A/N: Alright second chapter up! I hope you guys like it and please review! Thanks much.
Chapter 2: The first realization
Next morning found me waking to bright, terrible sunlight. It felt like a laser beam burning a hole through my head and I groan in response, turning over to try and get back to sleep. A rustling next to the bed jolts me awake and I look up to see a bag descend over my head. Before I can even attempt to move, the bag is down and a draw string tightens around my neck. "Please stop struggling princess. This will go along more smoothly if you don't resist." A man's voice says cheerfully above me and I freeze mid struggle. It was the same voice from my dream! The one that had noticed I was awake.
My pulse leaps into hyper drive and I open my mouth to scream. "Tsk tsk. No use in resisting Princess." The voice says again and I feel a prick in my neck before everything goes black.
For the second time that day I am awaken by a bright light, except this time it is an artificial beam and I feel like I was hit by a diesel truck. Pain explodes in my head and I groan loudly not wanting to wake up.
"She's awake, good she wasn't out for very long." A voice says excitedly to my left and my eyes burst open as the previous events roll over my brain. I was kidnapped! In my own dorm room no less!
I was in a white, sterile-looking room, sitting on one of those long doctor's office beds. The pain in my head and body slowly ebb away as I look around taking in my new surroundings. "Good evening Princess. How do you feel?" The voice says again and my head whips to the left to see a man in a black cloak. He was tall and gangly and had a long, pale face with a twisted smile. His eyes were narrow but bright with excitement and my stomach tightens in fear at such a look.
"Where am I?" I ask loudly, feeling better at hearing my own voice and also noticing that I wasn't tied down. I jump to my feet and face him looking ready to fight. I'd never been kidnapped before but I wasn't going to let them do what they wanted without a fight.
"Settle down Princess. You are in a very safe and comfortable place now. I'd like to show you to your new room and then give you a tour of your new life and companions. I do hope your accommodations are to your liking Princess." He says with a smile.
"My new room? New life? What is going on? Where am I?" I say hastily not quite grasping the situation. I'd never seen a kidnapping like this in the movies. "And why do you keep calling me Princess?" I exclaim near tears. I'm so confused!
"Come with me on the tour and I'll explain everything to you." He says cheerfully as he turns and pushes a grey button on the wall behind him opening a door I hadn't seen a moment ago.
I didn't want to go with him but what choice did I have? I couldn't just stay there and hope I was dreaming. Besides, if this was a dream then I was really safe and didn't have to worry anyways! "Ok." I say after a moment thought and follow him slowly out the door to enter a long, brightly lit hallway.
"This is the main corridor that provides rooming for you and your companions." The man starts saying as he slowly walks down the hall. I follow behind looking around at the stone grey walls and large, round lights that were embedded in the ceiling. He stops at the first doorway and pushes a button. The door slides open and inside is a quaint room with a bed, desk and lamp. There was also a neatly folded stack of clothes on the end of the bed.
"This will be your room. Your other companion's rooms are further down this hall. This is where you'll sleep every night and spend whatever alone time you wish to have." I look around and enter the room slowly. It was fairly plain with nothing on the walls and no windows but it was of medium size and not cramped.
The clothes that were provided were a pair of comfortable, grey pajama pants and a matching grey tank top. "The temperature is always set at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, lights out at 10:00 pm every night, and you can visit the cafeteria room any time to get food. Other then that, you are free to explore and do what you like." The man says and I slowly smile. This was sounding better and better! No obnoxious boyfriend or school. No work or worries about money and bills.
"There is one issue I'd like to discuss with you before I show you the cafeteria room and leave you be." He says and I instantly go on the defense. Of course there is a catch! I think bitterly.
He shuts the door and motions me to sit down on the bed. I comply and watch him nervously. "Your fellow companions are special. Just like you. They are different from normal people and so they have spent their entire lives in this facility and know of no other life. I would like to keep it that way and so I'm requesting that you do not, under any circumstance, lead on to where you come from. Follow this rule and you will have a very pleasant and comfortable stay here." He says with another smile.
"How am I different then?" I say more out of curiosity then fear. I know it's strange but I was already feeling at home in this place. It was nice.
"We believe you are the key to unlocking Heaven." He says with a serious face. That was all he said and I left it at that for now. If he wanted to think I was some special Princess from Heaven who was I to contradict him? Especially when I could stay here!
I smile shyly and he grins before turning and opening the door again. "Let me show you the cafeteria room." He states and I follow him down the hall. We pass four more doors before turning right into a large room. It really did look like a cafeteria! There was a long tray line that had a huge variety of foods, some I'd never seen before.
In the center was one round table with five chairs. Four were already occupied by three men and…a cat? I blink and try not to gawk too openly. The man had said we were all special so I should have expected anything.
"Ah good the entire group is here to meet you!" He says excitedly and leads me over to the group who had all stopped what they were doing to look at me. The man introduces me to everyone slowly starting with an average sized boy with white hair and strange purple eyes. "Dilandau this is Hitomi. She is new and will be living with you all now." I give a small wave at Dilandau and he blinks slowly at me and says, "okay" without moving.
