Look at this. A chapter. Ehm, I don't know what you guys mean that I nearly forgot to update my books…
Anna sat content in my lap, eyes glued on the massive T.V in front of her. Sponge Bob, a kid's T.V show, was playing and entertaining the kid. Every so often, she would giggle at something from whatever happened or what a character said.
One hand holding mine while the other was elbow deep in a Cheeto's bag; she had pulled it out from a secret spot within this huge hangar. The kid stuck a few more of the orange, weirdly shaped sticks into her mouth. Everything she touched got covered in the orange dust that coated the snack. "Nighty?" she called and drew me out from my thoughts.
That stupid, degrading name she has decided to start calling me. By the gods, if Mia or Jacob ever heard her call me that, I would never hear the last of it.
I shook my head to get rid any foul flashbacks and hummed to let her know I'm listening. The kid took out another Cheeto stick from the bag and held it towards my face. "You want one?" I thought about it. Junk food did hold high calories and Ratchet did want me to eat more even though he did say no unhealthy food.
The smell wavered up to my nose. To me, the Cheeto stick smelled okay and didn't seem dangerous. Well, the kid was inhaling them and wasn't having any bad side effects. I gently bit the Cheeto in her hand and ran my tongue against the soft bumps. The taste was something I have never had before but it was good. I quickly ate the rest and licked my chomps hungry for more. "Did you like it?"
"Yes, I did. T-thank you," I fumbled over showing my gratitude. Anna danced happily in her spot and held up two more Cheeto's for me to consume. My teeth easily shredded the soft sticks she handed me.
My hunger only increased once we finished off the bag but I couldn't go out to eat anyway. No other human besides Anna and William know of me. Ratchet did say he was going to have the kitchen make 'snack bags' that have high calories for me to eat every day.
He and the other Autobots that I have met are strange, including Sunstreaker. All four seem so relaxed and unfazed at my appearance. An alien race accepts me for being me compared to my own kind.
A pang of hurt zipped through me. It has been years as this… thing, why does it still hurt? The extremely familiar words popped up in my head, nearly being screamed at me. I flinched at the words. Only a monster to live on in this world until the day of death comes for me.
The kid squeezed my hand, snapping me out of my thoughts again. Her big, green, doe eyes peered up at me. Concern evident on her face, an emotion she has been using a lot with me. "Are you okay?" Her voice is soft, caring even.
Words were stuck in my throat. Her tone reminded me of a kindhearted parent who was concerned for you and your wellbeing. Tears welled up in my eyes, threatening to fall. "Yeah, of course. My hip is just doing its normal hurting thing," I lied swiftly and didn't even try. The kid was only seven, as if she could figure out that I was lying.
Her eyes narrowed. She turned around to face me and gently wiped the stray tear that fell. "Is there anything I can do to help? I can go get Hatch if you want," Anna offered and sat down on her calves.
"No, I'm good. There's nothing he can do to help me." Luckily, this got her to settle back down in her original spot, eyes now trained on the T.V still playing Sponge Bob. My hip was bothering me a little but not as much as she thought, same with my wing. In a couple of days, I would be off, never to be seen by them again. Yes, I did say I was going to stay but that only another lie.
If only she knew, if only everyone who judged me without knowing what I have been through. They're so quick to judge before knowing the back story of a person.
While relaxing with the kid still in my lap, a familiar tug pulled my gaze up towards the door. Tires rolling over gravel caught my attention yet none of it held a dangerous vibe. To me, it sounded like Sunstreaker's wheels but that buzz would have told me it was him. So who else was-Sideswipe's head peered into hanger.
His striking glowing, blue eyes locked onto mine. Another tug drew a small gasp from my lips, pulling in his direction… again. What does this weird feeling have to do with him? His brother was the one to shock me.
Sideswipes face morphed into confusion the moment after. His hand rested on his chest, the same place the feeling has settled in my own. It didn't take longer than five seconds for him to shake it off and stroll into the hangar like he owned it. "Wassup, Anna and Nighty?" he greeted and sat down on the couch his size to the left of the door.
