Chapter 30 - by Sugar Faerie

Seal

Hamster whimpers in her sleep. I think it's the first time she's slept in a while. Poor thing... I can't believe what they did to her.

They brought her to me, after... it was finished. It's a stroke of luck that they put her with me, and it's the only good luck we've had so far.

I wonder what they did to Cheeky Fairy? As far as I know they left her back in our original cell...

If they did, that would really send her off the rails. She hates being alone, in an inclosed space. And she's sick, as well. She had a fever when we came here, and I don't think being here made it any better.

Hamster stirs, and she prods me lightly. "Seal? Can you tell me a story?"

A little laugh escapes from my mouth. Hamster hasn't wanted a story in a while, not since she was very young. She always came to me for stories. Mash always said she wasn't good at this sort of thing.

I put my arm around the little girl and start on a story, a fairytale. She should have at least a little bit of happiness, now when happiness is impossible.

I start on The Little Mermaid, one of my favourites, but it's too sad and too painful.

We've had enough pain to last a lifetime.

I start telling Cinderella instead, but at that moment the cell door opens.

It's the guards, and they've got Cheeky.

She looks like a ghost from a cheap cybergame. Her clothes are torn in places I'm pretty sure they weren't torn before, her face is deathly pale her eyes are strangely glassy. But the most horrible thing is the blood staining her long gloves.

The guards shove her in and she collapses, coughing and spluttering, muttering something under her breath. The guards laugh and turn away, and as they close the door I distinctly hear someone say something about the little girl not lasting long.

I go up to her and touch her gently, then snatch my hand back. Her skin is on fire. I put my hand to her forehead, and almost recieve a third degree burn.

Cheeky claws at the floor with one hand, the other waving in the air slightly, as if she's fighting some invisible enemy.

"No..." she whispers. "Mummy... don'... please! I ain'... I don'... I don' wan' to go there!"

She looks up at me, and I suddenly realise she has no idea who I am.

"Cheeky?" I say softly, putting my arms around her. Her fevered body burns softly against my skin. "It's alright, it's me, Seal..."

Cheeky shudders, still raving under her breath. Behind me, Hamster lets out a choked sob.

"It's fine, " I tell her, even though I know it's not. "It's just the fever... it's making her see things..."

Cheeky coughs, and to my horror I see a bubble of blood burst at the corner of her mouth.

No... how could this happen? There's no way she would have deteriorated so fast... There's something else behind this, I can tell.

"Cheeky!" I cry, trying desperatly to get some reason out of her. "What did they do to you?"

Thank god, Cheeky seems to have heard me. "They... sayin', tha' one... Don' know wha'. Sayin', sick already... try... if it'll work.."

Try what? Oh god... They didn't... make her sick?

"Cheeky! Did they give you an injection, or something?"

She nods, blood dripping freely from her mouth now as she coughs. "Yea... 'urts. Don' wan'... didn' wan'... don' wan' them to 'urt... me... I wan'... tha's wha' I wan'."

She speaking complete nonsense, but it's making sense to me now. They injected an illness into her... to see if it would work? On whom?

On us?

Cheeky's little bloodstained hand grabs onto my arm; she's speaking again. "Didn' mean... I didn' mean to... Gen... 'urt... I didn'!"

With all her fevered raging, I don't know what to believe and what not. All I can do is play along. "Who, sweetie? Who's hurt?"

Cheeky's body spasms as she coughs, she's finding it hard to breathe. "Gen... I'm sorry..."

She breaks off into even more violent coughing, and I know Cheeky won't make it to tomorrow. Hamster's crying, terrified at what she's seeing.

Cheeky lets out a final cough, then suddenly seems to relax. Her mouth releases a choked breath of air, and I know it's the end.

I close her eyes.

Cheeky Fairy is dead.

The guards come in and carry her out. Once again, I overhear the same cold voice I heard earlier. "Experiment... successful."