*sneaks in* I'll just submit this before anyone notices I missed last week...
*notices you* OH! Haha, hi! Eheh... ha... aren't you HAPPY to see me? What? What do you MEAN I missed a deadline? Haha, that's redonculous!
Okay, fine, YOU CAUGHT ME! BUT, I DID submit something! It's called "Ping Pong", and it's a oneshot about Jhonen Vasquez's comic, "Johnny the Homicidal Maniac". If you're angry, and need calming down, take a look, please!
Alright, alight, enough with the long Author's Note! Here's the chapter! Enjoy!
While on the journey home, Elinor discovered that she had a knack for finding certain locations. Luckily, the Gloomsville Mansion was one of them. It had the smell of dust, first aid stuff, and (strangely) pancakes.
Unfortunately, the rest of the group didn't have Elinor's sense of smell, and therefore needed some source of entertainment. Like talking.
Skull Boy was the first to venture, he being the one who the most naturally curious.
"Hey, Elinor," the Jack-of-all-trades started, "I hope you don't mind me sticking my snout where it doesn't belong..." he paused to see Elinor's reaction. She said nothing, but shrugged for him to continue; he had his own right to ask questions.
"But, what's wrong between you and... her?"
Just not questions like that.
Elinor stopped in her sniffing, and turned to look at Skull Boy's charming face*. She stared at him for a few moments, deciding what she should say next. Eventually, the bat-lizard-girl sighed and faced the rest of the group, who were eagerly awaiting her answer.
"Georgia and I... well, I've already told you how we were partners," the monster kids nodded, "And then I told you how she did things differently than I did?" The kids nodded once more. "Well... there's a bit more to it than that."
She sat down on her hindquarters as a motion for the rest to get comfortable.
...
You see, me and Georgia both come from the same place; a laboratory in the middle of Australia. They were basing us on designs of other creatures; they thought they were some kind of otherworldly force... Anyway, they created artificial DNA, combining the genes of humans, reptiles, ungulates, and bats. Georgia and I were two of the few successes. I don't know what happened to the rest.
When we were first created, we were feeble little infants. I don't really remember anything until around what I think was my ninth birthday. What I do remember though, was that I was... I was a...
...
A monster.
I couldn't think. I couldn't feel. I couldn't wonder why. All I ever thought was 'Kill! Kill! Kill!' They had to inject something in me, just to put me to sleep every night. The second they woke me up, I'd be ravenous for something to tear apart.
I'm not proud.
I don't know how it happened, and I'm not entirely sure when it exactly did, but one day when I woke up, the first thing I thought wasn't death-related. I remember thinking, "Where am I?"
The doctors were astounded. Apparently, my thinking independently wasn't planned whatsoever. Any humanity I was supposed to have left should have been drowned out by animal instinct. But, scientists being scientists, they wanted to see what else I could do. But, know that I could think, well... let's just say that was the time when I developed my distaste for being told what to do.
...
"Hold up," Len interrupted, "I thought we were talking about you and Georgia, here?"
Elinor swallowed down anger and annoyance from being interrupted, "I had to give you some background first, before I actually started on the story. Sorry I didn't warn you, first."
"It's okay, Elinor," Ruby reassured, "Keep going; we'll listen!"
Elinor smiled. That girl was such a nice kid...
"Alright," she continued, "Now, as I was saying..."
...
When I showed signs of a rebellious attitude, the scientists started... punishing me. At first, they sprayed me with water; nothing too serious. But, when I still didn't do exactly as I was told, they began giving me small zaps from an electric stick-thingy. That kept me in line, but they never reverted back to water spraying if I stepped out of it (the line, I mean).
Then, eventually, they decided it was time that I met Georgia. Or, as they called her, 'Success #2'.
She was almost as bad as me. Before I started thinking, I mean. She was an insane piece of work, and she still is, mind you, but she was able to decide when to go crazy. But her level of craziness wasn't what made her better than me. It was her physical attributes. She could run faster, jump higher, lift heavier, and fly longer than I could by miles.
The way they introduced us, was by restraining Georgia and putting us in a big white room. Alone. They spoke to us (or me, more so) by some kind of radio-microphone-thingo.
They said, "Successful experiment mark 1, please meet successful experiment mark 2."
Georgia just looked at me. It was the kind of look animals give you when they're deciding whether or not you're a threat. Eventually she settled for 'good' (I guess), and kind of relaxed. I was interested; I had never seen anything else like me; scales and horns and all.
I came closer to her, and I said, "Hi."
She stared at me, with those wide eyes of hers.
Then I continued, "The people in coats said that I was ready to meet you, or something. Are we supposed to talk?"
Georgia just kept on staring at me. I guessed that while she was stronger and faster, she still thought like an animal, unlike me, who had just gotten used to using my vocal cords for other things than snarling (like talking).
I heard a few of the scientists sigh over the microphone.
"Operation 'Meet Up' has been put on hold," they said, "Return Successful Experiments 1 and 2 to their quarters."
Scientists started coming out of the doors to the white room, and began walking towards us. But then, I heard someone say—
"Hhhiii..."
All the scientists stopped dead in their tracks. They stared at Georgia like she had sprouted a second head (which might have been just as well).
"Hiii..." she said again, not taking so long with the 'H' this time.
"Um... hi?" I repeated, wondering why the scientists were all staring.
Georgia just kept staring at me, looking like she was really concentrating.
"Hi," she said again, looking like she was straining, "... Hi. Hi! HI, HI, HI, HI, HI!"
The scientists were ecstatic. They were shouting things like, "Evolutionary!" and "Faster than a parrot!" and "What else could they learn?"
To me it was all just noise. I wanted to go back to my room where I could sleep.
Two scientists lead me away from all the excitement. I looked back to see five scientists escorting Georgia away to wherever she lived. She looked back at me, and smiled; a toothy, kind of creepy, smile. She looked happy. Really happy. Had I made her happy? I couldn't tell. All I wanted was to get back to my room and eat dinner.
*-Just to clear this up, THERE IS NO LOVE HERE! Personally, if I was there I'd be like, "OMG! SKULL BOY!" but, I'm just letting Ellie here make an observation, dat's all! DON'T CHUCK PICKLES AT ME, PLEASE!
SO, we're FINALLY getting more backstory on the elusive Georgia! Hope you enjoyed reading, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out!
Ruby Gloom and all participting characters and locations do NOT BELONG TO ME!
BUT, Elinor, Georgia, and the term "Ain" (and possibly the scientists) DO!
See ya!