I scowled at him for calling me that ridiculous name but didn't do anything rash. "Nothing much, double dutch. What about you? And where is Sunny?" she replied, not taking her eyes off of the show.
"Oh, you know, waiting for the perfect moment to prank Prowler. For Sunny, he's on patrol. The moment after Ratchet let him off of rest, Prowler put him on patrol. As much as the stick in the mud thinks we're worse when together, he is not completely right." Pranks? The two must be opposites then due to Sunstreaker's attitude towards me.
Anna sighed and shook her head in disappointment. You and me both, kid. "That's just going to get you sent to brig. I thought you wanna hang with your favorite human." The tone of voice turned to one of guilt tripping him. The same thing she did to me about asking for me to stay.
Her voice worked magic on Sideswipe as guilt welled up in his eyes and they flickered over to me. A smirk was plastered over my face as his resolved crumbled, just like how mine did. "I do, I do, Anna. Primus, I won't, okay." He held up his hands in surrender.
For some odd reason, I couldn't tear my eyes away from his, as if they were glued. He didn't feel dangerous, quite the opposite. It had to do something with his kind, that had to be the reason. That thought didn't settle well in my stomach. That was the only good reason I could come up with besides ridiculous ideas.
Another pull towards him caused all of my muscles to tense. A loud growl started deep in my chest as my eyes narrowed dangerously at him. What is he doing? It was him, I knew that because of the three times it's done this and it was towards him.
His brows furrowed as our eyes continued to bore into the other. "Nighty? What's wrong?" Anna's voice drew me out of that stuck state. I huffed a plume of smoke and let my gaze settle on the T.V, not paying it one lick of attention. The only answer she got was a gruff nothing.
"Hey, Midnight? Could I talk to you real quick?" Sideswipe spoke up after a few short minutes of no conversations. Oh, now he decides to use that name fully.
I grumbled under my breath some crude words directed at him and stood up. Curiosity was eating me up on the inside, but I would never let him know that. Why did he need to talk with me? "I'm good," I mumbled and refused to move.
Sideswipe hardened his gaze in the slightest. "Please, Midnight." Something underlined his voice. The pull happened once more, again right at him. His gaze softened the moment after. Did he feel it too? Is that why he wanted to talk with me?
"Fine." I got up carefully and lightly limped over to him, eyes trained on him if he tried to do anything. Sideswipe got off of the couch and lead me outside.
The sun felt good on my scales, warming up the blood underneath. Clouds blotted the sky, not enough to block out the sun. A gentle breeze ruffled my long, black hair.
He sat down on his haunches and balanced himself extremely well. "First off, I wanted to thank you again for bringing Sunstreaker. Second of all… do you feel anything towards me or my brother?"
"What kind of question is that? I only met you yesterday. For your brother, I only respect him to a degree. He was still rude to me so you can't blame me." To throw him off as I think of whether or not to tell him. He didn't feel dangerous at all and instead, had a calming presences to him. I decided to go with my instinct, it has kept me alive and semi safe this far.
"Whoa, no reason to get worked up." He held up his hands in surrender and rolled back slightly. "I was just wondering."
A sigh escaped me. "What is it to you?" I bit back and peered down at the dirt ground below. My eyes studied the ground as I waited for his response. What did it mean since I kind of do? But this 'pull' is different than the buzzing, so what is it?
From my limited vision, I could see him perk up on his wheels and moved timidly closer to me. "Nothing." My brows furrowed in confusion as I stared up at him. Then why did he ask that question in the first place?! "What I mean is nothing at the moment. It could blossom into something beautiful."
Stupid robot not giving me a clear answer. "Are you saying that the pull is… romantic?" Fear underlined the anger in my voice as I tried to act like the boss. I couldn't show what was happening scared me or he could take advantage of that.
Anyone around me gets killed. Even though I barely know the bot, I couldn't have the guilt on my shoulders of his death.
Skepticalism washed over his face. "Well, I don't have an answer for you. Ratchet would have to look into it." Too late for that, I already told him that.
"Whatever it is can't happen," I stated and crossed my arms firmly. "Once my wing is healed enough, I'm gone with the wind bull's eye."
