To see the world in a grain of sand- William Blake, "Auguries of Innocence."
If I was in the afterlife now, then this was one strange way of waking up to it. I could feel something soft beneath me, and something over top of my body to keep me warm. I also felt something wrapped around various parts of my body, and my skin was itchy. As my mind started to work again, so did my hearing. "You think she's ok?" a soft feminine voice asked, "she's been out for three days now."
"Can't say I blame her: those wounds on her body were pretty nasty." another voice said, but it was male. It didn't sound like my parents: maybe I wasn't in the afterlife, maybe the police came and stopped my parents before the killed me, and took me to a hospital. "Still, pretty weird don't ya think?" another male's voice asked; it had a slight twang in the accent, "her just showin' up in the street like that?"
"And in those clothes too." The first voice, the female, added, "they haven't made clothes like that for a long time." Ok then, maybe I was in a coma and have been like that for a few years at least. Ok, that's it. I'm in a coma, I'm in a coma. I am in a coma. "Poor thing; she looks so thin." the female's voice whispered quietly, "what happened to her?"
"No idea, Lexi." The accented voice replied.
"I just hope she wakes up soon." the second voice, the male without the accent, said in a sort of concerned way. It was then I felt something touching my hand, gently rubbing it. "Hope you get better soon, kiddo." the accented males voice told me. Something inside my mind twigged, making my hand flinch. "Whoa! Ok, saw that!" The female softly exclaimed, "Is she waking up?"
"Scans say...yes." the male-without-accent answered. I felt another hand on my shoulder, this time coming from the left. "Hey sleepy head." the female, Lexi I think her name was, called softly, "Rise and shine." my eyelids began twitching slightly, and my whole body suddenly jumped involuntary. Honestly, I spooked myself when I did that. I gave a weak groan as I felt the circulation coming back into my body again, allowing my limbs to move. "Oh boy." I managed to say weakly.
"She's talking; that's good." the second male's voice commented. I scrunched my eyes a little, before they began to open up. The room was distorted a little, but soon it was coming into focus.
Just like the three strangely dressed people looking down at me.
One was a blond haired pink rabbit with a black uniform on, the other was a rabbit too, only yellow. The third...eh, I'm going to go with a green coyote or wolf. "Ok, this is just trippy." I stated weakly, trying to lift up my hand to rub my hand, "I'm seeing animals."
"Anthropomorphic animals, actually." the green coyote/wolf thing corrected me. I just stared at them all for a few seconds before I heard a door open somewhere. "So is she awake yet?!" Someone asked as an orange duck-billed head barged into my view and staring right at me.
Ok, time to panic.
I let off a scream, pushing the...thing away from me and scrambling backwards as fast as I could move my body. "Ow!" the duck creature exclaimed as it flew back into the arms of some giant purple creature thingie. "Oh my god, oh my god!" I whimpered continuously, crouched against a wall. "Whoa, easy there." the pink rabbit girl said, holding her hands out in a peaceful manner, "it's ok there, we're not going to hurt you." she took another step closer, making me flinch backwards.
"I think it might be best if some of us left." the coyote thing offered, but it was more of a hint for people....things to leave, "Lexi can you re-bandage her injuries? There's fresh ones under the bench."
"Sure thing, Tech." the pink rabbit agreed as he and the yellow rabbit ushered the other two creatures out of the room. I had to admit, I felt a little more safer now that it was just the girl rabbit and I, but I wasn't quite trusting yet. "Sorry about Duck; he's a little crazy when it comes to someone new." the girl apologized as she pulled out a box from underneath a bench somewhere and placed on the bed by my leg, "I'm Lexi Bunny, but you can call me Lexi. You gotta name?" It took me a few seconds to realize that she was talking to me so that I could feel a little more at ease. "Roxy." I answered quietly.
"Roxy, huh?" Lexi questioned with a smile, "is that nickname or something?"
"Shortened middle name." I answered softly.
"So then what's your full name?" Lexi asked me, holding up my right arm to undress the already stained-with-dry-blood-bandages. I winced when she took them off completely; I had some bruising, and the cuts were about two centimeters wide and an inch long. They were going to take a long time to heal properly. "Your full name, sweetie." Lexi gently probed me, to get my mind off the injuries.