My smile falters but the man doesn't notice Dilandau's lack of reaction as he moves on to another man who was taller with white cropped hair and narrow eyes. "Folken this is Hitomi." The man says and I get the same reaction. Slow blink and short response. Next was the cat girl and the process was the same. By the last person I had given up with a friendly wave and just stood there. This boy looked about my age and had unruly black hair and the oddest color eyes I'd ever seen. Again the same response was given before the man turns towards me with a wide smile and beckons me to grab some food and make myself comfortable.
He says good bye to everyone and exits the room leaving me alone with the quiet bunch. I watch him go before turning back to my new companions. They had gone back to eating and as I walked to the food line, I heard the conversation start up again. They were talking about the new grey clothes that were issued and how it was a thrilling change.
Grey wasn't that big of a deal, so I tune them out and instead focus my attention on the vast array of food available. So many options and such a little plate! My stomach growls in agreement and I choose some broccoli with cheese and some roast that was covered in brown gravy.
Turning back I head to the table and sit in the one vacant seat in between Van and Dilandau. I eat slowly listening to them go on about the color grey. Did they really think it was that exciting? Of course, the man had said they have never left this place. They have no idea what is out in the real world. The man's warning goes through my mind and I decide to just listen instead of say something.
Soon, Dilandau and Folken get up to leave, saying good bye to everyone in turn including myself. I say good bye back and they leave without another word. That was weird. I think as Merle gets up and does the same farewell. They seem almost blah and boring. No real emotions or thoughts. I frown and stare down at my food, wondering why this mattered so much to me. Who cares if they are not as lively as my friends back home. Yes, friends…wait who were they again? It's always been just me, Van, Merle, Folken and Dilandau. Yes…
I smile as I get my thoughts in order. I don't know how I could've forgotten them so easily! What a dork I was.
My plate was empty so I got up and put it at the end of the food line with the other dirty dishes. Van follows me and we both walk back down the hall. His room was right next to mine and he wanted to show me something.
"Look Hitomi. These are red! I couldn't believe it when the man brought me these clothes before the grey ones were issued. He said I could choose between red and grey if I wanted." I gasp and look at the bright red shirt. "Wow it's very pretty and bright!" I exclaim before a small prick of realization is felt in the back of my mind.
I don't know why this realization was coming. I had never seen red before. Again that prick is felt and I try to ignore it as Van goes on about this new color. He was very excited!
The prick stabs at me harder and I tell Van that I wanted to go to sleep early. He says okay without a second thought and I head to my room to take off all my clothes and get into my bed like I did every night.
The morning found me with the largest head ache I'd ever felt. It was like a jackhammer was slowly drilling a hole in side of my head and it was pounding out information that I'd forgotten. I was from the outside. I had woken up with a start late in the night and was horrified that I'd forgotten this information so quickly.
I wasn't sure what had happened for me to completely forget my entire previous life but whatever it was, it didn't work anymore. I spent the rest of the night thinking of everything from the world outside so I wouldn't forget again. I know I should have been wary about this forgetfulness but I still could not complain about this new life. It was nice and easy.
The grey clothes fit perfectly around my body and I get up and head down the hall to the cafeteria. The lights in the hall were all on again but the cafeteria was empty. They must all be sleeping still. I think without much care as I load up my plate with yummy breakfast items.
After eating for quite awhile I started worrying that I had imagined the people and that I really was alone. It was impossible to tell what time it was but I didn't sleep in too late in the mornings so it could not have been past 9 am. Yet, there was no life anywhere.
Discarding my plate, I head down the hall past my room and turn down another corridor I hadn't noticed before. This was where I was yesterday when I woke up. My mind recognizes the door and there were small one-way mirrors on the wall. I stand on tip-toe and peak through curious.
Van was sitting on the white bench I had been on yesterday. He was shirtless and the man was there with him. My mind registers all this as being fine until I see the man start inserting needle after needle into Van in various places. It just kept going! My eyes widen as Van just sits there letting this man do what he wanted.
The man says something and Van's back tenses before a pair of large, white and feathery wings sprout from his shoulder blades seemingly out of thin air. I grip the window sill tighter as my eyes seem locked on those feathery objects. Flashes of my nightmare come to my mind. Feathers floating everywhere and that sad, anguished voice yelling in the background. Tears come to my eyes as the man starts prodding and pulling on those beautiful wings. Something that beautiful and pure shouldn't be pricked with needles or man handled that way.
I wait another second to see if Van does something to stop this nonsense but he just sits there and takes it. I couldn't watch any longer and I quietly back away from the window and head back to my room, tears flowing down my face.
What is going on here? I knew that the man had said all these people were special but I didn't realize they were treating them like…like monsters! Like Creatures who don't feel or think.
I didn't like this at all but what could I do? I had promised not to speak of the outside world…but…the man didn't say anything about me not saying anything personal to them. Maybe I could talk some sense into Van. Maybe he's just accepted this fate because he doesn't have a choice?
My mind was made up. I would wait for Van to be done and nonchalantly talk to him about this experiment. He doesn't look stupid. He must know that what they are doing is wrong, not to mention illegal. The government strictly forbids human testing because of all the law suits that occurred.
I sit on my bed in thought and try to patiently wait for Van to come out. I needed to be as discreet as possible so as to not alert the man.
Unfortunately, this was easier said then done.
A/N: So that was Chapter 2! What do you guys think? Next chapter will have some interesting developments but I hope this story is still interesting. No Van POV this time but next chapter he will have some good roles. Let me know what you all think please! And thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far!!
