Chapter 11

"Come on, open up."

It could be delirium, but you're fairly sure somebody has their fingers in your mouth. And uhh…

Blah! What is that stuff?!?!? It tastes like…

You struggle to spit it out, but whoever is trying to poison you is holding your mouth shut. You squirm frantically, but you're held tight, pressed forcefully against a surface that scrapes your elbows as you try to brace yourself. And after a few seconds your strength gives out. You give up and swallow, lying still under the weight on top of you and breathing hard.

Cool fingers stroke your face and find their way to your lips again, forcing you to accept another one of the smooth things that crunch in you mouth like hard candy. This time, it doesn't taste so bad. In fact…

Before you can be asked, you have your mouth open again, begging for more like a baby bird, feeling with your tongue as a weak cry escapes your throat. But instead of complying, the presence hovering over you presses a handful of the stuff into your palm and retreats. You hear a door slam and are shocked fully awake, gasping in agony at the jarring noise. A draft of icy wind sends goose bumps skittering over your entire body and you curl in on yourself and shiver.

You open your eyes and look around to find that you're in a mostly empty room, lying on a cold cement floor. There aren't any windows. Just dark patterns etched all around you and…You're sitting in a huge pool of blood.

Squealing in terror, you scuttle backwards, the rough floor tearing at your wrists and hands as you scramble to get away from it. Over in the corner… is that…?

You scream again, but the cry is cut short as the door opens again and a frightening young man with green hair comes in. Though he doesn't entirely look it, you are acutely aware that he's male as he watches you struggling on the floor and throws a tattered sheet in your lap.

"Cover yourself."

Your face burns. He squats down so that the two of you are at eye level and his violet gaze flicks around and comes to rest on the discarded pile of little red stones, which you dropped in your desperate efforts to get away from…

He raises his eyebrows and you shake your head, so he goes and gets them for you and you choke them down, drawing the sheet tighter around yourself and whimpering. He smiles.

"I'm assuming you speak English. My. Name. Is. Envy. Do you understand that? We are homunculi."

You nod mutely as your fingers move without your willing them to and catch a stray lock of his hair, your eyes fixed over his shoulder on that thing crumpled on the floor just outside the circle where you woke up. He removes your hands and forces them to be still.

"Can't you talk?"

You nod again but say nothing, and after a few seconds he sighs in exasperation and drags you to your feet, forcibly hauling you out of the room by one arm. You trail behind him like a bedraggled kite, trying to hold you makeshift garment up with one hand.

As you pass through the door, you dig your heels in and force yourself to look.

The thing on the floor is a dead body.

That face…

You yelp as your devil-eyed escort jerks you out into the frigid night air. You wait, but he won't look at you now. You try to pull away, but he gives your arm a decisive yank and starts to walk.

What do you do now?

Duh! Give this freak a solid kick in some place that will prove he's really a guy, and then get the heck out of here! Go to Chapter 21

*yawns adorably in a chibi-style way and snuggles closer to new friend* Go to Chapter 22