"Lolita Roxanna Joyce." I answered her, looking away from my arm.
"Yikes, that's a mouthful." she smiled jokingly, "How about Lola, or do you prefer Roxy?"
"Anyone is ok." I answered her. I was starting to like Lexi; she was being very nice to me. She finished taking off all the old bandages before cleaning my injuries then applying clean bandages on me. "So Lola, where do you live?" Lexi asked as she cleaned up the mess.
"Melbourne Australia." I answered then titled my head a little, "where am I?" Lexi paused in her chore before looking at me. "In Acmetropolis." she told me then paused again, "what year did you say again?"
"I didn't, but 2009." I tell her regardless. Then cue the empty feeling in my stomach, similar to a bottomless pit, "Something tells me...I'm a long way from home."
"You got that right." She admitted with a grimace, "it's the year 2772." And there goes that happy reality I was prepared to live out in the afterlife.
"2772?" I repeated her, "as in...the future? Flying cars?"
"Well, not so much flying cars; we have hovering cars, but yeah, pretty much." she agreed then offered her hands, "feeling up to meeting the others yet?" I guess my uncertainty was showing on my face.
"Don't worry; I'll keep Duck of you till you're feeling better." she promised me. My mouth set itself into a small line before I hesitantly put my hands in hers and let her ease me off the bed. When I looked down at my clothes, I noticed that I was wearing a black and pink uniform, similar to Lexi. "Sorry: you're other clothes are in the wash." Lexi apologized, "they should be ready soon enough."
"Thank you." I said quietly and let her lead me out of the room and into another larger one. There was a wide rec area, then a small step or two that led into the TV portion of the room, complete with the biggest wide-screen I'd ever seen. That just so happened to be where the other anthropomorphic creatures were sitting. All of them I remember, except for one that was new. And it was the green coyote/wolf that first noticed Lex and I. "well look who's up and walking already?" he asked in a playful teasing tone, "feeling any better, ma'am?"
"A little." I nodded timidly, "thank you."
"Go easy on her guys, she's a little overwhelmed." Lexi told them up front as she led me over to the couches and sat me beside the green coyote/wolf before sitting on the arm of the couch. The others gathered around me slightly, especially the orange duck thing. But before he got his beak to open Lexi shot him a warning glance that shut him up. Wow; she's good. "Anyway guys, meet Lolita Roxanna Joyce." Lexi introduced for me, "this is Ace Bunny." She pointed out the yellow and black uniformed rabbit. "That's Slam Tasmanian." Lexi went on, pointing to the giant purple creature. "Descendant of a Tasmanian devil." the green coyote/wolf thing whispered to me. Dang, my look of helplessness struck yet again. "This is Danger Duck." Lexi introduced, gesturing to the orange billed boy.
"The name is Quack-inator." He corrected her with a trying-to-be-heroic pose. I quirked an eyebrow and looked up at Lexi. "He tries too hard." I stated. She hummed in agreement.
"That's Rev Runner over there." Lexi carried on with the introductions, this time pointing to a red bird-like creature. "Hey-there-nice-to-meet-you-Lolita-is-it-ok-if-I-call-you-Lola-cos-it's-easier-than-saying-your-whole-name-not-that-it's-a-bad-thing-or-anything." Rev spoke...very fast. I'm surprised I even caught all of that.
"Did you catch that?" Ace asked me, and by his tone he probably thought I didn't.
"Every word." I answered him, "Lola's just fine."
"And finally this is Tech E. Coyote." Lexi finished, gesturing to the green creature beside me, "He's the one that found you in the street."
"It wasn't just me." he mumbled quietly, looking at anything but me. I could've sworn there was a blush on his cheeks. "Well, thank you anyway; for taking me in." I thanked them all.
"No problem, Lola." Ace smiled at me.
"Yeah it's always nice having new company around." Danger Duck agreed, eyeing me suggestively.
"Eyes to yourself, buster, before they'll be checking out your insides." I warned him, making him back off slightly. "Ooh, girl's got the edge." Lexi smiled encouragingly, "you're gonna fit in just fine here."
"You-mean-she's-gonna-stay?" Rev speed talked again, sounding excited.