"But you said you were going to stay, Nighty." That voice caused panic to arise inside of me. My eyes darted over to the source and dread boiled deep. Anna stood there, arms hugging herself to hold as much heat as she cold. Pain evident in her eyes as tears threatened to fall. Her lip quivered , completing the whole emotion of sadness.
Anna didn't give me a chance to get a word in as she raced off towards another hangar, her leg still giving her trouble. A place I could not go in fear of humans seeing me. "Anna, wait!" I called out and reached with my hand as if I could stop her fleeing frame. Her actions had hurt me but I understood them as well. She had the idea that I put there I was going to stay.
I dropped that hand weakly and bowed my head. It was for the best, my mind repeated. "I thought you were going to stay?" Sideswipe spoke up.
Anger filled my voice with fear trickling in too. "I can't, Sideswipe. I put everyone around me in danger. Including the little girl that just ran off. It doesn't matter, I hurt everything around me. She was no different." This was internal agony. I get attach to people really quick, waiting nothing to protect them even though I will have to leave.
"Jasper is still going to go after us since they have teamed up with the Cons. You being here or not isn't going to change that. It would be helpful if you were. We don't know what we are going against and you're the only one that can tell us. We're just running into this battle blind." A great metaphor used by an alien.
Surprisingly enough, he remembered my reason. The tug happened again, drawing my gaze up to the robot slightly towering over me. It seemed to have done the same to him. Whatever it was, soothed my fear and silently reassured me. So did the buzz, just sitting there with a calming sense.
No matter how much fright built, both the pull and buzz pacify me. It even kept my water/ice powers at bay as those are connected to fear.
It was a never ending process of a constant battle of ease and terror within.
Sideswipe reached out timidly and brushed his pointer finger against the top of my head. A life changing shock zapped the daylights out of me. I reacted by taking to the sky, my right wing having trouble due to the taunt muscles. "What's with your kind and shocking me?!" I hissed and glared daggers down at him.
The same tingling feeling ran down my spine to settle in the same place as the other. Both tingling/buzzing were the same but not if you understand. It stood out clear as day and grew more in the slightest as Sideswipe stood up. What did he do? What did his brother do to me?!
"Whoa-whoa. Hey it's okay. That was very… weird." No shit Sherlock. I patted worryingly at myself to check or any injuries. The only thing was that was hurting was my wing. Which was somehow holding up. "Wait, what do you mean by that question?"
"Your stupid brother shocked me when I was trying to help him. The only one that hasn't shocked me is Ratchet and the Optimus Prime dude. You idiotic, over grown, kaput toaster!" With that pull no longer there to maintain my terror, it was released to my hold.
Energy rushed to my finger tips and my senses took note to the water pipes running underground close to us. Not entirely good. Heat burned lightly underneath my scales, ready to be used at a whim.
His face morphed into confusion as he took in the new information. I tried to stay up in the sky but my wing couldn't bare the weight anymore and forced me to land. "Sunny shocked you, too?"
My extra appendages folded neat behind my back. "Yes, I said that," I grumbled with a glare towards the ground once again. Excitement seemed to bubble up inside of him as a smile grew on his features. What was he planning?
"Now, you definitely can't leave! And Sunny didn't want me talking to you but now he can't stop me. Perfect!" Again with that stuff where the thought they could keep me here against my will. I would love to see them try their hardest. None of them could stop me, I'm great at fleeing if need be.
"What is that suppose to mean?" My fright and rage slowly trickled away as I timidly calmed.
"Have you told Ratchet?" He completely ignored my question and threw one back. I nodded a little unsure of where this is going. "Has he told you anything?" I shook my head, still on edge of where this was going. "Well, since he knows of Sunny shocking you, he's definitely going to make you stay so he can figure out what happened."
I could help the bark laugh that escaped. "As if he could keep me here! If I wanted to right now, I could leave without another thought." Well, my wing and hip wasn't entirely healed enough but wouldn't stop me from escaping. I've been in worse conditions and still made it out from captivity.
