and she hauled me off the table, into the sub. I lay on my stomach, realizing my legs were pretty pathetic, and for the first time, I took a look at my massive, black wings. My mind swam thoughts of disgust at being a creature creeping into my thoughts.but if I were really a creature, I couldn't think these thoughts. Right?
"Dey.ANA!" A guy, younger than Deyana and bigger than either of them, caught sight of me. "Okay, another winger, sure, but this is INSANE!"
"DAN!" The woman became angry. "This is MY plan, and unless you can EXICUTE, not DEVISE, a better one, you will LISTEN TO ME." Deyana silenced the boy, who looked with utter disgust at me. It really shouldn't surprise me because I had looked at the creatures in the dormitories with utter loathing. Still, I felt dirty.
"She is going with you two, and I will have another winger," Deyana silenced both larger men, and they looked at me.
"Dan, sub," Julio stated sharply. "I need to grab our supplies." So this was Dan, the one Deyana had warned me about. He stared at me, and back at Deyana with her hands planted firmly on her hips. He scowled as he went out of sight, possibly to run the sub. "Let's go." Julio returned with a large piece of meat. I felt my mouth water, and I couldn't stop staring at the luscious.WHAT THE HELL? What was I thinking? I was visualizing that raw meal in the same category as chocolate! I suppressed sick urges in my mind, making me want to vomit at the thoughts. I was Teresa, not some mindless creature.
"I want four living bodies in that sub," Deyana snapped at Julio as he began to close the door. Dan mumbled something from behind me. I felt movement, but I couldn't see where we were heading. I lay there and watched the locked door, wondering all the while where I was heading.
"Let's just screw her," Dan muttered from behind me. "I mean, come one, this is stupid! If she'd focus on something other than trying to humanize dumb creatures," the dirty feelings flooded me, "we could be back to normal."
"No," Julio stated sharply. "If this isn't easy, doing things your way would be very difficult, and we'd probably suffer greater lose."
"Let's dump that thing," I strained to see their faces. God, where they really going to kill me? Well, it wouldn't be a total surprise since my human body died years ago.
"No," Julio said again. "Let's not do that because we're going to need help, and I was there for the little tests Deyana did."
"Dude, you're fooling yourself to think that thing has a human mind!" I felt sick to my stomach. I suddenly felt a jolt, and the conversation ended with Julio coming over to the door by my face and opening it to reveal a sewer tunnel. Dan walked out first carrying steak, knives, a box, ropes, and chains. Julio followed with me in his arms since I guess my walking abilities weren't too great. Julio stopped not too far into the sewer system and put me down. Was he going to leave me? No, he picked me up again, placing me over his shoulders, and began climbing a ladder.
The light was bright compared to the dark sewers, and I suddenly realized I could see very far in every direction, but I could see little birds and a couple of wingers soaring up in the clouds. Julio took me into a clump of bushes and knelt down as Dan set the trap. The raw meat was making me hungry, and if I could speak, I probably would have asked them if I could eat it.
But the wingers they wanted arrived just as Dan slid himself down beside Julio. "What does that do?" He stared at me, and Julio began to think.
"Fly," Julio replied calmly. "When the first one touches the meat, fly out and give the rest of them a beating." I stared over at Julio, swallowing a lump in my throat. How would they tell me apart from the other wingers? I shook my head. Julio raised an eyebrow. I shook me head constantly. No, I wouldn't do this. If they didn't take me back.the thought scared me too much.
Dan jerked the rope, and I turned to see that the box had fallen atop of the first winger to touch the meat. He began to pull the box and the winger over to the bushes. I could see the other eight circling above us, hovering over the box, looking for the meat. Julio drug the box into the bushes, lifted up the edge, and tried to administer tranquilizer to the infuriated winger.
It lashed out at him, and Dan drew his knife. I snapped at the winger in the box as Julio administered the tranquilizer. The winger went silent as Julio cradled his lower arm. "Not as bad as last time," Julio muttered as he squinted upwards. "Go! I think they see us." Julio draped me over his shoulders and we rushed to the sewers. Two wingers had gone into a dive. They were coming towards us! A horrible sound that was meant to be a scream exploded from my mouth. I felt Julio shudder as he placed the lid over the sewer entrance.
The two of them were running full out to the sub threw the unconscious winger in beside me before Julio shut the door. "Damn, never, ever again," Dan whispered. "This gets more insane each time she makes a request. That thing didn't help at all." His words only added to the feelings of worthlessness that filled me. I wanted every part of me to be dead.