"Guess I have to now. I don't really know anything about this place." I admitted sheepishly, "or time."
"Or time?" Tech picked up on the word.
"Apparently, Lola's from the year 2009." Lexi explained to him, "which explains her clothes." On the mention of clothes again, my hand reached up around my neck. I let out a small exhale of air; my red scarf was still around my neck. "Well-I-don't-know-about-you-guys-but-I'm-really-hungry!" Rev declared, "Hey-Lola-would-you-like-something-to-eat? Pizza-maybe-or-Chinese-take-out-whatever-your-pick."
"Uh...pizza sounds good." I said quietly.
"Ok-pizza-it-is-Anyone-else-want-some?" Rev speed-asked everyone else.
"Pepperoni for me." Tech told him, Lexi and Ace going for a vegetarian each, "what about you, Lola?"
"Just whatever everyone else is having." I answered timidly. After everyone placed their orders Rev ran off, a stream of fire left in his wake. Wow, that sure was fast. "So Lola, what's the past like?" Danger Duck asked me, getting right into the questions. Slam, Tech, Ace and Lexi seemed like they wanted to know as well, but they weren't being as forthright about it like him. "Uh...well, it's not like this place." I commented weakly.
"So no flying cars, no jet packs, nothing?" he asked.
"Uh-uh." I shook my head, "the only way to get around was train, bus, tram, car or man power."
"Man power?" He echoed.
"In the easier-for-you-to-get language; walking." Tech told him, sounding a little smug about it.
"Walking?!" Duck cried out.
"Yeah, leg power: somethin' you could stand to use every now and then." Ace commented teasingly, and the other three laughed in agreement. Just then Rev came back with the pizzas. At the delightful smell of pepperoni and vegetarian pizza, my tummy rumbled lowly, catching their attention.
"Boy, someone sounds hungry, and it ain't Slam." Ace stated with a friendly smile.
"Sorry." I smiled sheepishly. Rev handed out the pizzas, and slapped Duck's hand away from mine.
"Hands-off-her-pizza-Duck-she-needs-to-eat-no-offense-Lola-but-you-look-like-you-could-use-something-nourishing-to-eat." he speed talked his sentence again.
"He's got a point though." Ace told me, "you look a little thin." I didn't add any comment, mostly because I knew it was true, and if I did say something it meant they'd ask about my past. Literally my past, and I wasn't quite feeling up to sharing it. "Something on your mind, Lola?" Tech asked me. I mentally snapped out of my thoughts and forced myself to smile at him. "No not really; just wondering how many pizzas I need to have before I look healthy again." To get out of anything else I took out a slice of pepperoni pizza from the box Rev gave me and took a bite out of it. Let's just say my tastebuds went into overdrive. "Whoa! This is excellent pizza!" I commented, "we didn't have anything this good back in 2009. Sure a few places came close but, wow!"
"Glad you like it." Lexi commented with a smile, "By the time you finish that your other clothes should be finished, then we'll get your room set up."
"Thanks Lexi." I told her before taking another bite out of my pizza. As we ate the Loonatics (what they called themselves) told me stuff about their time and what they do. And it was a lot to take in.
"So in the year 2772 a comet hits Acmetropolis, knocking it off it's axis and sent out supernatural energies that gave you guys superpowers?" I summed down after they told me their story.
"Pretty much." Ace nodded.
"Wow, now I feel real safe." I laughed lightly, the others laughing as well. After the pizzas were finished Lexi took me on a tour of the building, and getting my clothes back too. They looked like I just bought them; there wasn't a speck of blood on them anywhere. When we got back to the living room/TV area Duck wasn't around, Ace was on a floating platform; possibly meditating, Slam and Rev were playing a video game of some sort and Tech was busy typing on a computer. "So enjoy the tour?" Lexi asked me. There were so many rooms in this place, I had a hard time of tracing them all. My confusion must've appeared on my face again, making her laugh. "You'll get the hang of it." she promised me before going over to Tech. I crossed my arms over my chest to try giving myself some comfort. 'So here I am, in the future.' I thought to myself, 'I wonder what happened to my parents?'
I'd like to thank cat2772, Academia Cicero and ktgirlawesome for reviewing 'Prolouge to Misery.'
Much obliged ladies/gents, much obliged.