A smug smirk grew on his face as he bent down. "Then why haven't you?" My confidence washed away within a snap of fingers. I thought for a snarky response but couldn't for the life of me think up one. Why haven't I left? I don't belong here… I don't belong anywhere.
He knocked his pointer finger into my shoulder to shake me from my thoughts. "You do belong here. Yeah, the humans are scared of you but they're scaredy cats. What do you expect? They're afraid of their own shadows so don't take it to spark." His words hit home. Yet he doesn't know that humans are my race and that's why it hurts.
"Now, come on. We need to go find Anna so you can tell her you're staying." He used his finger again to push me towards the other hangars. I stuttered over my words to disagree with him but the red robot wasn't having it. "Nope, we're going over to the Main Hangar and finding her."
Sideswipe lead me over to the biggest hangar of them all. Any human we passed stared without an ounce of decadency. I resorted to my normal attitude of strutting with my head held high. Their actions did hurt. As a monster, I had to show that it didn't bother me at all, at least on the outside.
I quickly found Anna sitting at a table with her head down. William kneeled next to her, rubbing her back to soothe her. She clearly was crying and that struck an already injured nerve.
My wings instinctively unfurled and carried me over to the catwalk she and William where on. The talons on my feet clamped down on the railing as I stayed my distance.
Humans could be heard gasping or staring in fear as my frame glided over them. I paid them no mind and focused on Anna a good few feet away. William was the first to notice my appearance and narrowed his eyes to seem scary. "How dare you hurt Anna?!" he nearly screamed at me and marched over to me.
"Just shut your mouth, William. I'm not here to talk with you." I jumped off of the railing and pushed pass the soldier. He stood there for a moment in shock before shaking it off and roughly grabbing my shoulder. I shrugged him off easily and knelt down next to Anna. Her hiccups and sobs broke my nonexistent heart. "Anna, I'm sorry. I did not mean those words. I promise you, I'm staying."
Saying sorry felt like a sin to me. In any of my years, I had barely apologized as my humanity has been stripped from me. My words caught her attention and she timidly glanced up at me. "Are you really or are you lying again?" she ground out. I flinched harshly at her questions but knew I deserved it. Treat others how you want to be treated.
A thought came to mind. I held out my pinkie with a hopefully smile. "I pinkie promise." That caused her façade to break and a smile graced her lips. Anna wrapped her own around mine and we shook on it.
"You better not pull something like that again or I'll have Hidey go after you." I stared at her in confusion on this 'Hidey' person.
"Who is 'Hidey'?"
"That is me." A large, black robot stepped up to the catwalk, just barely towering over us. Two huge cannons sat on both of his arms, the barrels slightly whirling. His eyes were the same as the other Cybertronians on base: blue.
This robot held an aura of power and protectiveness. Kind of like Sunstreaker. Maybe I'll come to respect him. "She doesn't have to send me. I hear word that you hurt her again, I'll blow you into smithereens without another thought," he declared and leaned down to act intimidating. I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he was in the tiny bit scary.
"You won't have to. I'll kick my own ass if I do," I responded and dipped my head. He snorted quietly. Oh, yeah, we'll get along just fine.
Anna wrapped her arms around my waist and peered over to her dad. "Can we go back to the Rec. room? I wanna watch some more Sponge Bob." William sighed and hesitantly nodded his head.
The little girl cheered happily and dragged me over to the railing. "Sides, take us away!" Huh? Without letting me get a word in, Sideswipe scooped the two of us off the catwalk. I gripped tightly to his hand and chest plating from the quick motion.
My left hand buzzed with high amounts of energy from being in contact with his chest. I glanced up at Sideswipe for his reaction. A smug smirk was plastered over his face.
The energy wasn't the kind I knew of though and didn't classify as heat/cool or water energy. I released the hold and felt as the tingling ran from my hand to the center of my chest. It resided there with its buddy. This one was much more noticeable. Probably because I was right next to Sideswipe. The other one would do the same if Sunstreaker was nearby.
I stared in bewilderment and confusion at my hands. Thoughts whipped around inside of my head as I thought about what this could be. Everything might have gotten even more complicated.